By Joe Heim
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 13, 2002 | |  Jewel is at Constitution Hall Sunday, Nov. 17. (Helayne Seidman for The Post) | The Donnas are not the Ramones, but they wanna be. The four-piece all-girl band from California plays straightforward garage rock that it has obviously cribbed from listening to a lot of Joey, Dee Dee and the boys. If you don't mind listening to a blatant rip off, albeit at a higher pitch, you'll enjoy the group's show at the Black Cat Wednesday, Nov. 13. The Nappy Roots show scheduled for Nation on Wednesday, Nov. 13 has been canceled. Tickets are sold out, but the reunion concert tour that brings the Blasters to the Birchmere Wednesday, Nov. 13, still deserves a mention. With brothers Phil and Dave Alvin at the helm, the seminal rockabilly-punk band that helped define L.A.'s late '70s and early '80s sound is one of the great American groups of the past 20 years. Country legend Loretta Lynn makes a rare club appearance when she plays the 9:30 Friday, Nov. 15. The 68-year-old Lynn, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the author of such gems as "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin on Your Mind)," has had 16 No. 1 country hits. She'll probably work her way through most of them at this show, a must-attend event for serious country music fans. Producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff created the sound of Philadelphia, and Teddy Pendergrass was one of the voices most responsible for making the duo so successful. The gospel singer turned soul star had hits with songs like "I Don't Love You Anymore" and the smoldering "Turn Off the Lights" among many others. An auto accident in 1982 left him partially paralyzed, but he has continued to record and perform. He's at Howard's Cramton Auditorium Friday, Nov. 15, along with Roy Ayers. Classic soul fans are in for a treat. Bryan Ferry is so cool -- cool enough to charge $40 a ticket and make it seem like a bargain. The former frontman for Roxy Music and a walking advertisement for well-dressed cigarette smokers everywhere brings his ultra-smooth lounge act to the 9:30 Saturday, Nov. 16. As long as she doesn't read any of her poetry, Jewel's show at Constitution Hall Sunday, Nov. 17, should be an entertaining evening. It has always been fashionable to make fun of the Alaskan singer-songwriter -- and the poetry didn't dissuade critics from that -- but Jewel just isn't as lame as folks like to make her out to be. Erin McKeown might be dismissed as no more than a coffee-shop folkie if her songwriting wasn't so sharp and her music making so intriguing. The elfin singer-songwriter seems caught in an altogether different age -- her songs feel like leftover gems from the earliest days of Tin Pan Alley or maybe even the Wild West of the late 19th century. She headlines at the Rams Head Tavern Monday, Nov. 18. She's at Iota Nov. 19, sharing the bill with the Dylan wannabe Dan Bern, perhaps the most annoying singer-songwriter to emerge in the past decade. With the inclusion of a song that attempts to view the world through the eyes of John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban, Steve Earle's latest album has generated some controversy. But Earle has never shied away from a fight, and he's likely to make a political point or two during his show at the 9:30 Monday, Nov. 18. Ruben Blades is another artist who, far from avoiding politics, has immersed himself in it. The Panamanian singer and activist even ran for president of his country in 1994, finishing second in the election. He brings his blend of social views, salsa, Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban pop to the 9:30 Tuesday, Nov. 19. And finally, there's the wonderful Kelly Willis at the Birchmere Tuesday, Nov. 19. Willis is occasionally described as an alt-country artist, but there's really nothing alt about it. She makes straightforward country music and her beautiful voice, with just a hint of a twang, lends itself well to the stories her songs tell. RECENT STORIES & REVIEWS FROM THE POST Have you ever wondered what makes Ted Nugent tick? And, uh, do you really want to know? If so, don't miss David Segal's story on the Motor City Madman, in which Nugent reveals his Top 10 songs. And no, they are not all about hunting. Also, Carrie Nieman reviews Jack Johnson's show at the 9:30 and Shannon Zimmerman checks in on the latest CD from Tori Amos FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED It hasn't quite made it to American shores yet, but the latest song craze sweeping across Europe is "The Ketchup Song" by Las Ketchup, a group of three Spanish sisters. The song (and full-length video), both of which you can access on the official Las Ketchup Web site, is a bit of silly fluff; but if you listen closely, you can hear the influence of Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." That doesn't make the song any better, but it is catchy. READER RECOMMENDATION If you have a favorite group that you want to tell readers about, e-mail a sentence or two description, as well as the date, time, location and price for an upcoming show. I'll pick one reader recommendation a week and post it here. MUSIC VENUES | 
