Considering LA TRAVIATA's rather inauspicious 1853 premiere performance and a sexy subject matter that once raised eyebrows, opera-goers through the years have certainly learned to sing a different tune when it comes to Giuseppe Verdi's now-popular romantic tragedy. Taking his tale from the novel La Dame aux Camélias (penned by Alexander Dumas fils, the illegitimate but acknowledged son of the author of The Three Musketeers), Verdi composed an aria-rich score ("Ah, fors' é lui," "Addio del passato") designed to showcase the vocal talents of whomever was lucky enough to play the piece's leading lady, Violetta Valéry. The opera's eponymous "wayward one," Violetta is a high-spirited courtesan, a prostitute with her own extremely popular Paris salon circa 1700. When she meets and falls in love with young gentleman Alfredo Germont, she becomes the original hooker with a heart of gold. Violetta not only leaves her free-lovin' ways and settles down with Alfredo, she eventually gives him (and her happiness) up when his father, Giorgio, cries scandal. Rather than reveal his father's interference, Violetta implies to Alfredo that she misses her old life -- and lovers. Her real motive for dumping him is, of course, cloaked until her dying day, on which she deceases at her one true love's feet elegantly, miserably and melodically. (It's the ending every Pretty Woman should have.) Hard as it is to believe these days, La Traviata was ill-received its first time out; historical accounts blame poor casting. Verdi didn't have the folks over at the New Orleans Opera Association. Mexican-born soprano Olivia Gorra (pictured), the winner of the Traviata 2000 International Voice Competition making her Metropolitan Opera debut this season, returns to New Orleans as Violetta and is joined by baritone Todd Thomas. Director Dejan Miladinovic is a frequent guest of the Atlanta, Baltimore and Dallas operas. La Traviata will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre of the Performing Arts (801 N. Rampart St.). Tickets range from $30 to $100 and are available by visiting www.neworleansopera.org or by calling 529-3000 or (800) 881-4459. -- Shala Carlson

Social Distortion 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Twenty years ago, when a teenage Mike Ness emerged on the burgeoning Orange County punk scene with Social Distortion, he already sounded like a hard-bitten, alcoholic truck driver who'd run the gamut of life's disappointments. Today, with the release of Sex, Love and Rock 'N' Roll (Time Bomb), Social D's first studio album in eight years, the band still sounds like it has been to hell and back with its patented gritty, bitter brand of rockabilly-flavored punk rock. If anything, Ness's rough snarl has mellowed over the years, resulting in a sound closer to his rootsy 1999 solo album, Cheating at Solitaire. As is inevitable with long-term survivor bands, the group has gone through a few lineup changes; in fact, Ness is the only original member left, but he has added Rancid bass player Matt Freeman. Opening up is East Bay outfit Tiger Army, which brings macabre, reverb-heavy psychobilly with a Mexican Day of the Dead flavor to the table. Tickets $25. -- Alison Fensterstock

Angie Stone, with Anthony Hamilton 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE On Angie Stone's third album, Stone Love (J), she successfully adapts traditional soul to the hip-hop moment by being a woman before being a diva. She passes on the vocal gymnastics in favor of numbers full of contemporary details that give her songs of love and loss more impact than multi-octave vocalizing. 'U-Haul,' for instance, depicts the realities of breaking up: 'I'm puttin' my stuff on the U-Haul / and blockin' out your number when you call.' She makes you care by hinting at who she is when she says the break-up was 'as tragic as when Michael left the Jacksons.' Sonically, the programmed beats and guest vocalists mark this as soul for the present, and on 'Gangsta Love,' Stone gets a surprisingly charming, out-of-shtick performance from Snoop Dogg. He doesn't quite sound like her lover, unless her lover's a member of Parliament/Funkadelic, but that's a lot more credible than his pimp/playa pose. Tickets $37.50. -- Alex Rawls

Gibby Haynes & His Problem 9 p.m. Thursday Oct. 7 The Parish at House of Blues, 229 Decatur St., 310-4999 Fans of the relentless, pointless, maniacal behavior Gibby Haynes exhibited as the lead singer of the Texas post-punk band Butthole Surfers may be shocked to find out that he is capable of being as subtly nuanced a frontman as Bowie or Beefheart. Haynes' solo debut, Gibby Haynes and His Problem (Surf Dog), is a masker's tour de force that runs the gamut from the Euro-ambient Heroes-era parody 'Kaiser' ('I'll be the Kaiser / you'll wear the diapers / we'll go through money / like it was nothing / we will be famous / in California') to the sublime psychedelia of 'Superman' ('Let's all go to Superman's house &138; Superman has killer weed / he gets it from Dan Rather'). The band, driven by the frenzied guitar work of Nathan Calhoun and Kyle Ellison and anchored by the powerhouse drumming of Shandon Sahm, delivers this material with manic conviction. Watch out for the post-concert fistfights that 'Redneck Sex' may well engender. Tickets $14. -- John Swenson

Bad Seed 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 8-9; 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10; through Oct. 31 Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., 581-5812 Flynn De Marco and Brian Peterson camp it up in Running With Scissors' launching of Bad Seed this weekend at Le Chat Noir. Sugar and spice and everything nice, my ass. The classic 1956 thriller The Bad Seed confirmed one of our worst fears: Little girls are all smiles on the outside and pure evil on the inside. The cult status of Mervyn LeRoy';s film (based on Maxwell Anderson's play) has grown dramatically over the years, and the film enjoyed a DVD release in August. (Star Patty McCormack, all grown up, provides an optional commentary.) Now, Running With Scissors gives it the campy once-over with what guarantees to be a scream. Flynn De Marco and Brian Peterson engage in yet another drag race as the demonic Rhoda Penmark and her horrified mother, Christine, respectively; the rest of the cast features RWS regulars Dorian Rush, Elizabeth Pearce and Jim Jeske along with frequent guest performers Bianca Del Rio and Jack Long. Presumably under studio pressure, LeRoy prettied up Anderson's ending; let's see how RWS breaks the tie. Tickets $17. -- David Lee Simmons

Blonde Redhead 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8 The Parish at House of Blues, 229 Decatur St., 524-BLUE After a decade dogged by comparisons to Sonic Youth and DNA (Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley discovered the band in 1993, and the band's name came from a DNA song title), Blonde Redhead has finally come into its own with its newest release, Misery Is a Butterfly (4AD). Long respected in New York's hip, 'no-wave' scene, the band has slowly morphed from the post-punk of its earlier releases into something softer, a mere wisp of its former self. Its once discordant and noisy guitars now sound akin to something like, well, a butterfly's flutter, and lead singer Kazu Makino's voice is now heartbreakingly detached and hollow. Maybe it's because of age, maybe it was the effects of a horse riding injury Makino suffered after the band's previous record, Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, but Blonde Redhead has fully metamorphosed and come out sounding more delicate and subtle than ever before. Tickets $14. -- Rob Bryant

Lonnie Liston Smith 10 p.m. and midnight Friday-Saturday, Oct. 8-9 Sweet Lorraine's Jazz Club, 1931 St. Claude Ave., 945-9654 Pianist Lonnie Liston Smith has always been on the edge of whatever is contemporary in jazz. When Pharaoh Sanders was at his peak playing the mystical jazz of Karma and Jewel of Thought, Smith was playing the beautiful piano behind him. When Miles Davis created the improvisatory funk on On the Corner and Big Fun, Smith grooved on both organ and piano for him. His solo records, which include the classics Expansions and Astral Traveling, combine straight-ahead jazz with rhythm and blues without doing either a disservice as so much bad fusion and smooth jazz does. His spacey jazz keyboards and spiritually rich, positive songs should make this a great night out for music lovers who favor both Curtis Mayfield and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Tickets $30. -- David Kunian

Zachary Richard at Swamp Fest 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9 Audubon Zoo, 6500 Magazine St., (866) ITS-AZOO The second weekend of Swamp Fest oozes with all the fun of the first. Singer-songwriter, poet, filmmaker and Francophone activist Zachary Richard makes an all-too-rare New Orleans appearance on Saturday, headlining the weekend's slate of Cajun, zydeco and blues performers on the fest's three stages. Richard is much loved in his home state, but can't walk down the streets of eastern Canada without being recognized; it's not at all odd to find his CDs offered in the grocery stores of small-town Nova Scotia. The reasons, perhaps, are the growing passion and purity of his French-language albums celebrating the Acadian experience -- all it takes to believe is one performance of his signature song, the haunting and introspective 'Réveille.' Fresh off performances at this summer's Fête des Acadiens and Halifax's Congrés Mondial (which you can read about at www.zacharyrichard.com), the Cajun troubadour should be in fine French form. Fest activities also include Saturday's 8:30 a.m. 5K run as well as various animal feedings, the always-colorful craft village and food booths; visit www.auduboninstitute.org/swampfest/ent.htm for full entertainment lineup. Free with zoo admission ($11 adults, $6 children ages 2 to 12, $7 seniors ages 65 and over) or membership. -- Carlson

Shades of Praise 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9 Loyola University, Roussel Performance Hall, 864-7081 Since its inception in 2000, the multiracial and multi-faith Shades of Praise gospel choir has brought its uplifting message of racial and religious harmony to a cross-section of venues and audiences as diverse as its members. On Sept. 12, 2001, the group performed its first public performance at Trinity Episcopal Church on a day of mourning in America. Since then, the Big Easy Entertainment Award-nominated group has performed everywhere from a tiny Baptist church in a poverty-stricken New Orleans neighborhood to the official residence of the president of Ireland. This Saturday, the group will perform songs collected on its first-ever CD, titled God Is Still Doing Great Things. Steeped in African-American gospel traditions, the group also sings of contemporary themes and manages to sway the crowd with time-honored gospel traits of energy, emotion and eloquence. Tickets are $15. -- Etheridge

Anders Osborne and Corey Harris Saturday, Oct. 9, 10:30 p.m. Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS Corey Harris (pictured) opens for Anders Osborne on Saturday at Tipitina's. Anders Osborne is on a roll. He wrote a Top-10 song ('Watch the Wind Blow By') for Tim McGraw, he played a smoking show at the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival, and now he's headlining Tipitina's for the first time in a while. Osborne has perfected his Southern funk/rock, but in the past year he and his band have gotten tighter to the point where instead of sounding like four players, they seem like one entity. Sousaphonist Kirk Joseph and drummer Doug Belote lay down a wicked groove, while saxophonist Tim Green and Osborne on guitar weave soaring or scratchy lines off each other. Opening act Corey Harris deserves all the accolades he got for his role in Martin Scorsese's Blues series last year. The former New Orleans resident takes Delta blues, Mali guitar music, North Mississippi fife and drum cadences, reggae, and other African Diaspora music and combines it with his acute control and full-throated emotion. Harris' music is deep and affecting. The combination of these two makes for one of the best roots music shows of the year. Admission $12. -- Kunian

Petar Jankovich 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10 Loyola University, Nunemaker Auditorium, 865-3492 Loyola University kicked off its Guest Artist Series this year with a dynamic and acclaimed performance of North Indian classical music on Sept. 10. This Sunday, the sitar gives way to the classical guitar of Petar Jankovich. Considered a rising star with an international reputation, Jankovich studied classical guitar at Belgrade, Yugoslavia's Music Academy before further study under Ernesto Bitetti at Indiana University, during which he founded the guitar program at Franklin College in Indiana. Jankovich's blend of Spanish and Latin American styles forms the basis for compositions on his most recent album, Romantico. His playing has also been recognized for top honors in numerous competitions. Currently, Jankovich tours between work as a faculty member at Indiana University and Franklin College. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for students and the Loyola community. -- Etheridge

Third Day with tobyMac 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10 Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena, 6801 Franklin Ave., 280-7222 In the late '80s and early '90s, a popular Christian rock song posed a question traced by some all the way back to Martin Luther himself: 'Why should the devil have all the good music?' Out of that time of hysteria and hype (remember backward-masking?) was born the multimillion-dollar-and-growing business of contemporary Christian music. The 'CCM' industry has continued to evolve, from a time when bands might have been viewed askance for not sounding 'Christian enough' (remember Stryper?) to Third Day. The Grammy-nominated, Dove Award-winning, five-man Georgia-based band continues to explode most people's notions of the genre with Wire, its latest Southern-rock-tinged release produced by Paul Ebersold of Saliva, 3 Doors Down and Sister Hazel fame. The group's non-sell-out success (remember Creed?) has been eye-catching enough for Chevrolet to sign on as 'the official vehicle of Third Day,' for the GOP to host the band at the recent national convention, and for MTV to sign it up for the channel's Choose or Lose campaign. With cred like that and an almost edgy alt-rock-radio sound, it seems safe to say the devil may have lost a little territory. Tickets are $24-$28. -- Carlson

Martin Payton: New Sculpture Through Nov. 2 Heriard-Cimino Gallery, 440 Julia St., 525-7300 For years Martin Payton's steel sculpture has fascinated art lovers with its uncanny melding of delicacy and heft. Stark yet lyrical, his works hark to tribal African motifs while reflecting an aura or undercurrent as innately American as the Mississippi River or the Great Plains. Which may have to do with his chosen materials, steel scraps that once had a life of their own as part of industry or agriculture, which left them rugged and weathered, marked by their years of service. But their lyricism may hark to another, more personal legacy, for Martin Payton hails from the legendary Payton clan of distinguished New Orleans musicians, and if the titles of his pieces often refer to America's jazz greats, that is simply another example of how the local and the global intermingle to create something that is uniquely American. -- D. Eric Bookhardt

Rebuilding Together 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 8-9 Various neighborhoods, 636-3061 For the past 17 years, Rebuilding Together has fought the uphill struggle against blighted and substandard, poverty housing in New Orleans. A national organization formerly known as Christmas in April, Rebuilding Together locally works with the Preservation Resource Center and aims to preserve our architectural heritage by doing its restoration work primarily in historic neighborhoods, while also providing housing assistance to low-income and elderly residents. Rebuilding Together New Orleans is in the top 4 percent of all 257 national affiliates, and to date has restored 800 owner-occupied houses, seven schools, six community centers, two transitional housing units and one courthouse in 20 historic areas. This week, the group expects more than 4,000 volunteers to tackle 70 homes in its annual program. Volunteers and sponsors from all backgrounds are encouraged to join the effort in 14 neighborhoods Friday and Saturday. To get involved, call or visit www.rtno.org. -- Frank Etheridge

Gumbo Festival Friday-Sunday, Oct. 8-10 Angel Square, Bridge City Avenue near Huey P. Long Bridge, Bridge City, 436-4712 It's time once again for Bridge City to prove its mettle as the 'Gumbo Capital of the World.' The annual Gumbo Festival stakes legitimate claim with three days featuring more than 2,000 gallons of both seafood and chicken/sausage gumbo prepared on festival grounds. The weekend also features live music, a fais do do area and amusement rides, plus a variety of regional cuisine and sweets. On Friday, the festival opens at 6 p.m. when Miss Creole Gumbo and King Creole Gumbo are introduced, and the Topcats perform. Saturday opens at 10 a.m. with a later music lineup featuring the Alley Cats, Chris Gray and headliners JR & Swamp Pop Players. Sunday opens at 8 a.m. with the 5K Bridge Run over the Huey P., and music from Allen Hebert & the Rose Hill Band, Wayne Foret & Rockin' Fifties, Gary 'T' and Chee Weez. Admission $2 with children under 5 free. -- Etheridge