friday 12|28 It''s Beginning to Look A Lot Like New Year''s

MAX CABELLO Hard-rocking blues guitarist Max Cabello provides the soundtrack for Ocean Thunder''s weekend kickoff. This is the third (maybe fourth, but who''s counting?) time Cabello has played OT, and he''s become a darling of the audience there. Cabello delivers an intense sound that ranges from soulful to rump-roasting hot. There''s gonna be a party in the house tonight. Think of this as a warmup for New Year''s Eve. >[CT]

9pm. Ocean Thunder, 214 Lighthouse, Monterey. 643-9169.

saturday 12|29

Castro Iron Blues

TOMMY CASTRO Blues guitarist Tommy Castro returns to Sly McFly''s for one final appearance in the waning days of 2001. There''s lots of new stuff to finish off the old year--Castro recently released a new album, Guilty of Love, on his new label, Tower Records'' new imprint 33 Street Records. Look for another night of soul-flavored, dance-happy blues when the San Jose guitarist takes the stage. Opening the show is Blue Tornados. >[CT]

8:30pm. Sly McFly''s, Cannery Row. 649-8050.

Live And in Person

LIVE SEX SHOW AND WATERWINGS Let me tell you about Live Sex Show. No, let Sean tell you. "It''s definitely about songwriting and execution--back to the instrument as something you can be really good at...like a Pink Floyd thing," he says. He''s not kidding. Live Sex Show, made up of scene veterans Sean Michael White, Donnie Nix and Rob London, who all come from very popular former bands, is a killer unit that is all about classic rock ethics of kicking ass at what you do. White''s guitar wails and vocalizes in lots of other ways difficult to characterize, and the drumming--the drumming becomes tribal, and is often the locus of the song, kind of like how the Police used to write. And they''re nice, too. Waterwings is playing as well. >[AC]

9pm. Bluefin Cafe, 685 Cannery Row, Monterey. 375-7000.

Pour It On

BIG RAIN Big Rain is a rock group coming out of Santa Cruz with a squeeze of reggae, funk and tropical styles mixed into a big, funky ''70s rock sound. The sonic solidarity is made up of keyboards, big an'' crunchy guitar, strong smooth vocals and even a few pipes provided by the drummer. Big Rain is a fairly busy band, also playing frequently at the Border''s in downtown Santa Cruz, and they have also played several central California festivals. Fans might also catch them on KPIG, and they claim they''ve been on television. Hey, you could meet a superstar in the privacy of your home town! They''re playing tonight at Ocean Thunder and probably selling their newest album, "When Magic Strikes," so bring some extra ducats. >[AC]

9pm. Ocean Thunder, 219 Lighthouse, Monterey. 643-9169

sunday 12|30

Walkin'' Before Midnight

LABYRINTH OF HOPE It''s a good idea to go into a rip-roaring party well meditated. And that''s the idea behind having the Labyrinth of Hope on the day before New Year''s Eve. Walking a labyrinth is a strangely soothing and contemplative act, and producer Thea Sagen has made this labyrinth especially so. Labyrinth walkers are asked to make a wish as they stroll around the luminaria-lined maze, then to write down their wish at the center and put it in a jar. The walk will pause for a half-hour while poet Ric Masten reads work inspired by the many messages deposited in the labyrinth last year. >[TH]

12:30-3pm. Colton Hall Lawn, Madison and Pacific, Monterey.

monday 12|31

Mall Crawl

FIRST NIGHT MONTEREY This year''s First Night celebration continues the fine tradition of festivities for the kiddies, Gramps and everyone in between. Starting at 2pm, over 50 artists and musicians begin ringing in the New Year. Hey, 40,000 revelers can''t be wrong, right? For full story, see pg. 22. >[TH]

2pm-midnight. Various locations in downtown Monterey. $15/$12/$8. Buttons available at Longs and Mailboxes, Etc. 373-4778.

An Evening To Die For

MURDER MYSTERY AT BULLY III One of you will die before the second course. Now enjoy the meal! Usher in the New Year with a whodunit, interactive dinner theater featuring a four-course meal that includes champagne and dessert. There are two shows tonight, both ending before midnight, just in time for revelers to hoof it over to Bully III''s pub or to First Night Monterey before the ball drops. "You''re not watching the play, you''re a part of it," says Terri Steinmann, co-owner with husband/chef David. "You don''t know who''s going to die, you don''t know if someone at your table is an actor or not. We might come by and pick up your salad plate and underneath it is a murder note." Pacific Repertory''s finest local actors help the plot along before the murder is revealed during the dessert course. Smarty-pants detectives in the audience who correctly guess the killer''s identity will win two free tickets to a Pacific Repertory show. Beware of red herrings. Reservations required. >[JL]

5pm/8:30pm. Bardwell''s Bully III, Eighth and Dolores, Carmel. $45 includes dinner, champagne and non-alcoholic beverages. 625-1750.

Dancing Thing

NEW YEAR''S AT DOUBLETREE There is a whole school of thought that says people don''t need fancy resolutions or caviar on New Year''s Eve. What they need is a quarter-acre of dance floor on which to get jiggy. Tonight the DoubleTree Hotel and New Wave broadcasting team up to present "2002: A Dance Odyssey" for people who yearn to roam far and wide while shaking their booties. DJ Jae Jae of CD93 will play the very greatest pop and rock hits, inspiring dancers to acts of supreme day-after embarrassment. A dessert buffet, a TV on which to watch the ball drop in Times Square and a midnight champagne toast add to the festive air. All attendees must be 21 or over. >[TH]

8:30pm. DoubleTree Hotel, 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey. $50. 649-2688.

So Many Bands, So Little Time

NEW YEAR''S AT THE BARS A New Year''s reveler can hardly walk three feet in Monterey tonight without stumbling over some celebration or another presided over by a band with plans to party like it''s 1999. To find out where favorites like InBalance, Righteous Anger and Lorelei and the Road Kings are playing on the night before 2002, see story on pg. 30.

tuesday 1|1

Start Running for Good

RESOLUTION RUN There are more than a few things to do on New Year''s Day to mark the occasion. Lots of folks go to the beach or climb a mountain to reflect on stuff. Others clear aside the confetti and spilled peanuts to view college football. Still others try to hold their skulls steady so the evil green toad trapped inside doesn''t get frightened and jump suddenly. One of the best and healthiest things you can do is go for a run. This time around, resolve to speed through the 12th Annual Rio Resolution Run sponsored by Rio Grill. There''s a 6.8 mile foot race as well as a three-mile fun run on a trail and road course in Carmel. The event is a benefit for the Suicide Prevention Service of the Central Coast. Just do it. [AS]

9am. Registration is $25 for adults and $17 for kids under 12. Forms are available at the Rio Grill, the Treadmill running shop at the Crossroads or online at www.active.com.

One Chickadee, Two Chickadee...

MOSS LANDING BIRD COUNT The annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count is a strange beast--half popular science, half potluck. Here''s the way it works: for three weeks around this time of year, all over the Western Hemisphere, groups of up to 100 folks with binoculars, field guides and warm socks station themselves in places birds tend to congregate--in this case, Elkhorn Slough. They split up into smaller groups and count every bird they see, categorized by species. John Warriner, a local "compiler" who has gone to Moss Landing every New Year''s Day for 20 years, says he occasionally sees some migrant warblers--which are off course from where they ordinarily would be. "Naturally," he says, "you hope to find a rare bird, and naturally you don''t every time, or it wouldn''t be a rare bird." When it''s over, the birders often go somewhere and eat supper together, then have a countdown to midnight, when the count ends. In this case, the countdown will be held at Pajaro Dunes, south of Watsonville. Later, all of the numbers from all over will be compiled and the National Audubon Society will produce a book of findings. >[AG]

To participate in the bird count, call Bob Ramer at 426-7342 or John Warriner at 722-5589.

This week''s Hot Picks were toasted and sipped by Anthony Cardott, Alex Gilrane, Traci Hukill, Jessica Lyons, Andrew Scutro and Chuck Thurman.