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What''s Up, Chuck

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There are at least three concerts this week that you want to pencil in your calendar. And the good news is they''re all on different nights, so you can see them all.

Singer/Songwriter

If you had to hang Katy Moffatt on one particular musical peg, you''d probably have to drape her on "country." There''s an unmistakable twang-and-cry in her voice, and lap- and pedal-steel guitars crop up in her recorded works. But that peg isn''t quite strong enough to hold Moffatt''s weight.

But maybe that''s as much a comment on the state of today''s country music as it is on Moffatt''s abilities. While today''s country is pretty lightweight, the Texas-born singer/songwriter is a little heavier. Not only does her voice possess an amazing degree of emotional expressivity, her lyrics flow like poetry. Even when she''s crying in her beer, the images she evokes in the songs she writes are almost haunting. Take this example from "Wheel," on Moffatt''s 1999 release, Loose Diamond: "I saw you last night, you were so cold/Our love was like fire/Now I''m chilled to the bone...A wheel won''t roll once it bends/Can''t keep travelling a road once it comes to an end/Two broken hearts don''t easily mend/And I guess we just can''t be friends..."

Katy Moffatt, Saturday, 8pm. Capsicum, Pacific Grove. $14/advance; $15/door. 373-7379.

Bluegrass

Bluegrass innovator Frank Wakefield and his band are doing two shows in PG, courtesy of Nina Kelly and Grass in the Grove. The mandolin pickin'', Tennessee native has been performing around the world for 40 years, working not only in traditional bluegrass but also doing gigs with the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Pops. In the ''70s, he spent a couple years touring with the New Riders of the Purple Sage, opened for the Grateful Dead, and worked with Jerry Garcia on non-Dead projects.

This year, Wakefield is up for a Best Bluegrass Album Grammy Award (along with Sam Bush, David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Jesse McReynolds, Bobby Osborne, Ricky Skaggs, Buck White with Del McCoury) for the Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza.

Frank Wakefield, Sunday, 5pm and 8:30pm. Cypress Grove Cafe and Tap Room, Pacific Grove. $16.50/advance; $20/day of show. 372-5641.

British Folk-Pop

Equation''s appearance at Morgan''s might be one of those sleeper concerts of the year. The young band out of Crapstone in Devon, England, is not currently well-known in this country but…the right breaks at the right time…you know? Based on their 1998 album, Hazy Daze, they''ve certainly got a listenable sound. The Sunday Cape Cod Times describes them as "Three parts 10,000 Maniacs, two parts Fleetwood Mac and one part The Chieftains." You could also say they''re a sort of Richard Thompson lite.

I can''t figure out what the band is like live, but based on their sound, I''d take a chance and check it out.

Equation, Tuesday, 8pm. Morgan''s Coffee and Tea, Monterey. $7. 642-4949.

Relax!

Frankie goes to Monterey; Rob Base at McGarrett''s. By Antje DePonte

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Rock

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In late 1983, "Relax," from Frankie Goes To Hollywood''s debut album on ZTT, hit the airwaves and almost instantly reached the heights of the charts globally. That was followed by two more chart toppers in 1984, "Two Tribes" and "The Power Of Love." Fifteen years later, FGTH''s first singles can still be heard on the radio.

The quartet''s trademark tight, upbeat mix of power rock and disco can still make you tap your toes.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood with Amazon Mollies opening, Thursday, 9pm, $10, Long Bar, 372-2244.

Hip-Hop

The live gig at McGarrett''s on Sunday provides some interesting food for thought. Club owner Brooke Lewis and Long Bar''s co-owner Sean Croce have entered a business relationship of sorts. "Sean approached me with the idea of bringing in bigger acts and using McGarrett''s for the shows," says Lewis, "because even at full capacity, the Long Bar wouldn''t be able to hold enough people to keep the cover charge at a reasonable price. McGarrett''s can accommodate over 500 people."

The experiment starts out with a big bang, featuring East Coast rapper/hip-hop artist Rob Base. This Top-40 band first surfaced in the late ''80s, delivering the smash singles "Joy and Pain," and "It Takes Two" from its debut album, It Takes Two. Both the album and the single soared to platinum status. "This guy is huge," says Croce. "We are going to bring the sound equipment from the Long Bar over to accommodate the artist. It''s going to be great and if the set-up is received well, we''re going to do this more often, perhaps even on a regular basis."

"I like the fact that we are working on this together and helping each other out," says Lewis. "Maybe if the clubs did this more often we could actually create a healthy, strong, live music scene again."

Rob Base, Sunday, 9pm (doors open at 8pm), $20, McGarrett''s, 646-9244.