The Clash - Rock Hall inductee gets its first exhibit.

The Clash weren't just another punk band from the UK. Often lumped in with the Sex Pistols and the Damned, The Clash took punk rock only as a starting point for exploring a variety of musical styles and radical politics. Not only did the band make its statements more articulately, but it also had the musicianship to mix in ska, reggae and rock.

"The Sex Pistols were English in their orientation," explains Rock Hall Curatorial Director Howard Kramer, who helped assemble Revolution Rock: The Story of the Clash, which opens at the Rock Hall on October 21 and runs through April 15 of next year. "Aside from the mitigating circumstances, they addressed a particular point of view. But the Clash were a band with an American orientation. They had a much deeper breadth than their contemporaries. They had the chops to pull all that stuff off. They just had the ability to go places other people couldn't go. They were more ambitious and not in a bad way."

Revolution Rock: The Story of the Clash is the first Clash exhibit of any kind and includes artifacts such as Joe Strummer's Fender Telecaster, Mick Jones' Gibson Les Paul Jr., Paul Simonon's smashed bass guitar from the cover of London Calling and handwritten lyrics for "London Calling," "Know Your Rights" and "Clampdown," many of which have alternative titles and lyrics. It was put together with the full cooperation of band members as well as the family of the late Joe Strummer.

"We're trying to highlight how their career manifested itself," Kramer says of the band, inducted into the Rock Hall in 2003. "They took a shot of something and created music like a Polaroid. Sandinista is an example. They went to record a bunch of covers and then had 36 tracks in the can that said, "This is us in New York right at this moment. These are the books we're reading and the songs we're listening to.' It's interesting to see how deliberate they were. We have rehearsal set lists. They knew what they wanted to play in what order. They knew how to pace a show and were very conscientious about it."

The exhibit also coincides with the release of The Clash: The Singles, a box set of the band's 19 UK singles and various B-sides (with liner notes by Pete Townsend, the Edge, Mike D and a host of other musicians and artists) that's due out November 14 on Epic/Legacy. The exhibit kicks off when Clash frontman Mick Jones participates in a Hall of Fame Series discussion with Warren Zanes, vice president of education and public programs, at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, October 21, in the Museum's Fourth Floor Theater. Tickets are $10.

— Jeff Niesel

Six Parts Seven Returns

Kent-based band The Six Parts Seven, known for its adventurous, primarily instrumental excursions, released its last album, Everywhere and Right Here, back in August 2004. Fans won't be waiting much longer for a follow-up. It recorded most of the new disc, its fifth, with producer Matt Bayles at Studio Litho in Seattle (home of its label Suicide Squeeze) and finished up in Akron this past summer. It's scheduled for a January 2007 release. Meanwhile, you can check out the direction the group's heading now when it plays at Parish Hall (6205 Detroit Ave., 216.939.9099) at 9 p.m. Friday, October 20. They'll be joined by locals Blk Tygr and Columbus singer-songwriter Blake Miller, who've both hooked up with local label Exit Stencil. Miller's CD will be available at the show; Blk Tygr starts recording later this year. Admission: $6. — Anastasia Pantsios

More Musica

Two Kent-based singer-songwriters, David Ullman and Ashley Brooke Toussaint, will play a show at the new performing arts space in downtown Akron, Musica (17 Maiden Lane, 330.374.1114), at 8 p.m. Thursday, October 19. Ullman is putting finishing touches on his debut album, Dog Days, due out next year on his own label, Blue Star. In the meantime, he's releasing a four-track CD single this fall, featuring one track from that album, "Déjà Vu," an acoustic version "Secondhand," a track that's on the album in full-band version, and two tracks he called "B-sides." "They don't fit in with anything else on the record, but they're fun recordings I wanted to put out there," he says. No cover. — A.P.

Jigsaw Anniversary

The Parma hard rock club Jigsaw Saloon & Stage (5324 State Rd., 216.351.3869) celebrates its one-year anniversary this weekend with a series of concerts. Beatallica, a band that blends the Beatles and Metallica for the sake of parody, performs at 9 p.m. Friday, October 20, with Cult tribute band Sonic Temple. Tickets: $7. And local metal bands Schnauzer, Gluttons, Abdullah, Nick Wolff and Switchblade Saints perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, October 21. FREE. — J.N.

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