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27

THURSDAY

Thick neck. Tortured soul. Henry Rollins. The D.C. native and former Black Flag frontman may be a successful stand-up comic/auteur/actor/TV-show host/publishing entrepreneur/clothes model, but can he still rock? The new Rollins Band album, Nice, is wildly uneven—the Intense One’s lyrics are unfortunately devoid of the humor that redeems his spoken-word stuff, and the band’s attempts to “funk it up” are simply embarrassing—but the heavy ’70s sound is nice, for which we can thank the scuzzy guitar of Jim Wilson. Listening to “Gone Inside the Zero” on my scooter makes me feel like Sonny Barger, and “One Shot” and “What’s the Matter Man” are classic gonzo rockers in the noble-savage tradition of Rollins hero Ted Nugent. As for the Van Halen-meets-Sister Sledge monstrosity that is “I Want So Much More,” well, if it doesn’t make you regret that Black Flag tat you got back in the day, I guess you really are damaged. Rollins and his band play at 7:30 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $15. (202) 393-0930. (Michael Little)