Rock Against Rape is back. The event, assembled by and for Rape Crisis Services, aims to raise both awareness and money with a show this Saturday at the Highdive. The event kicks off at 6 p.m., meaning even those off to bed early can make it out to show their support. This year (the sixth for the event), the lineup bounces back and forth among several genres, which makes it a good opportunity to check out some bands you might not usually run into. Vanattica is set to anchor the show, along with the rock/reggae sounds of Lumus and On Again Off Again out of Chicago. Rounding out things is the folk-ier side of the bill with Casados and Eleni Moraites — lots of styles to hopefully appeal to lots of people. Be sure to stop by the merch table and sign up for an e-mail list or two. The bands are all donating their time for a good cause, but they would certainly love for you to come out and see them again or pick up a CD or T-shirt. Cover charge for Rock Against Rape is only $5, but you can certainly kick in a little more if possible.

In other news, Aroma Cafe is set to host live music once again. Abi Tapia, the Austin, Texas, chanteuse, will make her sixth stop in as many years tonight (Thursday) at the downtown Champaign coffeeshop that ceased hosting live music last year (much to the chagrin of many local musicians and fans). Start time will once again be 8 p.m., and the show will be free (with tips encouraged — the lady is driving a long way on this tour). The show will not carry any local support in terms of an opener, but Abi has earned many local fans, and she has plenty of material to stretch things out over two hours. Check out http://www.myspace.com/abitapia for more information. For now, this is a one-off performance to help support a longtime Aroma performer, but it could signal an eventual return of regular performances. Keep an eye out.

The Red Herring has been booking some pretty solid bills lately, and this Friday is no exception. The alternative space/restaurant is presenting GLOWFRIENDS, out of Kalamazoo, in the midst of a tour through the Midwest and to the East Coast. They list themselves as indie/shoegaze and fit into it well, relying on lead vocals from siblings April and Mark Andrew Morris (the latter sounding a lot like Ben Gibbard). The nice sibling harmonies occasionally remind me of the Erin/Adam Fein pairing in Absinthe Blind. GLOWFRIENDS come packing a real vibraphone and lots of other instruments, and the Jam Records group will share the Red Herring space with headliner So Long Forgotten (another well-traveled band but this one from right here in central Illinois). The downtempo tunes of Good Night and Good Morning will also be in the mix, along with Casados and Carl Hauck, making this one hell of a night of music ... and it’s only $4 to get in. Posters state that showtime is 8 p.m. sharp.

If you’re looking for something to do after the RAR show Saturday, a short walk will get you over to Cowboy Monkey where Santa is set to headline. The band wrapped up a year of musical transformation into a sleek indie-rock outfit with a performance as the Cure at this year’s Great Cover-Up. They’ve begun to work on the townies by performing more outside of Campustown, where they already have a strong following. They’ll be joined Saturday by Curb Service, the indie-rock/hip-hop mash-up project from Larry Gates, who has promised “naked shenanigans” at the show. Wait, that might have been regarding the aftershow ... I’m not sure. The show also features Color Radio, out of Chicago, and local act Jake “virt” Kaufman. Jake is a somewhat new CU transplant, and he specializes in chip-tune music, which is a genre that utilizes old video game systems and computers as synthesizers. Check out http://www.biglionmusic.com for more info. Cover for this show is $5, and it starts at 9:30 p.m.

I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that while searching for shows this week, I found a listing for James at the Highdive tonight. I couldn’t believe it. How had I missed the fact that the Manchester boys behind one of the epic jams of the ’90s (“Laid”) would be playing right here in town? With $20 tickets listed, it seemed to make sense. Upon clicking the link, though, my hopes were shattered. It’s a surprise (not sure how with all of the flyers and handbills and YouTube videos) birthday party/promotional event. Oh well.

I’m actually less embarrassed to admit that I halfway want to go see New Kids on the Block at the Assembly Hall Sunday to help alleviate all of the childhood angst that I had when I couldn’t see them on their first big tour, even though all of my friends got to go. It was the social event of our young lives, and I missed it. This could help make up for it, I’m sure, but ridiculous ticket prices and the fact that I’d have to sit through a bunch of shitty new material that has no sentimental value pretty much rules it out.

Mike Ingram can be reached at forgottenwords@gmail.com