Crash Safely Multiple Sclerosis Society Benefit Shows featuring The Upper Crust, Parlour Bells, Corin Ashley, The I Want You and many more | Sept. 13-14, 20-21

Maybe you are new in town. You'd have to be, at this point, to not be familiar with some of the great things the Boston music community does to help those in need. Anyone living in the area last spring in the aftermath of the marathon bombings will recall the amazing way bands and music people pulled together to raise money for the One Fund and related causes. There's a long history of that here, and this weekend marks the return of one more recent effort, Crash Safely. Now in its third year, the event comprises a series of shows that each aim to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and raise awareness about the disease, which is commonly diagnosed in those afflicted between the ages of 20 and 40. So, prime rocking ages, right? Not only the event's organizers but also all of the bands involved this year have been touched in some way by the chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that affects the central nervous system. Read more about MS here, if you like.

This year's Crash Safely features four nights of something-for-everyone shows in three different towns. Our compulsive desire to categorize and organize -- and, well, general laziness -- makes us wish all our favorite acts participating were slated to play a single venue on a single night, but hey, that's our baggage. What you should know is that strewn across the four nights and three venues are Clicky Clicky-approved acts including The Upper Crust, Parlour Bells, Corin Ashley, The I Want You and Cotton Candy. A digital comp featuring all the participating acts has been put together by the organization, and you can stream that at the bottom of this piece. But before you dig in, click open the four Facebook event pages into new tabs so you can look over the great bills and consider your rock options (roptions?) while you rock out. Maybe tomorrow, Friday the 13th with The Upper Crust and John Powhida International Airport is your night. Maybe you thrill to the prospect of seeing Corin Ashley and The Unholy III back-to-back at the Midway next week. Whatever your proclivity, there's a show for you. And if there isn't, well, you are a very difficult person, aren't you? Well, difficult people can just click this link and make a donation via one of the event co-founder's bike-a-thon pledge page, and then go back to incinerating ants with a magnifying glass or whatever it is they were doing. As a treat for reading this far, here is a link to The Upper Crust playing their stone-cold classic "Let Them Eat Rock."

Crash Safely Night #1: 9/13/13 at Oberon

Crash Safely Night #2 9/14/13 at Davis Square Theatre

Crash Safely Night #3 9/20/13 at the Midway Café

Crash Safely Night #4 9/21/13 at the Midway Café

Varsity Drag, The Suicide Dolls, Unholy III and The I Want You | Midway Cafe, JP | 1 Dec.

Rock fans, lend us your ears. Yes, yes, we stole the image above, for you young people that there is a detail of the cover art from AC/DC's brilliant 1976 set Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. But that's not why we've called you here. You are no doubt aware of the big, big rock show tomorrow evening, that being the apparently not-yet-sold-out Dinosaur Jr. bill at The Paradise, a show that will most certainly sell out now that The Sinclair has had to postpone the competing Titus Andronicus bill. But perhaps you are less familiar with your options for Saturday? This will not stand, because there is a mighty, mighty show occurring down in Jamaica Plain at Midway Cafe Saturday night.

Top-lining the evening are indie punk stalwarts Varsity Drag, Clicky Clicky faves who many readers likely saw early this month delivering a dominating set -- basically spur-of-the-moment -- at the big Clicky Clicky Community Servings Benefit Show. We heard two new numbers from Ben Deily and his henchpersons that night, and the band is promising to play some other newies this weekend to boot. Varsity Drag has recently gone back into the studio with storied producer Tom Hamilton, so it would seem the beast is stirring once more. Speaking of things beastly, that brings us to the main support for the night, Connecticut's own stoner punks The Suicide Dolls, who impressed us greatly -- particularly their totally sick drummer -- at the Tiger Mountain show in September. Also performing Saturday are The Unholy III, which features punk lifer Kevin Stephenson formerly of The Shods and et cetera, as well as garagey Boston upstarts The I Want You, whose recent video for the tune "Three Short Days" kept us amused for easily about that long a few weeks ago. Let us not belabor the point. This is going to be a hot one. Hit the embeds below for a taste of what you've got coming to you, then click over to the Facebook event page to digest the deets and pledge your allegiance.