Troy will be an indie-pop-rock mecca this weekend when the Honda Civic Tour sweeps through. Honda’s annual tours began in 2001; each tour features a contest for a custom Civic designed by the headlining band. This year’s car is a floral ecofantasy hybrid created by the boys from headliners Panic at the Disco, who have incorporated their environmental-mindedness throughout the tour; a portion of every ticket sales goes into an “eco-fund” led by Reverb and Global Inheritance. Both organizations will have interactive eco-exhibits at each tour location.

And you can even enjoy an evening of Billboard chart-topping indie-rock while you’re saving the spotted owls. Panic at the Disco (whom, according to one Metroland staffer, “the kids are really keen on these days”) are joined by Minneapolis-based punksters Motion City Soundtrack (pictured), the classical-rock fusion of the Hush Sound, and Phantom Planet (the ones who don’t want to be known as Jason Schwartzman’s old band).

The Honda Civic Tour hits the RPI’s Houston Fieldhouse (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1900 Peoples Ave., Troy) on Saturday (May 3) at 7 PM. Tickets are $30. For more information, check out the tour Web site at civictour.honda.com, or call 276-6262.

Carlo Curley

One writer described him as a performer who “roars onto the scene like a freight train highballing downgrade out of the tunnel.” Another, in the Toronto Star, described his stage presence thus: “A more cheerful, talkative and playful jester you couldn’t meet.”

What makes this peculiar is that the North Carolina-born Carlo Curley is a concert organist. And the gig we’re previewing here is in a church: Schenectady’s First United Methodist Church, to be precise. Curley is one of the best-known (and most flamboyant) organists in the world; in fact, critics have actually described him as “flamboyant.”

He’s known for playful banter and outlandish showmanship, but neither of these qualities would matter if Curley weren’t an absolute master of the instrument. We’re not sure what he’s going to play this Sunday afternoon, but we’re sure it will be presented with plenty of flair.

Carlo Curley will perform Sunday (May 4) at 3 PM at the First United Methodist Church (603 State St., Schenectady). Admission is free. For more info, call 374-4403.

ODC/Dance Company

San Francisco-based ODC/Dance Company will bring two of their internationally renowned repertory works to Pittsfield for three public performances this weekend. The company are “a must-see for all ages,” according to The New York Times, and to prove it, they’re presenting two different programs over three days: a mixed repertory performance and The Velveteen Rabbit.

ODC’s mixed-repertory program will include three world premieres: the celebratory Origins of Flight; Hunting & Gathering, described by ODC as “a churning centrifuge of movement set to rock music,” and Unintended Consequences: A Meditation, which was commissioned by the Equal Justice Society to be a quiet, ironic and “insightfully humorous” look at the current state of political affairs. Finally, the mixed program includes Walk Before Talk, an ensemble work created in 1998, and set to a score by Academy Award-winning composer Michael Nymam.

The second program brings the classic children’s tale The Velveteen Rabbit to life through dance. With original music by Benjamin Britten, recorded narration by actor Geoff Holye, and whimsical sets and costumes by children’s illustrator Brian Wildsmith, the 90-minute program is suitable for children ages 3 and up.

ODC/Dance Company will present their mixed-repertory program at the Colonial Theatre (111 South St., Pittsfield, Mass.) on Friday (May 2) at 7 PM, and The Velveteen Rabbit on Saturday and Sunday (May 3-4) at 2 PM. Tickets for the repertory program are $10-$15; tickets for The Velveteen Rabbit are $8-$12. For more info, or to order tickets, call the Colonial box office at (413) 997-4444.