By Charlene Arsenault

• Horning in: Steve LeClaire, who plays tenor and alto sax, recently unleashed his own disc, Sorry, We're Open. LeClaire, who can be seen with everyone from The Silverbacks to Big Dawg (coming back to The Hotel Vernon on March 22), is best known these days for his full-time gig with R&B outfit, The Valves. This original disc is available on cdbaby.com, but you can also pick it up from LeClaire (for a few bucks less). He calls it "traditional rock and roll or horn-drenched R&B," and LeClaire not only plays his horn on the record, but sings and plays keys. "It's just a collection of songs that hopefully stand on their own," he says. "Some tunes started as lyrics, some started as musical grooves and hook ideas. But I wanted them all to be fun and danceable, stuff you could listen to blowing down the highway on a hot summer afternoon, as well as anywhere else. 'Ben's Song' is perhaps a little different, in that it's about our son, Ben, who suffers from autism. Basically, they are all groove and feel tunes. Nobody plays 'feel' anymore, and that's the school I went through, cutting my musical teeth. So obviously, I lean toward that in writing."

Citing David "Fathead" Newman, Clarence Clemons and Junior Walker as influences, LeClaire is fond of playing the horn big and fat. Devoid of studio tricks, Sorry, We're Open also features drummers John Riley and Billy MacGillivray, guitarists Cliff Goodwin, Mike Ladd and Chris Florio, bassistsDavid Hull and Wolf Ginandes, keyboardist Mitch Chakour, the Tornado Alley Horn Section (Roger Grover and Allen Keifer) and singing by Janice Singleton Hughes and Maxine Green Sharp, as well as Keri Anderson. Who needs tricks when you've got those players?

"I'm thrilled with the way it came out," says LeClaire, who recorded it in his home studio. "It sounds 'real' to me; the way people play, or should play, because it was done by real musicians who know a lot about feel."

Visit www.the-valves.net and www.steveleclaire.com.

• Club notes: On Friday, Bernadette Peters ushers in The Hanover Theatre; Uncle Billy's Smokehouse returns to the club that bears the name of the parade float — Tammany Hall; it's the Smartbomb CD release at Bender's; The Wormtown B-Squad brings in its B-3 to The Hotel Vernon; Sawmill opens for XXX The Owl at The Lucky Dog; Dana Lewis sings at The Galway Bay whereas Chad LaMarsh is down on Main Street at The Irish Times; Touched hits The Blue Dog in Milford. On Saturday, Probable Cause packs McFadden's; Wilbur and The Dukes split the night with Shakey Steve and The Blue Cats at Gilrein's, which is celebrating one year under new ownership; Humblebee buzzes at Tammany; John Cate returns to Vincent's; Clear the Way shares the bill with Devoid at The Lucky Dog; Old School's got class at Greendale's; Acoustaholix attend The Tara Pub; The Electrolux Combo sets up at The Dive Bar; Bill Morrissey sings at The Green Rooster; Johnny Winter's rocking The Artist Development Complex in Southbridge; The Stymonsters make their Hotel Vernon debut; and Uncle Billy's Smokehouse fires up The Galway Bay. Route 66 holds down the weekend at The Kaz Bar on Route 20. Sunday night, clubs'll be hopping with Irish music, or something close to it. They'll at least be serving beer — and open, as it's St. Patrick's Day eve: The Irish Times hosts The Highland Rovers; and The Sunset Strippers are always at The Dog.o