IF your concert ritual includes skipping the opening act then be warned: Catie Curtis, who opens for fellow American singer/songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter on her current Irish tour, promises to make you regret your tardy habits. Curtis, whose latest album, A Crash Course in Roses, is a glowing collection of folkrock songs, is both sensitive and assured while also packing a punch when required. Although in a settled gay relationship, her material, she says, is not solely for any one group; she is right, they are just excellent songs deserving of a wider audience. You can catch her at the Rialto, Derry tomorrow night, the Ulster Hall, Belfast on Tuesday (15th) and the Olympia Theatre, Dublin on Thursday and Friday (17th and 18th).