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Art & Entertainment

Best use for unpaid bills

Best use for unpaid bills Fold them into intricate origami shapes. This is good for stress reduction. Seeing your oil bill in the shape of a crane or a frog can be soothing and relaxing for a while before you unfold it and go back to figuring out how to pay it. Unfortunately, the free workshops at Black Ships Festival in Newport every July won't help you this winter, unless it's to give you something to look forward to. In addition to learning a bit about the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, at a typical festival you can explore everything from sushi to shiatsu to saki to sumi-e brush painting. And that's just the Ss. Named after the Japanese term for the foreign ships that returned to the country in 1854 after 200 years of exclusion, the four-day festival is co-sponsored by the Japan-America Society. Call (401) 846-2720, www.blackshipsfestival.com/Blackships/index.htm.

Best place to score good blow

Tucked away in Bristol's historic district lies the East Bay Regatta Club, the last of the classic smoky blues club. The hazy, dimly lit, cigar-friendly, underground jazz joint seems worlds away from the neighboring nightlife on display at Aidan's, J.G. Goff's, and Gillary's. A place to lay low during the 4th of July parade, or a cozy spot to sip cognac on a cold December evening, the Regatta is an ideal spot to kick back and simply chill. It has live music on the weekends, including resident jazz keyboard player and local favorite Keith Munslow. The excellent gourmet pizza is a tasty appetizer for a fat Macanudo and accompanying martini. 18 State Street, Bristol, (401) 254-6022.

Best place to hum off-key together

As the bandito in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre might put it, "We don't need no stinkin' Tanglewood!" The 200-voice Chorus of Westerly Summer Pops concert has been going on every June since 1980, and it attracts upwards of 25,000 people when rain doesn't threaten. South County traffic easily matches the Berkshires at that time of year, and its Boston Festival Orchestra back-up can play every single note that the Boston Pops does. Bear in mind the throng and get there early to spread out your blanket, open your picnic basket, and pour your champagne well before the pre-show, which includes Morris dancing. This takes place an hour before the main performance. The evening culminates with fireworks by Grucci, even when the evening doesn't close with the cannon fire of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" -- is that the perfect time for a kiss or what? Wilcox Park, Main Street, Westerly, (401) 596-8663.

Best non-political venue for pulling strings

Although many people only think of Muppets when "puppets" are mentioned, the art form is actually as old as cave people making monster shadows behind their campfires. Perishable Theatre sponsors Rhode Island's only "Late Night Puppet Salon," the four-year-old Blood from a Turnip, with bimonthly shows that feature local and national puppeteers. The puppets may be rod puppets, hand puppets, marionettes, robotic figures, or a variation on the wall shadow (using an overhead projector). The whole premise of puppetry is that something inanimate becomes animate by way of a collaboration between the puppet, the puppeteer, and the audience, a kind of something-from-nothing creation that relates to the name of the salon. Co-founders Jeremy Woodward and Vanessa Gilbert want this to be an experimental venue in which performers feel free to try things out. Three UConn students will be on board on November 17, and January 19's lineup features "Demented Hansel and Gretel" and "Sammy and Sofa." 95 Empire Street, Providence, (401) 331-2695, www.perishable.org.

Best use of a rubboard

For almost 20 years, the Cajun/Bluegrass Festival at Escoheag brought the music of South Louisiana to the ears of Rhode Islanders, and it was at the 1985 event that Robert Leonard first heard the driving beat of the rubboard and the heart-tugging accordion runs that signify zydeco. Leonard picked up the accordion he hadn't played since seventh grade, sat in with some of those bayou bands and, 18 months ago, Slippery Sneakers, Rhode Island's home-grown zydeco band, was born. Nowadays, the Sneakers -- Bill Bliss, Doug Chatman, Lisa Brande, Mark Trichka, and Todd Gorham -- play 15 of Leonard's original zydeco songs, plus many more from the masters -- C.J. Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, Nathan and the Zydeco ChaChas. The band is in demand, from Europe to Florida, and Leonard is cutting a CD. That the rubboard player is also a psychiatrist is a sure sign this music is good for what ails you. Catch the Sneakers on the fourth Saturday in January, March and April at Trinity Hall, 146 Sutton Avenue, East Providence. Call (401) 397-8442.

Best (and only?) reason not to tear down the Civic Center

Although the ghost of Jacek Duda will eventually need to seek relocation a few years down the road, the octagonal eyesore that is the Providence Civic Center still serves a vital purpose to the community --playing host to WWF wrestling! One of the World Wrestling Federation's smaller venues, the Civic Center has had a prosperous relationship with Vince McMahon's traveling freakshow for more than two decades, including a memorable Saturday Night Main Event taped live for NBC 15 years ago with Hulk Hogan, JYD, and our favorite intercontinental champion, Tito Santana. The torch has since been passed on to characters such as Kane, the Undertaker, and the "most electrifying athlete in sports entertainment today," the Rock -- and become the ultimate male soap opera. The Civic Center is the site of a handful of televised (maybe Uncle Elmer and Hillbilly Jim will stage a comeback since Raw recently moved to TNN) and occasional "in-house" events (where the outcome doesn't affect the storyline). Tickets sell out in a matter of minutes -- although the box office usually opens a few hours before the show with "last-minute" added seats. 1 La Salle Square, Providence, (401) 331-6700.

Best new folkie haven

While it's really tough to top the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, an actual museum and new home of the well-loved Stone Soup Coffeehouse, now celebrating its 20th year of bringing joy to fans of traditional and contemporary folk music to Rhode Islanders, you have to hand it to the folks from Pendragon. Pendragon, of course, is the band that marries, Celtic, French-Canadian, and Blackstone Valley traditions into a unique brew. But for the past few years, Bob Drouin, Mary Lee Partington, and Russell Gusetti have gone to Hell and back to put together their own venue, the Blackstone River Theater, to present performances and folks arts to the people of the Blackstone Valley and beyond. They financed and rehabbed an old Masonic Temple in downtown Cumberland with their own sweat, and it's a beautiful venue. And check out the "Celtic Grove" garden out back with sculptures by Providence's own Laura Travis. 549 Broad Street, Cumberland, (401) 725-9272.

Best place to hear 'Til Tuesday on a Tuesday

The coast is clear from the techno-head brethren that invade the downtown club scene every weekend (heavily perspiring horny ravers with Glo-sticks) on Tuesdays at Retro Nite at Club Hell. DJs Dan and Brad spin all the new wave faves and forgotten one-hit wonders from an era that made Martha Quinn a household name. From the morose to the Ramones, Goth kids mingle and imbibe with punk rockers, while John Cusack-types in trenchcoats do the Safety Dance (yikes!). The cozy dance floor, couches, and cages provide a chill atmosphere while getting stewed and walking like an Egyptian. It's an 18-plus affair, doors open at 9 p.m., and the cover is $5. 73 Richmond Street, Providence, (401) 351-1977.

Best classical gas

If you can't afford the Philharmonic or the Newport Music Festival, check out one of South County's secret treasures: the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, which has come to the University of Rhode Island for the past 12 summers. Not only do you hear top-notch artists in an acoustically top-notch hall, but you pay only $12 to $15 (students $5 with ID) for each of four or five concerts. Under the artistic direction of violinist David Kim, who is now the concertmaster for the Philadelphia Orchestra, this unassuming festival has gained a national reputation, luring the likes of pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn and violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg to wow audiences at last summer's event. Not that the previous 11 years haven't been just as wowing. Even a 12-year-old visitor from New Jersey could not stop praising Kim's mastery and pianist Gail Niwa's emotional involvement in her performance. So, catch these world-class musicians right here in Little Rhody. Box 1733, Kingston, RI 02881, (401) 789-0665, www.mce.uri.edu/music.

Best way to walk on air

You can think of it three ways. For those who look askance at the world-class consumerism represented by the 4,000,000-square-foot Providence Place Mall, the long-delayed skybridge may be just another entry point to the soul-sucking vampirism that is America's commercialistic culture at large. For those just looking for a pair of $335 Stuart Weitzman calf-highs at Nordstrom, the walkway is an umbilical link to treasures that make life worth living. The above-traffic access from the posh Westin Hotel opened in May months behind schedule, eliminating the sometimes death-defying scamper, wallet waved high, across the Francis Street and Memorial Boulevard intersection. The third perspective requires optimism: that tourists and shoppers can, in fact, trot across the skybridge in both directions, to the mall and to a downtown that little by little is getting more attractive. There's no telling yet, but the walkway may very well turn out to be an artery to the heart of the city.

Best take on Rhode Island politics

If you don't develop a sense of humor about public servants around here, you'll end up an anarchist muttering in some garret. The funniest way to inoculate yourself against politicians making you too feverish is the Ocean State Follies satires and improvs. To the comedy troupe, the lacquered hard hair of TV news anchor Doug White is no more sacred than the Plunder Dome scandal. They perform at nightspots and restaurants around the state and in recent months have found a home base. Charlie Hall's Stage is in the Foundry building and is named after the founder and ringleader of all this merriment. Hall has been a stand-up comedian since 1980 and has opened for Jerry Seinfeld, Sam Kinison, and others. Open mic comedy is Thursday nights ($15), and the Follies are there Fridays and Saturdays ($15). 235 Promenade Street, Providence, (401) 621-4141.

Best way to leave the 'driving' to them

One of the most relaxing trips in the Ocean State is a sail on Narragansett Bay. Even more enjoyable is when you don't have to sail the boat yourself. The crew on board the Schooner Aurora give you the opportunity while hoisting or lowering the sails to pull on the ropes and feel like you're part of the effort. But those duties are completely voluntary. You can just lean back, drink in hand, and watch the sun set over Jamestown, as the Aurora swings around the cliffs at Fort Wetherill and past the sweeping lawn of Hammersmith Farm. Or the crew might sail under the Newport Bridge, past the lighthouse on Rose Island, and down along Fort Adams. Either way, they provide a marvelous water tour, with no tripping over tourists on Thames Street. The Aurora seats 40 to 50 comfortably, for a group of friends, family or colleagues. Goat Island, Newport, (401) 849-6999.

Best place to hear jazz versions of TV themes

Mike Tanaka is a multi-faceted guy. An accomplished guitarist, a highly sought-after television producer (Oprah, Good Morning, America) and notorious pop culture maven, Tanaka has a serious jones for TV show themes and, whenever he's playing with his pick-up band of local jazz pros, you can almost bet you'll hear the theme songs from The Odd Couple, The Flintstones, Leave It To Beaver, Woody Woodpecker, or whatever else strikes the leader's fancy at the moment. Once, playing with his group, the Coppertones, the combo broke into a surf version of Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't." While his fellow musicians aren't necessarily as well-versed in TV lore as Tanaka, he plays with guys like trumpeter Al Basile, tenor saxophonist Rich Lataille (both Roomful of Blues alumni), bassist Marty Ballou, and drummer Bob Giusti. Needless to say, these guys get it right. Mike Tanaka plays early Sunday evenings at Trinity Brewhouse, 186 Fountain Street, Providence, (401) 453-2337, and frequently at the Tinker's Nest, 322 Metacom Avenue, Warren, (401) 245-8875.

Best place to get holy

Listen up, former altar boys and girls. If you're a lapsed Catholic but haven't let your subscription fully expire, here's a quick and easy measure to get right with the Big Fella. The annual Point Judith Blessing of the Fleet is the occasion. Popping up in front when the holy water gets sprinkled is the technique. A bishop and priests from the area officiate as boats from the local fishing fleet and pleasure craft colorfully parade past the state piers. The event always takes place on the last full weekend in July, sometimes at noon, sometimes at 1 p.m. Since the occasion tends to whip up an appetite for calamari, there is traditionally a seafood festival on the same weekend, held around the gazebo at the Veterans Memorial Park in Narragansett. So here's a chance to say grace hours before you chow down, and get extra points for sincerity.

Best opportunity to kid out-of-towners

In your obligatory Providence tour, tell them that the object dangling from the middle of the Federal Hill arch is a grenade. What with the town's mob rep, who'll say no? Actually, most people take a quick glance and get it almost as wrong. It's not a pineapple -- which is a Yankee symbol of hospitality -- but rather a pine cone, of the variety that pignoli nuts come from, and is the corresponding Italian symbol. Suspended in the towering concrete arch, it remains wrapped in (unlit) Christmas lights year-round, waiting like a proper Italian host to get even more festive. This is the beginning of Atwells Avenue, the entrance to Providence's Little Italy, which has the city's greatest concentration of restaurants. There is a little park right there, where you can sit on a bench, watch the passersby, and feed the pigeons. If you want to be real nice, bring biscotti. www.fedhillgazette.com.

Best imaginary entertainment

Even Oscar Wilde, in his prime the prince of the bon mot, thought long and hard as he polished the wicked exchanges in his plays. Dying is hard; spontaneous humor is harder. Improv Jones has been doing improvisational comedy since 1994, spinning hilarious silk purses out of the dumb sow's ears audiences toss to them. After they ask you for a household object, a movie genre, and an obsession, they might devise a very funny fantasy about a spy smuggling a sofa out of Berlin after falling in love with it. Testimony to their effectiveness: every once in a while someone insists that they can't be making it up, that one scene or other has to be scripted. It's a cheap date, too, at only five bucks. Every Saturday at 10 p.m. at Perishable Theatre, 95 Empire Street, Providence, and irregular Thursdays at 10 p.m. at AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence, (401) 831-9327, www.improvjones.com.

Best taste-test of Bristol's Fourth of July

If you can't hack the crowds (hundreds of thousands!) for this Rhode Island institution, you can get a hearty dose of the bands by attending the Bristol Drum Corps Competition the night before (July 3 at 7 p.m.). A dozen drum and bugle corps from all over the United States descend on this tiny community and toot and toodle their hearts out. Maybe it's too much grade-school homework on the American Revolution, or maybe it's too many war movies, but no matter what your political stripe, there's something stirring about those drums and horns. The early evening sun glints off the silver horns, as white-gloved trumpeters blow high notes and begin to march the length of the football field. Little kids on the sidelines imitate the marchers and senior citizens in lawn chairs keep time with bobbing heads. In Bristol, this event is right up there with Christmas Eve, so don't forget to wish everyone "Happy Fourth!" Mount Hope High School Field, 199 Chestnut Street, Bristol. For reserved bleacher seating, call (401) 253-3806 or (401) 253-1718.

Best jam band

At three years young, Shady Neighbors are looking for a deal. Lead singer/guitarist Tony Iacavone, a red-headed rugby type and recent Wentworth grad, says, "The Neighbors' range of influences collide for a nice G. Love-type flavor." The Barrington band's strength is its live set -- check out the tight noodlings on the Primus-influenced "Mass Ave. Playaz," or the subtle bassline from Eric B.'s "Know the Ledge" driving the clever "Chickenhead." Their self-produced debut (available for $5 at their shows) was laced with Phishy rhythms, but it was the catchy acoustic hook on "Shady Neighbor" that garnered loads of local airplay. The band reports more than 1300 mp3 downloads this year, with hopes that a label rep is among the many. The Neighbors are currently wrapping up another full-length disc due out by Christmas. www.soundclick.com/bands/shadyneighbors.htm.

Best place to 'hang' in the city

It was a gallery just waiting to happen, when the Rhode Island Foundation moved into the former Cookson America building on Kennedy Plaza in 1999. Not only had the multi-faceted philanthropic Foundation created a new funding priority for the arts, but they were eager to be a vital presence in DownCity. What better use of Cookson's former in-house cafeteria than to transform it into the Rhode Island Foundation Gallery? At the opening of Virginia Lynch: A Curatorial Retrospective (which continues through December 23), the airiness and lighting of the large main gallery seemed perfect for the sculpture, blown-glass, and canvases it exhibited. Nearby a smaller, more intimate gallery was also stunning; the entryway provided still more wall space. The Virginia Lynch show was presented by the Rhode Island School of Design; an exhibit by the International Gallery for Heritage and Culture is slated for spring. Collaboration is the name of the game. 1 Union Station, Providence. Open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. Call (401) 274-4564.

Best local yodelers

Maybe "yodelers" is too narrow a definition for the songwriters, poets, and musicians who take the stage each summer at the two-day Hear In Rhode Island Festival, one of the state's only free music festivals. Organizer and musician John Fuzek is going into his eighth year of producing this gathering of 50 to 60 original acts, "all kinds of music in its simplest format, unplugged, usually acoustic, although there are some bands." Fuzek books area artists from many different genres, but he doesn't necessarily break in brand new musicians. Performers such as Mark Cutler, Paul Geremia, Kristin Hersh, Pendragon, and Mary Ann Rossoni have played at HIRI. It's a good daytime outing for families; it's a chance for fellow musicians to jam and see each other; it can be a springboard for local talent; and it's definitely an eye-opener for audiences, who are exposed to so many local musicians they might not otherwise hear. Hear in Rhode Island will take place on June 9 and 10, 2001 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Roger Williams Park's Temple to Music, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, (401) 949-0757, hearinri@ids.net.

Best use of gunpowder and sky

Bristol may have the reputation for the glitziest flag-waving parade on the 4th of July, but it's hard to beat Wakefield's fireworks display for color, pace, and all-around pyrotechnic pizzazz. The spectacle is provided by Atlas PyroVision Productions of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. The company may be defensive the rest of the year about not being Grucci, but it spends the 4th doing a bang-up job of blowing their overrated competition out of the sky. In the course of about 40 minutes, nearly $15,000 worth of explosives blossom into an unusually varied program of multi-colored "chrysanthemums," "silver rain," "phoenixes," and so forth. The finale is always a stunner, typically with more than 1400 two- and three-inch shells plus about 75 biggies. The fireworks start at 9 p.m. in Old Mountain Field, but a band performance and other festivities begin at 7. So come early and practice your oohs and ahhs.

Best variations on a close-order drill

Every neighborhood should be so lucky. A toddler's birthday parade evolves into a community event attended by hundreds of fun-seekers from around Rhode Island for the past 15 years. The Snug Harbor 4th of July Parade is one of the funniest conglomerations of spontaneous float-building, teenage cross-dressing, and outrageous marching bands you'll ever see. Last year's parade included the Salt Pond Rod and Reel Precision Drill Team, about a dozen young people in old band uniforms who'd practiced a few throws and turn-abouts with fishing rods and performed their routine to the crack whistle of their leader. They were not to be outdone, however, by the male teens in prom dresses, including Miss Fourth of July, Miss Elvira Fishlips; the Kazoo Marching Band (all in Groucho noses); a fellow rollerblading with a life-sized dummy in his arms; and about a dozen homemade floats of dogs, kids, and silver-haired hot tickets. Don't miss it! On July 4 at 6 p.m. at the Snug Harbor reviewing stand, Gooseberry Road, Wakefield, (401) 789-0409.

Best group inspired by Route 146

Hollis Smith, Eric Corriea, Adam DiTomasso, and lead singer Dave Bourget are better known as Mr. Lincoln, named not after the president, but an exit sign on Route 146 that Bourget spied while driving to his bandmate's apartment/practice space. Playing out for two years, the Barenaked Ladies-meets-DMB influence is prevalent in Lincoln's live set. The band's spirited vigor, dry wit, and crafty wordplay of bouncy, folk-laced jams like "What?" have attracted increasing numbers at gigs throughout New England (with numerous stops at the Keg Room and Ocean Mist). Wallflowers beware -- Mr. Lincoln is in the business of flawless jamming (including an excellent cover of "Sympathy For the Devil") and shaking asses in the process. The band spent the summer of 2K twiddling the knobs in preparation for their much-anticipated debut Bread and Butter (Granite Groove). It's in the can and, according to the band's Website, "should be released by Kwanzaa." If B&B comes anywhere close to Lincoln's live set, Bourget and the boys should blow up in a big way. www.mrlincoln.net.

Best way to feel at home perusing art

Why should it be happening only in SoHo lofts? Ever since those old musical movies where Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland snapped their fingers and exclaimed, "Hey! Why don't we put on a show in the barn?," visual artists have concurrently murmured, "Hmmm! There's a thought." In that spirit, Saunderstown art lover and collector Kate Vivian opened Ferry Road Art Gallery two years ago in her home, and has held eight shows thus far. Come mid-November, Narragansett resident Peg Leeson's watercolors of flowers, roots, and vegetables will bedeck the walls in several rooms of her house, as well as the large space of a guest apartment out back. In December, the late Thomas Fogarty, Sr.'s oil landscapes, gouaches, and prints will be on display. And in early spring, Joe Keiffer's landscapes will be back for a second visit. You should too. 39 Ferry Road, Saunderstown, (401) 295-5270.

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