Newport news No Means Yes and the Philtres make headlines BY BOB GULLA

Frankly, it’s a little maddening. Even in a state as small as Rhode Island, there are stealth pockets of rock and roll cabals, little places that develop quietly under the radar with a cultish following of in-the-know fans. It makes covering the scene in the Biggest Little challenging; you know there’s shit going on, stuff that needs to be publicized, but it’s off the charts and you’re genuinely not sure that writing on it in a column like this is a help or a hindrance. With many musical movements bubbling under, the fair city of Newport is one of those places.

No Means Yes: The Code of the Lonesome (self-released CD, nomeansyesrocks.com)

More vintage SoCal punk (All, Descendents) than the Northeast variety, Newport’s own No Means Yes have been strafing stages since emerging from their basement back in 1998. They released their debut disc in 2000, and immediately began keeping good company, opening for bands like the Misfits and CKY. They bought a van and headed out on a tour of the East Coast, logging serious miles and converting fans from Maine to, well, south of Maine, along the way.

The trio, which includes Mike O’Donnell on vox and guitar, Beanless on drums, and Buzznardo Brocaprio (!) on bass, have deep roots in punk, but never let themselves dwell in any one place for too long. The Code of the Lonesome, the band’s second full-length disc, veers from concept to concept, sound to sound, style to style, held together by O’Donnell’s surprisingly dexterous guitar playing and the rhythm section’s hyperactive flexibility. The frenetic "Lose Control" sounds like a cross between Jim Carroll and Halo of Flies (with a less than successful guitar solo). "Stereo System" features some equally tricky guitar work that hangs up the verse a little bit but pays off in the chorus. The title track downshifts and downtunes with a quasi-Sabbath riff and slower tempo, while "Excuses" gets plain silly, but in a good way, before exploding. On "Rollin’," O’Donnell melts a pick or two trying to play an already ridiculously fast guitar line in double time. He almost makes it. In fact, slowing this mofo down once in a while wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

But like the best hardcore and riotous loud rock, there are healthy doses of power, pathos, and humor here, most of which you have to hear to appreciate. If you’re wondering if the band can pull off this sorta thing through a full-length gig, well, they can. Catch the debauchery before it catches you.

No Means Yes has a huge gig on Friday (the 6th) at the Met Café with the Deterrents, High School Football Heroes, and the Turbo AC’s.

The Philtres Reunion. Do you remember the Philtres, a Newport-based rock band that made a reasonably big splash around the state in the late ’80s? Yeah? Well, if those memories are fond ones, you’d be interested to know that the Philtres will be performing a reunion show Saturday (the 7th) at One Pelham East in their own City-By-the-Sea. The show will feature Joe Flynn, Karen (Smith) Biastre, Pat Cottrell, Beth (McCann) Burnett, Jeff Neuman, Kevin Zahm, and Tim Culhane. The Philtres were semi-finalists in the 1987 Rock Hunt, and finalists two years later. The band, whose members emerged from that hotbed of rock, Middletown High School, was voted "Local Band of the Year" in 1988 by a commercial radio station. They performed regularly in and around southern New England for a handful of years before calling it quits. If you missed all the fuss, here’s your chance to catch up with a Newport institution before the serious crowds come in for the summer.

FEELING FEVERISH? Dust off your disco shoes this Saturday and head out for "First Night Goes To Saturday Night Fever," an evening of music, dancing, food, and film celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of the beloved John Travolta film. The event kicks off the fundraising efforts for First Night New Bedford 2004, the fourth-oldest First Night celebration in the country.

Recreating the disco setting of the movie, the VIP reception portion of the event features music and dancing as seen in the film. A dance duo from the Arthur Murray Dance Studios of Swansea will reprise the movie roles defined by Travolta and Karen Gorney. Music made popular in the movie by the Bee Gees and New Bedford’s own Tavares will help set the mood. Following the reception, Saturday Night Fever will be shown in the theater at the Whaling Museum. Feel free to let the Tony Manero in you run wild — douse yourself with cheap cologne, unbutton your shirt down to there, and feel the fever of Saturday night. That is, guests are encouraged to come in costume.

Special guest Antone "Chubby" Tavares, a member of the Grammy Award-winning R&B band that bears his name, will make an appearance and sign copies of his recently released book, Don’t Take Away the Music.

First Night New Bedford is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council but is primarily supported each year by fund-raising events like this and contributions from community-minded businesses.

Tickets for the reception and movie are $40. The reception begins at 6 p.m. in the Whaling Museum’s Jacobs Family Gallery. If you just wanna check out the flick, it’s only $10. Tickets are available by calling (508) 993-1999.

WANDERING EYE. Well, the Fabulous Itchies are back in action, banging out their second show with new bass player Jack Hanlon. They’ll visit Jake’s on Saturday (the 7th), with Miss Lady Kensington, the Beatlords (real garage from Maine starring ex-members of the Brood), and new local act the V8 Interceptors. As always at Jake’s, the show is free.

Immune has a show on Saturday as well, at the Century Lounge, with Xtones, the Lingo, and ISL. There’s been some healthy activity in the Immune camp. They were featured on Demo Diaries, a big music industry website, which led to them hearing from a bunch of heavy labels and even a booking agency in England. They’ve recently signed with a NYC-based attorney Ray Maiello and inked with management heavyweight Jerry Jaffe. Good stuff.

E-mail me with your music news at big.daddy1@cox.net