Short stuff Monty’s Fan Club, Immune, Letdown, and more BY BOB GULLA

They come in all shapes and sizes. They come in big packages. They come in very small packages. They come in professional-looking envelopes, and they come wrapped in bags that look like a drunk just had his malt liquor wrapped in it.

They come at all times of the day and night, through the mail, or hand-delivered in the dark of night, suddenly appearing mysteriously at my doorstep. They range in quality from very bad to exquisite, pompous to humble, funny to gut-wrenchingly serious. They are, of course, your bands’ demos, and oodles of them find their way here.

As the local music guy for this paper, it comes with the territory to deal with all manner of music. Musicians here aren’t like the musicians in New York or Los Angeles. Here, they scrape by doing anything they possibly can to make music. In the big cities, image and reputation are important. In Rhode Island, music is the main thing. Still, no matter how critical music is to these people, not all of them can cut it artistically. But the good thing about listening to them is that nearly everything I get is made with the best of intentions, which is more than you can say about the music I get coming out of New York and LA.

Last week, we paid tribute to a dozen or so of the best local albums of the year. But not every band can muster up the scratch to make a full album. Not only is it expensive, it’s time-consuming. I often hear stories about records that take a year or more to make, and it’s almost always because band members run out of cash and have to go back to work to finance the rest of their studio time. It takes money to get the tapes a-rollin’, and it takes time away from your life, which often could be spent doing other things — like at a real job where you get a real paycheck. Reality strikes again.

So I thought it would be a good idea to give props to some of the projects that never made it to full-length, for whatever reason. Not just because they outnumber full-length projects, but because they are an art form unto themselves and thoroughly deserving of whatever praise they can get.

Monty’s Fan Club (Three-song demo)

Could we have in Monty’s Fan Club a threat to overthrow the current punk-rock kings, M-80? Perhaps not yet. But who knows? With its barrage of ska-ish horns and slashin’ chords, MFC seems tailor-made for success, in a Bosstones kinda way.

Benny Sizzler (Six-song demo)

Yowzah! We love the bleak bark of this disc: " You gotta rock hard or don’t rock at all/Bang your head in a shower stall! " It might not be the kind of thing you’d sing at karaoke (or maybe you would, depending on how drunk you are). But the sound of Gail Greenwood and company recalls great indie bands of the early ’90s like Surgery and Boss Hog, with punchy power chords and a throttling punky chug.

Immune: Fading In the Sun (Six-song demo)

Good, gutsy stuff from Rob Schulze and the Immune gang. They’ve plugged away consistently through ’03 and have had some excellent results, including this project and some stellar opening slots for Tantric and Theory of a Deadman, whose tough-nosed sound they recall.

Honeybunch (Five-song EP, The Bus Stop Label)

It comes on you quietly, like a wine buzz, and slowly makes you feel warm, tingly, and romantic. Honeybunch is Jeffrey and Lisa Underhill who, according to the back cover of the EP, recorded this " in various states of undress in Rhode Island, " which sounds like a great time to us. But anyway, the sound is vintage pop, with flourishes of rootsiness, the Association, and the early electronic pop of Depeche Mode. If they put on some clothes once in a while and get a babysitter, we might enjoy them on the local scene a bit more. No?

The Blizzard of ’78 (Three-song EP)

Three songs is all you get from Blizzard, formerly Delta Clutch, but it’s enough to remind you of how great the band is. Produced by Boston’s legendary Paul Kolderie, " Give, " " Better Than Real, " and " Waydown " are potent pop songs with memorable, singalong choruses. There’s heavy bittersweetness here, a longing that makes you feel like hearing the full-length (if it’s even on the docket) — and quick.

Donnybrook (Six-song EP)

After enduring some serious mishaps this year, they finally pumped this baby out, a thorough bludgeoning from the makers of Maine’s very finest rollin’ rock. Only this time, the band reached deep into its bag and pulled out some new tricks: a more fleshed-out sound, a better recording, more melodic tunes, and some advanced metallic experimenting a la Sepultura. I’m not sure where exactly they want to be: here, LA, or back in Maine, but wherever it is, it’ll be noisy.

Letdown (Four-song demo)

Letdown had a breakthrough year in 2003, and things are lookin’ mighty bright for ’04 as well. Over the last 12 months, they’ve hooked up with and shared a few serious stages with some mighty bands, from Godsmack to Mudvayne. Founding members Ron Howard and Dan Pepin have been together since the sixth grade, and have good chemistry as writers. Dan " Tiny " Carter joined the band on bass six years ago, and new drummer Nate Tellier kicked in just two years ago. There’s much to get excited about.

The Buddy Roach Trio: Live at Term’s (Four-song demo)

J. Juxo, one of the hardest-working men in show business, has his hand in lots of projects, one of which is this zesty jazz thing with the accompaniment of J. Provost and Felix G. It’s drums, keys, and guitars all colliding in some loose improv and tight jams. Good stuff, and worth seeking out.

Snoozer: Winter Stops All Sound (Happy Happy Birthday to Me) (Six-song EP)

" It’s only a matter of time before I get the hell out of here, " Susie Ghahremani sings on " Providence, " one of a handful of songs on her new EP. A one-chick show that calls itself Snoozer, Susie’s sound is, in fact, more Olympia than Providence. And maybe it is only a matter of time before Susie hits the road, but we should enjoy her naïve wisdom while she’s here.

WANDERING EYE. Four Providence College alums — Ed Healey (vocals, guitar), Paul Larochelle (drums, vocals), Nathan Everding (guitar, vocals), and Josh Ingemi (bass, vocals) — belong to [acronym], a band formed in early 2000 while the kids were at school. Their CD release show is at the Blackstone on Saturday (the 3rd) with special guest Dagnabbit. The band is often compared to Guster and the Goo Goo Dolls as well as Oasis, which is the one I’d most like to hear a band sound like.

On Friday (the 2nd) at AS220, B Sharp presents Athletic Automaton (ex-Arab On Radar, Saturday Night Palsy), Fourhorse, and T.K. Webb. B Sharp Music is located at 265 Broadway in Providence. They carry second-hand instruments, do custom work, repairs, and carry local art. Call 223-2112 for more store-type information.

Ellis Paul has become the star we knew he’d be, with a loyal audience, a string of successful records, 12 Boston Music Awards, and more concert work than he can handle. All of which will make his show on Saturday at Stone Soup an event. Rachael Davis opens at 8 p.m. at the coffeehouse, which is located at the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket Arts Center (210 Main Street).

E-mail me with your music news. I can be reached at big.daddy1@cox.net .