Best East Bay art hopping

Providence did it first, but Newport does a classy job of it as well -- and a week earlier. Newport Gallery Night takes place on the second Thursday of every month from 5 to 9 p.m. Art (and wine and cheese) lovers may check out any or all of the 21 galleries, open late from Thames Street to Bellevue Avenue. The open houses are taking place through December, and will resume in the spring. Last year, the event's first season, gallery-goers hopped aboard trolleys, but since most walked anyway, this year being on foot is de rigueur. Rodie Siegler, of the sponsoring DeBlois Gallery, says that it has been very successful. "It's really aimed at people who don't go to galleries," she says. "We want to seduce them into thinking of going into galleries like going into any other stores, although it's not primarily for selling." For more information, call (401) 847-9977 after noon.

Best jukebox in (really) close proximity to an idiosyncratic pool table

The jukebox at the Decatur Lounge is stocked with a rich bounty of choices, including classic funk and punk, eclectic compilations lovingly burned by regulars, and recent discs by the Strokes, Wilco, and the Hives. It also stands right near the bar's pool table, a regular hub of activity, thanks in part to the stellar cost of 50 cents per game. The close proximity makes it easy to punch in a few selections if your opponent is on a tear, but it also has a way of enhancing the difficulty of certain shots. The narrow gap between the jukebox and the pool table -- not to mention the bar patrons who take up some of the surrounding space on the table's other side when the place fills up -- make for some unconventionally challenging shots. But we consider this part of the idiosyncratic charm of the Decatur, which, with an unpretentious atmosphere and a friendly cast of regulars, has become one of our favorite watering holes. 18 Luongo Square, Providence, (401) 351-5492.

Best soundtrack rhythm sections

But it's not only the maracas and conga drum backbeats that get your attention at the Providence Festival of New Latin American Cinema each April. Screenings get sold out and often scores are turned away from screenings at the RISD Auditorium and movie houses around town. Founded in 1993, the festival this year showed 20 feature films from Latin American and Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries in its week-long program. Festival director Marcos Antonio, who has worked on the non-profit event for half of its history, awarded this year's Anthony Quinn Award for Excellence in Film and the Arts to Antonio Banderas, which brought a celebrity spotlight on the event for its 10th anniversary. The gala at the Providence Biltmore was quite the social occasion, especially since the ballroom capacity was only 400 and several times that number were eager to get in. www.latin-americanfilmfestival.org.

Best burst of vitality in downtown Providence

Although downtown Providence certainly has its share of appealing destinations, plans to turn Downcity into a thriving arts and entertainment district have crept along slowly for a dozen years. For every night when downtown teems with activity, there are other occasions when the streets are empty and the level of activity is sparse. But Cornish Associates and Keen Development showed how a relatively modest amount of effort can go a long way, dropping $8000 to sponsor a mix of downtown gallery shows and film screenings during a local meeting of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in October 2001. The effort injected fresh life into empty buildings and offered a glimmer of the long-sought Downcity of the future. These efforts need not require eight large, and they shouldn't be relegated to odd and occasional instances. A little moxie and fresh thinking, not to mention willingness on the part of downtown property owners, could expedite the arrival of a heightened level of downtown activity. 15 Westminster Street, Providence, (401) 421-0254.

Best new band that doesn't ape Linkin Park

Take the sonic progressions of early Hum and the Promise Ring, infuse the occasional hook with some jam-band melodies a la Sublime, and you have Craftmatic, local newcomers on the rock radar. If we had to pigeonhole, we'd label 'em melodic stoner rock, which sure ain't a bad thing nowadays (just ask Queens of the Stone Age). A conglomerate of influences benefit the band's tightened yet freeform sound, from drummer John Russell's love of vintage hip-hop to lead guitarist John Deltado's interest in indie offerings. The Warren-based trio have jammed around the local bar scene and crashed a handful of open mic nights at the Century Lounge, tightening the screws on their songs in preparation for an EP set for release in January. "The B Song" contains a soaring chorus wrapped around kickass winding guitar and has garnered airplay on the local yokel shows. The band has tooled around with covers from Incubus and Pearl Jam as well, but are encouraged and intrigued by what they hear in the originals. After short stints with other bands, the three came together through college friends and, according to bassist/vocalist Tony Iacavone, "It just clicked." www.soundclick.com/craftmatic.

Best place to hear underground hip-hop -- literally

The battered parking lot and interior decor of the 305 Club aren't intended to draw the crowds -- in fact, the desolate location proves a bit tricky to find. But the booming hip-hop courtesy of DJ Alex Coop makes the journey worthwhile. What started with a few friends in the restaurant business filling the small, unassuming watering hole has blown up in a relatively big way, with minimal advertising and word of mouth. Coop commandeers the turntables twice per month (usually on Friday) and spins a wide range of hip-hop in the underground bar bunker. Cheap pool, a measly $3 cover charge, and $5 pitchers make for an inexpensive night out before heading downtown. Plus, DJ Coop recently announced he will put his PS2 skills to the test against his patrons, hosting NBA Street and Madden '03 tourneys for cash aimed at the wallflowers not interested in hitting the dance floor. "I ain't worried -- nobody can touch my Sixers and Eagles squads," Coop declares. If his gaming skills are anywhere near as good as his party mixing, scratching, and trash talk, no one will be able to beat) 305 Lyon Avenue, East Providence, 438-8584.

Best new lyricist named after a stream in Warwick

Serving up some seriously clever metaphors is the specialty of upcoming lyrical entrepreneur Buckee Brooks. The result is a three-track EP entitled Coffee Milk and Clam Cakes set for release in late December, with a full-length (tentatively entitled Mama, Don't Let Your Sons Grow Up To Be Communications Majors) arriving in the spring. When describing the sound, Brooks says, "It's more Large Professor than Linkin Park. There's absolutely nothing Limp Bizkit about it." Brooks admires the "pioneer-era" formula -- a solid beat and steady verse accompanied by a scratch hook -- along with a serious interest in obscure indie rock bands, integrating the same mentality of the Beastie Boys looping Led Zeppelin or 3rd Bass picking hooks from the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and the Doors on their debut albums. "M.C. (AKA)" pokes fun at those who have copied Ghostface Killah's obsession with multiple aliases, slickly dishing some of his own along the way: "You clutch a thesaurus like a Bible and you still can't get with this / Out to make a little green -- call me MC Photosynthesis." And in "RI State Introspection," Brooks casually quips, "3 a.m., 135 up around Thurbers Avenue / With six gaggers all the way and a jug of Morgan Malibu," then proclaims that "kids are starving for these lyrics like I'm Alan Shawn Feinstein." Be on the lookout at Newbury Comics and local shops.

Best impersonation of Lenny Bruce

She can sing, she can dance, but she can't hold a job. Laurel Casey seems congenitally incapable of staying employed, having been fired from gigs as a chanteuse/provocateur at Davio's, Camille's, Asterix & Obelix, and numerous other restaurants, lounges, and nightspots. Maybe it's her penchant for pushing social satire to the brink of acceptability and beyond (singing the Afghan national anthem at the Gatehouse, for example, as part of a salute to the war on terrorism), and for causing even some of her admirers to laugh one minute and shudder the next. A daisy chain of dismissals in Providence led Casey to acclaim at an Italian restaurant in Boston, but it wasn't long before she was on the outs again. A woman on the verge, an under-appreciated savant, or both? Contacted recently by e-mail, Casey indicating she was visiting her college-age daughter during a semester abroad in Paris, but the Providence-based singer plans to return soon to her latest gig, in Framingham, Massachusetts, of all places.

Best museum in a coffeehouse basement

The word is out about the Offcenter Coffee House, steps from Warren's busy Main Street. Young entrepreneur Tom Byrne opened this sunny spot two years ago to rave reviews amongst the java-sipping shoppers and eccentric artist types out carousing. Byrne simply wanted "a place for people to just hang out and relax." He also cites the difficulty in finding a good cup of joe after 5 p.m. on the popular shopping route. Grab a cappuccino or latte ($2.70), or an espresso for under two bucks. And what's the secret for a decent iced coffee? Byrne implements iced coffee cubes instead of ice, so the final third of the beverage doesn't taste like water and sugar sludge. Although chances are Byrne won't live out his dream of putting you-know-who out of business, the coffee, cordial service, and entrancing atmosphere are good reasons to avoid the chain's drive-thru lines. A big draw has been the increasingly popular Open Mic Nite every Wednesday, when the coffeehouse buzz often lasts well past 11 p.m. The vintage oak paneling and restored hardwoods help resonate the sounds of a wide-open forum, from young bongo and six-string improv jam sessions to rocking-chair folk to indie and alternative kids. As strange as some of the patrons may be, it pales next to the eclectic gathering of Rhode Island memorabilia, if you will, dug from local wells courtesy of Byrne's friend and professional street performer Bobarino Gravittini. Thousands of vintage trinkets, bottles, Indian jewelry, and coins from the 1800s adorn the shelves of an unfinished basement. Ask Tom for a tour. 30 Child Street, Warren, (401) 245-9119.

Best reason to look forward to Mondays

Do not sleep on the Liquid Lounge's new Reggae Night with Empire Sounds, featuring acclaimed radio personality Uncle Steph and his "Empire Crew" entourage. Steph & Co. have finally taken their flavorful audio vibe to the streets at the Liquid Lounge every Monday starting at 10 p.m. His team ignites an increasingly jammed college party with booming and bona fide reggae beats, cut and scratched and seamlessly mixed by Empire Sounds technician the Jah-Wise Selector. Uncle Steph guarantees "plenty of the beautiful ladies" in the small, dimly-lit martini bar for his weekly throwdown. The chill couches and billiards room in the rear offer plenty of nooks to sit back and zone, sample a martini (the Liquid's claim to fame), spend freely on the drink specials, and let Uncle Steph and the Empire Crew provide the ambience. 165 Angell Street, Providence, (401) 454-3434.