Sound check

RISD artists, V. Majestic, Wunderlick, and more

by Bob Gulla

Electronic/Acoustic: A Compilation of RISD Musicians, Vol. 1

WHITE ELECTRIC COFFEE. White Electric Coffee at 150 Broadway is coming into its own as a vital local venue. They've had a number of shows lately, including Chris Daltry's the 'Mericans, Purple Ivy Shadows, Pleasure Horse, and Iditarod, as well as out-of-towners the Trouble With Sweeney and Tim Keegan, formerly of Royin Hitchcock's band. This week they have a couple of shows coming up you should know about.

This Saturday (May 12), Brit-pop advocates the Liverpool will be playing with sleepy popster Bridget. If you show up, you can even help the oddly titled Liverpudlians look for a new band name. The show is from 8 to 10. On Monday, May 14, the Barnacled (with Alec Redfearn from the Eyesores) will be playing their first-ever gig. Improvisation will be the order of the day, so outfit yourself for adventure. Rumors are flying that there might be some very special guests playing as well. Call 453-3007 for more info.

WANDERING EYE. There's a release party this Friday (May 11) at the Call for Vic Foley's new CD. The Jim James Band opens, which means you get a ton of good music.

The Common Fence Point Community Hall in Portsmouth will be hosting Jon Campbell on Saturday the 12th. Campbell, whose recent disc goes by the title Keep On Fishin', is a singer/ songwriter whose ballads and character sketches are often set in the coastal waters of Rhode Island. Some are serious, some are incisively funny, and all are rooted in studied observations of area history. Jon is also known in regional Irish sessions as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, alternating between the uillean pipes, whistle, bouzouki, banjo and guitar. He will be accompanied by Everett Brown on concertina.

Minky Starshine and alter ego Ellison (or is it vice versa?) will be busy the next few days, playing the Green Room with Orbit on Saturday and O'Brien's on the 16th.

Jana Savanapridi, the general manager at WCNI 91.1 FM in New London, writes in to inform us of a Ground Zero Radio presentation informally titled "A Mother's Day Fallout." The list of bands proves it's worth the trip: the Dictators, the Fleshtones, the Lyres, the Reducers, the Damn Personals, Seratonin, and more. There's a record convention, too. It takes place this Sunday (May 13) from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Ocean Beach Park's Port and Starboard Room. Call Mom before you leave. Tickets are $12.50 at the door. Call (860) 439-5417 for more details.

Big doings for folk fans this month. Stone Soup's Saturday show is so big it's being held at Shea High School, where you get to see Patty Larkin, a world-class songwriter and guitarist with a warm sense of humor and an Ani Difranco-like hypnotism to her best material. The show is at 8 p.m. and will cost $15. Opening will be acoustic guitar master Richard Nystrup; the emcee for the evening will be Kate Katzberg. Other Soup events: Look for Rosalie Sorrels on her farewell tour on the 19th, a Slater Mill benefit with Bob Franke on Friday the 25th, and the inimitable Cheryl Wheeler to close the big 20th season on May 26.

Bob Gulla can be reached at b_gulla@yahoo.com.