Precious goods

New discs from Bob's Day Off, Blueblood, more

by Bob Gulla

Bob's Day Off

There are noises coming from all corners of the region -- from the polished cobblestones of Newport to the rural reaches of Massachusetts. All held together by a single, steady voice that says, "We all have something worthwhile to say." Let's all listen in, then, shall we?

Bob's Day Off: Precious (CD, www.bobsdayoff.com)

Rock Hunt winner Bob's Day Off is off to a pretty impressive -- OK awesome! -- start recording-wise. Precious, the debut disc from this Fall River six-piece, is a superb recording, polished to a gleam by producer/engineer Scott Riebling and mastered by Mark Donahue. Stylistically, the band veers from up-stroked ska beats ("Paper Bag") to power chord choruses ("Coffee & Donuts"). But largely, Bob's Day Off is a pretty, melodic pop band that reflects acoustic-electric outfits like Fleetwood Mac and the Dave Matthews Band, and newer, feelgood acts like Blessid Union of Souls and Edwin McCain. In an analysis of these comparisons, you might surmise, and rightly so, that BDO could take a few more chances with their music. But the band is supremely tight, and frankly, why fix what ain't broke?

Singer/lyricist Todd Casilli is a capable writer and a better singer, while commendable guitarist Mike Couri lends a colorful spectrum of support despite the subtle shifts in style. The rhythm section of Matt Maillet and Gitano provide BDO with a stiff spine, while Tom Smith washes some intriguing keyboard hues over the songs "Precious" and "From Here." As a whole, the band sounds convincing on just about everything it tackles, including the neo-garage psychedelia of "Space Cricket" and the album closing near-rap Beasties rant, "Yudatruck." Good stuff from a band that will likely spawn much more of it in the future.

Blueblood: Only Time Will Tell (Morphius, www.bluebloodband.com)

The guys in Newport's Blueblood take the time-honored tradition of homegrown blues and R&B and put their own distinctive spin on it, bringing it into more pop-oriented, less traditional areas. Guitarist and singer Charlie Meehan knows his way around the blues, as he demonstrates on the classically structured "Alcohol" and a cover of "Outside Woman Blues." But elsewhere, Meehan and fellow songwriter Ray Davis stray from convention with adventures in Larry Carlton-esque fusion ("Only Time Will Tell"), Steely Dan-style jazz-pop ("North Carolina"), and straight rock-pop ("Drive On"). Not everything works -- the band would be better served if they fine-tuned their vision at least slightly. But everything sure sounds great. The recording, done at Dream Edit Studios in Newport by producer/ engineer Scott Rancourt, is crystal clear and flattering.

Of course, it's not like Meehan, Davis, and drummer Jay Perry need flattering production to sound great. As a trio, they can compete with anybody in the state in terms of chemistry. Hearing them on Only Time Will Tell goes a long way to explain just why Blueblood is one of the busiest bands on Rhode Island's blues-pop circuit.

Big World: Live at Harpo's January 1981 (Juxotone)

As promised, Johnny Juxo follows his reissue of Mumbling Skulls '84 Live, with Big World's Live at Harpo's January 1981. Like its predecessor, the Big World album is precisely of its time, a slice of dark, bracing post-punk that sounded great back then and sounds just as good today. The recording itself isn't bad either, cleaned up nicely despite what was likely a problematic recording to begin with. In fact, you can almost feel and smell the inside of the late-lamented Harpo's down in Newport, for a time, one of the true havens of local music in the Ocean State.

Fronted by Nick Stingley, aka the late Mike Nagle, and flanked by Johnny Morocco, Victor World, James Silk, Charles Best, and Chris Mess, the band fused theatrical, Stranglers-styled punk with a crushing but melodic two guitar attack. Stingley's persona was legendary -- he was our own Johnny Rotten. Listen to "Common IQ," "Babe," and the scorching "Cro-Magnon Man" if you're skeptical about local bands buying into the original punk credo. In fact, this entire album amounts to much more than a trip down memory lane. It provides an essential look back at one of Rhody's last great musical heydays.

Nocturnal Sun: Reinventing the Real (CD, www.geocities.com/nocturnalri)

Jason Carpentier and Mike Gendron lead the way as the dual guitar team of Nocturnal Sun, North Attleboro's new young hope in the hard rock sweepstakes. On their upcoming album Reinventing the Real, the band, which has been drawing well locally, merges elements of post-punk and industrial in creating a haunting, often powerful distillation of noise. Though the recording lacks much in the way of sonic value, the band has a resolutely compelling vision as it forges into bizarre, seemingly incongruous areas, funnels of sound tinted with psychedelic ("Star Andria") and gothic rock ("Almost a Full Moon").

It's funny, but underneath it all, there are undercurrents of '70s rock, specifically Kiss and Ted Nugent, but also Motorhead ("Vendetta") and AC/DC ("Pussy Whipped"). It will be exciting to hear all this material once it gets cleaned up and the band can get itself into a proper studio.

Lonesome Brothers: Swamptown Girl (Captivating Music, www.lonesomebrothers.com)

It's always a pleasure giving ink to a project featuring artist extraordinaire Ray Mason. His most recent solo album, When the Clown's Work Is Over, was one of the area's most impressive rock-pop discs last year. Though he makes his home in western Massachusetts, his reach covers this area pretty thoroughly. Indeed, with other projects, like his collaboration with Cheri Knight, Mason covers the nation.

Anyway, the Lonesome Brothers is Mason's longtime side project with Jim Armenti and Bob Grant. Produced by Jim Weeks and featuring some great pedal steel and dobro from Doug Beaumier, Swamptown Girl is the third album from the trio and it's another champ. Crossing the boundaries between old-time, backporch blues ("Pass the Wrench"), Neil Young-ish folk strumming ("Early In the Spring"), Bakersfield honky tonk ("A Way Out of No Way," "Chains"), and the faux-roots sound of Gillian Welch et al., the Brothers demonstrate a skillful grasp of the roots, folk, and country idioms. A couple of songs toward the end of the album, including "Reverend Mr. Hooper" and the arena rock of "Never Owned," sound a little out of place. But when the gentle strains of "She's Not That Way With Fireworks" comes back around to kick off the home stretch, those previous transgressions are most certainly forgiven.

WANDERING EYE. One of the area's most promising and commercially relevant rock acts, the Comic Book Superheroes have finally gotten their CD release party in gear. It happens Friday night at the Met Café, where they will be appearing with Ava and Superface. Lots of fun if you like that kind of thing. Fun, I mean.

If you're interested in finding a place to boogie on Saturday night, one suggestion is head down to the Red Rock Café at 6105 Post Road in North Kingstown. There you'll find Black and White making its way toward swing-blues-rock-pop nirvana.

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