was up and active 12
hours before." The organizational aspect was impeccable.
Some sharp locals rocked the streets. Mastamindz, who snatched power off a
lightpole near the Strand, jammed for 20 minutes before police came. The Westin
didn't think much of Jason Colonies disrupting things in their front entry, so
he was displaced to Rattlehead Headquarters, near the courthouse. Colonies and
others played there.
"One of the things that I didn't expect," adds Sean, "was that it was too
easy. The people of Providence don't hate local music. They never hear local
music. Everywhere the music was, people loved it. They stopped, and they
listened. We ruffled some feathers, for sure."
The staff at the Providence Invasion had envisioned a revelatory experience.
It would be the largest musical event ever to happen in this town, perhaps the
first event of its kind to go down anywhere. Local music for one hour across
the city. The pieces were in place. So the plan would go off without a hitch.
Right?
Uh, no. Of the 46 bands assigned to street locations in Providence, only 10
bands showed up. Only 10! A pathetic number, given the intentions. Not nearly
the "invasion" organizers had hoped for. Police hassles were minimal, weather
was decent, T-shirts and flyers were ready for distribution.
But then the single component needed to pull the whole thing off, to see it
through, completely and utterly bagged out. Thirty-six bands, folks who had
agreed to appear and who were fully aware and involved in the planning, just
didn't bother to show up. That's a problem, a big problem. So the next time you
complain about local music fans not coming out to support one of your gigs,
consider for a moment the ironic letdown the scene experienced on the day of
the Providence Invasion: The Day the Bands Didn't Show.
BLACKSTONE VALLEY SINNERS' DEBUT. Got my hands on the much-anticipated
shimmering disc produced by the Blackstone Valley Sinners recently and haven't
been able to take it off the spinner. Of course, anything featuring Rich
Gilbert on guitar is gonna sound pretty good. But the Sinners' self-titled
debut is a baker's dozen sweet sounding country tunes, western instrumentals,
Duane Eddy-ish reverb workouts, and simple, vintage pop led by Gilbert's
exquisite twang, Cessna's wry vocal commentary and quavering throat, and former
Boogerhead Judith Ann's concise work on bass. Oh, yeah, there's a drum machine,
too. Gilbert, formerly of the Zulus/Frank Black/Steve Wynn and many others,
hops from banjo to Telecaster to steel guitar, adding a rainbow of rootsy
colors to the BVS sound. It's a wild, diverse pop entertainment. Apparently,
the band is shopping the debut to labels. With an accomplished product like
this and loads of talent to back it all up, there should be no problem getting
this baby in stores in no time.
Blackstone Valley Sinners play 9/14 at the Linwood Grille in the Fenway (69
Kilmarnock Street, 617-267-8644), and on 9/15 at Hank's Tavern in Brooklyn
where -- to defray your travel costs -- there will be free BBQ and no cover.
(Go to www.Hankstavern.com for details, or call 718-625-8003.)
WANDERING EYE. Midnight Creeps is throwing its own poor-man's
version of a Holidays in the Sun party this Friday and Saturday at the Met
Cafe. On Friday the 13th, you get the Templars,
Splodgenessabounds, the Sleazies, No Regard, and
Another Dead Juliet. On Saturday: Funeral Dress, Midnight
Creeps, Capo Regime (from the UK), the Wailing Ultimates, and
the Epidemic. Tickets are $10 for each day.
If sonic sleaze doesn't make for an ideal Friday, you can head to the
Blackstone River Theatre and hear the high-motor grooves of Kim Trusty
and her band. Trusty joined forces in 1999 with some of New England's finest
musicians. Now, Joe Potenza on bass, Tony Mederios (ex-Chili Brother) on guitar
and vocals, and Dan Hann on drums enhance Trusty's dynamic vocal range like
never before. The show starts at 8 p.m. and will cost you $10. While there,
pick up the band's latest disc, Live at Chan's.
If money's an issue but you still need to scratch the live music itch,
Barn Burning is playing a free show at the Atlas Bower Book Store on
Meeting Street (next to Ben & Jerry's) on Saturday night. Opening is
Marissa Nadler at 8 p.m. Barn Burning and Robert Fisher from the Willard
Grant Conspiracy will play together, trading off songs with Barn Burning as a
backing band. Oh yeah, it's also BYOB.
White Electric (150 Broadway, Providence) celebrates its two-year
anniversary on Saturday night with live sets by the Iditarod,
Stringbuilder, and special guests Alec Redfearn with his Mr.
Gutter project and Sharron Kraus from Oxford, England. The show
starts at 9 p.m. and will cost you $5 at the door. Call 453-3007.
On Friday at AS220, $5 will also get you plenty of entertainment,
including Maria Ventura, an 11-year old singer/songwriter from Taunton;
Feroxhead, featuring Dave from Manbeard; JMMJ, a free-jazz thing
featuring Jason and Michael from Barnacled; the Iditarod and Sharron Kraus will
also appear on this night, and the Eyesores will wrap things up.
Also on Saturday night you can join the awesome Planet Groove in
helping them celebrate their eighth anniversary, which is longer than most
house plants last, not to mention bands. The party will take place at the
Westin Hotel beginning at 9:30.
Illustrious Day will be busy this weekend. On Friday they'll be
at the New Wave Café in nearby New Bedford with Blessed Thistle,
among others. And on Saturday they'll be playing the first annual Rhode Island
Rock and Jock Charity Softball Game at Woodlake Park on Central Avenue in
Johnston. The event begins at 1 p.m. and runs all day. Admission is free. There
will be games and raffles throughout the day for the whole family. Food and
non-alcoholic beverages will also be available. Local bands will be performing
throughout the day during the tournament. For more info, check out
www.thelocalmix.com. All profits will be donated to the Robin Hood Relief Fund
(robinhood.org/AboutUs.html), a charity which gives 100 percent of its proceeds
to the families of the September 11 victims.
Reach me at big.daddy1@cox.net.
Issue Date: September 13 - 19, 2002