Christmas cheer

The Amos House helps people help themselves

by Bob Gualla

We all know how caught up we can get in holiday season bullshit. There are errands to run, presents to buy, lists to make, houses to decorate, parties to attend, cookies to bake, outfits to assemble. So many things to do . . . and so little time -- like there ever seems to be -- to look out for anyone else but yourself and your family. Why not make it a new holiday tradition to reach out and help out? Why not take a step back once and for all this year, and take a long around, see what needs to be done, then go out and do it yourself? Pry yourself away from the lemming-like shopping habits and extreme commercialism of the Rhode Island holiday season and get in touch with people. The malls will be fine without you.

Tim and Lynn McCarthy try their best to make a difference. Back in 1994, they and some other kindly folks decided to make a difference by producing a compact disc entitled Uptight Before Christmas, a local-ish compilation designed to benefit Amos House. For those who don't know, Amos House provides food and shelter for many who can't put a roof over their own heads. They serve over 600 meals daily, provide shelter for hundreds of people and families a year, they make available transitional, low-rent housing for families while they get back on their feet, they provide counseling and a whole bunch of other worthwhile stuff to improve the lot of the less fortunate. The Providence streets may not seem mean to you, but then, you don't have to live on 'em.

Anyway, we're happy to report that that Amos House disc went over well enough to prompt the gang to issue a sequel this year called Uptight Before Christmas Again. It's a dandy project with lots of talented people and even an greater amount of altruistic intentions. Pick it up for a mere $10 at Round Again, Tom's Tracks, CAV, Hairspray, Stone Soup, Books On the Square, This and That (on Wickenden), and a few other places. You'll get songs by Providence's beloved Young Adults ("New Deal"), Tuli Kupferberg and the Fugs ("Working for the Yankee $," "Social Studies"), Pendragon ("Imagine Peace"), Atwater and Donnelly ("Pity Undue"), David Peel ("All the Homeless People," "Imagine"), and 13 other artists. There's even a short interview excerpt with John Lennon that ends up here, though we're not quite sure how.

Overall, the quality is surprisingly high for such an unselfish and low budget cause and so is the sound quality, which must have been a nightmare to reconcile, with so many songs coming from distant, disparate sonic locations.

Special credit goes to Emily Lisker who did the album artwork, Jeff Olson for graphics, and Rick Bellaire and Henry Gauvin, for the aforementioned sound and editing. It's a terrific project and one that deserves your attention, if not because you'll listen to it over and over during the holiday season, at least because you'll have donated some money and effort to the Amos House cause. Tim and Lynn's aim with Uptight Before Christmas Again is to sell 1000 of these discs during this holiday season, and meet the $10,000 donation goal. Let's help them do so.

WANDERING EYE. And speaking of good causes, hardworking local sax hero Dan Moretti is enjoying considerable success with his nicely packaged, great-sounding holiday disc December Solstice. Jazz fans, local or national, should check it out. Helping Dan are Tim Ray on piano, Marshall Wood on bass, and Peter Calo on guitar. To order, send an e-mail to at management@1201music. com.

The wonderfully acoustic Hatfield McCoy Trio plays a coffeehouse called Mediator on Friday (the 17th), located at 23 Rounds Street in Providence. The trio consists of Rory MacLeod on bass, Bob Zuk (Widespread Depression Orchestra) on guitar and Jerry Miller (J. Geils, Magic Dick) on mandolin. The club's off of Reservoir Avenue in the "Reservoir Triangle" area near the Providence/Cranston line. The show starts at 8 or so.

You've got a couple of good choices Saturday night, the first being the Glass Attic/Glint show at the Century Lounge. If the commerce and stress of the season make you feel like you've just played a season's worth of a contact sport and you feel like your holiday needs rescuing, you can always go over to Stone Soup where the traditional night featuring the New England Christmastide Musicians is bound to calm your nerves and lift your spirits. These days more than ever that bubbly cauldron of quiet music and good vibes needs your help. It seems that the hulking Providence Place and its parking scare-tactics have robbed the venue of its already too-few parking spaces. Please, don't let the parking issue deter you. If you've got to walk a little bit further to the church (Gloria Dei), well, you know there's a hot cup of good tea awaiting inside.

On Sunday night, singer-songwriter JP Jones and a seven-piece acoustic band will be playing the Congregational Church in Newport. It'll be the official release party for his new Ashes CD and should be a fun event. Having heard the album, I can safely recommend the show as a worthwhile event. Jones has a gruff, almost Greg Brown-like approach to his music and a deft lyrical touch.

Here's a Website local bands might want to check out: http://www.angelfire.com/ms/bob1/. A guy named Bob Baker provides qualified folks with in-depth assistance on topics like "Demo Strategies That Set Your Music Apart" and "Resources to Help You and Your Label Reach More Fans." It's called the "New Music Buzz Report" and you can get it e-mailed to you free of charge by contacting him at Bobmsrg@aol.com. It's already mailed twice monthly to major and indie record labels, college radio stations, music editors and reviewers, entertainment attorneys, managers, booking agents, distributors and more. Check it out.

Reach me at b_gulla@yahoo.com. As always your suggestions for Perfect Ten lists of your choosing are welcome. Run a musical style or sub-style up the flagpole and see how it flies.