The 300 shows Midnight Creeps celebrate a milestone by Bob Gulla

Though it may sound like it, it ain’t exactly a Truffaut film. But the Midnight Creeps’ trail of slime across 300 stages in their three-year lifespan is a milestone, to say the least. This Saturday (the 13th), they’re celebrating both of those milestones — their 300th show and three-year anniversary — at the Green Room, which itself is celebrating a reopening after a long dark spell. The Creeps’ Third Birthday Trash Bash promises to be everything a Creeps show has ever been and stinkier. " Three years in Creepsville is enough to make anyone insane, but three years and 300 shows are grounds to be institutionalized, " says the band’s invitation. " Promising to have all the wisdom and maturity of any three-year-old, the Midnight Creeps will have party favors available for the first 100 fans. "

The show will serve as both a preview for their forthcoming release, a split with Capo Regime (UK punk), and a tuneup show for their upcoming US tour, which will hit 57 cities. All or Other Nothing HC (from CA), Blues Bastard, and Jason Webley ( " The Original Punk Rock Accordionist " ) will inaugurate the festivities, while the Creeps plan to mop up with a sleazy set of their own.

SOULCORE. Chris from Soulshed (www.soulshed. com) wrote in about Soulcore, a free show they put on at the Living Room over Labor Day weekend.

The gig, the fest’s sixth annual installment, featured nine local bands. This was Soulshed’s official return to action after a year off. The band rented the venue for the night and put the show together to give something back to the fans and to encourage kids to support local music and strengthen the area’s music scene. Huge props go to all the bands at Soulcore who donated their time and energy and dedication to the scene. Seven of the nine were from Providence — Imprint, Shed, Pray 4 Nothing, Room with a View, Sever, Randy Pinto and the Galactic Boots, and the host band. Clip (Springfield, Massachusetts) and Synj (New Hampshire) added their New England flavor.

About 650 people made their way through the Living Room that night — the biggest turnout in the event’s history. In the past, the band has turned shows into canned food drives, but this year they had a raffle which took in $360 for the United Community Partners Charity, an organization raising money in part for a non-profit retirement and care facility. They raffled off shirts and CDs that were donated by the bands playing the show; the grand prize was a B.C. Rich Mockingbird guitar.

Chris says, " We’d like to thank all the bands that played and for all of the merchandise that was donated and, of course, all the fans that came to Soulcore. Let’s make this scene sick and put Providence on the map! "

WANDERING EYE. First off, check the news section for the latest on what happened to the highly anticipated local music event known as Summerfest.

Secondly, you have to go to the Century Lounge on Saturday to help big Jon Tierney make a new live recording. Tentative details have it that Tierney’s next CD will be called On the Level Live at the Century Lounge. " We really like Bob Sloane’s [A Call to Action DVD] work, " says Jon, who received this paper’s Best Male Vocalist award earlier this year, " so he’s going to bring his truck down and we’re gonna record. We need to hear ourselves live. The energy we capture live is missing in the studio. " So head down to Chestnut Street and help Jon make the best damn live disc the city’s ever heard. Strong lungs required.

Mark from the Essentials tells us of a cool show Thursday night (the 11th) with Dave Dill and the Everyday Visuals from the Boston/NH area. The Essentials are still chugging away in the recording studio and, at press time, hoped to have their demo CD ready to release at the September 11 show. It’s all going down at AS220.

On Friday (the 12th), Otis Read (guitar, vocals), Phil Edmonds (Irish whistles, button accordion), and Jim Corwin (bass) will hold court at the Community Center Coffeehouse on the Commons in Little Compton. Call 653-2400 for more info. Yeah, it’s the same area code down in Lil’ Compton.

On Saturday, the Fall River Women’s Songfest will happen at Cafe Arpeggio on South Main Street. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. and the gig stars Colleen Sexton, Laurie Geltman, Stolie, and Kellie Lin Knott. Admission to this quality show is $12 at door (there is limited reserved seating). Call (508) 679-3333.

The Pawtucket Arts Festival is presenting the Stone Soup Folk Fest on Saturday and Sunday (the 13th and 14th). The afternoon concerts, tentatively scheduled from noon ’til 5, will be held at the Daggett Farm Greenhouse area in Slater Park in Pawtucket. Saturday’s slate will feature Paul Geremia, Jack Hardy, Suzzy and Maggie Roche, and Lucy Kaplansky, while Sunday will bring Brooks Williams, Cliff Eberhardt, Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem, and Vance Gilbert. The emcee will be Richard Walton. The performances will be held in a tent, so it’s a rain or shine event. And admission is free. Call (800) 454-2882, or go to www.pawtucketartsfestival.org

And on Saturday, Stone Soup Coffeehouse itself will present old favorite Bill Staines at 8 p.m. Take note that Stone Soup is now located at the Arts Center at the Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club (210 Main Street). Call 457-7147.

Justin Capaldi has been on the scene for a long time. But rather than insult him by mentioning his age, I’ll let him tell (almost) the whole story. " My first gig was at the Living Room December 1984 and my band Boy On Fire went on at 3 in the afternoon, and the band that went on at 4 was a band called Throwing Muses. We began to play out at places like the Cage and became friends with bands like the Schemers, the Shake, MX, Rash of Stabbings, and Neutral Nation. People in these bands were a few years older than me and were very supportive and basically took me under their wings. There was a thriving, supportive local scene. " Since then, Capaldi has played with the Shake, the Itchies, Eric Fontana, Alley Sway, and recently with the Marlowes and Anna’s House. Anna’s House is a folk duo featuring Capaldi and his wife, and they’re throwing a CD release party on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Brewed Awakenings in Providence (near Waterplace Park). There will also be some guests sitting in, including Anthony and Sharon Franco, and John Larson and Dave Richardson from the Marlowes. Call 421-2058.

Zox has a huge headlining show on Saturday at Lupo’s. The band will be joined by Holiday, Monty’s Fan Club, and Averi. It’s $8 in advance for the all-ages show.

The Joe Beck Trio and special guest Sarah Brooks is back by popular demand on Tuesday (the 16th) at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, Massachusetts. Guitarist Beck has played with Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, and Barbra Streisand, among others, and is respected for his distinctive tone. The trio is celebrating the release of their new CD Just Friends on the New Bedford-based Whaling City Sound label. Sarah Brooks’s recent CD, What Is My Heart For? (also on WCS), met with strong critical acclaim and widespread radio play. Call (508) 324-1926 or visit www.ncfta.org.

In addition to entering the California recall election (their platform includes tax breaks for guys named Kenny, and a mandatory 10-year jail sentence for people who insist on overusing the word " NOT! " ), Black & White will be busy this weekend. On Friday and Saturday, they play the Wharf Tavern in Warren. On Sunday at 2 p.m., they’ll add a finger-poppin’ soundtrack to the Hopkinton Colonial Festival at Crandall Park in Ashaway.

Phew! E-mail me with more music news at big.daddy1@cox.net