April Fooled An Unsigned Band; plus, Pendragon turns 20 By Bob Gulla

Tonight (the 18th), Boston filmmaker Brendan Clarke will be screening his documentary, Nobody Knows: Chronicle of an Unsigned Band, at the Blackstone River Theatre (549 Broad Street, Cumberland). The film, a feature about the group Fooled By April, will be followed by a show by the band, along with Chauncey and Dave Dill. The film and music are free, and doors open at 8 p.m.

Nobody Knows tells the story of Gordon, Joe, Jordan, and Pete, four diverse young musicians who unite to bring their energetic brand of power pop-rock to the stage — to anyone who will listen, in fact. As they prepare for the 2003 South by Southwest Music Festival and possible success, the boys deal with the rigors of life on the road, driving hours to play empty bars, neglected girlfriends, loneliness, and insecurity. Will they survive the pressures of rock anonymity and make their music dreams come true? Only filmmaker Clarke knows for sure.

Q: What is your background in film and music?

A: My music background is pretty inauspicious. I was in a band that won our high school talent show when I was 16. After our great victory, I went on to the film world. Since then most of my time has been spent as a writer. I lived in LA for a while, writing horror and titty movies that never got made. When I came back to Boston, I directed my first short, a 10-minute comedy called Crabs, which debuted at the Maine International Film Festival in July. Nobody Knows is my first feature-length movie.

Q: What were your intentions in making the film?

A: The film sort of happened by accident. I never intended to make a documentary. After leaving LA, I came home to Boston, and was hanging around with my high school friend Joe Welsh (the guitarist of Fooled By April). As I watched his band interact, I thought it would make a good movie, and off we went.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with it?

A: Since I never really planned to make it, I have pretty modest ambitions. A few screenings, a few festivals — I just want people to see it. I think anyone who’s ever tried to do something that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, like trying to make it as a band, or a filmmaker for that matter, will relate to the guys and hopefully enjoy the movie.

For more info, check out these two links: www.brokengatesfilm.com and www.fooledbyapril.com

SONGWRITERS UNITE. John Fuzek has the Rhode Island Songwriters Association back on track in a big way after a brief hiatus. They have a variety of activities, seminars, workshops, and performance opps on the docket, so if writing’s your thing and you’re in search of a communal sounding board, sign yourself up. It’s cheap and totally supportive.

Here’s a smattering of what’s doing: The Friday Night Songwriter Series is at Eclectibles Cafe (213 Robinson Street, Wakefield). On Sundays, open mike night is from 5 to 10 p.m. at India Restaurant in Warren (520 Main Street). For more information about India gigs and open mike, call Chukulla Smith at 829-8326. A sound advice workshop will take place on Tuesday, September 30 at the Rolfe St. Station in Cranston. Presented by Greg Bass of Scredco Productions, the session will cover the basics of sound systems and advice on what to look for and how to operate your system. Seating is limited. Admission is free for RISA members, and $10 for others.

For more info, contact John at hearinri@ids.net

PENDRAGON’S 20! Blackstone River Theatre will celebrate its three-year anniversary with an evening of Celtic music and dance featuring Pendragon and step dancers Kevin Doyle and Kieran Jordan on Saturday (the 20th) at 8 p.m. at the Blackstone River Theatre. And what better way to celebrate that anniversary than to bring in Pendragon, one of the forces behind that great establishment.

No one embodies New England’s long, rich tradition of Celtic-inspired music better than the Pendragon octet. The Rhody ensemble has come up with a timeless sound, roots music with a contemporary edge, brimming with the lives and lore of generations who brought their ways from Ireland, Scotland, French Canada, and other distant shores to the banks of the Blackstone River. Good stuff, and a great reason to party. Admission is $15. For reservations, which are strongly recommended, call 725-9272.

WANDERING EYE. This Saturday upstairs at AS220, HoneyBunch will be performing urban lullabies and promoting a new EP. Also appearing will be their friends Norfolk & Western and their friends Winter Blanket. N&W are a duo from Portland, Oregon, which draws heavily from the folk and country well while keeping one foot firmly planted in rock. They are traveling with Minnesotans Winter Blanket, who already have several records on Low’s Chairkickers Label, and perform a similarly elegant brand of quiet rock ’n’ roll.

Also on Saturday, the Old Howards play at Ralph’s Diner in Worcester. Satan’s Teardrops and Frank Morey hang on for dear life. The Providence gang goes on at 11. The cover is $5.

Providence’s Black Forest/Black Sea has just returned from a six-week, 10,000-mile US tour. A welcome-back show, which doubles as a BF/BS CD release party, will go down at AS220 on Sunday. The fantastic Cerberus Shoal from Portland, Maine and local friends urDog will join in the mischief. The show starts at 9 p.m. and only costs you $6. Visit www.blackforestblacksea.com or cerberusshoal.com

Also, as some of you have probably realized, the Green Room didn’t open last week, having stumbled while making their safety renovations. So it didn’t host the Midnight Creeps’ 300th show, as noted last week. But don’t give up on the place. According to insiders, the Room will open soon, perhaps even before you read this.

E-mail me with music news. The address is big.daddy1@cox.net