Ace of clubs? Ultra arrives; the Electra Complex; and more BY BOB GULLA

Ultra, a club formerly known as Metropolis, recently announced the debut of live concerts in its newly renovated main room. The venue, which will hold 500 folks, features a state-of-the-art Martin Audio sound system, along with cool lighting and projection systems. The renovations of the club include the addition of a 24’-by-20’-by-4’ stage that’ll have good sightlines. In fact, the club "ensures that all concertgoers will be within 60 feet of the stage."

Oddly enough, Ultra will kick off their live music series on Saturday, November 7 with, uh, Jefferson Starship’s "Acoustic Explorer" tour. But this ain’t no ordinary Starship show, folks. Apparently, the Jefferson Starship concert will take full advantage of the club’s futuristic video system, as the band will perform to a synchronized showing of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Looking ahead, Ultra will present a diverse selection of nationally recognized and local acts to satisfy everyone’s musical preferences, including Phantom Planet (November 16), Rufus Wainwright (November 18), Le Tigre (November 21), and the Derek Trucks Band (November 25). With the the arrival of Ultra and the recent return of the Green Room, downtown just got a whole lot livelier.

WHEELER SCHOOLS. Who is Jillian Wheeler? Well, she’s lots of people, and also quite unique. Most recently, the local 12-year-old acted in Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River, playing one of Sean Penn’s daughters. Check out her web page www.jillianwheeler.com

JoJo Gator, her producer and representative, says the future looks incredibly bright for the youngster. "We took her to New York recently to work with Elton John at Ripley Grear Studios. Elton is producing the music for Interview with a Vampire, the Broadway play that starts in 2005." Jillian is being considered for the part Kirsten Dunst played in the movie. She is also in Empire Falls, a film based on the Richard Russo novel starring Paul Newman. Needless to say, Jillian and her folks have been working real hard. The three songs on the web page, written and produced by Gator, prove the girl can sing as well. Only time will tell just how far Wheeler can take her career, but it seems that the stars are perfectly aligned. Too much too soon? Let’s hope not. She could be the Biggest Little’s biggest little success story in not-so-recent history.

QUITE A COMPLEX. There’ll be some good girl rock going down at AS220 on Tuesday (the 4th), led by the local trio known as the Electra Complex. Marcella, Hilary Jones, and Melanie Fuest make up the Providence-based outfit that leads with searing vocals and follows that with dirty guitar riffs and metronomic drumming. Comparisons have been made to the all-female punk outfit the Slits, but they cite PJ Harvey, the Melvins, Abba, and the Morgans as a few of their many influences. The Quails are Julianna Bright on drums, Jen Smith on guitar, and Seth Lorinczi on bass. Seth was formerly in Circus Lupus, Julianna in the Electrolettes, and Jen put together a travelling punk variety show called the Cha Cha Cabaret. Headlining the bill is the King Cobra. Find out more about them at www.thekingcobra.net

BOMBS AWAY. M-80 will hit the road on November 15 for a cross-country tour. The highlight of the trek is likely to be in Los Angeles at the LG Action Sports Championships, which happens to be the biggest skateboarding, BMX, and in-line event of the year. M-80 is psyched to be one of 12 bands handpicked to play on Friday, November 21 in front of a few thousand rabid BMXers and their fans. The show has huge international TV and media promotion around it, so it’s clearly a massive event. In related news, M-80 has picked up a sponsorship from Busted Skateboards. The band will appear in the new Busted video and will be sporting Busted gear on tour. Check out www.m80punk.com for new show listings and sundry junk.

WANDERING EYE. Eclectibles Café in Wakefield and the Rhode Island Songwriters Association continue their Friday Night Songwriter Series. On the 31st, Marissa Nadler and John Fuzek will perform; next Friday it’ll be Kari Tieger and Jon Brennan. Call 792-7095 for more details.

The Cringe will throw a huge Halloween bash at the 305 Club in East Providence in what should be a chilling night of seriously scary rock and roll. Throw a costume on and get into the evil spirit of the night. Joining them in the debauchery will be Outside the Box, the Inexperience, and Comic Book Super Heroes.

Clones of Sam will hold court at Cats tonight (Thursday the 30th), and on Saturday they’ll hit the Underground at Brown. Shades of Green, a South County band whose new single, "Greatest Hit # 2," has been getting some local radio airplay, will be playing tonight at Sha Na Na’s (731 Airport Road in Warwick). The show is free and also features Essence of Green, formerly Optic Lock. Hear their music and get more info by visiting www.essenceofgreen.com

Zero has a gig this Saturday (11/1) at the Safari Lounge. They’ve been playing out recently at places like Cats, the Blackstone, and AS220. Their new disc, White Wine Winter Light, is worth checking out, as is their website: zerorock.com.

Sal’s Productions presents a Zydeco Holloween party on Friday with Planet Zydeco, who will start the dance rhythms at 8:30 p.m. The cover is $10, which should be a no-brainer considering all the dancing you plan to do.

Chuck Blye’s new band the Dickens will play their second show on Halloween night (their debut was last week at the Phoenix’s 25th anniversary bash). The Dickens features three of the four ex-Haymakers with brand new songs and an entirely new set of attitude problems. See them open things up this Friday at AS220 with Aberdeen City, Betty Finn, and Three Speed Amplifier.

The University of Rhode Island Music Department will host a solo piano concert on Sunday (the 2nd) at 7 p.m. featuring internationally known Steinway artist Joseph Parillo, who will offer the audience a preview of his original compositions, to be released on an upcoming solo CD. He will also treat listeners to his unique interpretations of favorites from the American songbook. Tickets are $8 ($2 for students) and are available at the Music Department Box Office or at the door. For advance tickets, contact the URI Music Department at 874-2431.

E.C. Scott will celebrate the release of The Other Side of Me (Black Bud Records) on Friday at the Newport Blues Café on Thames Street. The mighty singer showcases not only her terrific voice but also her prodigious songwriting talent.

E-mail me your music news at big.daddy1@cox.net