One night only! Neutral Nation celebrate 20 years and a new disc BY BOB GULLA

Tom Buckland is currently buzzing around as the technical director at Trinity Rep, a job he’s held for nine years. He’s extra-busy right now because he’s gearing up for that seasonal staple, A Christmas Carol. Pre-Trinity, though, Buckland was buzzing around with a cast of a different sort, a punky band called Neutral Nation, one of the ’80s’ most successful area gangs. To commemorate the 11 years they spent together from 1982-’93, they’ll be reuniting this weekend for a big gig at Lupo’s on the occasion of their 20th anniversary (or thereabouts). The bill also includes hoary local legends Big World and soon-to-be-legends Benny Sizzler. "We’re looking forward to it like crazy," says Buckland. "It’s so much fun." And not just fun, he says — "it’s good for overall sanity. We get itchy for it once in a while. It feels good to play together. You reach a saturation point and you need an outlet. This band’s a remarkable outlet for positive energy."

Mike "Dexter Trim" Yarworth, Dave "Iron Chef" Chabot, Tom "T-Buck" Buckland, and Mike "Stumpy" Neckritz have disseminated that positive energy in the form of punk and post-punk songs that have found resting places in the hearts of aging rockers throughout the region. "We have great relationships in this band; we’re like brothers," says Buckland. "I’ve worked with lots of bands since, and I see absolute chaos and strife all over the place. We didn’t have that at all! We’d argue and stuff, but nothing more."

The band isn’t arguing much about their upcoming two-disc collection either. Simply titled Neutral Nation (after dismissing a working title of Greatest Shits), the set compiles all of the band’s released material, plus some unreleased demos.

"We wanted to celebrate the body of work," he says. "People come up to us a lot and tell us they want to hear this stuff on CD. So we said, ‘Shit, I’ll sweat it a little.’ Fans were always good to us, right?"

The Neutral Nation reunion show takes place this Friday, November 21 at Lupo’s. Tickets are $10.

STONE SOUP SOS. It is dismaying to hear reports that, for the first time in many years, Stone Soup, the venerable house of folk music, is in financial jeopardy. The venue has struggled through seven of its first nine shows this season — losing money and suffering poor attendance. Though they’ve weathered these sorts of problems before in their 23 years of existence, they feel that this year’s predicament might pose a more serious threat to the institution’s long-term health. While they started the year flush with cash, spotty attendance has forced a leak in the Soup’s cauldron.

"We can’t be sure why attendance has fallen off so alarmingly," says Stone Soup friend Richard Walton. "It could be our new place, or that we’ve moved twice in less than a year. But we think people will find our new digs in the Arts Center of the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket (210 Main Street) if they really want to come."

One guess about why the business is off, says Walton, pertains to the economy. "People are willing to spend the money only for shows they especially want to see. Although we cannot speak for other venues, we have heard reliably that several others in this area are also suffering severely reduced attendance and are also concerned about their survival."

So consider this an exhortation. Stone Soup is the area’s oldest national folk venue, where you can regularly see terrific young flamekeepers like Vance Gilbert and Ellis Paul, and luminous legends like Rosalie Sorrels, Peggy Seeger, and Bill Harley. This weekend, it’s the fabulous Roy Book Binder. Next weekend it’s the immensely entertaining duet of Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem. Upcoming is Brown grad/current pop sensation Erin McKeown. A formidable lineup to be sure. Keep an eye on the Stone Soup schedule at www.soup.org. And please consider as generous a tax-deductible deduction as you can and send it to the Stone Soup Folk Arts Foundation, 27 Kent Street, Cumberland, RI 02864.

RISA/HEAR IN RI CDS! The RISA Songbook/CD will contain a limited-edition disc and sheet music produced solely for the purpose of getting members’ songs out to other members. The demo fest is open to RISA members and only costs $12 per song — two songs max per person depending on how the response to the project is. If you don’t have a song recorded, RISA will be taping one night only at their open mike on December 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rolfe Street Station in Cranston. Bring your words and your voice.

Also, a Hear In RI music sampler is in the works. The release date is late winter, so demos are being accepted now. There is no fee to submit. The CD is limited to 18 tracks and 1000 CDs will be produced. If your song is chosen, the cost will be roughly $150 to $200 per song. Artists are responsible for their own recording. The fee gets a song on the CD and 10 copies for you to sell (you may buy more copies at cost). The disc will be distributed to radio stations and the media for review, and will be available for mail order via websites.

For both projects, send demos to John Fuzek at Hear in Rhode Island, PO Box 367, Harmony, RI 02829.

WANDERING EYE. There’s an important show tonight (Thursday, the 20th) at the Met at 9 p.m. It’s a food drive/fundraiser for the RI Food Bank (www.rifoodbank.org/index.html). Reckless Radio, By Chance, Chapters, and the Roachenders will play. The show costs $6, or $5 if you bring a canned good. Kirsten French of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank says that the cash could be donated to a specific turkey fund, which supplies turkeys to families in need on Thanksgiving Day. The organization is still 700 turkeys short of its goal.

On Friday (the 21st) at Gallery Insane, the Institute for Sonic Evolution continues with an open competition. Eastview, Cellar Door, Special Paul, the Rule of Ten, Radio Wallpaper, and the StereoBirds will play. Doors are at 9 p.m. for the all-ages show. The finals go down next week at the same venue.

The Courthouse Center for the Arts presents a concert showcasing the outstanding talents of South County’s Neoga Music roster. For the jazz enthusiast, it’s the Joe Parillo Ensemble featuring Wendy Klein, Dave Howard, John DeBossu, Paul Mason, and Rick Couto. The chamber music duo of Parillo and Christine Harrington will feature New Age and classical renderings from their acclaimed Sandbox. Steve "Doc" Wood’s earthy and honest approach to folk will be featured, as will vocalist and interpreter of the American songbook Georgette Labrèche. Original gospel renderings of praise and celebration will star singer Antoinette Ferrara. Saxophonist and sound artist David Key will present soundscapes from his Whale Watch CD. And saxophonist Brian Sparks will sail with selections from his Wind Voyages recording. The concert will be held on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Courthouse Center for the Arts (3481 Kingstown Road in West Kingston). Tickets are $18; for more information, contact 782-1018.

The Fabulous Itchies will be playing this Saturday (the 22nd) at Jake’s with the Turpentine Brothers (featuring members of the Kings of Nuthin’ and Mr. Airplane Man) and the V8 Interceptors. No cover, as always. Also on the 22nd, Otis Read, Cathy Clasper Torch, and Phil Edmonds will appear at the Coffee Depot (501 Main Street in Warren). Stepdancer Kevin Doyle will come by to tear up the floor.

Two up-and-coming avant acts from the area, Chinese Stars and Daughters (formerly As the Sun Sets), will play Ultra on Saturday at 7 p.m. Daughters is beginning to get a buzz going in hardcore/metal circles. Check out www.wearedaughters.com.

Ellison will be headlining a show this Sunday (the 23rd) at the Met. Also playing will be the pop/punk/hard-rockers Rebecca Nurse and Connecticut’s Eric Piper and the Meltdowns. The show will cost $6, it's all ages, and doors open at 9. Find out more about the band at www.ellisonrocks.com

E-mail me at big.daddy1@cox.net