Howlin’ wolves Smokestack Lightnin’ brings down the house BY BOB GULLA

The Newport Blues Bar is sure a nice place to catch a gig. If you’re ever down that way, save your appetite and a little energy for shuckin’ and jivin’, ’cuz you’re gonna need both. Not only that, the sound system is good, the sight lines are as sweet as the vibes, and the staff aims to accommodate. I can’t vouch for the place during peak time — that is, the high tourist season — but in the nip of late fall, it was perfect.

The band that night was Smokestack Lightnin’, one of the most promising of the new breed of local rootsy swing acts. Fronted by the talented Swede vocalist/harp blower Nino Paldan, the band packs a traditional blues wallop with the vibrancy and electricity of a rock band. From what I hear, focal point Paldan is well known in his native Sweden and surrounding countries, and it’s not tough to see why. He’s a powerhouse of soul, and much better versed in the idiom than you’d expect a very white Scandinavian to be. The night I saw him, he squeezed every ounce of deep blues from the set, both as a singer and through his harp, which is influenced by Chicago kingpins Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. On guitar there’s bandleader Josh Barber, also known as "Junior B." At 23, he’s a kid who cut his teeth sitting in with Dave Howard and the High Rollers and Rory and the Blueshounds, so he knows the deal. His chording is crisp and precise; his rock and roll sense shines through, too.

The rhythm section consists of Dick and Chad Souza, a father/son duo that is seasoned and tight. Unassuming Chad kicks back on the kit and swings with ease, while Papa holds up big on his righteous upright bass. He’s been a regular on the local jazz and blues scenes for decades, and the experience shows. Together, these guys have just the right fusion of chops and exuberance. The show that night in Newport was extra special: they recruited veteran pianist Mark Taber and blowers Carl Querfurth and Doug James, both Roomful alums, to fill out the band’s horn section. Smart move. Together with Carl’s trombone and Doug’s saxes, the Smokestack Lightnin’ down ’n’ dirty R&B truly gained Technicolor dimensions.

Recently, the band’s been gaining momentum playing all the right places, including 305 Club and the Hi Hat. Though they have their sights set on Lupo’s and Chan’s right now, they’re still a young band with a lot to prove, and the gumption to prove it. The band plans to record in Sweden and play live "till the day they die." And, oh yeah, they "promise to take the world by storm one audience at a time."

Smokestack Lightnin’ will appear this Friday, Dceember 5 at the Hi Hat in Davol Square. The show is at 9 p.m. and will feature "Doc" Chanonhouse and Bruce McGrath on horns. Go to www.SmokestackLightnin.net for more information.

SHARINGTHEWEALTH. File this one under "free lunch." Berklee College of Music, billed as "the world’s largest independent music college and the premier institution for the study of contemporary music," recently launched Berklee Shares, a new program that provides free music lessons and encourages musicians to share and distribute these lessons online. The Berklee Shares lessons are available at no charge and are made up of a growing catalog of mp3s, QuickTime movies, and PDF files derived from curriculum developed at the college by its faculty. Cool enough. So if you have a little time on your hands, the lessons are available for free downloading at www.berkleeshares.com. The learning program is designed to create an open exchange of ideas for musicians everywhere utilizing the ’Net as a means to gain unprecedented access to quality education. The folks at Berklee believe that digital distribution networks will have a significant impact on the future of music and music education. We do too.

BAND NEWS. While it had appeared that Transparent was laying low for a while, they’d actually been moonlighting quite a bit — practicing, writing, and saving some money to make a go at the road this spring. They have some new recordings that were done with Keith Souza at Machines With Magnets studio in East Providence. You can catch some of the new tunes, if you didn’t hear them last week at the Green Room, when the band plays out in the coming months. Go to www. transparentband.com for more input.

Torn has been pretty busy lately, writes singer Nate Byers. They recently signed to A-Records, an indie label based in Massachusetts. And they spent a weekend at Longview Studios with producer Scott Spelbring (SR-71) and have three cuts from their upcoming album ready for preview. Check out www.tornband.com for an early listen.

Immune’s new EP was recently licensed to MTV/Bunim-Murray, the organization responsible for placing four of the band’s recent songs on the soundtracks of television shows. Here’s hoping they have the same luck this time around!

INSTITUTE FOR SONIC EVOLUTION. RattleHead Records announced the completion of its yearly high school talent-scouting program, aka the Institute for Sonic Evolution. The finals were held Friday, November 28 as part of Projekt Kaos, RattleHead’s series at Gallery Insane. This year’s winner is — drum roll, please — Faber, from Burrillville High School. Also competing commendably in the finals were A Blind Prophecy, Ill-Natured, the Rule of Ten, and Special Paul. Faber receives $500 cash and a spot in the final Projekt Kaos show at Gallery Insane on December 12, featuring Mastamindz and Blackstone Valley Crew. Special shoutouts go to the people who made this installment of ISE possible, including the other competing bands — Eastview, Fourth Point of Contact, Insanitarium, Io, No Remorse, and Out-A-Tune. The host bands also rocked and deserve mentiom: the Amazing Mudshark, Bad Larry, Radio Wallpaper, Riley, the StereoBirds, and Sulfer. Burrillville High School gets props for stepping up and seeing the light. And of course, the ever-innovative folks at RattleHead and DownCity Signal —may your wheels never stop turning.

WANDERING EYE. On Friday (the 5th) at the Green Room there’s a boss night of sick rockin’ roll with Boston’s Kings of Nuthin’, Satan’s Teardrops (from NH), and local heroes Sasquatch and the Sick-a-billys. Also on Friday, the Psycads will bring their psyche-ska mélange to the Brown University Underground in the lower level of Faunce House on the corner of Brown and Waterman streets for a scholastic rock party.

Off the Clock Productions presents "Corporate Rock Must Die!" featuring Heretic’s Fork, Ichabod, the Cringe, and Metal Rising. It all takes place on Saturday (the 6th) at Cats in Pawtucket. Doors at 8, cover is $5.

If you’re planning on running around this holiday season, run your ass to the Safari Lounge this Saturday because on that night, you’ll run smack into a show by the Providence Riots. Worth the detour.

Accidental Nostalgia,Cynthia Hopkins’s Obie- and Bessie-award winning one-woman operetta about the pros and cons of amnesia, takes a turn on the Perishable Theatre stage beginning tonight (the 4th) and running through December 14. Accidental Nostalgia is performed by Hopkins and designers Jim Findlay and Jeff Sugg. And Hopkins will be accompanied by a live band of local musicians, featuring Matt Everett (the Eyesores, Amoebic Ensemble) on viola and guitar, Pam Murray (the Smoking Jackets, SuperChief Trio, Neo-’90s) on trombone, Joel Thibodeau (Stringbuilder, the Eyesores) on drums, Shawn Wallace (His Panic Band) on trumpet, and Margie Wienk (Fern Knight, the Eyesores, Rhode Island Philharmonic) on upright bass. Go to perishable.org for details.

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