Lock ’em up Daughters make some noise BY BOB GULLA

It’s kind of funny. According to Daughters’ mainman Lex, his band was formed from the late, lamented remnants of a noisy, hateful local band called As the Sun Sets. But how lamented was that band, exactly?

"No one ever cared about us," he says, without a trace of self-pity. "No one came to see us. We’d go on tour and play empty basements in Chicago. We fucking did terrible and no one cared. Then," he sneers, "we broke up and everyone said how great we were and how sad it was to see us gone."

ATSS shows could have been part of the problem. They were notorious cauldrons of confrontation, with the band antagonizing the audience, often ending in a violent melee of splintered punk chords and flying bottles. "That band was fucked; we were young and pissed. I was angry at the time, always got drunk at shows. I got my eye all smashed in one night, my head cracked open a few times. We tried to sexually and physically incite people. Shit, if you didn’t see Iggy Pop cutting himself up and smashing bottles at Stooges shows they would have been boring, too."

It probably won’t be the same for Daughters, a band that rose up out of the ashes of As the Sun Sets and have a better balance of music and aggression. They have a new record out, Canada Songs (Robotic Empire), a cut coming up on the new Birthday Party tribute record (on the Three.One.G label with the Chinese Stars), and have a domestic tour slated for the summer and their first European tour in September and October. Now all they have to do is solidify the lineup and stay clear of mischief, which they seem to have trouble doing.

"It’s been tough to keep a band together," says Lex. "Maybe it’s that I’m tough to get along with. People talk shit about us a lot, but we never claim to be incredibly talented. We just make some noises with our guitars and shit. I guess people just have a lot of problems getting along, which makes it hard when you spend so much time together in a van."

Lex is a six-year vet of the local scene. They just picked up a new guitar player who came from Vermont, and they have a couple of other out-of-staters, one from Massachusetts and another from Virginia. (The band prefers not to use names.) For a while, Daughters was affiliated with the mill scene and Fort Thunder, but Lex doesn’t have fond memories of that period. "There were some good people there, but a lot of folks were pretty pretentious and full of shit. I mean, how cool is it when you don’t have walls or heat?"

Today, the band is content to exist in a burning cavity all its own, outside the scope of Providence. "I don’t understand it anymore; everything’s gone. I had fun five or six years ago. We came here after [Club] Babyhead was gone and there was nothing at all, just four or five bands doing stuff. Now there are all these kids who’ve come in and taken over and they all think I’m an asshole. But they don’t realize they wouldn’t be getting shows together if we didn’t do what we did when we did it. And the mill scene people don’t have an identity now either."

Fast becoming one of the most revered bands on the extreme noise scene, Daughters is definitely on the way up. They even bought a new van — and while the band’s on tour, it’s self-supporting. There’s definitely something going down that’s stirring up all that excitement. "We try to sound as fucked up as possible. And I think we’re getting stranger musically. The hardcore kids say we’re lightening up, but that’s bullshit. This next time out we’ve decided to write the heaviest we’ve ever written, more extreme, more bizarre. It’ll be cool."

Daughters will play the Living Room on Friday, June 11 with Some Girls, Sex Positions, and Man Mountain. Check out Lex’s column, "Ask an Asshole for Advice," at www.wearedaughters.com.

USE YOUR ZOGGIN. On a few Saturdays during the course of the summer, you’ll be able to find some free music in the courtyard at Café Zog on Wickenden Street in Providence. The Zoggin Music Festival will feature a handful of good local bands looking for attention. "What makes this festival different is that it we wanted to use a new approach to spread the music of Rhode Island/Massachusetts to the people of New England," says Dagnabbit’s Jayson Mello, one of the organizers. "We give bands a chance to show people what they’re all about, maybe get new fans to sign their mailing list, buy their CDs, or maybe go to another one of their shows." The idea for Zoggin began four years ago when Dagnabbit formed. "Zog was one of the first places we played. We started inside, and then expanded to outside and turned it into a small festival that we now have every year. It’s a great time and we want as many people as we can to know about it."

The series begins this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. with Dagnabbit and Dave Dill. Rattlehead Records will be on hand to do sound. The fest will continue on June 26, July 3, and 17 and will feature Mr. Lincoln, the Josie Band, and Illustrious Day on those respective dates. Call 421-2213.

NO SMOKIN’ IN THE BOYS ROOM. The fifth annual (and final) Smoke-Free Benefit Concert goes down this Saturday at the Ocean Mist in Matunuck, beginning at noon and running ’til close. Performers include Jason Colonies, Grandizer Punch, the Standards, and the Contra Band, among many others. There will be a free buffet and prizes to boot, all for $5 at the door. Past smoke-free events at the Ocean Mist have benefited the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society, and the South Kingstown Parks and Recreation Department. Last year’s proceeds went to the Station Fire Victims Relief Fund. This year the proceeds will benefit the Peacedale Arts Initiative. Big props go to Kevin at the Ocean Mist for supporting the smoke-free day a year for five years running.

WANDERING EYE. On Friday (the 11th) over at Cats, it’s Smart Bombs and Apple Pie, Jesus Candy, Routine 8, and Slugworth headlining, all of which make it a very serious night of rock and roll. Also on Friday, Marazine, Soltero, Syzegy, and Ahleuchatistas play with Black Helicopter at AS220. This gets my vote for the show with the most difficult lineup to pronounce. (Go ahead, try it.) Beyond that, all you need to know is that Black Helicopter is comprised of members from two legenday noise bands: Kudgel and the awesome Green Magnet School.

AS220 and the Rhode Island Songwriters Association’s "Songwriters In the Round" series continues on Sunday (the 13th) at 7 p.m. with your host Ryan Fitzsimmons. This month, Ryan’s guests will include Anthony Loffredio, Lisa Martin, and Joel Ackerson. The theme for this month’s acoustic showcase is "Myths and Legends." Admission is $5. Also on Sunday, if you’re down in South County you can catch the Amazing Mudshark at the Andrea Hotel right on Misquamicut Beach. It’s an all-ages show and music will begin at 1 p.m.

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