Feelin’ groovy The Chinese Stars titillate with A Rare Sensation BY BOB GULLA

A few months ago, I wrote about the Chinese Stars and tossed out a few superlatives about their performance at Lupo’s. Well, the band, featuring former members of local faves Arab on Radar and Six Finger Satellite, just released its debut disc, A Rare Sensation, and I thought you might wanna know that it backs up those superlatives with righteousness. And, oh yeah, it rocks pretty good.

Without the benefit of the queer visual when you see the band live, the listener only gets half the picture, proving the importance of live rock ’n’ roll, the idiom’s intended milieu. Live, you can see singer Eric Paul herking and jerking around the stage, provocatively whine-singing lyrics like, "Your animal will function fine / a skeleton in the public eye / Your skin must be contagious / to fertilize the girls of Las Vegas" ("Girls of Las Vegas"). You can see, if not quite understand, just how guitarist Paul Vieira pinches out oh-so many sounds; he’s a kitchen appliance gone awry. Then there’s bassist Rick Pelletier, who makes his bass moan and groan — not in a sexual way (of course, only he knows this for sure), but in a way designed to rattle your cage and keep you off balance. Drummer Craig Kureck takes disco beats and twists them up good, providing an apropos background over which Paul can perpetrate his epileptic dance moves without missing a beat. OK, so he misses a beat occasionally. That’s part of the charm.

A Rare Sensation features nine buzzing neo-dance tunes, all of which will at least make you bob your head, and some of which may snap your neck. Many are designed to put you in some kind of miracle groove that’ll make you lose your mind if they go on long enough. While the disc falls short of capturing the Stars’ live experience, it does paint a pretty accurate portrait of where the band is right now. Wiggy vibes like "Hospital Fly" — starring the line, "Your brain is on a kite"— and the lead track, "Cheap City Halo," give you some indication of the kind of lubricated pop thrill you get from these guys. In fact, every song on the disc vies for and attains that same thrill, landing somewhere between the Cure, the Teardrop Explodes, Gang of Four, and Medium Medium. The best thing about it is you don’t have to be mind-numbingly hip to get something out of this craziness. Bring a slightly open mind and you’re set, whether you’d like to pick up the disc and absorb its electric shock waves, or you’d merely like to see what all the fuss is about.

RETURN OF THE WORRIED. The original four-piece lineup of the Worried is back in action after more than two years in a world without light. And what’s the first thing they do after their big get-reacquainted group hug? They book a date at Jake’s Bar & Grille on Saturday (the 19th). The Worried will be accompanied on this night by the Untouchables, aka the Greg Allen Band, from Gotham. Allen played with ex-New York Doll Jerry Nolan and his band features Vin Earnshaw on bass and some other folks with good bloodlines. They play rock music or, more specifically, "the kind they don’t make anymore," as Greg says.

WANDERING EYE. On Friday (the 18th) at 7 p.m. at AS220, it’s SOUL POWER!, a bi-yearly club concept in the tradition of NYC’s Empire State Soul Club or Subway Soul, with your hosts Thee Wyld Card DJs. It’s a night of non-stop ’60s and ’70s club soul, real-deal R&B, James Brown-style funk, mod jazz, Hammond B-3 movers, and Latin boogaloo for your listening and dancing pleasure. You can absorb the cool grooves and see some ultra-rare vintage film footage of amazing soul performers in concert and on TV on the big screen. Understand: this is not an overplayed oldies night nor a disco party. Just ask Ty Jesso, Brian Dardeen, and Dennis Kelly, and special guest Brandie Jefferson. It’s a night worth spending. Admission is free before 8 p.m. Call 831-9327.

AbSynthe has just released its latest CD, entitled Worship and Revulsion. The album includes a handful of songs addressing the themes of external and internal conflict. Samples and artwork can be viewed at the new band website: www.absyntheband.com. The CDs sell for $5 and can be purchased at band gigs, the next one being the official CD release party on Saturday at Jarrod’s in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Also on the bill: Fistagon, Lost Cause, the Lifted, and Overthrow.

Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers will hang with Smokestack Lightnin’ at the Catfish Grill in Warwick on Saturday for an evening of sweet and savvy R&B. And speaking of sweet, hornmen Greg Abate and Claudio Roditi (plus Guillmero Nojechowicz) will join forces at on Saturday at Chan’s at 8 p.m. Call 765-1900 for reservations.

OK, so many of you have been to Satyr’s semi-annual feelgood afternoon delight gatherings at his house in Plainfield, Connecticut. Well, I’m happy to say that you can plan on it again. The house is 45 minutes west of Providence, an easy hike out Route 6. Obviously, there will be good music, at least a half-dozen bands and, for $5 per person . . . well, it just doesn’t get any better, even if you do need to buy some repellent to keep the chiggers from chowin’ on you. The fee includes all the beer you can drink and some food platters. And there’s plenty of parking, we’re told. The site is six houses down the road at a huge Park & Ride just off 395. The first band starts at 1:30 and the last will hit the stage at 6:30 p.m., which oughta give your mojo plenty of time to get to work. The keg will be tapped at noon. Slugworth (2:30), Three Speed Amplifier (3:30), the Motormags (4:30), Brad O’Brien of Jon Tierney and the Truth, Fred Mossberg of Radio Wallpaper, and a few other surprise guests are on the slate. Call Satyr with party questions and favor suggestions. He doesn’t mind. The home number is (860) 564-4209; the cell is (860) 230-6454. A rain date applies only if there’s inclement weather of biblical proportions. If you plan on attending, e-mail the host at Satyrfreeway@hotmail.com to get on the list and specify the number of guests.

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