Still beating For the benefit of Russ Camire BY BOB GULLA

Russ Camire liked to keep it simple. He loved drums. He played, sold, dusted, admired, talked, and lived the instrument. His shop, Ocean State Percussion, was a gathering place for musicians who felt the same way. It was a vital destination for drummers, a clearinghouse for ideas, a clinic for education, a crisis center for complaints and, once in a while, a place where you could buy stuff.

"It was all about drums," says Mike LaBelle, current timekeeper for Young Neal and the Vipers and a longtime friend of the owner. LaBelle, who remembers when Russ first started his "business" out of the basement of his Pawtucket home, regularly frequented the store. "You would meet your friends there all the time, sit there on a Saturday for five or six hours. Find out how to play that lick, ask guys what gear they’re using, and kick around ideas. It was by far the coolest drum store around."

Business was good for a long while. Russ moved into a space near the Thurber curves in the early ’90s and he began building a clientele. Hobbyists and professionals alike needed equipment and Russ was right there to serve them. In fact, business was so good he had to expand just a few years later. "He needed more room," says LaBelle, "so he opened up an enormous place right upstairs. It was a factory room, but he made it look nice. And it was great because it just drums and percussion. That was it." Russ spent a lot of time and money getting the place presentable, to capture that intimacy where drummers still felt comfortable hanging out, and it worked.

There were worthwhile clinics, too. Vin Pagano, Mark Shulman, Liberty DeVitto — some of the top drummers in the biz — would show up to share tips. Drummers from miles around unanimously chose OSP as their shop of choice, the place where they could go to bang on the drum all day. "He’d love to have people hang out," says LaBelle. "He’d make a friend and maybe make a sale. You’d like going there to buy stuff."

But all good things must come to an end, and such was the case for Ocean State Percussion. The economy started going bust. Music superstores cropped up. And then 9/11 hit, paralyzing the economy and changing attitudes permanently.

Then Russ got sick.

Friends suspect he was sick a long time. They’d come into the shop and find him crashed on the couch. He complained of always being tired. The equipment began gathering dust — unheard of at OSP, since Russ was usually so fastidious about his gear. His hours of operation slowly decreased.

According to LaBelle, Russ never went to the doctors. Of course, when he finally did go — via an ambulance — perhaps two years after he started feeling sick, he found out that he had acute cancer and was in danger of multiple organ failure. Aggressive treatment kept him shuttling back and forth to the hospital for his last few months. "It was really sad," said LaBelle. "It was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen."

Russ died on February 5.

He never truly closed the shop until life closed it for him. When he died, without life insurance, he left his two young sons, Ryan and Rusty, and wife Martha without the means to take care of loose ends left by the shop’s debts. Unfortunately, Russ didn’t leave things as simply as Russ liked.

Enter a cadre of friends. Along with LaBelle, Marc. St. Saveur, Mike Sartini, and Shulman began putting the pieces together for a benefit. Shulman, a drummer with local ties and international experience (Cher, Simple Minds, Foreigner), started the ball rolling

"A Shulman clinic was always a great time," says LaBelle. "He’s a smart man, an awesome drummer, and he knows how to bring it down to a simple level for everyone to understand what he’s talking about."

The benefit, which will take place at Woonsocket High School on Sunday, is about compassion. "It’s way more than just being about drumming," says LaBelle. "It’s about realizing that one of our friends really needs help. If you can help people in this world, you do it."

That said, the benefit, coined "The Drums Beat On" by Russ’s sons, will be all drums, drummers, and drumming, with a few terrific bands thrown in. "It’s gonna be really diverse," says LaBelle. "Bernard Purdie [Steely Dan], one of Frampton’s drummers Jonathan Hoover, Liberty DeVitto [Billy Joel], and many others will be in attendance."

And there will be other great stuff, including an auction of a Sabian cymbal signed by the members of Rush — and that means a rare autograph from the band’s Neil Peart, an icon for rock drummers.

Lots of people are doing lots of major helping. "There was no one so dedicated to one thing: drums," says LaBelle. "If you do something, do it with all you’ve got like Russ did. He really, really did. When people say they live and breathe something, he really did. That is what he was chosen to do and that’s what he did; not because it’s all he could have done, but because he loved the drums."

"The Drums Beat On" will take place on Sunday, July 18 from 12 to 5 p.m. at Woonsocket High School. The donation, which will benefit the family of Russ Camire, is $15 (cash only on the day of the show). Go to www.saladrecords.com/oceanstatepercussiondotcom.htm for more details and a full slate of performances.

ISLANDING. Berklee College of Music on Mass. Ave in Beantown has pumped out some serious talent for a long time, from jazz-pop genius Donald Fagen and vibist hero Gary Burton to prog-rock super-geeks like Dream Theater. Next weekend (July 22 through 25), the college is hosting its fourth annual luau/boasting event on Martha’s Vineyard called Vineyard Vibes, and it’s a doozy, especially considering its locale. Showcasing the talents of Berklee alumni, faculty, and students, the festival has quickly grown from a one-day event for the summer population of the island to a four-day destination festival. And why not? Great music? Great beaches? Great fun? Hmmm. Why didn’t anyone think of this before?

This year’s program brings together a variety of artists from the worlds of folk, rock, jazz, and gospel music. On Thursday night it’s Bruce Cockburn in Edgartown (the festival is spread out at different venues across the island). The respected Berklee alum from ’65 is a nice choice to kick off the festivities. On Friday, Gary Burton and Makoto Ozone will hold forth at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center in Oak Bluffs. The esteemed five-time Grammy winner will perform with pianist and longtime collaborator Ozone. The opening act, Syncopation, a Berklee vocal jazz quartet, just completed their third tour of Japan.

Phil Wilson takes over the Offshore Ale House in Oak Bluffs on Saturday. He’s a renowned trombonist and Berklee teacher who’ll be gettin’ down with his quintet, which includes guest trumpet and vocal sensation Christine Fawson.

There are other things going on at the Vineyard that’ll hold your attention during the day, as I’m sure you already know. But it’s the music at night, courtesy of Berklee, that will really make your stay in the Sound complete. Of course, getting there in the thick of the summer might be a hassle, so be sure to make arrangements now. Lots of folks from around the world ferry their butts to the islet, so don’t get left out in the, uh, cold. Go to www.vineyardvibes.com for more information.

JAKE’S FIFTH ANNIVERSARY. There won’t be much room for rest this weekend in Providence, especially if you plan to head to Jake’s Bar & Grille. And why wouldn’t you? They’re celebrating their fifth anniversary and have enlisted a squadron of bands to help them party.

Jake’s has played an incredibly important role in the city and its music scene over the past few years, booking top-quality bills for no cover and treating bands with the respect they deserve. In exchange, musicians and fans have patronized the place enthusiastically. It’s a win-win, and we hope it lasts for a long, long time.

On Saturday, the lineup will reflect Jake’s eclecticism and dedication to spirited, adventurous rock and roll, with a great mix of garage, rockabilly, and straight-up noise. Katie Lee Hooker kicks things off at 7 p.m. and the night isn’t over until Dana Stewart & the Old Howards play their last note in the wee hours. In between you get Randy Pinto & the Galactic Boots, Cobra-Matics (the Colonel’s new outfit), Gone Baby Gone, Blizzard of 78, Stumbleweeds, Sasquatch & the Sick-A-Billys, the Haymakers, the Dino Club, and the Fabulous Itchies. This is one of the best, most raucous lineups of local music since, well, the Dino-saur Age. Be there and check out the kind of grown-up rock noise Providence seems to be cultivating these days. (Well, all except for Dave Sasquatch.)

Doors open at 3 p.m., with free grub (burgers, etc.) until 6. For five years Jake and Jackie have provided a place for ne’er-do-wells to visit and have some serious fun kibbitzing on Saturday nights. Go and suck down a few and let them know how much you’ve all appreciated it.

MIKE HAMEL & RUIN THE ENDING. Big props to Mike Hamel and Ruin the Ending. On leave from their new home in LA, the band, formerly Freakshow, will be showing us what they’ve learned while pounding the pavement out West. They’ll be playing the Green Room on Friday (the 16th) with Randy Pinto and the Galactic Boots , shed, and Slugworth. It’s the first time the band’s been back to play for us all in their new incarnation (new drummer, Hamel as frontman), and we oughta go down and show our appreciation. Welcome back, sun-washed friends.

WANDERING EYE. Miss Jillian’s Birthday Extravaganza takes place this Friday at Cats in Pawtucket. I believe she said she’s 21, so buy her a drink now that she’s legal. The night starts at 6 p.m. and there will be chow as well. The lineup is excellent with Camellia, Randy Pinto (man, are they busy or what?), Three Speed Amplifier, the Knock Out Drops, and a bunch of others taking the stage. One room will be unplugged and the other will be electric, so there’s something for everyone.

WaterStreet’s debut album, Osmosis, is finally printed, pressed, and ready for purchase. Because of this important occasion, the band has a reason to celebrate. On Saturday (the 17th), they’ll be taking over the Call. The night prior, they’re at Acme Underground in NYC, showing that audience what they’re made of. CDs will be available at both shows and on the web at www.cdbaby.com/waterstband. Listen for their first single, "City In the Summer," on the radio.

New Orleans icons the Radiators celebrate their first 25 years with Earth Vs. The Radiators: The First 25. The CD, a double live disc recorded at the world-famous Tipitina’s in the Big Easy, is the band’s first release in three years. They’ll be at the Ocean Mist on Friday, but get there early or you’ll be left standing out front in the damp, salty air.

At AS220 on Friday, short.fast.dead, Another Dead Juliet, and Straight to Hell all combine to help s.f.d celebrate the release of their brand new spanker. The local hardcore scene is raging and this will be a great place to catch it all in one place.

Also at AS220 on Monday (the 19th), Ketchfraze, Spires That in Sunset Rise, Leah Stargazing, and the Dead Science come together for a typically intriguing bill at the Empire Street haven. Ketchfraze is a southern New England band with a pop-punk sound. RI natives Leah Stargazing is succeeding at building an audience brick by brick. They released their debut, Leave It All Behind (Telescope Records), at the Dunk (yep), headlining an extreme sport skate competition for 600 fans. It took the band two hours to finish signing autographs. Hmmm. Perhaps something big is on the horizon?

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