Mosh rules Another Dead Juliet stirs up the hardcore scened BY BOB GULLA

Like time and tide, hardcore happens. It’s a rampage, one of those incontrovertible forces that won’t stop for anyone or anything. No matter what else is going on in a music scene, whether it’s in Raleigh-Durham, Portland, or Providence, hardcore serves as the foundation upon which all other musical activity rests. And this, since the late ’70s.

This is especially true in Providence, where hardcore bands occupy a wide berth in the city’s underground. From as far back as I can remember, which is pretty far (at least during my more lucid moments), punk and hardcore ruled the fringe scene in the ’70s and ’80s. The clubs in town welcomed the punks with open arms and a case of pull-tab Schlitzes, unlike today, where the best punk bands are swept under a rug or shooed out the window like flies. They were never confined to a dusty mill, they were rarely ostracized — or if they were, there were enough people to join them in their exile to make it a party. Providence embraced punk (and most original live music, for that matter) on a much vaster scale than we’re seeing today.

Yet despite a frigid climate, the punk scene in Providence is thriving. One of the bands making headway is Another Dead Juliet, which is about to shove off on a grand tour of the East Coast. The band — led by singer Adam Gil and flanked by guitarists Jaime Perez and Phil Valois, drummer Luke Taylor, and bassist Jeff Goulet — have been together for almost two years. They are a no-bullshit bunch of young guns who are passionate and unpretentious about their music. There’s no hipster-swing in their approach, no hifalutin politics — just grisly, heartfelt, unrelenting hardcore.

"Hardcore kind of came to us through punk," says Valois, "which is the way hardcore developed anyway. I have always stuck by my punk roots, but I let my branches grow through hardcore. It’s one scene united. People are more connected to each other, and we realize that all we need is each other."

ADJ recorded a demo at Dead Air Studios in Amherst, Massachusetts in the summer of 2002. They recorded again at local studio Machines With Magnets last June for a CD EP, Here Lies, recently issued by the Trash Art! Imprint and Tor Johnson Records.

The band’s sound ranges from hardcore to crust to punk to metal. "Some say we’re a cross between Econochrist and the Refused," says Valois. "The style we play is important to us because it’s an eclectic mess of all of our backgrounds. Just take a punk kid, a couple hardcore and metal kids, and a couple of indie kids and you get our band."

Where they ended up is certainly a source of comfort. "Where there is hardcore, there is comfort or a home. Through our music scene we’re able to do so much that leaves us with a sense of fulfillment, like benefits to raise awareness for a cause you believe in. It helps give us a push to motivate ourselves to keep music going and touring and meeting others who love what we love. Punk, hardcore, indie, metal, thrash, art fag, etc. We’re all under one umbrella and we’re all in it together." Spoken like the dedicated upstarts that are the unifying spirits and the true lifeblood of punk.

"If you want tough guys, hipsters, preachers or no heart go somewhere else," Phil says. "If you want to become part of something better as a whole come to Providence, ’cause big or small we love ’em all!"

For more information on Another Dead Juliet and to check their tour dates, which begin in mid-August, go to www.soundandculture.com.

GOOD VIBES ON THE VINEYARD. Not only were there good vibes on the isle last weekend, there were actually great vibes. By that I mean Grammy-winning vibist and Berklee College of Music alum Gary Burton. Burton was just one of a handful of performers who made Vineyard Vibes, a promising festival based on Martha’s Vineyard, a genuinely groovy success. Bruce Cockburn opened the fest at the Hot Tin Roof last Thursday, and Burton, along with virtuoso pianist (and Berklee grad) Makoto Ozone, played Friday night. Phil Wilson’s big band invaded Oak Bluffs on Saturday night, and Berklee’s Reverence of Gospel Ensemble held down the Sunday slot.

The fest itself has tremendous potential and lots of support from the island, corporate and fan-based. Word has it that next year Berklee will be bolstering its music presentation with workshops and the like, which would be an intensely cool way to enhance an already worthwhile destination.

Throughout the fest, there was a refreshing lack of pretense surrounding the shows. Unlike metropolitan-style gigs, where it’s always hip to make the scene and the music is only a background diversion, the performers and the music itself took center stage. The Burton show in particular, played at an unassuming high school auditorium, was surprisingly organic, and impressive for that reason. I guess it’s OK then when internationally recognized talent, with top-flight chops, plays in front of a modest crowd. Because it’s not how many you play to, but which fannies are in the seats.

WANDERING EYE. From the 965 bands that entered Little Steven’s Underground Garage Battle of the Bands, Worcester’s Muck and the Mires, along with the Blackouts from Champaign, Illinois, have secured spots on the Dunkin’ Donuts Stage at Little Steven’s International Underground Garage Festival on August 14 on Randall’s Island. Story has it that a fevered competition led the judges — MTV’s Kurt Loder, Handsome Dick Manitoba from the Dictators, Rascals drummer Dino Danelli, producer/ philosopher Kim Fowley, and Little Steven himself — to settle on two winners.

A two-hour version of the finals, which also featured Rocket from the Crypt, will premiere on MTV2 on Saturday, August 7 at 9 p.m. MTV and MTV2 will air the Battle at various times during the week of August 9. Congratulations to Worcester’s finest, Muck and the Mires!

On Saturday (the 31st) at Jake’s on Richmond Street, Dana Stewart and the Old Howards will play with the Two Timin’ Three, an up-and-coming authentic rockabilly band from Maine. The show starts at 10 p.m. and there’s no cover.

On Sunday (the 1st), local artists will fill AS220 and pour out onto the sidewalk selling one-of-a-kind accessories, clothing, housewares, small sculptures, jewelry, photographs, and so much more. The ASers note that the Bizarre Bazaar "was created with the intention of providing a venue for artisans who do not have the comforts of a retail outlet." This month will feature performances by Black Forest/ Black Sea and Stella Price. The show and sale will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.

On Monday (the 2nd) also at AS220, there’s finally a Cajun Jam going down. Yep, that’s right. From 7 to 9 p.m., you’re invited to learn, play, or contribute bits to traditional Cajun tunes, those sweet and spicy two-steps and waltzes that are as addictive as they are fun.

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