Velver revolving Menck and Chastain make another great disc BY BOB GULLA

Velvet Crush’s Ric Menck and Paul Chastain will be touring for the first time in seven years, hitting the road with longtime pal Matthew Sweet. As on past Sweet tours, Menck and Chastain will be part of the backing band. This time out the tour will include a set of the Crush’s own material, drawing heavily, naturally, from the band’s latest album Stereo Blues.

Slight problem . . . OK, let’s call it a big problem. The double bill isn’t slated to run through Providence. Nope, no home game. The tour starts on November 3 in Denver, then stops in Omaha, Minneapolis, Madison, Chicago, and Toronto, and wraps up in Nashville on November 17.

One can only hope that Ric and Paul see the light and know they can indeed come home again. Maybe when they do, they can talk Jeffrey B. into joining them on guitar. A real reunion!

The good news: Stereo Blues (Action Musik) could quite possibly be the best Velvet Crush record ever made. The bad news: it comes at a time when fewer people than ever honestly care about the band. This, of course, is tragic irony, mostly because the quality the band has attained here is truly overwhelming and should be heard. It’s a must for longtime fans and a no-brainer for locals who have always had a soft spot for the heady but lovable strains of great melodic power pop.

Their sixth disc, Stereo Blues was recorded over a two-year span in their adopted home of Champaign-Urbana, Iillinois with old friend Adam Schmitt and lots of other helpers, from guitarist Nick Rudd to Bob Kimbell and Darren Cooper. These progressive-pop stars help VC push their sound into areas they may not have explored had they fallen into the usual tour/ record habits. The diverse noise ranges from the muscular "Rusted Star" to the sublime, deep-grooving "The Connection" and the melancholy "Fall Awake." Chastain’s lyrics, heavy with emotional potency, reflect the difficult period he’s gone through, in a good, empathetic way. We can only hope the therapy between the lines here worked its magic. In fact, the consistent lyrical themes make this something of a song cycle, but we won’t say that too loudly. What we will say is that Velvet Crush, a decade after their brilliant early work, has indeed come home again — even without a Providence date — with some of the best work they’ve ever done.

SCUBA STEVE. Last week in this space we brought your attention to the debilitating heart condition of Stranglehold guitarist Scuba Steve McDonough. We reported that he had just had multiple bypass surgery to correct a heart defect he’d grappled with since birth. After the bypass, Steve went into cardiac arrest and was admitted to Mass. General for a heart transplant. But after running tests, the doctors determined Steve was not a good candidate for the procedure due to complications arising from the attacks he had. Doctors were preparing him for the placement of an internal pump which, if successful, would have maintained him for years. Unfortunately, the procedures were too much for Steve’s compromised condition and he died on October 15 at 4:30 p.m., with his wife Cindy by his side.

Our hearts at the Phoenix go out to Scuba Steve, his band, and especially his wife and four children, who now must make their way through life without their cornerstone. There will be upcoming shows to benefit Steve’s family, details tba. In the meantime, send donations to: Cindy McDonough, 1671/2 Court St., Plymouth, MA 02360.

MR. REDFEARN. Alec Redfearn will be performing solo as Mr. Gutter on Sunday (the 24th) from 2 to 6 p.m. at White Electric Coffee (711 Westminster Street, Providence) with Fern Knight, Kites, Black Forest/Black Sea, and a bunch of other acts in a benefit for the Move On political action committee. Next Thursday (the 28th), Laura Colella’s Stay Until Tomorrow, which includes Redfearn’s first attempt at scoring, premieres in Providence. The film was deemed Best Feature at the New England Film/Video Festival in Boston. The screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Providence Place 16. The cast will be on hand, and everyone is invited to a post-screening party at a location to be announced at the cinema. Tickets are $10. Space is limited, so e-mail your ticket requests now to stayuntiltomorrow@hotmail.com.

OPEN MOUTH. Shout it from the mountaintops! There’s some good stuff happening at Café La France on Hope Street in downtown Bristol. First, there’s an acoustic open mic every Tuesday starting at 7:30 p.m. and running til 10:30. Every Friday, the open mic starts at the same time and resumes following the featured artist’s 8 p.m. performance.

Upcoming featured artists are: Camille Carrigan (10/22), John Thibodeau (10/29), Ryan Fitzsimmons (11/5), Mark & Chris (11/12), and Gary Fish (11/19). Bring a non-perishable food donation to benefit the Bristol Good Neighbors, the local food pantry, in support of "Singing Out For Food," sponsored by the Artists For Hunger Network. Check out www.singingoutforfood.org, or call 253-0360 for more info.

Wandering Eye. Another barroom blitz courtesy of Providence’s monthly roots rock/Americana series, "Your Roots Are Showing," hits the Century Lounge on Friday (the 22nd). The Bees Knees, the Country Doctors, Jackinany, and your hosts, Lucky 57, will do some dusty boot-stomping and related stuff. Go to www.yourrootsareshowing.org for info.

In related news, Lucky 57’s lead singer and songwriter, Kip McCloud, won second place in American Songwriter magazine’s Lyric Contest for her song "Seven Mile River." The words will be reprinted in the November/December issue of the Nashville-based publication. The song takes its name from the river that empties into the Narragansett Bay. Congrats, Kip! See www.americansongwriter.com.

On Friday, Sasquatch and the Sick-a-billys play the Green Room, which is always a good time. Also appearing? Thee Monkey Butlers and the Fury 3.

Wakefield Music Concerts will present the celebrated British fingerstyle guitarist Adrian Legg on Friday at 8 p.m. at its 58 Main Street location. In this rare New England performance Legg, voted Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Player four years in a row by the readers of Guitar Player magazine, will be playing works from his newest album Inheritance. Tickets are $20 at the door.

On Saturday (the 23rd), there will be an official Social Distortion after-party at the Green Room. Thrasher magazine, Suicide Girls, and Sailor Jerry Rum are the hosts, with special guests Blues Bastard.

The Dino Club, who are finishing up their latest CD at Galilee Studios with George Dussault behind the console, will be playing their cheeky brand of rock ’n’ roll at Jake’s this Saturday. Free show, long, tall, and refreshing — both the band and the drinks, that is.

Congrats to Eric Fontana, who has had some good karma working lately, coming principally from Catamount Records, home of Barn Burning. His "Hill of Fire" appears on the label’s latest compilation, HUAC 3 (aka Hot Unsung/Unsigned Americana Compilation), "a kick-ass selection of the songs of unsigned/unsung/underappreciated/underserved/under-the-radar artists currently doing exceptional work within Americana music today."

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