A better Day Jackie O’Brien and company’s Waving in Traffic BY BOB GULLA

Jackie O’Brien lost her job at the beginning of the year, a traumatic event for many. But as far as Jackie was concerned, the layoff came at the perfect time. "It was fine with me," she explains, "because I really got a chance to take advantage of the situation." Not, of course, by watching Dr. Phil in the afternoons, but by putting her whole mind and soul into the writing and recording of Waving in Traffic, the brand new album by her band Illustrious Day.

The extra focus paid off. As Jackie and the band have grown as artists, so too have their recordings, each successive one demonstrating more attention to detail and nuance. Recorded with Joe Moody (who also guests on the record along with a handful of other local heroes) and produced by Moody, the band, and Todd Oulette, Waving shows vast progress in tone and taste. In particular, Jackie’s singing — a warbling, songwritery voice with a sort of Tanya Donelly-esque etherealism — has really begun to come into its own.

"I think the record’s more vocally oriented," she admits. "I’ve been working really hard on my vocals; I vocalize every day. Even if I don’t have time to play, I vocalize, because I think it’s important for growing your vocal strength." With Waving illuminating Jackie’s voice, Moody and the band made sure to keep it in the spotlight at the expense of further instrumentation. "We tried not to muck it up with too much other stuff," she says, "so the vocals had more focus."

Following her capable work on ID’s other two discs — In Between (1998) and Dizzy Fell Down (2001) — Waving finds them at last alighting on a confident largely acoustic sound. While her past work felt searching and tentative, the new set, especially on songs such as "Bricks N’ Mortar" and the title track, aims at a specific creative target and hits it more often than not. There’s little wavering, and even less uncertainty. It helps that three of the songs, "Out of the Blue," "Tied," and "Still Believe," have been re-recorded from an unreleased EP. Those songs feel especially comfortable — considerably revamped to fit into the band’s new approach. Jackie’s vocal melodies provide each tune with a point of emphasis, while playful acoustic guitar strumming gives her voice a soft place to land. Only a couple of tunes, particularly "24 Hours," fail to discover distinguishing turf.

Still, with Jackie’s performance, Moody’s able assistance, and husband Jim’s mature aesthetic as a standard, the record hits most of the right chords. It also helps, Jackie admits, to be a perfectionist. "It drives Joe crazy!" she laughs. "But my philosophy is, if you’re going to do it, you do it until you get it exactly right."

In addition to the new record, Jackie and Illustrious Day were responsible for 12 songs in a film titled Holy Watergate, an award-winning documentary by URI film studies instructor Mary Healy-Conlon on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The film debuts on the Showtime network this week. It’s another great showcase for O’Brien’s oeuvre, which looks like it’s on the rise. "I’m hoping to be more attractive to a larger publisher," she says, "and focus on songwriting. That would be ideal." And it certainly would prevent her from needing to replace that job she just lost.

The Illustrious Day CD release party is at Tazza on Friday, May 20. The Becky Chace Band also appears.

200 Years of Folk Music. Narragansett musician and teacher Bob Woods has an interesting hook for his show this Sunday (the 22nd) at the South County Museum in Narragansett. He plans on taking a journey through the heart of America’s folk music heritage, showcasing the music and history of the many musical genres that make up today’s acoustic music: folk, blues, Appalachian mountain music, and bluegrass.

Many of the tunes Woods will work up have been passed on through the generations and have a kind of "mojo and mystery" and "ancient wisdom" that resonates with listeners. Why else would they still be around today? "These songs present a style of music that has been played on back porches and in living rooms for hundreds of years," says Woods. "It really goes back to an earlier era of community and hospitality when family and friends would get together to share songs and spend time together" — in contrast to now, where we struggle to find family time, not to mention music to enjoy together. The concert will include traditional songs and standards as well as more "modern tunes" from artists including Woody Guthrie, Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson, Norman Blake, and Tom Rush.

Woods has been a performer and music teacher in South County for more than 30 years. Over the past decade he has enjoyed researching and performing the roots of American music, including Appalachian mountain music, bluegrass, folk, and blues. The "200 Years of American Folk Music" concert begin at 2 p.m. at Metz Hall at the South County Museum. It’s a peaceful little place, a trip back in time, that feels just right for this kind of gig. For more information or to reserve tickets, call the museum at 783-5400.

Wandering Eye. "Exécution #14" of the Cirque Du Singe Brisé (www.theshatteredmonkey.com) is their "Goodbye to Mary Bue Show." It happens tonight (Thursday, the 19th) at 8:30 p.m. at Tazza on Westminster. Admission is $5. Days after this show, Ms. Bue will be re-relocating to somewhere near her homeland of Duluth. We only hope to give her a grand sendoff. Also joining the Circus will be Chris Cubeta, Ryan Fitzsimmons, Ari, the Kieran Ridge Band, Eric Fontana, Kristi Martel and grandmaster of ceremonies Joseph Bellamy. Mary, we hardly knew ye!

Did you know that the Becky Chace Band plays Fahrenheit on South Water Street Providence every Thursday night? Now you do.

This week, One Drop and Gavin Castelton will launch their East Coast tour in support of their collaborative EP Fortnightshift (Right Left Records, available on Gavin’s website). The tour kicks off tonight in Portland, Maine, and swings through Providence on Saturday (the 21st), where it stops at the Green Room. On Friday, the Century Lounge presents "Your Roots Are Showing," part 15 or so, with another honky-tonk rock love fest, this time with long-time Boston country rock veterans Wheelers & Dealers and the Burning Colonels — hillbilly hot rod music from the ashes of the former alt-country band Cash Monies & the Jetsetter —plus, of course, monthly Providence roots-rock hosts Lucky 57.

Also on Friday, Black & White takes over Hanson’s Landing in Wakefield for the night, beginning early for the South County crowd and ending around 11 p.m. The Goners go "Live In a Dive" when they hit the Safari this Saturday, with Southern Bastard Church (CT metal), Xtacy After Agony (bizarre rock), the Leftovers (CT punk), and Sanityz Edge (goth). The show starts at 9 p.m., it’s 21-plus and no cover, as usual. At the Rocky Point Pub in Warwick, rock is the operative word, with Torn and the AudioCentrix on Friday, and Pantera tribute Trendkill and Train of Thought on Saturday.

On Saturday at the Blackstone in Cumberland, there’s a cheap four-band showcase starting at 9 p.m. featuring Gravity Works (with members of Outside the Box and the Comic Book Superheros), Rude Buddha, Oneside, and the Jazz Bastards. Worcester hardcore band Bane plays next Thursday (the 26th) at the Living Room. Their new record, The Note, was released by Equal Vision last week.

And don’t forget about The Mike Messier Show on cable access. He’s a local music champ and is always looking for artists and personalities to profile. His current episode features a musical tribute to the Providence Roller Derby, which he assembled by adding rock music to footage of their first match at the rink in Providence. The show airs Saturday at midnight on Cox Channel 18 and Saturday morning from 3 to 5 a.m. on Channel 13.

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