A world of music SoundSession ’05’s ‘transcultural celebration’ BY BOB GULLA

Are you ready for SoundSession ’05? You oughta be. It’s a multi-stage, multi-genre event happening downtown, produced by the Providence Black Repertory Company in collaboration with the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism. Billed as a "transcultural celebration," SoundSession is designed to reflect the vitality of Providence and boost its cultural import to match cities like Atlanta and San Francisco. Curator Donald King at the PBRC selected acts that "excite, educate, surprise, and inspire a crowd. It’s in the mix, in the combination of cultures and styles, that artistic excellence stands out." We spoke with King about SoundSession, now in its second year.

Were you encouraged by last year’s success? What did you learn from ’04?

First off, we learned that Providence would respond to a mid-summer multi-genre music festival and parade. We also learned that this city has potential to be a great city for live music and we also learned that a genuine partnership with city government can be beneficial to everybody.

The technical and creative support that Cliff Wood, Lynne McCormack, and the Department of Art, Culture and Tourism gave us, along with our approach to music and cultural programming, made it a win-win situation for everyone.

What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing this year?

Time! And, of course, the lament of all non-profits, money. Most of our support comes from the corporate community and the powers that be because we’re trying something ambitious. It turns out the corporate community, Mayor Cicilline’s administration, and certain members of the city council got it, and bought in spiritually early on.

What are you really excited about? And what can festival-goers look forward to?

The city of Providence being alive for six days. It’ll be alive with all nations celebrating. People can look forward to great music, the cream of the crop in Providence on par with the best music in the world.

Tell me what the highlights of the festival are.

Ron Carter is back, which is wonderful. Tortured Soul . . . I’ve got a feeling that Thursday night will be something special, and the parade is a blast.

Do you feel you’ve begun to accomplish some of the goals you set out to attain when you first took over the space on Westminster?

Wow . . . Yes and no. We’re always striving to be better, more effective, more organized, and better equipped to serve our mission. So it’s an ongoing process. I’m still unclear that this community fully understands our vision and plan. But folks are starting to buy into it. It’ll take more time but we’re patient.

Events at SoundSession ’05 are free. Check out providencesoundsession.com for full listings and other details.

ON THE MARCH

And speaking of SoundSession’05, kicking the festivities off on Saturday is an "invasion" the likes of which you’ve probably never seen before. A trio of freakish punk marching bands will be taking to the streets: the 20-piece EXTRA ACTION MARCHING BAND, the BOSTON VILLAGE ORCHESTRA (also 20 pieces), and a local 15-piece marching band tentatively called JERK PARADE. The utter chaos begins at 4 pm in the alley behind Trinity Brewhouse (to help celebrate Trinity’s new bottled ale). Extra Action just played a sold-out show with David Byrne and the Arcade Fire at the Hollywood Bowl, and now they’re playing Providence, so they’ve been putting some miles on the van. They’ll also bring along a crew of racy dancers. For its part, the Providence marchers will be holding a raffle to raise money to buy their tuba. You can check out images of the Extra Action posse at www.extra-action.com.

STRUMMING AND HUMMING

On Tuesday (the 26th), "An Evening of Ocean State Songwriters" will feature members of the Rhode Island Songwriters Associationin an evening of original acoustic music at the historic Towers, 35 Ocean Drive, Narragansett. It’s the third annual RISA show at the location and the lineup is as good as it’s ever been. MARK CUTLER, MARCY LANG, RYAN FITZSIMMONS, JAN LUBY, HEATHER ROSE, and ERIC FONTANA will perform in the round, and there will be a special reunion of JOHN FUZEK AND MARY ANN ROSSONI. The event is being produced by Hear In Rhode Island, which works in partnership with RISA to produce events for the membership. For more information about the groups, go to www.risongwriters.com. The music begins at 7 pm and admission is $10 at the door. Proceeds benefit the RI Songwriters Association, Hear In RI, and Friends of the Towers, all non-profits.

WANDERING EYE

Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Dante Mazzetti will perform at Kobalt at Lincoln Greyhound Park on Friday (the 22nd). The show begins at 8 pm. Dante will be showcasing songs from his latest release, Lost and Drifting, which has received nice reviews. The show is free, and it’s 18-plus to attend. Ask him about his Levi’s commercial! Also on Friday, the "Your Roots Are Showing" series will host the CD release of Providence’s own wunderkind troubadour JJ Baron at the Century Lounge. The show will also include hosts LUCKY 57 and special guests the KAMIKAZE HEARTS outta Albany.

For the past month and a half, Jerky’s has been having a showcase on Fridays, with one band performing around midnight at no cost to you. (Last week you missed Sasquatch.) This week you get to see Joe Fletcher, Dennis Kelly, and their new band the Wrong Reasons. From what we hear, the sound is excellent and the drinks are cheap. To the uninitiated, Jerky’s is located at 71 Richmond Street directly above Club Hell.

On Saturday at the Blackstone in Cumberland, check out Sendero (excellent rock en espanol), 6Twenty6 (www.6twenty6.com, a new reggae/rock/punk band with ex-Itchy Fish), and headliner Spogga. It’s an ambitious lineup to be sure. Also on Saturday at the Century Lounge, Grandevolution plays with Riding Shotgun.The cover is $5, doors are at 9 pm, and admission is 21-plus.

The Songwriter Series continues at Tazza Caffé, 250 Westminster Street, Providence. On Wednesday (the 27th), JACKIE O’BRIEN will play two sets starting at 10 pm. JULIET LLOYD starts the night off at 8, followed by LISA ANNUNZIATA, formerly the ace bassist with the Becky Chace Band.

E-mail your music news to big.daddy1@cox.net.