Unforgotten A Station benefit, the ONE campaign gets local, and more BY BOB GULLA

There’s a big Station benefit happening over at Goddard Park in Warwick on Saturday (the 6th). It’s called the Lost but Not Forgotten 2005 Music Festival and will present a number of meaningful appearances, including one by Crush, a Bon Jovi Tribute band led by guitarist Rich Antonelli, formerly of $kyhigh, a band that lost one of its members, Keith Mancini, in the fire. $kyhigh played a few benefit shows to help support the cause in 2003, but then went on hiatus to give Crush a chance to assert itself. "We’re taking a long break from $kyhigh," Antonelli writes in. "After 10 years of nonstop shows, travel and writing, we decided it was time to have a little fun with the Bon Jovi tribute. We’re having a blast. Check out our site some time: www.crushtribute.com." The Lost But Not Forgotten festival is organized by Bob Graham, who has been working his butt off to pull the whole thing together. The event, which starts at 11 am, is free to all ages, with the request that attendees consider making a donation or buying raffle tickets. The list of bands includes Dirty Deeds (AC/DC tribute), Wicked ’80s (hair band tribute), Crush, Big Machine (Velvet Revolver/STP tribute), the Rock, Soul Ambition, Mateo Luka, and the Foundry. In addition to the bands, there will be activities for kids. For more info, go to www.lostnotforgotten.com.

THE ONE CAMPAIGN

Rock and roller Jeff Danielian has been a U2 fan since he was 10. After a recent show by Bono and the boys, he felt overwhelmed by the singer’s passionate politics and his ONE campaign. ONE, if you’ve just rolled out of bed, is a new effort to rally Americans to fight the emergence of global AIDS and extreme poverty. Anxious to help, Danielian decided to place a call to the organization’s Northeast rep to see what he could do. "She told me that there was no one in Rhode Island doing anything, so I figured I could organize a show and have people come out in support of the cause." So that’s exactly what he did. He enlisted friends Jon Tierney, Stefan Couture, and Mr. Lincoln to throw down sets. The show is scheduled for August 5th at the Century Lounge and will benefit the ONE campaign which is designed to pressure world leaders to help end Africa’s extreme conditions. "I couldn’t think of a better bunch of guys to have play it either." You can find out more about Bono’s politics at www.one.org.

75 OR LESS

Since we last reported on the local website 75orless.com, the firm has expanded its palette of services. First, they’re going to be promoting live shows in the area, starting this Saturday (the 6th), with Joel RLPhelps (ex-Silkworm) &the Downer Trio at Houlihan’s in East Providence. Admission is free. "Both bands are based out of Vancouver and are only playing a handful of East Coast dates," says MacDougall, a principal, who runs the org with Jon Buonaccorsi. "Phelps hasn’t played in Providence since 1994. We were lucky enough to make it happen. We are huge fans." Also on the bill are Treasure State and local band Six Star General. As a rule, they’re hoping to book national bands that have an off-night after playing either New York or Boston and also include a couple of local bands to open up. Down the road, the few-words bunch is also looking to get involved in putting out records. First up is an EP by former Afghan Whigs member John Curley’s new band, the Staggering Statistics. They’ve also slated the release of a split 7" single with Mike Watt & the Secondmen.

VINEYARD VIBES

The 5th annual Vineyard Vibes takes place on Martha’s Vineyard this weekend. The festival, presented by Berklee College of Music to showcase the talents of Berklee alumni, faculty, and students, has quickly grown from a single-evening concert for the summer population of the Island to a four-night destination festival playing to packed houses and attracting people to vacation there for the music as well as the splendor of the Vineyard. This year the festival features Juliana Hatfield, Eguie Castrillo’s Tribute to the Mambo Kings, Phil Wilson and the Rainbow Big Band, and the Reverence Gospel Ensemble directed by Dennis Montgomery III. All added up, you get rock, jazz, Latin, and gospel along with all the great vibes. Go to www.berklee.edu/events/vineyard/default.html for more information.

WANDERING EYE

There’s a ton of happening music around the state this weekend. On Friday, it’s a Pete Rock Event at Cats in Pawtucket with Blackout Frenzy, Transfix, Inflicted, and Kaining Amy. On Saturday, Pete’s hosting Tommy Coma, Haloburn (x-7th Rail Crew), ((Breathe)), Throwing Shrapnel, and Marazine.

The Willowz, who were nominated as Best Rock Band in the LA Weekly Music Awards and featured as a "New Face" act in Rolling Stone, will play the Living Room on Saturday. The Cautions are having a Rhode Island CD release party for their new album Proceed With . . . The Cautions on Sunday (the 7th) as part of the CumberlandFest shindig at Diamond Hill State Park in Cumberland. It’s an all-ages festival with carnival rides, food, fireworks, live music, and the whole bit. The Cautions perform around 4:30 pm. The Blackstone features two pretty great jam bands on the same bill this Saturday — Waterstreet and Headroom 401. It’s $6 but you can snatch a free pass off the Rattlehead web site.

Starting on Friday (the 5th), the Rhode Island Songwriters Association (RISA) will begin a series called "First Fridays at the Brooklyn," which will feature three members of RISA performing from 8 to 10 pm at the Brooklyn Coffee Tea House on Douglas Avenue in Providence. There is no cover charge, but tips are accepted for the musicians. This week it’s Tara Gonsalves, Heather Rose, and Lisa Martin. For more information please check www.risongwriters.com or www.brooklyncoffeeteahouse.com.

Gavin Castleton hits Area Venue in Newport on Saturday as a member of the live hip-hop trio the Levar Burtons (featuring Romen Rok and DJ Joey Wonk). Then next Thursday (the 11th), he’s at AS220 as a member of the Joe Beats Experiment, with Beats and DJ Signify, along with Grand Buffet and Magnolia Electric Co.

Parisian chanteuse Colleen is playing AS220 on Wednesday (the 10th) with A Hawk and a Hacksaw and Black Forest/Black Sea. This is her first batch of shows in the US after playing around Europe for a number of years; she has a new disc out on the Leaf Label.

Also on Wednesday, it’s the fabulous return of hardcore at Redrum with Drop Dead, the Body, Get Killed, the Nightmare Continues, and Third Death. Be there or risk being laughed at.

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