WORLD TRAVELERS: Alexander and Goldberg. |
The accolades and exotic extrapolations come in from all over the world, much like their sound, which combines worldly sources like Euro-folk music with eerie, electronic, and avant overtones. Their influences range widely, from Fripp and Eno to Bartok and Leonard Cohen. On their website, Black Forest/Black Sea has received notices from Italy to Australia, from Bristol, UK to Austin, Texas. They’ve toured extensively in the US and Europe, from Savonlinna to Sicily, Riga to Reykjavik, and Portland to Portland. Everyone, it seems, is bewitched by the vibe. In fact, BF/BS, featuring guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Alexander and (mostly) cellist Miriam Goldberg, is one of Providence’s most beguiling exports. Their new album, a self-titled effort on the Music Fellowship imprint, will be released on Tuesday, November 7.Black Forest/Black Sea is the duo’s fifth full-length, recorded in Providence, Portland, Maine, and Montague, Massachusetts, with guest performances by Italian sound sculptor Stefano Pilia (guitars, etc.) and Miriam’s sister Margot Goldberg (phonorgan). Another sister, Gillian Goldberg, provides lyrics, while Miriam and Jeffrey add flourishes of voice, ur-pedal, casio, bul bul tarang, and omnichord. If that array of instruments sounds, well, foreign, so do the names of their tour mates: Gravenhurst, Fursaxa, Kemialliset Ystavat . . . But don’t be mistaken. Just because these aren’t household names doesn’t mean they’re irrelevant. These acts, including BF/BS, are at the top of the globe’s psyche-folk pyramid. They may not play to the teeming masses, but they’re important bands whose music is highly regarded by discerning fans of the genre. And they encounter pockets of obsessive fans all over the world, a phenomenon that allows for frequent, far-flung road trips.
The Wire, an essential journal of progressive and modern music, observes that with BF/BS “nothing is quite what it seems, and this constant sound shifting gives Alexander and Goldberg’s musically metamorphic contribution to the New Weird America cult an edge over the competition. For BF/BS are genuinely strange.”
You might come to the same conclusion. But “strange,” we feel, means genuinely exhilarating. “Strange” means riveting and absorbing. “Strange,” in Providence, especially, is used loosely and often. In fact, we expect and require our best bands to be a little strange. But as it pertains to BF/BS, the term means outstanding, essential, and very worthy of your time.
On Monday, November 6, Black Forest/Black Sea throws their CD release party at AS220. Also appearing is zOoOoOm (Japan), Charalambides, and Zaimph. This will be their last local show before they head to Europe in December. Call 401.831.9327.
Going, going, goners
Roger, Tony, George, and Rob, those bad boys from the Coventry area, aka THE GONERS, are back with a new six-song EP, which happens to be their best work by miles. The songs are fully realized, the production is excellent, Roger and Rob’s guitar work has more oomph per chord, and the vocals are prominent. This last point is key when you have exquisite message songs like “Sex In the Morgue” and “Drink Dance Die” — people need to hear exactly what’s being said. The band will celebrate the release of the EP on Friday, November 3, at Cats. They’ll be playing with likeminded crazies ENGINE ROOM, Y69, BEER DOZER, and MILOS SYNDICATE. The show starts at 9 pm and it’s 21-plus. Call 401.722.0150.
Kitchen little
The Sicilian Kitchen inside the Sunnyside Rec Club, 16 Cleveland Street, North Providence, is a cozy place for a hang. The club has been around since 1935, first starting as a private getaway and now open to the public. The new management just started bringing entertainment to the kitchen and club sides. One room will feature acts like the Coppola Sisters, who perform hits from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. The Kitchen side will book Acoustic Thursdays plus some rock, country, bluegrass, and folk. And bring your appetite. The Kitchen side has great Italian- and Sicilian-style foods. Check out their site for the rest of the skinny: myspace.com/SicilianKitchen.
Wandering eye
On Saturday, November 4, at AS220, there’s a dandy show with ATHLETIC AUTOMATON, GREEN MILK FROM THE PLANET ORANGE (from Japan), WHITE MICE, and MADE IN MEXICO. Also on Saturday, THE GNOMES, with Cathy Clasper Torch, Phil Edmonds, Otis Read, Ron Schmitt, and Peter Breen, play a fusion of Celtic and world music at the Mediator, 50 Rounds Avenue, Providence. Call 401.941.3070.
There’s another Rhode Island Songwriters Association extravaganza on Saturday at the Courthouse Center for the Arts in West Kingston. The lineup features KEITH WHITE, ALLYSEN CALLERY, CHRIS MONTI, JOSIE CROSBY, and a handful of others. Admission is $10. Call 401.782.1018. Some of the RISA crew got, um, naked for a good cause, and you can ogle them, on paper and in real life (clothed, hopefully!), at the release party for the “Songwriters In the Raw” calendar, which reveals the private sides of Heather Rose and the Drama, John Fuzek, Becky Chace, Mary Ann Rossoni, Ed McGuirl, and many others. The pages will be viewable and available ($10) on Sunday (the 5th) at 6:30 pm at the Black Repertory Company, 276 Westminster Street, Providence. You can order it at www.risongwriters.com.
