A pair of after-work freebies begin the night on Wednesday (the 8th), with locals Infusion Experience performing their brand of "Latin jazz with a flamenco flair" at Brown Street Park, while reggae/soca outfit Rooted Sound visit Burnside Park; both shows start at 5 pm. And on Wednesday night, Carlos De Leon & the UN Band, Manolo Mairena, and DJ Papo fill the Xxodus dance floor. Tix are $20 at the door.
It's poetry in motion on Thursday (the 9th) when local spoken word artist Christopher Johnson presents the Word Warriors Tour at Local 121 ($5 at the door). Then head to Xxodus Cafe when the Phoenix hosts the Afrosonic Collective ($15 in advance) booming out soulful Deep House grooves.
This miraculous run of sunshine better stick around for Friday (the 10th) when Kennedy Plaza pops off with an unbelievable gathering of local rap talent. Rhody-based hip-hop is alive and well, as evidenced by this ill lineup: Starrs & Murph, Poorly Drawn People, Jon Hope, and my man Romen Rok will warm the stage for Ron Brownz, Noreaga, and Joe Cartagena, aka Joey Crack, aka Fat Joe, the Bronx legend who is set to release his ninth studio album, Jealous Ones Still Envy 2. Meanwhile, the Lupo's Block Party will be in full swing a few hundred yards away, with a varied slate of high-octane local acts including Senior Discount, the Agents, the CobraMatics, and Someday Providence sharing a bill with veteran Sublime tribute band Badfish. Doors for both shows open at 5 pm. Or chill out and soak up some jazz a few blocks over at Xxodus Cafe with the Marc Cary Trio soothing the after-work crowd with from 5 to 7 pm ($5 at the door). Friday night wraps up with the storied Back Lot After Party at the Black Rep, featuring local Cape Verdean rapper Chachi. Charlie "Chachi" Carvalho killed at last year's Sound Session, and this time around he's bringing his live band Eleventh Island to back him.
"Last year was incredible, it seemed like you never knew what to expect and you were never disappointed by what you received" Chachi told me. "And we can't wait to get back there again and debut some new songs." Chachi's highly-anticipated debut About Time is set for release later this year.
Paying to park is less painful with so many free shows on tap on Saturday (the 11th), with 14 hours of live music beginning at high noon with an eclectic lineup featuring "Mediterrabian" locals Tevellus (gypsy-electronica, anyone?) with No Means Yes and Boston-based Tropical/Afro-beat band Zili Misik, and poppy NYC B-girls No Means Yes. And the Back Lot stage offers a free midday show with jam band specialists Fungus Amungus and GROW with Dani Danger, while Latino-spiked jazz fans can head to Waterplace Park for Los Sugar Kings and Chilean singer Claudia Acuna. A full slate of reggae runs until 2 am on the Back Lot stage, while the Carnival Parade swarms the Downcity streets and the sexy sounds of Santa Mamba and Wunmi commandeer the Westminster Street stage. SS '09 will mark the third straight appearance by Santa Mamba.
"We try to make each show a unique experience, so that there is always a little element of surprise," said keyboardist Aaron Wade earlier this week.
"Sound Session has activated a community of artists here, and established itself as the elite summer festival in Providence." Join the fun.
PROVIDENCE SOUND SESSION '09 | July 5-12 | arttixri.com | Full schedule available in Concerts listings elsewhere in this section + at providencesoundsession.com
