Saturday, November 07, 2009
Rummaging for rarities, bumping into oddities, sharing obsessions with pals - they're all key to the action at the Rock 'n' Roll Yard Sale. The semi-regular sessions, hosted by What Cheer Antiques, are an instant blast of coolness and a forum for many indie businesses and bands. Handmade crafts, vintage goods, and all sorts of yesteryear baubles are at the center of the pres-entation, which for the most part focuses on vinyl albums. To keep the customers satisfied, an array of local DJs (from Cynthia Reed to Chris Zingg) will spin some grooviness, and a throng of local rock ensembles (from Brown Bird to Cotton Candy) kick out the jams. I'm laid up this week, but I'd like a pristine copy of Gordon Jenkins's Seven Dreams. Can someone haul it in for me? The fun runs today from 12 to 8 pm and on Sunday from 12 to 6 pm at 232 Westminster Street, Providence | Free | myspace.com/what_cheer
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MUSIC
Saturday, November 07, 2009
"I want to sit you down and talk/I want to sit you down and talk," sings Glen Hansard on The Swell Season's new Strict Joy. His plea is as desperate as it is romantic, and its repetition brings Hansard's reverence of Van Morrison to the foreground. The handsome Irish singer made his mark in the Frames, a band that had no problem wearing its heart on its sleeve as long as they could do so while rocking out. But his celebrity status ignited when he hooked up with his partner Markéta Irglová, and their collective emotional clout wooed a wealth of fans. The fact that the pair played a charming couple in 2007's runaway indie film Once didn't hurt things; you'll recall the film's signature song, "Falling Slowly," gobbled up an Oscar. Since then the pair became both real-life lovers and real-life exes. But at least that arc has helped create this fetching new disc, which is liberally laden with stiff-upper-lip melancholy and carry-on brooding. Invest in your mellow side and head to Lupo's, 79 Washington Street, Providence. Sharing the bill is Doveman, a NYC ensemble with a whisperer up front who I believe once called their approach "lamp rock." That would be a soft white bulb, 60 watts or less. On The Conformist (Brassland), their sighs have some substance - and a fair amount of texture. It's atmosphere with a capital A, but it has a sweet little vibe to it, and at least one tune blends Cluster and Joy Division. See if they grab you at 7 pm | $30 | 401.331.5876 | lupos.com
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MUSIC
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Blending politics and poignancy, Tom Paxton has been fighting the power for the last half-century. A true folk music hero, he helped the Greenwich Village scene make the switch from trad songs to original tunes in the early '60s. Indeed, neighborhood bard Dave Van Ronk has said that Paxton initiated that trend before good ol' Bob Dylan ever hit Bleecker Street. Since those heady days, Paxton has used humor and anger to drive his tunes. The seventysomething picker has stumped for everything from equal rights to ecological efficiency, and his visit to the Common Fence Point Community Hall, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth, is sure to provide a glimpse back at his historical impact. Any audience members currently collecting unemployment should request his "I'm Changing My Name To Chrysler." Showtime is 8 pm | $35 | 401.683.5085
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MUSIC
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Back in 2002, Randy Jackson, the
American Idol judge who proves himself a nimrod on a weekly basis, gave
Kat Edmonson some feedback: "You just don't look like a star, dog." The Texas singer had made the first round of the show's hurdles, invited to the Hollywood section of the eliminations. But that's as far as she got. All for the best, perhaps? These days Edmonson is catching a sizable buzz for her skills as a jazz singer; the
Boston Globe said that she's one of the most talented vocalists to come along since Cassandra Wilson. Her
Take To the Sky (Convivium) is a nifty little record, trawling both pop (the Cure's "Just Like Heaven") and jazz ("Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most"). The program is simultaneously familiar and unique. The arrangements are novel without being off-putting; the singer's voice is idiosyncratic without being bizarre. Maybe the
Globe was talking about individualism. That's what you'll hear when you get to the Knickerbocker Café, 35 Railroad Avenue, Westerly. Keep an ear out for saxophonist John Ellis, a key part of her sextet. He's one of the hottest young horn players in New York. Pat Mitchell opens at 7 pm | $20 | 401.596.4225
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MUSIC
Sunday, November 08, 2009
First he was a blues freak (few guitarists who come up in Chicago aren't), then he was a Frisco hippie with lots of imaginative songs, then he was a kinda cheesy chart king who nailed hit after hit ("Jungle Love," "Rockin' Me," "Take the Money and Run"), forever securing his place as a classic rocker. In other words, Steve Miller has been around the block. I fell for the man in the middle, and still actively listen to such gems as Sailor and Your Saving Grace. I know in my heart that most fans are down (regardless of the cheese) with the "Fly Like an Eagle" guy. No prob: our hero will likely get to both at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street, at 7:30 pm | $85-$45 | 401.421.ARTS | ppacri.org
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MUSIC
Monday, November 09, 2009
Wars take place, people are swept up in them, and lives are changed. But how are they changed, and in which ways do people participate? The answers are innumerable, but 60 artists who have had their creativity tweaked by such quandaries offer individual spins on the questions in an exhibit titled "Veterans Gather." The show deals "literally and figuratively with the impact of war and military service on veterans and their families, and the need for our community and our nation to support the military family regardless of political and personal beliefs with regard to war and global conflict." The show is at the University of Rhode Island Providence Campus, 80 Washington Street, through December 24 | 401.277.5206
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ART
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Twirls, tumbles, and boundless energy - the
Virsky Ukranian National Dancer Company brings unlimited grace to the choreography that drives their acclaimed shows. I particularly like the piece that features 20 or so dancers sharing a web of rope lines in a beguiling pattern of weaves. Cossacks, gypsies, and the Black Sea sailors are given their moment in the spotlight, and at least one of the evening's standout dances speaks to the flamboyance of young adults. "It celebrates the shrewdness and vigor often associated with youth, while also finding humor in the boastfulness and arrogance that accompanies it," the troupe notes. See them in action at Rhode Island College's Roberts Hall Auditorium, 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence, at 7:30 pm | $35 | 401.456.8144
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DANCE
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Love those MySpace page "influence" lists. For instance, the Brooklyn dream-a-delic outfit Lights wants us to know that they're down with "past lives, sea glass, Barry Lyndon, skulls, and red wine." While you're connecting the dots between that smorgasbord, let me tell you that, for better or worse, their Rites (Drag City) also alludes to the kitschy side of popular mysticism. Cue up their white-wing-dove video for "Fire Night" and you'll know why they also included Stevie Nicks on that influences list. It's a beautifully boho experience (with a wisp or two of Sandy Denny floating by between the wah-wah pedal antics), and as the ghostly behavior surrounds you, it's hard not to submit. They'll share the bill with Behaviors, Talking About Commas, and Allysen Callery at AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence, at 9 pm | $7 | 401.831.9327 | as220.org
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MUSIC
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Stoners know that enjoying music with only your ears limits the spectrum of possible sensations. What about the tactile? What about the visual? Light shows enhance the latter realm, and Pink Floyd's very vivid canon is exactly the kind of art made to be bolstered by such a presentation. That's why the Laser Spectacular has been titillating senses for 23 years now. From Piper At the Gates of Dawn to Dark Side of the Moon, there are many songs that lend themselves to the experience. "You can see or imagine images when you listen to their music," explain the creators. "Without any lighting effects at all, there is still a show in your mind. Now imagine using lasers, video, and other special visual effects to interpret what your mind is ‘seeing' - that is why people love this show so much." Set your controls for the heart of the sun and head to the VMA Arts & Cultural Center, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence, for the full trip at 7:30 pm | $30 | vmari.com
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ARTS
Thursday, November 12, 2009
King Wilkie began a few years ago as a rather ortho-dox Virginia bluegrass band. They picked their way through high-flying breakdowns and colored their tunes within the genre's prescribed lines. But since that start they've been steadily morphing. Their second record had a taste of ennui and a whiff of Everly Brothers ballads - call it the low lonesome sound. And these days they're a rootsy outfit from Brooklyn with a new disc that features heroes they've worked with and impressed (David Bromberg and Peter Rowan) throughout the years. Ultimately, they're working a blend between those beloved Music from Mud Acres confabs and that Bragg & Wilco spin on Woody Guthrie's tunes. The Wilkie Family Singers (Casa Nueva Industries) is an inventive affair - way catchy, too. If you're a fan of mellow folkiness, the door is open at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan Street, Fall River, Massachusetts, at 8 pm | $17 | 508.324.1926 | ncfta.org
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MUSIC
