Saturday, December 05, 2009
Even Santa knows his way around the swamps. The
10th Annual Creole Xmas is a way to bring some Louisiana holiday spirit to the Northeast. The frenzied Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic shares the bill with the graceful Magnolia Cajun Band, and the entrée portion of a festive meal is supplied by your hosts. Appetizers and desserts are in your court. Ready to dance? Be at the German Club, 78 Carter Avenue, Pawtucket, from 7 pm to 2 am | $20 | 401.965.0849 | salsrbclub.com
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MUSIC
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Ilo Ferreira is on the rise right now, and there's a great story behind the ascent. The very catchy songwriter was living his life in Cape Verde when Jimmy Buffett happened by en route around the world. The "Margaritaville" mogul came across the twentysomething singer and was knocked back a bit. Cool tunes, positive message, great looks. They chatted, they connected. Turns out Ilo's a nice guy, too. Once home, Buffett started beating the drum - other bigwigs liked the music, too. Then Buffett blew the whistle: let's go. For the last several months, Ilo has been sharing the stage with his superstar boss, and the Parrotheads like what they're hearing. On nights off, he sings his own songs with his own band in smaller clubs. Last week he wowed a crowd at Joe's Pub in NYC. Echoes of everyone from John Fogerty to Bruce Cockburn waft by when he's hitting his stride. Tonight he's at the Knickerbocker, 35 Railroad Avenue, West-erly, at 9 pm | $10 | 401.596.4225
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MUSIC
Saturday, December 05, 2009
An inventive jazz singer like Holly Cole has lots of fun with the holiday songbook. On Baby, It's Cold Outside (Alert), she romps from Charlie Brown to Merle Haggard to "Zat You Santa Claus?" Each, be it puckish or poignant, gets the appropriate amount of emotion. Her "Night Before Christmas Tour" comes to the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan Street, Fall River, Massachusetts, and if the Canadian thrush veers away from the seasonal tone, I hope it's for a stroll through "Life Is Just a Bowl Of Cherries" or Tom Waits's "Invitation To The Blues." The merrymaking kicks off at 8 pm |$28 | 508.324.1926 | ncfta.org
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MUSIC
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Chris Brown's Fan Appreciation Tour started out wobbly, with pundits citing mediocre ticket sales as a result of his assault on his then-girlfriend Rihanna last February. But now there are reports that the R&B kiddo is in a stride again, and the live dates are turning into potent stage shows. Of course, a couple of crits are claiming that next week's Graffiti (Jive), Brown's first release since the incident, isn't much beyond a formulaic R&B spinner. That wouldn't be hard to believe. Rihanna recently told MTV news that she still likes CB's stuff - keeps the radio on when a Brown track jumps out. Lots of other fans do too, I bet. Your chance to hear lots of the new tracks live comes at Lupo's, 79 Washington Street, Providence. New Boyz opens at 8 pm | $45 + $40 | 401.331.LUPO | lupos.com
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MUSIC
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Chris Smither starts Time Stands Still (Signature Sound) mumbling about alienation and, as the program moves on, you realize just how well his knowledge of the blues serves his singer-songwriter tack. The ominous feel that he has long brought to the stage has become laced with melancholy in the last few years, and that melancholy has been accompanied by a deeper poignancy. He always has a Dylan song up his sleeve, and this time around it's "It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry." He spins it like a whiskey-laced campfire tune, as if it were about that girl from the north country. The intimacy of the Common Fence Point Community Hall, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth, will surely enhance Smither's impact at 8 pm | $25 | 401.683.5085
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MUSIC
Sunday, December 06, 2009
The Live/Whirled music series is about social networking sans screens - people show up and sing songs together, interactive in the old school sense. Curator Marilyn Mair has come up with a fun idea, and this week she has the Daltons leading the show for a season-slanted program titled "Solstice-Whirled," with acoustic picking, tales that put the historic tunes from the British Isles into context, and a lot of warmth. They'll perform and then guide the audience through a group session. Bring your instrument and shelf your shyness at the Perishable Theater, 95 Empire Street, Providence, at 5 pm | $10, $8 students and seniors | 401.331.2695 x 101 | perishable.org
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MUSIC
Sunday, December 06, 2009
I'm not quite sure what connects the dots between the participants of the Rock 4 Christmas show at the Newport Blues Café, 286 Thames Street. Can you do the math on this list? There's Eddie Money, (Badfinger's) Joey Molland, (former Trans Siberian Orchestra member) Kelly Keeling, XYZ's Terry Ilous, and local American Idol contestant James Gagne. Throw in Butch Patrick, aka Eddie Munster (pushing 60 in case you're wondering - and you are). Must be their big hearts - all the loot from the gig is going to Lucy's Hearth for Women and Children and the Housing Hotline, two charities doing double duty now that the economy has crumbled. The Ethan Brosh Band is also on the bill. Photo ops will be made availability. The show runs from 8 pm until midnight | $30 | 401.841.5510
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MUSIC
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Want an instant dash of the seasonal spirit? The RISD Museum, 20 North Main Street, Providence, spends the day hosting holiday fun. Sparky's Puppets enact tales from wintery lands, storyteller Clare Vadeboncouer recounts "The Snow Queen," and a father figure by the name of Santa is available for a photo or two if you bring your own camera. There's music, natch - Atwater-Donnelly get folky, VOX gets jammy, and the Higher Keys, an a cappella outfit, forego instruments. Victorian Street Carolers will have their say, too. Don't forget the ornament-making program. The fun runs from 1 to 5 pm | 401.454.6500
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MUSIC
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The holidays are here. How can you tell? Email blasts from Dell computers and myriad artists out playing seasonal tunes. Dobro master Jerry Douglas is one of these artists. He arrives from Nashville ready to use that slide of his on songs from the new Jerry Christmas (E1), a pretty little date that shimmers with the boss's instrumental skills. Maura O'Connell sings on the record, but for this turn at Showcase Live, 23 Patriot Place, Foxboro, Massachusetts, Crooked Still's Aiofe O'Donovan sits in. John Oates is also part of the ensemble and methinks that he might sneak a few Hall & Oates nuggets in there. Find out at 8 pm | $25 | 888.354.7042
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MUSIC
