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CHRIS CONTI

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Feel-good hits of summer

Wheat's strange beauty
Life is unabashedly beautiful for Wheat founders (and Taunton natives) Brendan Harney and Scott Levesque. That sentiment echoes throughout their latest release, White Ink, Black Ink (The Rebel Group) — which is surprising considering their track record with major and indie labels over their dozen years in the business.

By: CHRIS CONTI | July 14, 2009

Back in action

Multitasking with Senior Discount
Veteran punk rock quartet Senior Discount returns to the live circuit this weekend, starting with the big Lupo's/WBRU Block Party on Friday and an early-bird slot at Club Hell on Saturday. And national retailer Hot Topic has invited the band to play a string of acoustic shows around New England throughout the summer (check myspace.com/seniordiscount for the full schedule).

By: CHRIS CONTI | July 08, 2009

Funny business

Louis C.K. has work to do
"I'm pasty, pale, overweight and I have red hair. I see that Coldstone Creamery and I want to crawl inside and hide," Louis C.K. responded when I asked if he recalled just how disgustingly hot and muggy Rhode Island could be during his 4th of July headlining set at the Newport Yachting Center.

By: CHRIS CONTI | July 01, 2009

The block is hot

Jumping genres at Providence Sound Session '09
The summer sun has arrived just in time for the "premier genre-defying summer music festival" known as Sound Session '09, a weeklong block party and musical melting pot for the masses kicking off on Sunday, July 5 and culminating in the climactic, carnival-style parade trough downtown on Saturday, July 11.

By: CHRIS CONTI | June 30, 2009

Hard-wired fuzz

The Inclined are finding a balance
The Inclined's December '08 debut, The First Day of Many, continues to captivate my attention with big hooks, spacey synths, and manipulated guitar riffs and squalls, at times encapsulated in fuzz and exploding with unabashedly catchy gems.

By: CHRIS CONTI | June 24, 2009

In the blood

VulGarrity is humming on all cylinders
“We don’t have five dudes on stage pounding out power chords, so we need to find other ways to fill up all that space,” said Shawn Garrity, one-half of the multitasking siblings known as VulGarrity (sister Tracy is three years younger). “It forces us to think differently than before, and that’s proven to be a breathe of fresh air.

By: CHRIS CONTI | June 10, 2009

Creedence-meets-Waylon

Jay Berndt resurrects the Revival Preachers
No, there will not be country-fried rockabilly renditions of Kilgore Smudge tunes at the Blackstone when ex-Kilgore frontman Jay Berndt resurrects the Revival Preachers (myspace.com/jayberndt) in what will be only their second show since 2005 (the boys reconvened for a wedding party in March).

By: CHRIS CONTI | June 02, 2009

Passion players

Rap-rock vets Mastamindz stay the course
"If music is your passion, then promote it. Get people to your shows. I honestly think people don't push themselves enough."

By: CHRIS CONTI | May 27, 2009

Back on the surf-rock sonar

Hanging 30 with the Fathoms
'Tis the season for veteran surf-rock trio the Fathoms to usher in the warm weather when they play a free gig at Nick-a-Nee's on Saturday.

By: CHRIS CONTI | May 20, 2009

Write. Record. Gig. Repeat.

The Propellers stay the course on The Propellers: 2
The Warren-based Propellers are yet another notable band putting in work for the Warren-based label 75OrLess Rec-ords, and their sophomore release, The Propellers: 2 , offers a gradual growth from their self-titled debut.

By: CHRIS CONTI | May 13, 2009

Into the darkness

Riding shotgun on Route .44's lonesome highway
The new release from Route .44, This is My America (Blue Radio Records), provides further insight into lead singer Ian "Lefty" Lacombe's affinity for the dark side, as the enigmatic southpaw guitarist delves even deeper than on the acclaimed 2'07 debut, Worthless Lessons .

By: CHRIS CONTI | May 05, 2009

Sugar-coated pop, anyone?

Jonas Dream's merry melodies
With lines such as "chock-full of sunny melodies and intimate, introspective lyrics with bright, polished production," I clearly didn't stumble onto the next Jesus Lizard here.

By: CHRIS CONTI | April 28, 2009

Rude awakening

The rousing sounds of Coma Coma
Coma Coma singer/bassist Eric Sampson brushes off the notion that Rhode Island's music community currently lacks quality acts.

By: CHRIS CONTI | April 22, 2009

Magic man

Theo Martins kills 'em with kindness
If the first quarter of '09 is an indicator of things to come for Theo Martins the Providence-based lyricist had better buckle up for what should be the biggest year in his budding hip-hop career.

By: CHRIS CONTI | April 15, 2009

Giant step

The Low Anthem sign with Nonesuch Records
Indie-folk trio the Low Anthem — Jeff Prystowsky, Ben Knox Miller, and Jocie Adams — have signed with Nonesuch Records, which will re-release their highly-acclaimed disc, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, on June 9.

By: CHRIS CONTI | April 15, 2009

One shining moment

Fairhaven grab the brass ring at the 'BRU rock hunt
Fairhaven won a tight race at the 2009 WBRU Rock Hunt Finals at Lupo's on April 4.

By: CHRIS CONTI | April 07, 2009

Unextinct

Dinosaur Jr. will roam the earth forever
The convo is already off to a bumpy start with one Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr., phoning in from his Los Angeles residence at 10:30 am PST.

By: CHRIS CONTI | March 31, 2009

Review: Oak Hill Tavern

Road to redemption
Looking for good down-south BBQ down south? Oak Hill Tavern is well worth the trip

By: CHRIS CONTI | March 25, 2009

Springing ahead

The 'mericans are comin' back 'round
When I asked Chris Daltry just where exactly his acclaimed quintet the 'mericans had been hiding out, the founding father of the rootsy rockers was quick to deflect any insinuation that the Providence group had been slacking.

By: CHRIS CONTI | March 25, 2009

'BRU's bracketology

The Rock Hunt semi-finals, part two
The 2009 WBRU Rock Hunt continues this week with six more bands on tap, following victories by the Viennagram and Baylock last weekend.

By: CHRIS CONTI | March 18, 2009

Ready to rumble

No genre left behind in the '09 WBRU Rock Hunt
The 2009 Rock Hunt kicks off this weekend and the lineup proves to be perhaps the most colorful and diverse yet...

By: CHRIS CONTI | March 11, 2009

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