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Saturday, Nov 22, 2008
SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS
Don’t fret if the spot where the blues ditties begin and the folk tunes subside keeps moving in KELLY JOE PHELPS’s work — that’s just how it is. Like John Martyn, Chris Smither, and a few others, Phelps’s approach to his genteel singer-songwriter fare blends a raspy voice and a bittersweet attitude. His Tunesmith Retrofit (Rounder) investigates the folkie side of things and, in a way, it’s more convincing than many of his earlier blues affairs. See where the music goes at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan Street, Fall River, Massachusetts, at 8 pm | $17 | 508.324.1926
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THE WHOLE WORLD ’ROUND
The gaggle of local Celtic whizzes that go by the name of THE GNOMES widen their vistas when they work together. Squeezebox king Phil Edmonds, fiddler Cathy Clasper-Torch, guitar picker Otis Read, and the rest speckle their very danceable instrumentals with Ukrainian themes and Caribbean echoes. Cosmopolitan stuff, for sure, especially as heard on the new Everybody Must Get Gnomed. If you have a yen to hear pennywhistles on Finnish-flavored tunes, you’d best head to the Nirvana Lounge, 520 Main Street, Warren, at 8 pm | 401.245.4500
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HUSH NOW . . .
The cowpoke melancholy that simmers in the music of THE LOW ANTHEM is one of the area’s more magical sounds. It’s hard to make stillness sound compelling, but on the new Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, Ben Knox Miller and pals put lots of eloquence in the music. It suggests that the group has grown; its private-musings-in-public-places approach is more authoritative now. And there’s even some rowdy shit on the new disc. “Home I’ll Never Be” is a Tom Waits's tune full of righteous hubbub. The fact that there are now four members in the group helps bolster some richer ideas, so it’s not just stark stuff for the ensemble these days. Annie Lynch and the Beekeepers share the bill at Stone Soup Coffeehouse at St. Paul’s Church, 50 Park Place, Pawtucket, at 8 pm | $15 | 401.457.7147
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Sunday, Nov 23, 2008
REGGAE GOT TWANG
It was odd but nifty to see members of the ORIGINAL WAILERS perform with Kenny Chesney on the CMA Awards show last week. Bob Marley’s former band helped the country star bounce through “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven,” and their groove has made the song a hit. Of course, they’re also known for some weightier fare (indeed, they outro’d the tune with their old boss’s “Three Little Birds”). The reggae faithful turn out in numbers when Junior Marvin, Wya Lindo, Al Anderson, and associates take the stage. Catch ’em at Lupo’s, 79 Washington Street, Providence. Roots Down Below open at 9 pm | $22 | 401.331.5876
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Monday, Nov 24, 2008
ONE MAN GUY
The dude in TOMMOPERY AND THE SHINY MACHINES says he’s the illegitimate child of Nick Drake and Tom Waits, and when you listen to his MySpace tracks, he’s not exactly wrong (though he should spend some time with David Blue to see if there was any hanky-panky going on). The shiny machines are the gadgets Mr. Tommopery uses to thicken the atmosphere of his acoustic tunes. For the most part that atmosphere is shadowy and forlorn — I guess that’s what happens when rhythm-less campfire musings make it to the light of day (check “Drunk Moon Smile”). He’ll be with Vulgaritty, Infinite Children, and Apollo’s Prophets at AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence, at 9 pm | $6 | 401.831.9327 | as220.org
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Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
CONNECTIONS AND CARTOONS
Michael Chabon’s glorious ruminations in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay moved innumerable readers and opened up the conversation of Jewish impact on pulp fiction and what we now call graphic novels. Need a few more dots connected? Brown University’s “JEWS AND AMERICAN COMICS: AN EXHIBITION OF POPULAR ART” glances back at the creativity afoot in the 20th century. The John Hay Library, 20 Prospect Street, Providence, houses more than 70,000 titles in its collection. Key examples of work by Jewish artists and writers, including Rube Goldberg, Harvey Kurtzman, and Al Capp, comprise the show; vintage pulp includes copies of Vault of Horror, Action Comics, and Mad magazine. Simultaneously, a companion exhibit addresses a more modern realm. “JEWS AND AMERICAN COMICS: THE NEW GENERATIONS” scrutinizes the ways the artists “address social issues — violence, prejudice, the threat of war, environmental devastation, and media manipulation — as well as issues of individual and collective identity and Jewish history.” It’s at the John Nicholas Brown Center, 357 Benefit Street. The exhibits run through December 19 and February 1, respectively | 401.863.BOOK
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Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008
THE FINAL FRONTIER
Certain individuals simply like to keep their eyes on the skies. Absorb the Milky Way on a clear night (the bluffs of Block Island is a good place to view such heavens) and you’ll see how gripping it can be. Roger Williams Park’s Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, is doing its part to bring cosmic research a bit closer to the ground. “SPACE ARTIFACTS: IMAGINATION AND EXPLORATION” unites NASA images, engineering models from the Apollo program, behind-the-scenes films from the Johnson Space Center, and a space shuttle tire that’s been farther away from terra firma than you’ll ever hope to be (about 380 miles or so). The idea is to “explore the relationship between humans and space travel through the eyes of science and art.” It’s a great conversation starter for kids and adults alike. The exhibit runs through June 2009 | 401.785.9457 x 221
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OKIES WITH IDEAS
To me, SHINY TOY GUNS comes off like a really pissed-off Moody Blues. Distraught lyrics are sung in creamy voices. Synths mix with guitars, and rhythms swoop around endlessly. On “Poison,” from Season of Poison (Motown), the Oklahoma-via-LA outfit that made its way from MySpace huzzahs to Grammy nominations even throw in a Queen-like a cappella section to sweeten the stew. Know anyone who’s into ’em? Let ’em know about the show at Club Hell, 73 Richmond Street, Providence, at 6 pm | myspace.com/clubhelllive more >>

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