Planet Groove

The seeds of a cool thing were planted on the Providence pop scene last Tuesday (the 3rd) under the watchful and inspired aegis of Rattlehead Records. It was officially called the Providence Invasion and it could've been huge. Could have been.

In the planning stages for six or seven weeks, the Invasion was literally that. There would be 50 local bands spread out across the city at strategically chosen locations, playing their music on the streets for anyone who'd listen. The idea was to take the music to the people; let folks who have never heard local music get a taste of the area's finest in hopes that they'd be impressed enough to patronize the clubs.

Sean at Rattlehead remembers the day this way: "It was misty in the morning, and musicians being what they are . . . everyone started arriving to play at noon by 12:30. We used an Invasion-style command structure -- bands who couldn't participate for one reason or another and wanted to help were serving as Field Generals, and they each monitored a group of locations for trouble/assistance as well as gathered video/photos. Everything was coordinated by cell phone, with Missi running as courier between Generals for materials (T-shirts/flyers) and any other assistance. Ten thousand full-color flyers and 500 T-shirts were on hand; www.providenceinvasion.com was up and active 12 hours before." The organizational aspect was impeccable.

Some sharp locals rocked the streets. Mastamindz, who snatched power off a lightpole near the Strand, jammed for 20 minutes before police came. The Westin didn't think much of Jason Colonies disrupting things in their front entry, so he was displaced to Rattlehead Headquarters, near the courthouse. Colonies and others played there.

"One of the things that I didn't expect," adds Sean, "was that it was too easy. The people of Providence don't hate local music. They never hear local music. Everywhere the music was, people loved it. They stopped, and they listened. We ruffled some feathers, for sure."

The staff at the Providence Invasion had envisioned a revelatory experience. It would be the largest musical event ever to happen in this town, perhaps the first event of its kind to go down anywhere. Local music for one hour across the city. The pieces were in place. So the plan would go off without a hitch. Right?

Uh, no. Of the 46 bands assigned to street locations in Providence, only 10 bands showed up. Only 10! A pathetic number, given the intentions. Not nearly the "invasion" organizers had hoped for. Police hassles were minimal, weather was decent, T-shirts and flyers were ready for distribution.

But then the single component needed to pull the whole thing off, to see it through, completely and utterly bagged out. Thirty-six bands, folks who had agreed to appear and who were fully aware and involved in the planning, just didn't bother to show up. That's a problem, a big problem. So the next time you complain about local music fans not coming out to support one of your gigs, consider for a moment the ironic letdown the scene experienced on the day of the Providence Invasion: The Day the Bands Didn't Show.

BLACKSTONE VALLEY SINNERS' DEBUT. Got my hands on the much-anticipated shimmering disc produced by the Blackstone Valley Sinners recently and haven't been able to take it off the spinner. Of course, anything featuring Rich Gilbert on guitar is gonna sound pretty good. But the Sinners' self-titled debut is a baker's dozen sweet sounding country tunes, western instrumentals, Duane Eddy-ish reverb workouts, and simple, vintage pop led by Gilbert's exquisite twang, Cessna's wry vocal commentary and quavering throat, and former Boogerhead Judith Ann's concise work on bass. Oh, yeah, there's a drum machine, too. Gilbert, formerly of the Zulus/Frank Black/Steve Wynn and many others, hops from banjo to Telecaster to steel guitar, adding a rainbow of rootsy colors to the BVS sound. It's a wild, diverse pop entertainment. Apparently, the band is shopping the debut to labels. With an accomplished product like this and loads of talent to back it all up, there should be no problem getting this baby in stores in no time.

Blackstone Valley Sinners play 9/14 at the Linwood Grille in the Fenway (69 Kilmarnock Street, 617-267-8644), and on 9/15 at Hank's Tavern in Brooklyn where -- to defray your travel costs -- there will be free BBQ and no cover. (Go to www.Hankstavern.com for details, or call 718-625-8003.)

WANDERING EYE. Midnight Creeps is throwing its own poor-man's version of a Holidays in the Sun party this Friday and Saturday at the Met Cafe. On Friday the 13th, you get the Templars, Splodgenessabounds, the Sleazies, No Regard, and Another Dead Juliet. On Saturday: Funeral Dress, Midnight Creeps, Capo Regime (from the UK), the Wailing Ultimates, and the Epidemic. Tickets are $10 for each day.

If sonic sleaze doesn't make for an ideal Friday, you can head to the Blackstone River Theatre and hear the high-motor grooves of Kim Trusty and her band. Trusty joined forces in 1999 with some of New England's finest musicians. Now, Joe Potenza on bass, Tony Mederios (ex-Chili Brother) on guitar and vocals, and Dan Hann on drums enhance Trusty's dynamic vocal range like never before. The show starts at 8 p.m. and will cost you $10. While there, pick up the band's latest disc, Live at Chan's.

If money's an issue but you still need to scratch the live music itch, Barn Burning is playing a free show at the Atlas Bower Book Store on Meeting Street (next to Ben & Jerry's) on Saturday night. Opening is Marissa Nadler at 8 p.m. Barn Burning and Robert Fisher from the Willard Grant Conspiracy will play together, trading off songs with Barn Burning as a backing band. Oh yeah, it's also BYOB.

White Electric (150 Broadway, Providence) celebrates its two-year anniversary on Saturday night with live sets by the Iditarod, Stringbuilder, and special guests Alec Redfearn with his Mr. Gutter project and Sharron Kraus from Oxford, England. The show starts at 9 p.m. and will cost you $5 at the door. Call 453-3007.

On Friday at AS220, $5 will also get you plenty of entertainment, including Maria Ventura, an 11-year old singer/songwriter from Taunton; Feroxhead, featuring Dave from Manbeard; JMMJ, a free-jazz thing featuring Jason and Michael from Barnacled; the Iditarod and Sharron Kraus will also appear on this night, and the Eyesores will wrap things up.

Also on Saturday night you can join the awesome Planet Groove in helping them celebrate their eighth anniversary, which is longer than most house plants last, not to mention bands. The party will take place at the Westin Hotel beginning at 9:30.

Illustrious Day will be busy this weekend. On Friday they'll be at the New Wave Café in nearby New Bedford with Blessed Thistle, among others. And on Saturday they'll be playing the first annual Rhode Island Rock and Jock Charity Softball Game at Woodlake Park on Central Avenue in Johnston. The event begins at 1 p.m. and runs all day. Admission is free. There will be games and raffles throughout the day for the whole family. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will also be available. Local bands will be performing throughout the day during the tournament. For more info, check out www.thelocalmix.com. All profits will be donated to the Robin Hood Relief Fund (robinhood.org/AboutUs.html), a charity which gives 100 percent of its proceeds to the families of the September 11 victims.

Reach me at big.daddy1@cox.net.

Issue Date: September 13 - 19, 2002