AS220

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It's still summer

Off the Couch
From the Low Anthem to Mastamindz
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX STAFF | August 25, 2009

Roz Raskin and the Rice Cakes set sail on The Friend Ship
"It's pretty much impossible for us to have a predictable sound," said Rosalind Raskin earlier this week while discussing The Friend Ship (Moose Proof Records), the full-length debut from Roz Raskin and the Rice Cakes ( MySpace.com/RozRaskin ).
By CHRIS CONTI | August 18, 2009

RI goes DIY at the Maker Faire

Makin' It Work
Kipp Bradford builds things. For commercial clients, he puts together high-end mini-computers and other electronic gizmos. For his friends and himself, anything goes — a sea of LED-lit balloons, sound-activated light displays, circuit boards strung around partygoers necks programmed to "like" and "dislike" each other.
By MARION DAVIS | August 19, 2009

Hoolies + Howlies + Dusty Rhodes

Dig the roots
On THURSDAY (the 20th), Westerly's finest blues-roots crew THE HOOLIOS play a hometown gig at the revamped and renowned Knickerbocker, and have locked up the third Thursday of every month through '09 (401.596.4225).
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | August 18, 2009

Trucking along with the Mobile Art Project

Street Art
When the Hera Gallery left its customary perch on Main Street in Wakefield last fall for a time, artist and curator Viera Levitt started thinking of ways to bring art back to the heart of South County. She struck upon the idea of the Mobile Art Project and this week it's hitting the road with stops in West Kingston, Peace Dale, and Providence.
By GREG COOK | August 12, 2009

Foo-palooza!!

Empire Street, Saturday. Nuf sed.
Something for everyone THURSDAY (the 13th), from the roughshod blues of THE KILLDEVILS at Nick-a-Nee's (401.861.7290) to rap icons ONYX at Jerky's Bar (401.621.2244) to diabolical rawk icons SIX FINGER SATELLITE at Everyman (401.751.3630).
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | August 12, 2009

Ziggy lives!

And FH13 offers a little bit of everything
Club Hell starts the weekend off THURSDAY (the 6th) with an early-bird experimental rock show featuring Houston's SCALE THE SUMMIT (currently on tour opening for Dream Theater) with Cranston's CALIFORNIA SMILE , who are reportedly finishing a new record.
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX STAFF | August 04, 2009

Magnificent machines

Inside AS220's Fab Lab
A machine that can make everything. It's been the stuff of science fiction for decades. But now, it's a reality. In fact, there's one in Providence.
By CHRISTOPHER COLLINS | August 05, 2009

Stop the presses

Fine art and funhouse tricks from AS220's Print Shop
Meg Turner steals the show in 5 Traverse gallery's new exhibit with her installation Santa's Worst Nightmare . Climb up a few stairs, step into a closet-sized box wallpapered with etchings of bricks, and close the old weathered door behind you.
By GREG COOK | July 29, 2009

Psalms For The Deaf

Jared Paul Unleashes Prayers For Atheists
Sage Francis addressed the densely-populated crowd at Rock the Bells at Comcast Center last weekend: "This song helped get a friend of mine out of jail. Thank you to all who donated. This song is called 'Conspiracy to Riot.' Strange Famous fucking Records, Providence."
By CHRIS CONTI | July 21, 2009

Wired

C.W. Roelle explores three dimensions at AS220's Project Space
Every artist aims to develop a trademark look. Most carve out an individual style within the usual tried and true playing field — a certain way with paint, a certain slant to their photos — but C.W. Roelle has accomplished the rare feat of staking out his territory off these beaten paths.
By GREG COOK | July 15, 2009

IndieArts mania!

So much to do, all at once
Head down to the Greenwich Hotel THURSDAY (the 16th) and lounge with local acoustic troubadour DANIEL CHASE and Boston's SARAH BORRELLO (her piano-driven cover of "White Rabbit" is insane); never a cover and always 21+, call 401.884.4200 for more.
By PROVIDENCE ARTS STAFF | July 15, 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

Living Colour, Michael Madsen, and Rhody's new media

Rhode Island has seen its share of media strife in recent years.
The travails of the Providence Journal are the stuff of coffee house and talk radio chatter. And the troubles afflicting the local newscast fill the pages of this week's Phoenix .
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | June 24, 2009

Time Machines

New pictures from old negatives at the PPL
There is a golden formula in photography: photo plus time equals increasing allure. Old books and poetry, old television and movies can turn stilted, tedious. But photos seem to grow ever more compelling with age, even if the shots were boring when they were first made.
By GREG COOK | June 12, 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

Warming up to a green revolution

Action speaks!
President Obama's push for a green revolution has inevitably drawn comparisons to President Kennedy's famous call, 48 years ago, for a moon landing.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | May 13, 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

Web-Slinger

Spider webs and plastic baby dolls at AS220
Liz Collins's Doll Cave at AS220's Project Space (93 Mathewson Street, Providence, through May 23) drapes the gallery with loosely-knit walls that look like spider webs or giant white granny shawls.
By GREG COOK | May 13, 2009

Labor Pains

Action Speaks!
With an economy in free fall, and popular anger mounting over bailout-mania, one might expect the labor movement to be front and center. But the streets are relatively quiet. And the nation seems as ambivalent as ever about unionism. There is, in short, plenty of fodder for discussion.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | May 06, 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

Is the American Dream a nightmare?

Action Speaks!
Action Speaks!, AS220's panel discussion series, continues with a topic near and dear to us here in little Rhody — failure.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | April 29, 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

Ticket to ride

Lyon and Blasser's 'Sound and Light'
Raphael Lyon tells me a story about "Sound and Light," his collaborative installation with Baltimore's Peter Blasser at Stairwell Gallery
By GREG COOK | April 21, 2009

The shovel-ready lessons of the New Deal

Action speaks!
Action Speaks!, AS220's always-engaging panel discussion series, is back. "So soon?" you ask. Why, yes.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | 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

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

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