Alt-Nation: Shows for a Cause

Music for Paws Benefit Show

Music for Paws is a collaboration between Tracy Garrity from the band VulGarrity, Davey Moore and Mark Charron from the band Satellites Fall and Midday Records, and Chris Conti from the Providence Phoenix to raise money for area no-kill animal shelters by putting on killer shows featuring some of the best talent in the area. This time around all the proceeds will benefit the Smith & Agli’s Potbelly Manor in North Kingstown. Smith & Algi’s Potbelly Manor specializes in taking in and adopting out pigs. However, their farm also has everything from rescued cows and llamas to bunnies, pigeons, ducks and turkeys. They also feature a great pet-assisted therapy program. More information is available online at potbellymanor.org. The gang planned a great lineup including some of my favorites like Atlantic Thrills and the high school kids in the School of Rock. The doors open at 7pm and the music goes on all night. Stop by and support some great people who are doing great things!

Music for Paws Benefit Show featuring Meta P, Atlantic Thrills, Truth In Soul, Milo Bigwig, and School of Rock happens at Dusk on Feb 7.

13 Folds’ – Rock-N-Roller’s Masquerade Ball

Valentine’s Day is one of the more divisive days. It’s great for females in relationships and non-emo single dudes and tends to be at best a nuisance to a downer as a Hallmark quasi-holiday for everyone else. 13 Folds Magazine is partnering with RI NORML to celebrate the day before Valentine’s Day. I don’t really know of anyone who wants to celebrate the day before Valentine’s other than maybe as prime pickings for wounded wings. In fact the more I think about it, this is a much better idea than a Valentine’s Day show because who knows, one might hit it off with someone and find a date for the next night. Even if you don’t have any luck in love, there’s Sasquatch & The Sick-A-Billys whose current incarnation works in a bit of country tinge with the Dave Sasquatch-trademarked swagger. The Sweet Release are a next generation wrecking crew whose live performances are becoming must- see events because of their unpredictability. PALS have a new record in the can that I’m looking forward to checking out. There will also be other stuff like choosing the newest member of RI-NORML Dank Girls, a “Most Eligible PVD Man” auction, and whatever surprises 13 Folds Magazine head honcho Dave Death has up his sleeves.

13 Folds’ – Rock-N-Roller’s Masquerade Ball featuring performances by Sasquatch & The Sick-A-Billys, The Sweet Release, and PALS goes down on Fri, Feb 13 at the Fatt Squirrel in Providence.

There’s Something About Mary – A Benefit for Mary Gooding

In October, Mary Gooding was struck by a car while crossing the street, sustaining serious injuries including a broken leg and arm. It has been a long recovery for Mary from enduring multiple surgeries at the hospital to later spending time at a rehab facility, all the while accumulating medical bills while being unable to work. Mary is a fighter, though, and is back on her feet and doing much better. It is great to see the local music community come together to throw a benefit to help Mary out. This show features the jammin’ vibes of Swan Point, electro-rock of Beta Motel, the post-punk of Hope Anchor, and the Scurvy Dog based J, a tribute to the seminal punk band X. This show promises to be a good time and as an added bonus, it will help a great person get back on her feet. There’s Something About Mary – A Benefit for Mary Gooding featuring performances by Swan Point, Beta Motel, Hope Anchor, and J (X tribute band) will take place on Feb 15 at The Parlour.

The Swans

The Swans are a seminal experimental rock band that rose out of the New York no-wave scene in the early ’80s and spawned bands like Sonic Youth. The Swans have gone through different phases of experimentation over the years that included post-punk hypnotic guitar tones, experimental jazz, post- industrial blues and wide range of other stuff. The Swans are actually quite the trip when one delves into their catalog. After breaking up in 1997, The Swans have been fairly active, putting out three albums since 2010 including last year’s acclaimed To Be Kind. This show should be a hoot!

The Swans with special guest Xylouris White (featuring Jim White of Dirty Three and George Xylouris) rock the Columbus Theatre on Feb 18.

R.I.P. to my late night writing companion Jezebel. You will be missed greatly.

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Watch the Snow and Dream of Summer Festivals

And out comes the first blast of summer music festivals. Who’s playing? The answer is college dropouts. Who’s going? The answer is college kids. Which fest best suits your needs? Have no fear. I have done all the research and let my tried and true barometer of how many bands I would leave Rhode Island to see point you toward your summer vacation. Want to see Run The Jewels? Good. You should. And they are playing almost every fest. Want to see Tears For Fears? Of course you do, but pay attention as they are only playing one of the fests. Happy hunting! Kid Rock’s 6th Annual Chillin’ The Most Cruise; March 2 – 6; Departs from Miami, Fla.; Bands I would travel to see out of state: 0; Highlights: I think just checking out the website for this event is good enough. I hear Smith AND Weeden bought a Penthouse. Drawbacks: Do Kid Rock fans have passports? Will Mexico know any of his car commercials? Also, I think he might be the only one playing. New England Metal and Hardcore Fest 2015; April 17 – 19; The Palladium, Worcester, Mass.; Bands I would leave Providence for: A couple; Highlights: Lots of black t-shirt merch for sale and the chance to see living New England legend and promoter Scott Lee live in the flesh. Drawbacks: That sinking low you get when you leave Worcester thinking you’ll maybe never come back. Coachella; Two Weekends in April, check your local listings; Some desert in Calif.; 21 bands performing; Highlight: Will AC/DC pay to have any of the other bands killed? Drawback: Will AC/DC die on stage in the desert? Bonus points if you spot cast members of the OC. Subtract points if you can name them. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; April 24 – May 3; New Orleans, La.; 8 bands performing; Highlight: Chance to see legends like Jerry Lee Lewis, Elton John & Jimmy Cliff. Drawback: All seven artists in the second line of the ad look like my own personal Dante’s Inferno and includes such Pandora skips like No Doubt, Keith Urban, Pitbull??!?Shaky Knees Music Fest; May 8 – 10; Atlanta, Ga.; 24 bands performing; Highlights: Definitely the heavy weight champ of all the announced fests so far. Great line up front to back. Drawbacks: My son Jack will be mighty pissed if you (really, I) skip out on his birthday. The Hangout; May 15 – 17; Gulf Shores, Ala.; 8.5 bands (Beck counts as a half) minus 6 bands for being in Alabama = 2.5 bands; Highlights: There is a band called Saint Pepsi. Lowlights: All things Alabama. Roll (off the map and into the Gulf) Tide.Boston Calling; May 22 – 24; City Plaza, Boston, Mass.; 4.5 bands performing (Beck again); Highlights: Pixies and TV On the Radio are two of my favorite indie rock acts of all time and Run the Jewels made the album of 2014. Drawback: They might all play on separate days meaning I’d have to spend Memorial Day weekend on a concrete slab in Boston The Counterpoint; May 22 – 24; Kingston Downs, Ga.; 1 band performing; Highlight: You get to see The Roots. Drawback: You might get trapped in a hackie sack circle. Or even worse, a hula hoop troop.

Dark Star Jubilee; May 22 – 24; Legend Valley, Thornville, Ohio; Highlight: I’d like to see Los Lobos again. Drawback: Where to begin? Is there a website for MeetTrustfundafarians yet? If not and dreaded children of wealth is your bag, get yourself to the Legend Valley. Or you could just go to a Whole Foods west of Worcester. Also, I would like to find out if Jeff Austin Band is any relation to the WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin, but not interested enough to Google it, let alone go to this hippie fest.

DelFest; May 21 – 24; Cumberland, Md.; 1 band performing; Highlight: You could get a t-shirt with some cool art and the first three letters of my last name. And another chance to see Stone Cold Austin’s estranged brother Jeff Austin and his band?! Give me a calm and orderly heck yeah!!! Warning: Del fest being in Maryland rather than Delaware sounds like a trap.

Governors Ball; June 5 – 7; Randalls Island, NYC; 13 bands performing; Highlight: Being in the capital of the world. Being in a crowd with all you beautiful women who for some reason like Lana Del Ray. Drawback: I am afraid that Lana Del Rey might be a modern-day Tori Amos and rather than mingling with attractive women, I might get caught in a crying circle.

Wakarusa; June 4 – 7; Ozark, Ark.; A very liberal rating of 4 bands performing; Highlight: The Roots slay and I haven’t seen them in a very long time. Drawback: the Ark. after Ozark stands for Arkansas.

Bonnaroo; June 11 – 14; Manchester, Tenn.; 17 bands performing; Highlight: Unless you live in Canada, this might be your only chance to see the Billy Joel / Slayer / Tear For Fears arena tour tearing up the north all month of summer long. Drawback: Lots of smelly people.

Newport Folk Festival; July 24 – 26; Fort Adams, Newport, RI; ? bands performing; Highlights: I wear some of my most colorful and socially off-putting shirts of the year these three dates. And the wait for the non-grass-fed burgers is barely five minutes. Drawbacks: Tickets are on sale and no one knows for who yet, and they most likely will be sold out before they announce the performers.

I’m a Good Mom, I Swear!

This year I made only one New Year’s resolution: Stop swearing in front of my children. I thus far rationalized my truck-driver-mom-mouth by likening swearing to driving or drinking alcohol. It’s just something they can’t do until they’re much older, or so I told them. Raising children to be adults who don’t swear didn’t even occur to me.

My decision didn’t seem especially problematic, as my kids accepted their fate. Sure I did hear an occasional “damn it” when, say, the Lego set they were building fell apart. But I gave them the death stare and they quickly switched gears. All was right in the world.

Then right before the holidays, my 5-year-old changed my mind. As he played a mean game of slug versus bad guy, I heard him say in his most impressive bad guy voice, “Fucking slugs.” The slugs must have won. Ugh … It wasn’t the fact that he used the f-bomb, though it’s pretty horrid to hear that word come from a 5 year-old’s mouth. It’s that he used it so appropriately; that’s what got me. Time to stop swearing in front of the kids.

It’s now the end of January and I’ve stuck to my resolution … for the most part. Now that I don’t swear in front of my kids, I’ll admit I feel more like an actual parent, as opposed to the one I’ve been pretending to be for the past eight-plus years. I’m mature; refined, even. I’m the type of parent who insists on reasonable bed times and eating vegetables. I’m doing this!!!

Then I remember that as I sit here writing this, my kids are on their third hour of video games on their new Kindles. We’re having friends over tonight, so they’ll eat pizza – again – and go to bed at a woefully inappropriate hour. Tomorrow is Saturday and they’ll play more video games. Then they’ll fight and I’ll scream at them, at which point I’ll remember that indeed I suck at this and won’t get better anytime in the near future. My little experiment, however, has made me realize that, the older my kids get, the less I care about being a perfect parent. Yes, I swear in front of them. I’m the type of woman who loves to swear, so get over it. Yes, they have too much screen time and go to bed too late on the weekend. But most of the time they go to bed at a reasonable hour. They eat their vegetables and do their homework. More importantly, they’re happy, healthy kids who have a strong sense of themselves and treat others with kindness. I can’t be doing all that badly, right?

So fuck it. If I’m faking it, we’re all faking it. Let’s just stop pretending that we know what we’re doing by bragging about our parenting accomplishments: Johnny’s become an avid reader … in kindergarten; Timmy scored six goal at the last soccer game; Sophie absolutely devours sushi (“She can’t get enough of it!”). No offense, but I don’t give a shit. No one does, except you and maybe the grandparents. The only thing you achieve by bragging about your children to fellow parents is making them feel inadequate about their own children and/or parenting skills. Plus, you omitted that Johnny wets the bed, Sophie’s a mean girl and Timmy sucks at math.

Let’s stop the bragging, or at least admit the faults too. It’s okay if you swear in front of your kids or give them too much screen time. We all suck at this, so let’s be real – with ourselves and one another. Now that’s a resolution we should all make. Are you in???

Once Upon a Coffee Crawl

There’s no better time to think about warming one’s hands around a nice mug of coffee than when staring out the window at record-breaking snowfall. I am hopeful Snowmageddon will pass soon, and as a reward, I suggest we treat ourselves to a series of caffeinated beverages that will warm us from the inside out.

Winter is a time when coffee shops call to me like the gold called to the Pirates of the Caribbean. Instead of my typical Pub …”Amble”… I wanted to write a Coffee Crawl, without fully thinking through the logistics. As it turns out, it’s easier to rally a group of people to consume several alcoholic beverages in one evening than it is to spend a few hours on a weekday drinking shot after shot of espresso. Therefore, this “crawl” happened piecemeal, with coffee dates scheduled during my week at four hidden gems in Providence, beginning with The Shop.

The Shop is a new establishment on Wickenden, having only opened last August. The owners — a remarkably sweet, young couple — are often the ones ringing up orders and creating beautiful latte art worthy of photographs. They care about quality service and are happy to answer any questions, particularly those about their coffee and their locally sourced selection of Humble Pies. One of their most popular drinks is their cold brew, which pours from a tap similar to that of a nice, cold Guinness. Don’t be alarmed by the light color—it’s actually black coffee, but the compressed nitrogen used to keep it cold creates little bubbles that make it appear to already have cream in it.

The Shop is perfect for setting up a laptop and getting cozy with your neighbors on the bench-style seating. They even offer unlimited mug-o-coffee refills for the hard workers. My favorite seat is “the nook,” because it reminds me of Harry Potter’s cupboard underneath the stairs. It’s a human-sized cubby inside the side wall, hidden from view when one enters the shop. It’s a great place to read and disappear with a latte and a muffin.

I journeyed to The Shop not for coffee, however, but for hot chocolate. For the month of January, the owners are experimenting with different flavors of hot chocolates, and the first week was Peanut Butter, topped with a homemade marshmallow. It was so popular that by the time I arrived on a Saturday afternoon, they’d already sold out of all of the marshmallows they’d procured for the entire weekend. Nevertheless, my friend and I had to try it, and I must say: this hot chocolate was the mic drop of warm drinks. So sinfully delicious, it was like drinking a melted Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. I’m starting a rumor that the Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate will become a permanent menu item in hopes that it will come true.

Down the corner and through the woods to South Main Street I went, arriving at Dave’s Coffee. The inside is an open design, very minimalist and modern, but simultaneously welcoming and warm. Dave’s is a member of Farm Fresh RI, a family owned business, and they roast their coffee by hand. They’re also known for their coffee syrup, which can be purchased in store and used to create Coffee Milk, ice cream toppings, and Twisted Old Fashioned’s. I love Dave’s because they make the best latte in Providence: the Vanilla Bourbon Latte. I tend to shy away from espresso drinks because they are too strong for me, and I like my coffee to taste like cream and sugar, but this drink strikes an amazing balance of coffee, milk, and sweetness. Even though they offer other flavored lattes, I’m so smitten with Vanilla Bourbon I order it every time.

Unlike me, Miss Americana, my friend is Italian and takes her coffee that way. She opted for a Cortado — two shots espresso with a little bit of milk — and the micro-sip I sampled was enough to give me heart palpitations all day. We split a savory quiche — bacon, spinach, artichoke, and roasted red pepper — and my half was gone before my friend could even pick up her fork and knife. Next time, one of those hockey-puck sized chocolate chip cookies will share a similar fate.

The next stop: The Blind Tailor. I’d wondered about this coffee shop on my forays into downtown. It’s tucked away on a small street, across from Circe Restaurant and Bar and GoLocal Prov, and this is the most secret of the secret gems I found. I had no idea I would find “Irish” and “Mexican” options here (alcoholic coffee for only $5.00!). Plus, there’s a great selection of made-to- order paninis, so come for an afternoon-cap or for lunch. I was surprised by how accommodating they were with their shots of liquor. Instead of simply spiking a regular coffee, I could order a decaf cappuccino with a shot of Frangelico. It was like Christmas came twice this year.

My final visit was to White Electric on the West Side. I met a friend after work, and I was surprised to find a packed house. The vibe is perfectly West Side, artsy and hipster, with posters and flyers covering the back wall and young professionals everywhere. The menu items were surprisingly cheap, and they served my drink with a smile. Thankfully my friend arrived just in time to secure a table as two people left, and we caught up on work and life and the latest season of “The Bachelor.” Before I knew it, we were the last people in the café, and it was time to head home (most coffee shops in the area close at 6pm, but White Electric is open until 6:30pm). To my grateful surprise, the barista called us over and offered us bakery items that hadn’t sold for the day: fresh breads, bagels, croissants. I could have hugged this woman. With a paper bag full of goodies, I left into the night without feeling even a trace of the winter cold.

The Shop: 460 Wickenden St, Fox Point

Dave’s Coffee: 341 South Main St, Providence The Blind Tailor: 45 Weybosset St, Providence

White Electric Coffee Shop: 711 Westminster, West Side

Know Your Mom and Pop: Hillside Barber Shop

Though the Internet has taken over our lives, there are still a few things that can’t be done with a computer, smart phone or tablet. The services of mechanics, chefs and hair stylists still need that human touch. These are jobs that will always be in high demand, which suits Giuliano Uribe, owner of Hillside Barber Shop, just fine.

Hillside Barber Shop opened in Cumberland three years ago. Uribe had been cutting hair for the previous 20 years, buying a cheap pair of clippers with a group of friends when he was 16 years old. “We would give one another hack job haircuts,” Uribe said of what started as a hobby before turning into a career. As his skills developed, his clientele increased, which led to an apprenticeship at another barbershop. From there, Uribe rented a chair at another barbershop before finally branching out on his own.

“It wasn’t too difficult,” Uribe said of making the move to open his own shop. “I bought an established barbershop, so all I had to do was apply for my shop license online through the board of health.”

Location was a key factor for Uribe. He felt lucky finding a location on a high-traffic street. The store was already established as a barbershop, so renovations were minor. It was just a matter of letting current clients know where he was going and getting the word out to other potential clients in need of a haircut. Uribe feels that his work ethic and hairdressing skills are key to his business growing. People leave looking good, and their friends want to know where the haircut came from. “I still believe the best way to build clientele is by word of mouth,” Uribe says. To keep up with the times, he has started using Facebook as a form of advertising. While still in its growing process, the Hillside Barber Shop Facebook page features (besides all the general business information) updates, pictures of freshly cut hair and customer reviews, which are all positive, from clients and spouses alike.

“Great place for a proper cut,” says a happy spouse. “My husband ALWAYS comes home looking fantastic.”

Uribe is a fan of being his own boss. He calls the shots, makes his own hours, determines his own pricing and gets to run his business to his specifications. Though the only barber at the shop, Uribe is running a thriving business that is busy throughout the day. “When you rent a chair, you have to deal with the way the owner likes his/her shop run. As an owner, you have all the say on daily operations.”

Uribe offers a wide variety of cuts, which includes fades, flat tops, regular cuts and custom cuts. “If you can think it up or show me a picture, I can do it,” he says proudly of his styling skills. In addition to cuts, he also uses the straight edge razor for beard lineups, neck and face shaves.

“I really enjoy my work,” Uribe says. He considers himself a classic barber with a modern touch; someone who puts in the extra effort to give his clients an experience that goes beyond the haircut that will need to be redone in a few weeks. “It’s great when a client comes with a terrible mess of hair and you can tell they’ve had a tough day. After I give them a nice haircut and maybe hear them out a little, they thank me and leave with a smile and more confidence. Sometimes a haircut is much more than just a haircut.”

Hillside Barber Shop is located at 363 Broad St in Cumberland. Hours of operation are Tues and Wed, 9am – 5pm; Thurs and Fri, 9am – 7pm; and Sat 8am – 4pm. Available for walk-ins and by appointment. You can reach the shop by calling 401.359.2797. Check them out on Facebook as well: facebook.com/pages/Hillside-Barber-Shop/151670974849154?sk=timeline Superb Cast Buoys Middletown

If the smash 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld” can be considered a show about nothing, then Middletown, by playwright Will Eno, is a show about everything.

Life, death, relationships, miracles, history, medicine, communication, pregnancy, books and a whole batch of subjects are pontificated upon by a group of quirky oddballs in Trinity Repertory Company’s production, which opened last week.

There is no conventional narrative, rather, a series of vignettes featuring a philosophical police officer (Joe Wilson, Jr.), an eccentric librarian (Janice Duclos), a neurotic plumber named John (Mauro Hantman), and the town’s newest resident, a sweet woman named Mary (Angela Brazil), whose husband is never around.

Fred Sullivan, Jr. plays multiple roles, including a tourist who is not overly impressed with Middletown, and in one clever bit, an audience member who comments on what has transpired during the first act. He also kicks off the play as the Public Speaker, who sets the stage for what’s to come.

John and Mary form a bond when he unclogs her kitchen sink. These two desperately lonely people express their fears and insecurities. “We all have our dark nights,” Mary explains.

Eno creates a colorful group of personalities who obsess over the mundane details of life as well as the scientific and metaphysical. Their dialogue is sometimes witty, sometimes poignant. For example, Mary has a conversation with a doctor (Sullivan) about the experience of being born. She is worried about what her newborn child will feel as he enters the world. The doctor reassures her that everything will be okay, yet Mary still has her doubts.

The second act of the play leads one character to death and another to a new phase in their life as they lay in adjoining hospital beds.

Director Curt Columbus draws stellar performances from his lead actors, as well as the ones in smaller roles; Trinity Rep has one of the strongest acting companies in the region. Sullivan, Wilson, Hantman, Brazil, and Duclos are able to create fully realized characters. Rebecca Gibel is charming as a perky tour guide. Rachael Warren is effective as the doctor who treats John.

“Life can be tough,” the police officer says. Indeed, it can. But it can also be filled with hope, with wonder, with love, and with friends and neighbors coming together to share joy. If you’re in the mood for some interesting theater, Middletown is worth a visit.

Middletown runs Jan 22 through Feb 22 in Trinity Rep’s Dowling Theater. Tickets and subscriptions are on sale now at trinityrep.com, by calling 401.351.4242 or at the theater’s box office at 201 Washington St., Providence.

Alt-Nation: A Benefit for Thea Shaheen

The Columbus Collective is putting on a benefit for Thea Shaheen who was screwed over by her insurance company. The tale goes that after waiting a year for her gender affirmation surgery and making three preparatory visits to San Francisco to work with a specialist, Blue Cross Blue Shield gave her two days notice that they were reversing their authorization of the surgery. She had bags packed, plane tickets for herself and family, hotels and had been counting down the days.

As awful as Blue Cross’ actions were, Thea never lost her cool. She just had a sad vacation trying to find out what happened and looking into legal options. Everyone told her the same thing: The insurance company wrote the small print and there is no legal recourse.

Yet the story has a happy ending. After the Daily Beast wrote an article about the debacle that began to make the rounds on the internet, Thea got a call from Blue Cross Blue Shield asking if they could initiate an appeal on her behalf. Blue Cross Blue Shield reviewed her case and agreed to cover the surgery after all as a “medical necessity.” This show has something for everyone. From the ghost folk/roots of The Low Anthem to the garage punk of Gym Shorts to the indie pop Pixels, this promises to be a great night of local music. The show also corresponds with Thea’s birthday and should be a great party. In addition the show will be a benefit to help recoup the money that was lost so she can make another trip to San Francisco in April to have the surgery.

The Low Anthem, Gymshorts, Pixels, and Pyramid will play a benefit for Thea Shaheen to get gender affirmation surgery on at the Columbus Theatre on Jan 29. Doors open at 7pm with the show starting at 8pm. Advance tickets are available online at benefitforthea.brownpapertickets.com for $20 advance.

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Collected Stories Is a Must-See Play

Donald Margulies’ Collected Stories, now playing at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, is a must-see play for many reasons: the writing, the acting, the set, and the fact that two strong women characters drive the show.

Lynne Collinson, as Ruth Steiner, is a professor of writing and a published short story writer. Her graduate student, Lisa Morrison, played by Gabby Sherba, is a budding and overly exuberant writer who knows all of Ruth’s work by heart, including her “uncollected works.”

The play spans six years of these women’s lives as they build a mentor/mentee relationship as Lisa becomes Ruth’s assistant, then a friendship as Lisa gets her first collection of stories published, and finally a mother/daughter relationship that violently unravels in a riveting last scene.

The acting is impeccable. Lynne Collinson wears the writer-turned-professor like a glove, balancing the tough love of teaching with her own need for companionship. She tells Lisa she is a professor so she can get away from herself, as writers can become hermits. Gabby Sherba, back to 2nd Story after a stint away from Rhode Island, has not only grown up, but plays a woman growing into herself in her 20s with perfection. In the final scene, she plays a woman who makes sense compared to the young woman who babbles her way into her first tutorial with her professor in the opening scene.

Mark Peckham’s direction is clear and poignant. Trevor Elliot beautifully designs the perfectly cluttered living room of a single woman writer who has lived in the same space for over 30 years.

There is much to be considered in this play. Who gets to tell whose story? When does the student become the teacher? How do our mentor/mentee relationships resemble those with our families? And who owns our stories? Or are they merely borrowed?

I took my mother to this show and we talked about the explosive ending (no spoiler alert from this critic) all the way home. We were not in agreement about who gets to tell whose story. Do we write what we know or is there a line a writer must never cross in telling someone else’s story? Maybe seeing Collected Stories will help you decide, or maybe it won’t.

Collected Stories runs Thurs through Sat at 7:30pm and Sun at 2:30pm through Feb 8 in the DownStage Theatre. For tickets call 401.247.4200 or visit 2ndstorytheatre.com.

Locale Profiles: Providence Coal-Fired Pizza — Pizza and Bowling Night Just Got a Lot More Exciting My husband and I recently took our boys to the Kingstown Bowl for a night of bowling, pizza and beer/lemonade. Culinary expectations were low, as the Kingstown Bowl’s pizza – though adequate – doesn’t really evoke excitement. As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw that Providence Coal-Fired Pizza just opened a sister restaurant in North Kingstown … next to Kingstown Bowl.

Like the Sirens singing their song, the smell of the wood-fired oven beckoned me to sample all the cheesy/hoppy goodness within. In anticipation of the meal to come, I couldn’t get through our bowling fast enough. That said, I didn’t sacrifice form and skill, achieving the highest score in our foursome, where I beat a 5-year-old too small to hold the ball, an 8-year-old, and a 41-year-old recovering from a broken arm. Damn, I’m good!

As we meandered across the parking lot, I noticed that the lot looked full, as did the valet service. Valet service in North Kingstown? How have I missed such a popular place? Hopefully we wouldn’t have to wait.

We got there early enough (5:30) that getting a table was not a problem. I can’t say the same for the enormous crowd waiting for our table when we left. As the hostess seated us, we walked past the bar, which looked like a lively, fun place for an after-work drink.

We immediately ordered our drinks and appetizers: sticky ribs and chicken wings. My boys loved the ribs, though my husband and I preferred the wings: sea salt and rosemary seasoned and covered in roasted onions. I’m not quite sure how the onions and wings went together as they had to be eaten separately. Who cares, really. Both tasted scrumptious.

The pizza arrived after about 20 minutes, making us extremely grateful we’d ordered appetizers. We’d chosen the meatball pizza, topped with ricotta and mozzarella cheese for the kids, and the sausage and broccoli rabe for us. My children aren’t picky eaters and love both meatballs and lasagna so I felt this was a safe choice. Wrong. They looked at that poor ricotta like it was a turd sitting atop their pizza. They refused to eat it and wouldn’t go near the broccoli rabe pizza. No surprise there. My husband and I, however, loved each of them and scarfed down both pies.

We ordered another pizza for the kids, this time opting for the safe choice: cheese. While waiting, my husband began to complain that smoke from the wood-fired oven was bothering his eyes. My kids got antsy and started fighting. Sigh. I ordered another beer.

Eventually the cheese pizza arrived, which my kids enjoyed immensely. We packed up the leftovers and headed on our way. As we left, I looked longingly at the bar and vowed to return with some friends who aren’t so high-maintenance.

Providence Coal-Fired Pizza’s North Kingstown location is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner at 6105 Post Rd, North Kingston. Make a reservation on the weekend, or be prepared to wait. providencecoalfiredpizza.com.

Interview with

Photo Credit: Harmony Gerber

When it comes to modern and these days, the consensus is that The Reverend Horton Heat is a pioneer in both styles since his ascension in the mid-’80s. The living legend will be performing in the ballroom at Fete on Jan 21, and we chatted about seeing in Dallas, being a sound guy for warehouse shows, the changes in the music industry and life as a musician in 2015.

Rob Duguay: I heard a story about an epiphany you had after seeing The Cramps in Dallas during the late 1970s that had a huge impact on you as a musician. For people who are not familiar with the story, what happened on that night in Dallas? Reverend Horton Heat: Well during the late ’70s in Dallas, punk rock was still kind of a fresh thing in ’79 and ’80 — it didn’t really get off the ground until ’77. I was hanging out with a friend of mine and he said, “Hey, I wanna go see The Cramps.” I said, “Okay.” I’ve never heard of them so I thought it was just a punk rock show and there were so many of those types of people there. It was at a club that normally had heavy metal bands and it was super wild because that’s what The Cramps do. Lux Interior was half naked and rolling around on broken glass and all sorts of crazy stuff. It was really wild and there were a lot of people there; the whole time I was thinking that it was ’50s music. They were playing “The Way I Walk” by Jack Scott, “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen, a lot of twangy Duane Eddy type guitar licks, except it was a little bit fuzz toned out and with all those types of songs and rockabilly stuff it just made me realize that rockabilly and the music that I was connected to would work in this new punk rock way. That kinda led me to realize that the ’50s rockabilly can be considered the earliest form of punk rock. A lot of it got rehashed, The Ramones did stuff like that. Then again a lot of rockabilly bands like The Blasters and The Rockats when they came through Dallas would play the punk rock club and we had a really good punk rock club called The Hot Klub. I asked my wife, Ivy, about that show because what happened that night was that the heavy metal guys did not like the punk rock people in their club. There was a giant rumble in the parking lot after that show between the heavy metal guys in their Camaros with guns and the punk rock kids who were waiting for their parents to come pick them up. It was a dangerous scene; the cops showed up and it was just crazy. The cops forced us to leave Dallas. They said, “You gotta leave town right now.” The cops followed everyone out to the Dallas city line and ran them out of town. RD: Now there’s this other story of people knowing you as “Jim the sound guy” where you would do sound for shows that took place at a warehouse in Dallas during the mid-’80s. While doing sound, what was the weirdest experience you’ve ever had with a band? Did you ever have to deal with any divas? Did you ever have to deal with anyone who was flat-out weird? RHH: One thing that I discovered back then was that sound men get yelled at a lot. If something doesn’t sound right they obviously will blame the sound guy even though the show is in a big, square brick and concrete warehouse. You could put the best PA system in there and it’s not going to sound good. I kinda learned to get yelled at a lot. I was always the last to leave those shows because I would be tearing down my PA and loading it into a trailer by myself. One night I finished loading out, I was kinda tired and I just sat myself down out in the alley and here come the skinheads. Twenty of them come marching down the alley and I was thinking that I was about to get my ass kicked, but they walked right by me and they left me alone. Late at night, weird stuff happens and I avoided getting my ass kicked and stuff. But I was into rockabilly and a lot of these clubs were into punk rock and there were these hippies and punk rockers who thought I was from outer space. RD: In those situations have you ever identified with being an outsider? RHH: By that point I was focused like a laser on all things rockabilly, surf guitar, hot rods and all that. I used to work at an art gallery where these hippies would hang out and I would think to myself, “Man, these people really think they know art,” when I actually thought that they were a bunch of idiots. My thing was that I pretty much tried to fit in with everybody, I like people. Sometimes it’s cool being the token rockabilly guy so I did pretty much fit in. RD: You alluded to this a bit earlier but people consider you a pioneer in modern rockabilly and psychobilly. You’ve also have never been afraid to put some sort of country tinge on your music. In American music there’s this folk revival happening in terms of popularity where you have musicians like Justin Townes Earle, Bobby Bare, Jr. and Ray LaMontagne drawing crowds and touring around all over the place. As a musician who kind of puts that spin on his music, what do you think of folk music becoming popular again? RHH: To be honest with you, I don’t know that much about it. My job is kind of the opposite of what a music writer does. A music writer is someone who has to stay on top of the new trends that come out and all of the new artists and stuff. My job is to completely ignore that, so I don’t really care. If some of those people come out and I like it, and there are a lot of new trends that come out when people do stuff, then I’ll think it’s okay. Jimmy Rogers and Woody Guthrie — that’s folk music to me. RD: That’s completely understandable with a schedule that must get pretty hectic for you from time to time. For the past 15 years or so, the Internet has become an accessible outlet for a lot of bands to get their music heard. Do you like the notion of the Internet becoming an open forum for music? RHH: It really is a double-edged sword because on one hand it’s freedom, and I’m all about that, with there being a really big push from politicians to censor the internet — especially Democrat politicians who have ties to Hollywood. Hollywood really wants to censor the Internet and I’m totally against that. At the same time, the music industry is part of that crowd that wants to control what’s on the internet because they’ve lost a lot of money due to piracy. I don’t like Internet piracy because it hurts my industry, but it also gives me creative freedom, so it’s a double-edged sword. I really see how it has hurt musicians a lot, but the good thing is that it’s hurt the big boys in Hollywood who act like they own the musicians as some sort of property. To see the big boys all of the sudden having to scramble around because their once unbelievably lucrative business in selling CDs is now not very good. It’s cool and I like that, but of course the musician is the one who has to take the fall in the end. For instance, I enjoyed getting royalties from the songs that I’ve written and I don’t like seeing those types of things go way down. It hurts to see old guys that I really respect and have made some of the greatest records in history and guys who I’ve know who’ve produced some of the biggest albums ever who are counting on that money see it just drop to zero. It’s heartbreaking. RD: Nearly a year ago today you put out your 11th studio album titled Rev. Do you plan on making another album in 2015 or do you plan on just doing a bunch of touring and maybe hitting the summer festival circuit? RHH: We’ve already started working a bit in the studio, but the next album is not going to come super quick because we’re still really on a roll promoting Rev. One thing that’s really interesting for us at least is like you said, we have 11 CDs out and once a band has that many CDs if you start releasing more in a short period of time it can really piss off your fans. It doesn’t make them happy, so I’ve found that whenever we release a new CD it takes like two years for the songs off that CD to start sinking in to the fans. Early in our career we surely would wait for two years in between albums, but now at two years after the release, a new album hits and people are just getting used to the one that you just did. It’s almost too much for them to handle, so we’re just going to take it easy, we got 11 CDs. It’s kind of hard to make all this music, write all these songs and there’s no way to really to fit it into our live set. People pay money to come see us play and they want to hear the songs that they love from our back catalog. It’s not really fair to them to just go out and say, “We don’t care what you want to hear, we’re going to play everything off our new album.” It’s really not fair to them, so then we’re in a situation where I’m writing all these songs and some of them may be great and some of them may not, but we can’t play some of these songs ever live. You don’t want to pile up too many albums in a row. Get your tickets to The Reverend Horton Heat’s Jan 21 show at Fete here: ticketweb.- com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=5392695&pl=fete