January Pin Up of the Month: Citizen Toxie

What’s your biggest pet peeve? People who express loud and extremely confident points of view while being completely uninformed. Loud and wrong is not a good look on anyone.

What do you never leave home without? Breath mints. Fresh breath, even while playing roller derby – it’s the right thing to do as a team player. Plus, I like to be minty fresh.

Favorite book? I read constantly. I generally get obsessed with whatever I’m reading while I’m reading it. I’m easily amused.

Favorite movie? I have a list of 20 favorite movies. Top 3: The Empire Strikes Back, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner. I feel like I’m cheating on 17 other movies by picking 3!

Favorite TV show? It will always be “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. Always. Years pass and there are so many shows that I love, but #1 will always be BTVS.

Best derby wound story? During one bout, I let down my guard for just a moment (never a good idea!). A skater came out of nowhere and hit me so hard that we both flew into the air. I landed on the asphalt track at the same time she landed on top of me. Of course, I went back in and played the rest of the bout. It takes more than a completely and permanently dented butt cheek to keep any of us off the track (three years later and the dent remains). For several days after the adrenaline faded, there was limping and a bruise that was bigger than the sun.

Tell us a secret! I believe that when choosing a relationship there are two things that matter: 1) You should choose a person who makes you laugh. 2) You should to choose the person whose annoying habits you can stand the most. The secret is that I’m a true romantic.

Grey Sail SetsSale

Unless you live under a rock, or don’t drink good , or don’t care about local business news, you’ll be surprised to know there’s a new in town!

Grey Sail, not to be confused with Grace or Graze Hail, is the new microbrewery on the scene inRhode Island. Whispers have been echoing for months in the craft beer world, and the buzz is surprisingly strong. Run by husband-and-wife team Jennifer Brinton and Sir Not-Appearing-In-This- Article-By-Request, this little brewery is a story of passion and really amazingly good luck. Grey Sail might have slipped under the radar and opened with a whimper instead of a bang had fortune not smiled upon them… a lot. Enough to make aspiring brewers insanely jealous… like ME! With a background in homebrewing, and industrial engineering, the pair had a good foundation to put together their fermenting dreams. However, as most passions do, this one sat on the shelf for many a year while things like jobs, children, and you know, real life got in the way.

When they finally decided enough was enough and it was time to seriously get to work on that life-long dream, they dusted off that old business plan, and started getting to work. One of the first hurdles was finding a location, which they have Hurricane Irene to thank.

The old Napa Auto Parts/Post Office/Macaroni Factory onCanal StreetinWesterlywas going unused after the flooding. Not only a historic building, which originally produced pasta, then progressed to passing postage and finally proceeded to peddlePontiacparts, but also a building the town ofWesterlywas eager to get sold. Though it sat abandoned since the floodwaters receded, and the vast majority of the building needed some work, the obstacles were fairly minor. The Town ofWesterlywas tripping over itself to get new occupants, slashing red tape like a cat after you’ve hung up new drapes. With the help of years of friends and industry contacts who could do the much-needed renovation, the process of purchasing, renovating, and refitting the building went by quickly and, for the most part, smoothly.

Next came the equipment, which was designed and built by the Grey Sail team with the kind of impressive forethought, planning, and attention to detail that only people with real passion can attain. Despite a few minor glitches, which are always predicted and manageable, everything was up and ready to go in a matter of months.

Yes, months. Ask anyone who has, or is trying, to open a brewery, macro, micro, or nano if they think they can get it done in less than a year and you’ll get the kind of look most accountants give you when you ask them if they’re busy around April.

Arguably one of the hardest steps in setting up a microbrewery is finding a distributor. Those unfamiliar with the three-tier system, I shall briefly explain:

The makers of beer are the first tier, the suppliers.

The distributors are the second tier, who buy the beer, ship it, and deliver it to stores and bars for a piece of the action.

Then on the bottom tier — where I usually am — are the stores and bars that sell the beer. This is, by law, how beer, , and must be sold in theUnited States.

The legal paperwork alone can send some dedicated brewers howling into the night in fits of absolute madness, let alone spending the time shopping around to find a distributor that is A. looking to carry a new brand, B. willing to take a chance on a new company, and C. will do so for a reasonable cost and with a minimum of hassle. That’s the abbreviated list.

If I’ve just crushed your dreams of opening a microbrewery, fear not, for there is a White Knight in this story. Grey Sail hadn’t even begun making beer yet when a good friend of mine, and to all craft beer drinkers everywhere in RI, stepped in. Chuck Borkoski, who heads Elevated Spirits, a division of Mclaughlin and Moran, heard the same whispers as the rest of us and decided to make contact. One meeting was all it took. Despite not having any beer to sell, or even sample, and no certainty of when the facility would be even cooking, agreements were made, papers were signed, and promotional merch was ordered. Knowing Chuck myself, and having even interviewed him for this very magazine, I’m not surprised in the least. So, after all that, what is their beer like?

Grey Sail Flagship Ale

While it’s supposedly modeled after a cream ale, this beer puts me in mind more of an English Bitter. It’s a nice, light session beer that isn’t afraid to give you a toasty, hoppy flavor. There’s nothing creamy about it, if you’re worried it might be too heavy, but if you’d like a pint of something with a bit of English on it, this is the brew for you.

Grey Sail Tilted Chimney

Their winter seasonal is a smoked porter, named for the crooked chimney in the middle of their building. Hey, when you’ve got a famous landmark for a headquarters, you might as well roll with it. But how is it? The smoked porter is a roasty, toasty, slightly bitter little malty brew that belongs in a glass by a fireplace. It’ll be available in most places in 22oz bottles.

Cheers!

Give Me Liberty…or Give me Fresh Squeased

In a world where sandwiches are held together with drink umbrellas and OJ flows straight from the fruit to the glass, bacon-heads and health freaks alike can live and dine together in harmony.

Liberty Elm Diner’s brunch-utopia pulls in more regulars than Sunday mass. What it exactly keeps people coming back is debatable . . . the warm welcoming service . . . the locally grown ingredients you ask? Do patrons come for the feel of a renovated 1936 dining car, or to shoot the breeze with the tattoo- covered bus boys? Whatever it may be, one thing is certain — once you try one of the Liberty’s fresh- squeezed juices, you’ll find yourself spending more time on Elmwood Ave in Providence.

After my recent visit to the Liberty Elm, I can personally verify this fact (not opinion). I sat down with Diane, AKA Tink,Liberty’s counter queen and sweetheart on a Wednesday afternoon to get the dish on the Omega — the machine behind the legendary juice menu.

“I’ve got a twist for you,” Tink began between sips of coffee, “our Omega is broken.”

My heart began to sink but was rehabilitated with a hopeful, “But…” preceded by a heavy gulp of coffee.

The machine was recently and generously replaced by a pair of concerned regulars. After catching wind that the Omega faltered, they donated a Jack LaLanne to the diner. If the name seems familiar, you probably spend time on the QVC channel. The act of charity was brought about by both love and addiction. Kinda the way a hooked drug user might do favors for their dealer. And their habits are well fed with options such as cranberry-apple-pineapple, carrot-apple-beet with parsley, liquadas and lemon- lime juice ranging from only $1.50 to $5.

The moment had finally arrived—it was time to see what all the talk was really about. Overwhelmed by options, I settled with a recommendation from the staff, their most popular, “the combo.” The mix of beets, carrots, an apple and ginger, invented by owner Carol (AKA Kip), is “the prettiest,” according to Tink.

“And, it’s so good for you” chimed in a voice from the kitchen. As she casually tossed a whole apple into the juicer, I got the low-down.

“The staff favorite right now is apple ginger,” Tink said. “And by staff, I mean myself.”

When my juice was done, it was more than apparent why it was considered the prettiest. The hypnotic swirls of pink and deep orange appropriately enough formed to the shape of a heart at the top of the glass — made with love, of course. It was the deliciousness of a chocolate cake with the healthiness of a bowl of steamed brussel sprouts. I felt the way Popeye might after gulping down a can of spinach.

Tink graciously transferred my drink into a biodegradable plastic cup for the ride home.

I can confidently say that I’ll be back for more, especially after seeing entrée after entrée ready in the kitchen window.

‘Writing’ Exciting at Brown U

Now in its third year, the Writing is Live Festival at Brown University is an exciting opportunity to see a number of works in progress. Most importantly, the Festival will be the only time all of Brown’s graduate students come together on a shared project, featuring six plays by writers in Brown’s graduate and undergraduate theater programs. The Festival fosters the development and evolution of these artists and their works, focusing on collaboration and the meaning of text in performance.

One new play reading will be Liquorland, written and directed by Laura Colella, who says she applied to Brown so she could “shake up” her approach to writing while being exposed to new ideas and influences. “This has certainly come to pass, and another rewarding facet of the program has been the ability to workshop material with actors from the Brown/Trinity consortium, and on occasion, from the ART Institute in Cambridge.”

“Writing Is Live has given me the chance to workshop my play with 10 actors almost daily for a couple of weeks, which is very luxurious,” Colella says. “Working in film, I’m used to rushing. I’ve also always written and directed my films, and have carried that over into play-writing directing. It’s interesting to see how the roles feel a little different in a theatrical context.”

Colella’s Liquorland is an adaptation of a screenplay that she adapted from a book, The Republic of Wine by Mo Yan. “It’s pretty wild, funny and edgy, and reflects on certain anxieties of our time with a sort of warped mirror. It’s about exquisite , damaged heroes, and the decline of western civilization.”

A playwright who will be seeing her play receive a workshop production at the Festival is Margaret Namulyanga, who is from Uganda.

“Coming to Brown andAmericamade me excited about my academic pursuits and nervous at the same time. I was nervous about how I was going to cope in a new environment,” she says, adding that writing at Brown helped her to “break out of my African shell, made me more open minded and enthusiastic about my career as a writer as well as the affairs of the world.”

“The MFA program has offered me a great opportunity to find my voice while I explore and question my position in the world,” Namulyanga says. Of the Festival, she says, “This festival is not only a supportive environment for me as a writer, it’s a window that helps me see what the theater world outside school will be like, while giving me an opportunity to showcase my potential at the same time.” Her play, He Is Here He Says I Say, was born out of a short poem she wrote during her first year in America. It is, she says, “a response to the inner and subtle consciousness women have about gender- based violence.” She considers it a play that tackles a global problem, violence against women, using local experiences.

“The play’s overriding message is express yourself,” she says. Much of this message is based on what she has seen in her native culture, where women are not often able to speak up, to express themselves. “Words have a disarming power, I believe and I think that is why freedom of speech for women is not entirely granted in some cultures.”

Writing is Live, runs Feb 3-12 at Brown

Quest for the Holy Hoptimum

All right, I’ve got it. It took some time, effort, and a lot of hard work, but I finally managed to get five damn minutes to sit down and have a beer. Oh, and it’s the Sierra Nevada Hoptimum.

This brew has taken off just about everywhere I’ve seen it, and I know that because I haven’t been able to find it. I used to have a manager like that, who apparently had that quantum physics thing going on where as soon as you spotted him, he was already somewhere else. Finding the Hoptimum was a challenge all in itself, since scouring liquor stores and bars is not exactly a recreational activity. But, at last, I’ve found the elusive brew.

I’ve heard the hype, but as a rule I never trust the hype, which is why I’ve determinedly never read Harry Potter or had a twitter account. But since I had to try this for myself, the Hoptimum being a hoppy brew right up my alley, and it’s my job, I fought for my bottle.

And yes, it lives up to the hype. Oh, good beer gods, does it live up to the hype. It’s got a fantastic hoppiness matched by the perfectly balanced body. The blend of hops isn’t just the usual slightly dry citrusy/piney blend, this is… well, to be frank, it’s unique.

I’m tempted to compare it to that unattainable Pliny the Elder, but without comparing the two side by side, it’s not a fair comparison.

The Hoptimum is a crisp, bright brew with a wonderful, lingering, tangy, hoppy aftertaste. Each sip has just enough sweetness to match the big brutal hops, which once you get over the initial hop blast, you realize it’s like a blast of nice cold water on a hot, humid summer day, it’s almost like a relief, especially if you haven’t had a good IPA in a long time.

This may be one of the finest IPA’s I’ve ever tasted. It’s definitely in the top five. Again, I’m going to need the top five side by side to really fairly compare them. But yes, it’s that goddamn good! If you’re a hop head, or a fan of good beer in general, you had better start fighting for your pint or four-pack now. Oh, and don’t be greedy, take only your fair share and let others enjoy this great beer blessing. If I could make an IPA like this, I’d probably never leave the house.

Domestic Disorderly

I hope you don’t mind me going off on a bit of a tangent, but we have to stop calling them ‘Domestic’ .

First of all, the term is misleading. It’s like saying your cheeseburger is a domestic meal. Second, there are more craft beers produced in this country than ever before, and the term ‘Domestic Beer’ applies to them, unless it’s dollar pint night in which case ‘Domestic’ I think takes on the same meaning as a domesticated dog.

But therein lies the confusion. Even Samuel Adams made this distinction in a commercial some years ago pointing out that it had more flavor than a typical domestic beer, than immediately pointing out it IS a domestic beer.

And the blokes at Boston Beer are not alone. Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head, Harpoon, Magic Hat, these are all completely American beers produced in this country, owned by Americans and made by American brewmasters using their own recipes that create American jobs and absolutely cannot be outsourced.

Budweiser’s never been truly American, and currently it’s owned by a European Company. So even calling Budweiser a Domestic Beer is stretching the term a little. Does that mean Budweiser is an Import?Sierra Nevadais Domestic.

Again, the fault lies in the term. Sure, it was okay when the world was divided into the cheap stuff made here, and the expensive stuff made there, but things have changed so much in the industry that the terms have become meaningless. There are imported beers that are so cheap you could blow your entire beer budget on a couple of cases and still have food money for the rest of the week.

So it is my opinion that we need to retire this outdated phrasing in favor of something more accurate. I’ve been brainstorming quite a bit on this point and I’ve come up with some possibilities.

‘Familiar’ and ‘Exotic’ – The only problem with this is that ‘familiar’ is a very subjective term and I don’t think bar owners will be getting people to line up for ‘familiar’ dollar pint nights. ‘Corporate’ and ‘Craft’ – Corporate draft night doesn’t sound any better, as corporate has a stigma associated with the name, and Craft Night might attract the Goth crowd accidentally.

‘Quantity’ and ‘Quality’ – This one is more accurate, and to be honest, really addresses the direct purpose of each category. One you drink to get drunk, the other you drink to enjoy. It’s unambiguous and direct. Plus each has a ‘Q’ and ‘Q’ is an awesome letter, just ask anyone in the middle of a Scrabble game.

‘’ and ‘’ – I’m not even going to go into this one, because it’s stupid and ignorant.

‘Average’ and ‘Above’ – I suppose this opens for a theoretical ‘Below’ category, but I don’t think big corporate would be all that enthused about calling their brews ‘Average’ after the billion dollar marketing campaigns.

I thought long and hard about this, but I think I’ve finally come to something that might work.

‘Common’ and ‘Specialty’ – Let’s face it, the big 3 (or, rather, the big 2,) are always going to be around, in great quantity, no matter what. And ‘common’ doesn’t mean anything bad. It’s the beer for the ‘common man’ as a politician might say. Then, there’s the specialty category that denotes a beer that had more thought and effort put into it than your typical ‘lite’ beer.

So I move that from this day forward, throughout the land, spreading near and far, we shall no longer use the archaic terms ‘Domestic’ and ‘Import.’ From now on, it’s ‘Common Draft Dollar Pint Nights,’ and ‘Specialty Beer Specials!’ For I, the Beer Nerd has decreed it, it must be so. Bar and pub owners, let’s move with the times and embrace the future of beer together!

Wine Making in the New Year

New Year’s resolution: Stop whining; make wine. At least, it is if you’re Emanuella Petrucci, owner and founder of Women Wine Making. Petrucci , who grew up on the west coast of Italy on top of a little mountain, started making wine in 2011 to honor her father and her heritage. “I grew up around the wine … but when you are a kid, you’re not very interested. As you get older, you want to keep the culture and pass the traditions down. I’m at a place in my life where that’s what I wanted to do.”

When her first attempt was successful, she knew she was on to something. “I didn’t realize that [the wine] would be so good that everyone would want it and was asking for a bottle . Or wanting to purchase a bottle that I just couldn’t give out. I was trying to save some because it came out so delicious,” she laughs.

“As I was doing it I was thinking, ‘This is so easy. Why can’t more women do this?’” Petrucci says. So she made it her mission to teach her art. She started her first class in October 2012 with four women. “It is a six-week program, [but] it skips around due to the process of wine making.” Her class is designed to be taught in the home, where several individuals or couples can gather for each session, or at the Learning Connection in Providence. For $300 per person or couple, Petrucci provides instruction, six gallons of juice, and a set of equipment. “So it’s a small investment, but a great investment,” she says. She uses a Sangiovese grape from the Tuscany region of Italy to produce a light-bodied Chianti table wine with flavors of blackberries, cherries, and robust spice. “I love the Sangiovese – that’s why I stick to it – it makes a fabulous wine. It’s really well-known in Italy and a lot of people here in the U.S. are familiar with it as well.” Using the juice, which many vineyards will now distribute, instead of the grape avoids the mess and difficulty of grape crushing, greatly simplifying the process. At the end of the class, each student will have 22 to 23 bottles of his or her own vintage.

For Petrucci, though, it’s clearly about more than just the final product. As she talks about each step, from the juice to the racking – the final step of bottling – her passion and dedication to the experience and culture of wine making comes through with easy confidence. As for the wine itself? “It has great character and, of course, it was made with love,” smiles Petrucci.

For more information on hosting your own wine-making classes and other wine-related events, check out www.womenwinemaking.com. Discounts are available for groups of three or more.

Winter Dance Preview

With the season’s first snowstorm behind us and the mercury dropping to bone-chilling levels, RI’s winter dance offerings are ready to heat things up. From local productions to several touring troupes, things could get hot around here long before the spring thaw.

Festival Ballet Providence (FBP), the capital city’s resident professional ballet company, will get things started with Boyko Dossev’s newest creation for kids: Little Red Riding Hood. Last season, his world premiere of Mother Goose Goes to Hollywood played to sold-out audiences in the company’s intimate Black Box Theatre; his latest debut promises to be equally as popular.

The show will run from February 2 – 10 as part of FBP’s ChatterBOXtheatre dance series. After the performances, children are invited to stay for milk and cookies and pose for pictures with the dancers.

When not performing with Boston Ballet, Dossev spends much of his time in Providence lending his extensive talents to FBP. In addition to creating children’s ballets, he also choreographs for the company’s wildly successful Up Close On Hope (UCOH), a collection of short, unrelated dance pieces – many of them world premieres – also presented in the Black Box Theatre.

Billed as “dance so close you can touch it,” UCOH features work from local artists and world renowned choreographers. It is a rare opportunity to see dance from a behind-the-scenes perspective. The latest installment will run from March 29 – April 13. During intermission, enjoy complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants.

In between Little Red Riding Hood and UCOH, FBP will present Agon and Orchis at The Vets (March 8 – 10). Considered by many as one of Balanchine and Stravinsky’s greatest creations, Agon represents the perfect blending of abstract and neoclassical ballet, which aligns perfectly with Viktor Plotnikov’s Orchis, a stunning collaboration with composer Sonya Belousova, glass artist Toots Zynsky, and photographer Cemal Ekin.

For tickets or more information about FBP, visit www.festivalballet.com. For tickets to Agon and Orchis, visit www.vmari.com.

Other local productions include Fusionworks Te Deum with the R.I. Civic Chorale & Orchestra (March 16). For tickets or more information, visit www.fusionworksdance.org. Also, relative newcomers to the local dance scene, Providence Ballet Theatre will present Hansel and Gretel (March 15 & 16). For tickets or more information, visit www.providenceballet.org.

Make sure to save some time for The State Ballet of Rhode Island’s (SBRI) Project Ballet Coffee Hour. SBRI Artistic Director and “First Lady of Rhode Island Ballet,” Herci Marsden, invites all to share in the experiences that bring a performance from a rehearsal studio to the stage. Featuring music, dancing, and chats, this free event includes cheese, crackers, desserts, and, of course, coffee. Seating is limited; for more information visit www.stateballet.com.

Several touring productions will also step off in Providence during the winter months. On February 5, PPAC will host Shen Yun, a celebration of Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance. This impressive production features nearly 100 artists and 400 costumes. Lord of the Dance returns once again to PPAC (February 16). Always a crowd pleaser, Dance is an electrifying blend of traditional and modern Celtic music and dance. On March 16, Firstworks is proud to present Joffrey Ballet: Rite of Spring. Set to Nijinsky’s original choreography, this production celebrates the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky’s masterpiece: The Rite of Spring. For tickets or more information regarding these performances, visit www.ppacri.org.

Back at The Vets, The State Ballet Theatre of Russia will be in town for two performances of Cinderella (February 10). Featuring 65 distinguished dancers, this company showcases the unparalleled art of Russian ballet to countries throughout the world. For tickets or more information, visit www.vmari.com.

Finally, Rhode Island College, as part of its acclaimed Performing Arts Series, will welcome The Trisha Brown Dance Company to Roberts Hall on March 6. Inspired by her own experiences in opera, Ms. Brown directs her dancers in a fluid yet unpredictably geometric style that remains the hallmark of her choreography. For tickets or more information, visit www.ric.edu/pfa/pas.php.

The New Year Brings New Music White Dynomite make a big impression visually on their debut self-titled CD before one even pops the biscuit in. Between the retro-styled cover, which comes off as a cross between Sticky Fingers and maybe a random 70s AC/DC, and the insert CD photo of the band members in white suits, combined with calling the band, album, and two songs White Dynomite, a mythical kind of aura is created. White Dynomite jump out of the gate at you with the first version of “White Dynomite.” The song acts like a wrestler’s theme music in terms of being there to psyche up the listener with the refrain “Are you ready? Are you ready? Let’s go! White Dynomite!” This type of gimmick usually fails, just not here. White Dynomite attack, armed with a heavy 70s punk artillery that harkens back to groups like the Stooges, New Bomb Turks, and the Dead Boys. “Cuz I Said So” has a molten “Raw Power” tempo, but the added guitar riff puts a different spin on it that keeps it unique. “Don’t Tell Me (That I Need a Doctor)” is more infectious than the super flu that vocalist Dave Unger sings about catching. “Black Light Woman” is a sexy jam that comes off as a Doors tune played by the Stooges. “High When I Die” is a straight up Black Flag style thrash if they sang about such things. “Go Fast, Be Violent” has a dirty 60s garage feel, but one gets the feeling that the adjoining house was condemned. “Watery Grave” is ethereal as White Dynomite get as far as having a detox punk ballad. White Dynomite will rattle your bones, but mostly they just make you want to rock out and jump around.

White Dynomite are coming down from Massachusetts for what promises to be a hell of a show with M.O.T.O and the Midnight Creeps. Usually, I write a paragraph alone on M.O.T.O. because their front man/guitarist/mastermind, Paul Caporino, is pretty much a genius when it comes to writing catchy two- minute punk rock anthems. This is THE punk show for January for people who like that stuff and demand quality tunes.

M.O.T.O., Midnight Creeps, and White Dynomite, and the Jethro Tides Band will be at Firehouse 13 on January 19th.

Nymphidels – A Band in Places

Nymphidels keeps things basic as far as being a two piece with Jess Moroney on vox/guitar and Pat Flanagan on drums. They did go a little unconventional in terms of packaging their debut EP, A Band in Places, by eschewing the traditional CD release and putting it out on a wristband package that contains a USB flash drive that has the tunes and a lighter for that extra spark. The five-song A Band in Places kicks off with “Nauseous,” which has the Nymphidels sounding like a two-piece jam band based on the funk guitar riff. Given the tendency of jam bands to have seven or eight members, depending upon if a member of the audience wants to come up and play backup bongos, the stripped down presentation combined with the song being under five minutes here works in the Nymphidels’ favor. “Womb” is a catchy ditty that reminds me of early Juliana Hatfield with a refrain about returning to one’s mother’s womb after having a bad day. “Wake Up” is reminiscent of a lo-fi 90s pop rocker in the vein of a Velocity Girl or a Small Factory. I think “Running Out” is why a cigarette lighter was included in the package, being that it is a jangling power ballad, albeit more indie rock than Cinderella. The hook laden “No Turning Back” is a winner, closing out the EP with a bang. Nymphidels had the misfortune of timing their EP release show on the same evening that a snowstorm shut down most of New England. To their credit, on a night when most things were cancelled, they trudged on to the show despite even getting into a car accident on the way there to play for the brave few able to make it through the storm. This qualifies them as warriors in my book. There was talk that was unconfirmed at press time about restaging the show at The Apartment on a Thursday toward the end of January, but they’ll definitely be at Firehouse 13 in February, so check them out.

Nymphidels, Fall & Bounce, and SexCoffee will be at Firehouse 13 on February 7th.

A Celebration of Dru Greer

The Providence music community lost one of their own in the passing of Dru Greer around Christmas time this year. I did not have the opportunity to know Dru, but even in never meeting him, he affected me. I received a friend request from him on Facebook about a year ago, and he had all these extraordinary photographs of these places he’d explored, like a closed underground bowling alley and deserted jewelry mills that I’d marvel at. Dru also meant a lot to the local music community as one can tell from the lineup that has been assembled to pay tribute to his life. Viking Jesus will be there with their kind of trip-hop meets the Beatles melodies sound. King Sickabilly and his recently reassembled Sasquatch and The Sick-A-Billys will provide the psychobilly thump. Jay Berndt & The Orphans, who are one of the best new bands in town, specialize in churning out a mix of country and rock ‘n’ roll. Consuelo’s Revenge is another exciting new band that has a little more of a blues meets Tom Waits feel. There also will be acoustic performances by Jon Tierney, Josh Willis, and many more. It is sad that such a momentous show had to come together for the passing of someone so young, with a young daughter. I’m sure Dru’s spirit will be alive and smiling in the room watching his friends rock the house in his honor. Rest in peace, Dru.

A celebration of Dru Greer, featuring performances by Viking Jesus, Sasquatch and The Sick-A-Billys, Jay Berndt & The Orphans, Consuelo’s Revenge, Jon Tierney, Josh Willis, Daniel Chase, and Juxo and Benny will take place at the Spot Underground (now located above ground on Richmond St.) on January 11th.

Northern Lands

Northern Lands are another rising local band that has really emerged in the last year or so. As far as style, think straight up rock ‘n’ roll in the tradition of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Cracker, and even Springsteen and The E Street Band. Northern Lands write catchy songs and stamp their own touch when they occasionally throw in a cover or two. Northern Lands have been working on their debut for a number of months now and hopefully, that will be dropping soon. The Tower and The Fool is also no slouch here, making this essentially a double headliner bill.

Northern Lands, Tower and The Fool, Cactus Attack, and Ask the Dead are at The Met Café on January 11th.

Hard Nips

I don’t know what it is, but the music scene is just going off on January 11th. I’m going to start trying to clone myself to hit all these shows and suggest you do the same. Brooklyn’s Hard Nips will be making their third appearance in town in the last six months and have built up a sizeable following in the process. The first time I saw them at AS220, they struck me as pop-punk in the vein of a Shonen Knife. They are, after all, made up of three females of Asian descent and one male. Then last time I caught them at Dusk, they reminded me more of an 80s new wave band, which I guess isn’t that far of a leap. It was just almost over-the-top 80s. Check them out at Local 121 and draw your own conclusions on the Hard Nips. Vudu Sister as an opener is an added incentive to get down to the Speakeasy on a night when almost everyone is playing around town.

Hard Nips, Vudu Sister, and Hardbodies return to rock Local 121 on January 11th.

The Toasters

Ska legends The Toasters are back for the third winter and a row to heat things up. The Toasters are going on an astounding 32 years as an active band, and I’ve never heard any complaints. I interviewed the lone original member, singer/guitarist Robert “Bucket” Hingley a couple of years ago and could sense that the reason he still does it is that he truly loves performing for his fans. Music fads will come and go. Ska’s popularity will wax and wane, but bands that know how to do things right, like The Toasters, will always be worth coming out for.

The Toasters, Mrs. Skannotto, The Copacetics, and Short Handed Goal skank it up at The Met Café on January 18th.

The Lost Electricity Acoustic Tour

There used to be this joke about punk rockers who start playing rockabilly or country being in the punk retirement program. Lately, with the success of things like the Revival Tour, which came to town last year, it seems like it has shifted to front men of punk bands playing solo acoustic. Stripping away the fuzz and feedback and presenting those anthems with just an acoustic guitar really casts tunes in a new light without compromising their power. The Lost Electricity Tour is headlined by New York’s Turbo A.C.s, who are great as a punk band with double guitar fighting leads. I’m curious to see how it translates into a band playing all acoustic. Also on the bill is former Darkbuster front man Lenny Lashley who has been doing the solo acoustic format for years, including playing last year’s Revival Tour at Fete. Chris Rosenquest from The Tower and The Fool is also on the bill to add some local flavor.

The Lost Electricity Acoustic Tour, featuring Turbo A.C.s, Lenny Lashley, Brian McGee, and Chris Rosenquest, touches down at Local 121 on January 19th.

Hot Water Music

Just when people start to get on the above mentioned stripped down acoustic bandwagon, Revival Tour founder and Hot Water Music singer/guitarist, , jumps off of it. Last year, Hot Water Music released their first album of new material in eight years, (), which is a throwback to the classic blistering guitars and thundering rhythm patterns of their classic material. Hot Water Music shows at the old Living Room were legendary, with the highlight being one in the middle of a blizzard – a couple of hundred people still came out. Their anthem styled songs and loud guitars resonate long after they leave town. Hot Water Music is definitely a show not to miss, because you’ll feel left out when everyone is talking about it for weeks afterward. Hot Water Music, La Dispute, and The Menzingers bring the thunder to The Met Café on January 23rd.

Ants in the Cellar

Ants in the Cellar continue on the comeback trail. It was probably over 20 years ago that I last saw Ants in the Cellar as the band went on a hiatus. They are back with some new tunes available online at www.reverbnation.com/antsinthecellar. Ants in the Cellar are straight up goodtime barroom rock ‘n’ roll. Their new tunes “Rearview” and “Awakening” sound autobiographical as far as the band’s journey to the present. I guess in a radio format, Ants in the Cellar would be categorized as alternative, but it is really all just rock ‘n’ roll as the band could play any type of venue. Check them out at The Apartment!

Ants in the Cellar will be rocking The Apartment on January 26th.

Chanteuse Mardi Gras Ball

It is almost that time of year again – the second anniversary of Chanteuse. Chanteuse is the brain child of Jess Powers that over the past two years aimed to “not only feature female vocalists, but also facilitate collaborations between vocalists through duets and group songs as well as broaden the fan base for artists.” Over the course of 10 performances, Chanteuse has included at least 28 vocalists and at least that many musicians. The goal for any artist when it comes to anniversary shows is to outdo the last one. Given the season, Powers has decided the second anniversary show is going to be a Mardi Gras Ball (complete with beads, masks, and drunken debauchery – costumes encouraged!). Powers pulled together an all-star eight-piece band of musicians for a New Orleans jazz band that she is co-musical directing with Eric Bloom: keys, trumpet, trombone, upright bass, sax, keys, drums, and sousaphone (musicians and vocalists listed below). Powers elaborates, “I’ve invited five to six lead vocalists. We will be selecting New Orleans style music and there will be solos, duets, trios, and group numbers. I’m also discussing the possibilities for choreographed dance numbers during one or two songs with Kristen Minsky, producer of the popular vintage production called Chifferobe. I will also be inviting all vocalists who have participated in Chanteuse over the past two years to join us on one or two group songs. It is a very broad musical collaboration on a scale I’ve never attempted, nor the likes of which has the local music scene ever witnessed!”

A partial list of scheduled performers as far as the band includes Eric Bloom (trumpet, co-musical director), JHony Keys (piano), Alex Chapman (drums), Justin Breault (saxophone), Cory Pesaturo (accordion), Tyler James Kelly (guitar), and JP Beausoleil (sousaphone). A partial list of the vocalists scheduled to perform includes Jess Powers, Sara Azriel, Caroline Hecht, Miss Wensday,

Ana Mallozzi, and Kristen Minsky. Additional guests will be added.

Chanteuse Mardi Gras Ball will take place at Fete on February 9th. The doors are at 8 pm with the production running from 8 pm to 11:30 pm. Admission is a very worth it $10. Updated details available at www.fetemusic.com.

Odds & Sods:

The Met Café has an evening of fast and furious pop-punk on January 10th with This Is A Movement, The Down and Outs, Meds, and Hell Sea. Smith & Weeden are one of my favorite emerging bands around town as dirty country meets early 70s Stones, and they’ll be at The Met Café on January 12th with The Mighty Good Boys, Little Compton Band, and Dylan Sevey and The Gentlemen. Yellowcard, Young Bloods, and Trophy Wives hit the big stage at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on January 13th. The What Cheer? Brigade bring the party like no marching band and inevitably, it will end somewhere outside down the street, but for a starting point, go to AS220 on January 16th. Alt-popsters For the Love of Sloane hit Fete with Fall and Bounce and Alec K. Redfearn on January 17th. Martin Sexton hits Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on January 19th with Alternate Routes. Bloodpheasant, Tyler Bean, The Tower and The Fool, and Alpha Owl are at AS220 on January 19th. Consuelo’s Revenge, Kevin Williams and The Invisible Orphans, and Shotgun are at Fete on January 24th. Citizen Cope is at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on January 25th. RIBS, Echo & Drake, and Satellites Fall, and Echoes of Petra are at The Met Café on January 30th. Fungus Amungus headlines a night of jam band rock at The Spot Underground on February 1st. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals is at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on February 8th.

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Over the “Edge”

Now that the holiday season is over, we can safely put aside the family fare and turn from heartwarming messages of hope to emotional destruction and collapse. Not that Epic Theatre Company was ever going to follow seasonal trends: last month’s RI Premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s dark and twisted Passion Play, as well as the overly disturbing yet wildly humorous Mr. Marmalade, proved that Epic is far more interested in challenging our hearts than warming them. They continue their streak of premieres by bringing Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Adam Rapp’s acclaimed and controversial The Edge of Our Bodies to its studio space at Hope Artiste Village from January 11th through the 19th.

Edge is a one-woman show, but inhabits a world of experience and characters through the eyes of its 16-year-old protagonist, Bernadette, a New England prep school student trapped in a morass of teen pregnancy, exploitation, horrifying encounters, and a burning desire to make her voice heard in a vacuum of attention and affection. In the tradition of films like Kids, and the reality series 16 and Pregnant, Edge challenges parents and peers alike to look closely at the young women near them and wonder what they may actually be going through in their seemingly perfect adolescence.

We find Bernadette narrating from her journal in what may or may not be creative license on her part, but if even half of the stories she relates are true, then this is a young woman in need of help, love, and a large amount of intensive therapy. Director Cassie Alley describes Bernadette as a “16-year-old who has experienced more than most 30-year-olds.” Or has she? The setting of Edge is the set of a school production of Jean Genet’s Absurdist chestnut, The Maids. Why a high school would be presenting a piece of this kind is never explored, but we’re left to decide for ourselves if the darkly destructive urges that inhabit Genet’s play affect Bernadette or were tailor made for her budding sensibilities. Alley’s intent is to focus actress Allison Crews on leading the audience through a rollercoaster of lies and truth. “We should never be quite sure if she’s lying or not … she’s a compulsive liar … but she’s forced into this situation by her parents at a boarding school where she’s living alone and not ready to grow up.” Alley feels that many of today’s teenagers are in similar straits. Oversexualized, overstimulated, and burdened with too much independence, it’s shocking, but sadly not surprising that Bernadette represents something and someone all too real. Edge presents questions of birth control and abortion for minors without preaching, but in a frank way that forces us to admit that these things are happening right now and possibly to people we know and love.

The intimate Zabinski Studio space is ideal for such a chamber piece and Alley’s approach will be to immerse the audience in Bernadette’s narrative through live sound effects and close interaction. “I didn’t want to present an actress reading from a book,” as many previous productions of Edge have done, says Alley. “I want to use the audience as part of the show every night. I want them to go away from this show, and I know it sounds like a cliché, but I really want them to think about this. We may not want to believe these things can happen to a girl like this, but they do … and they are.”

Epic is once again bringing challenging, provocative theater to Rhode Island audiences at a fraction of the budget of the larger theaters. Challenge yourself and see.

Rhode Island Spoken Word: This Is not Your Professor’s Poetry by Christoper Johnson

Rhode Island first hit my radar as a spoken word scene in 2000, which is a testament to my ignorance at the time. The Providence Poetry Slam Team created a ruckus for its notability years prior – it was the1996 National Poetry Slam Champion and earned itself a feature spot in the 1998 documentary Slam Nation, which followed the Providence Slam Team as it battled its way to the final stage. In 2001, I found myself at a bar on Empire Street, chopping it up with the then legends, grabbing earfuls of folklore on how obscure cafés, summertime backyards, and crowded living rooms served as Providence’s first spoken word scene. The game has since changed. Since the advent of HBO’s Def Poetry – which featured then Providence resident Eamon Mahoney – poetry open mics, slams, and award-winning poets are popping up like violets in summer all over the state.

So, welcome to the world of spoken word poetry. This is not your professor’s poetry. Poetry slam is where page meets stage, and spoken word itself is an oral kaleidoscope, a literary mosaic, a listeners’ cornucopia where if you are served properly, at the end of a performance you will have digested a wide range of emotion. I would like to be your host of sorts, serving the community by connecting artist to venue, enthusiast to stage, writer to workshop, and information to inquiring minds.

Rhode Island has a pretty solid scene, standing on the shoulders of the Providence Poetry Slam, Rhode Island’s longest-running spoken word poetry venue, and genre diverse newer spots like La Soul Renaissance. There are also local must-see poets like Franny Choi, who placed fifth in the 2012 Individual World Poetry Slam; Rudy Cabrera, amazing with born and bred Providence ambiance; and Brown University’s WORD!, a group of very talented young individuals who cultivate some of the best words to take to the air. Also, organizations like New Urban Arts, AS220 Youth, which just received recognition by a visit to the White House and a Michelle Obama tweet, and Providence’s youth slam team, which has a National Championship Title under its belt as well, are a wonderful testament to the young talent developing right under our noses.

The words, the writing, the performances, and the workshops happen with such frequency that it seems impossible for me to keep up at times despite my passion. This month, check out Got Poetry Live! every Tuesday at Blue State Coffee at 300 Thayer Street. Poetry starts at 7 pm and Chris Warner will be featured on January 22nd. At AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence Poetry Slam will be gearing up for the next Women of the World Poetry Slam by hosting a competition to select Rhode Island’s representative January 17th. They will also hold a free-to-the-public youth performance January 31st. All shows start at 8 pm. Finally, also happening at AS220 on Tuesday, January 29th, is CousCous, a free event hosted by Mairead Byrne, with proven local hand-selected acts, as well as an open mic. The show starts at 9:30 pm. Hope to see you at a show!