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Alt-Nation: Start the Holiday Season with Some Shows Murphy’s Law It is always one shit-show of a party when Jimmy G from NYC and the boys from Murphy’s Law roll into town. Murphy’s Law are bona fide hardcore legends that date back to the 1980s, and they have never slowed down or lost their bite. Expect beer to be flying and shirtless old dudes to be dancing as Murphy’s Law play all the hits. I’ve been itching to catch Folding Foreign Car for a while, so that’s reason enough to go early and stay late. Murphy’s Law, Held Hostage, Hellbound, and Folding Foreign Car rock The Café at the Parlor in Newport on December 2. Vudu Sister If the hardcore of Murphy’s Law isn’t your thing, then consider catching the vampire campfire of Vudu Sister. Vudu Sister released their third album, Mortis Nervosa, earlier this year and it served up an ample helping of Victorian grunge. By that I mean that the mostly acoustic album was a mix of gothic lyrical themes and folk music that had the head of the 18th century and the body from the 1990s. Haunt The House is a good match on this bill in what promises to be night of eerie tunes at a reasonable volume. Vudu Sister, Haunt The House, and Warbler Roost play Firehouse 13 on December 2. Black Oil Incinerator This is just a great, loud local rock show. I put Black Oil Incinerator at the top because they are the headliner, but I could just as easily go on about Jets Can’t Land or Tall Teenagers for the duration of this column. To start with Black Oil Incinerator, they bring it with fuzzed-out stoner rock hymns for the hellions. Tall Teenagers churn out indie rock in the vein of the Pixies. Jets Can’t Land open the show with a truck bomb of ’90s indie rock. On an added note, Jets Can’t Land have a tune called “I Can’t Do That Dave” that is a contender for my local song of the year coming in the next issue. I don’t think I’ve caught Minibeast, but it features Eric Baylies from Baylies Band and Bad Motherfucker and Peter Prescott from friggin Mission of Burma, so they are probably pretty sweet. Black Oil Incinerator, Minibeast, Tall Teenagers, and Jets Can’t Land will rock Dusk in Providence on December 2. The Silks I’ve probably written about The Silks as much as anyone the last few years, which presents a challenge in saying something new about them. There are only so many ways to say power trio, boot stompin’ blues meets early ’70s rock band with an electrifying guitarist. Trust me; I’ve even tried Googling additional ways. So while I may be running out of words, The Silks keep on rambling, having released a digital EP, Roughousin’ with The Silks, and digital album, Turn Me On, this year. I’ve even heard rumors that they have another record already completed. For now, let’s just say The Silks’ live game is on point if one is looking for a night of dancing to a live band. The Silks, Wild Sun, and Divey rock Firehouse 13 on December 3. Cannibal Ramblers The flyer for this show says “Miami Beach – Where Wonderful memories are made,” which sounds lovely. I’m not sure this show has anything to do with Miami Beach, but as the days grow colder it sounds like as good of a place as any to imagine being as the music floods one’s soul. Cannibal Ramblers are a noisy burst of psychedelic swamp blues that come barreling like a locomotive into the senses. Cannibal Ramblers will have Bryan Minto back on harmonica after an absence touring Europe with The Low Anthem. Cannibal Ramblers, Glockabelle, LaRochelle, and P. Everett will rock Dusk in Providence on December 3. Remembering Dime: A Tribute to Dimebag Darrell I was never a big Pantera fan or really much of a metal fan. I was more of a punk rocker growing up, and that is the spectrum from which I evaluate music. Total shocker I know, being the guy who writes about every time Murphy’s Law comes to town. I’m including this show not just because I’m looking to expand my reader demographics into fans of heavy metal, but also because Pantera were a band that had integrity. Dimebag Darrell’s murder while performing was really the first incident in what has become all too common at concerts today. If I were a Pantera fan, I’d be stoked that memorial tribute shows are still happening 12 years after Dimebag Darrell’s passing. Remembering Dime: A Tribute to Dimebag Darrell featuring performances by Along Came the Flood, Deathwish, and more will go down at Fete on December 8. The Blue Album There are two types of people in the world – those who love the first two Weezer records and those mourning the death of Fidel Castro. This show is for the former. I caught The Blue Album a couple times this year where they did the first two Weezer albums, and it is probably more enjoyable than actually seeing Weezer in 2016. Not that Weezer of today is bad, it’s just that the songs are pretty formulaic and arena shows suck the life out the experience. I’d recommend wearing a blindfold and going to see The Blue Album over Weezer. They are so spot-on that it might as well be Weezer. WBRU Rock Hunt Champs Le Roxy Pro open the show. The Blue Album and Le Roxy Pro rock The Met Café on December 9. Email music news to [email protected] Album Of The Week: New Fries’ More Experimental music is on a very broad spectrum; it can’t be pinned down and the listener never really knows what to expect when they press play for the first time. It also can be mind-numbingly boring or blissfully innovative. Toronto’s New Fries definitely bring the latter with their brand new album More. It combines straight-up noise with a groovy, bass-driven sound that’s weirdly captivating. The band is fearless in the way they continuously venture through rare territory to create purely original music. It would be unusual to refer to New Fries as just a band. They combine elements of performance and visual art with the structure of a band to achieve the extraordinary. The quartet of Tim Fagan, Jenny Gitman, Anni Spadafora and Ryan Carley fuse styles reminiscent of Roxy Music, The Velvet Underground, Lightning Bolt and New York City’s no wave scene. All of that craziness results in entertaining tunes that’ll get you hooked and make your mind work. Despite the many genres of music that exist, there are still a lot of possibilities to be explored. New Fries show that in their latest album. It proves that musicians are nowhere near done when it comes to going beyond basic song structures. There’s a bit of refreshing trailblazing going on with this act from up north. To see how refreshing it really is, check out the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week: With a noisy introduction, “Jz III” starts the album off with a groove that’s accentuated by a killer bass line. There’s a bunch of distorted synth that adds another wild musical dimension to a song that’ll definitely get people to dance. “90 Yr Old Girl” has a spooky introduction and then the bass hits again. A plethora of abstract rhythms adorn the song. Another weird one is “Mary Poppins’ Pockets” with pleasant synth and a triumphant vibe. Beginning on December 1 at The Garrison in Toronto, New Fries will be embarking on a mini-tour throughout their home province of Ontario, Canada, that’ll conclude at Silence in Guelph on December 4. Let’s hope they hop over stateside in the near future. It must be quite the experience to see this act live. Whether they come to your friendly neighborhood music venue or not, grab a copy of More. It’s something different for the senses, and you’re going to enjoy it. Stream New Fries’ More via Bandcamp: newfries.bandcamp.com/album/more; Like New Fries on Facebook: facebook.com/newfries Mike D’s Top 5 Can’t Miss Shows of December 1. Saturday, December 3 and 10: 3rd Annual Holiday Benefit Cover Show; $10/15; All ages?; Aurora, 276 Westminister St, PVD. Along with the 3rd kinda annual Neutrinos holiday show, December 10 has the actual 3rd annual cover song show at Aurora featuring a number of Rhode Island area musicians. We have the good (At The Drive In, Descendents, Modest Mouse), the bad (Third Eye Blind, Pearl Jam), and the indifferent (Pinback). And, of course, the first name you often think of to tie together all these acts: Billy Ocean. I don’t have to look up details to guess that whoever is doing Billy Ocean is or includes Adam / Bi Anal Ham Sandwich / Sinatra Jr. If I am wrong about that one, I will eat my “2016 sucked” hat. There are two nights, so check out your local listings to make sure you don’t accidentally catch Third Eye Blind songs. 2. Friday, December 9: The Village Idiots, 10w30, Outcloud; 21+; Bishop Hill Tavern, 2868 Hartford Ave, Johnston. I used to play in a garage punk “band” back in high school, and the greatest show of my life wasn’t with some of the big national bands we played with or gigs in New York City or elsewhere on the road.

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