Welcome back to Stop, Rock, and Roll! After a month off, during which time I graduated college and moved back home, I am back and ready to chronicle new local releases, and what a lot of them we had! Here are five songs you should listen to: Vertigo – “B_1” Vertigo have been working consistently […]
Muddy Ruckus – Vacationland Mucky Ruckus is a duo composed of Ryan Flaherty on guitar and Erika Stahl on drums from Portland, Maine. I always kind of liked them live but their recordings were never my bag. It was like we’re doing this roots thing but we also want to rock too. It ended up […]
A few months ago, I sat in the dark Columbus Theater listening to Convinced Friend while thinking about a conversation Austin Wilson and I had had about his record and journey to Providence. We explored the convergence of seemingly unrelated topics: New Orleans, North Carolina, mental health, divinity school, and Quakerism. It seemed fitting to […]
Okee dokee folks… On June 11, the Providence Performing Arts Center hosted a stop of the John Mellencamp Live and In Person 2023 tour. I first saw John COUGAR about 44 years ago as an opening act for Heart. Back then I was not impressed and didn’t care much for the pompous performance of this […]
If you’ve never seen Stefan Couture perform live, then June 10 at Chan’s in Woonsocket is the night to do it. Couture was nominated as one of the best singer/songwriters in Motif’s 2022 poll, and his newest collection, A Brief and Binding Light, clearly shows why. The album will drop on all streaming platforms on […]
Okee dokee folks…Last night, May 30, the majestic Boch/Wang Center welcomed the Finn fellas from New Zealand, Crowded House, for the final night of their US tour. Anticipation filled the room as folks waited for the first notes of this rescheduled show. About this, Neil Finn commented later in the evening, “Thanks for waiting for […]
Have you ever walked into a local bar and wondered to yourself, “Am I still in Providence?” That first happened when I stepped into Nick-a-Nees, and happened again when I saw Jake Hunsinger play a solo show at Union Station Brewery. I was transported to a town somewhere in Texas with Garth Brooks songs playing […]
Friday, May 19, was cold, but great performances warmed up the evening, thanks to the talented tune-spinners David Tessier and the All-Star Stars (or possibly the All-Star Band of All-Star Stars), Guess Method, Baby Baby Explores the Reasons Why that Gum Is Still on the Sidewalk (whom we will henceforth call Baby Baby) and Sasquatch […]
Okee dokee folks… I was just online and a friend of mine posted photos from a concert he is at. He commented that people had been on their feet the whole show. This was a positive thing to him. Me, not so much. At my age I don’t enjoy standing for concerts. I know that […]
Since restarting in November 2021, The First Sunday Jazz Jam at The Parlour (Providence) has been steadily growing a dedicated following of musicians and listeners who have helped transform the monthly series into a community-focused evening of musical dialogue and celebration of jazz. I’ve had the good fortune to watch it all blossom first-hand as […]