RI’s own Irving Lipson was known for his reed instrument performances throughout New England. He was born on PVD’s East Side in 1902. Irving played mostly tenor saxophone in his early years in several of Providence’s big bands. They performed regularly in Roger Williams Park, and Irving could often be seen soloing at the park’s […]
Happiness — Live The long awaited debut album from Happiness is a demented thrill ride down the rock ‘n’ roll autobahn. For those not familiar, Happiness is a local rock ’n’ roll supergroup consisting of Ian O’Neil, Chris Ryan and Dennis Ryan from Deer Tick combining forces with Rafay Rashid of Ravi Shavi/The Lookers. Despite the […]
Okee dokee folks… Last week I was fortunate to attend a production of the musical Hamilton at Providence Performing Arts Center. I knew very little about the show prior other than the fact it was touted as “epic,” so I did a little research by watching a documentary and a few YouTube videos. After digesting […]
The places typically associated with country music have more southern accents than lighthouses and seagulls. But according to Michael Friedman, the mind behind the inaugural Nashville, RI Music Festival at Mulligan’s Island, RI shouldn’t be counted out as a hub for country die-hards. “This is a demand-driven event,” Friedman says of the new country music […]
Okee dokee folks…This past March I caught Jim Messina’s sold-out show at the Narrows Center for the Arts. A four-piece band of stellar musicians backed up Messina (who sang and played guitar and mandolin) with lush harmonies, guitar, violin, sax, flute, bass and drums. His set included classics such as “Watching the River Run,” “Danny’s […]
Between a full run of shows with Dead & Company and legs of his own tour on each end, John Mayer has been a busy man in 2019. On July 20, just two weeks after Dead & Co wrapped up in Colorado, I caught the second night of the North American leg of John’s 2019 […]
Every year at The Newport Jazz Festival, we are treated to an immense spectrum of performance that displays not only the deep history of jazz, but also the sounds of its future. This year will be no different. To give you a head start to figuring out the lineup, here are a few selections from […]
Ty Davis is a journalist and publisher, known for launching the Rhode Island-based alternative paper NewPaper during the 1970s, a paper that later was purchased by The Boston Phoenix and renamed The Providence Phoenix under Davis’ leadership. As the 50th anniversary of Woodstock approaches, I asked Davis about some of the key differences between today’s […]
Okee dokee folks… A few months back my bandmate Dan Lilley came to rehearsal with a CD in his hand and said, “This guy is on Neil Young’s website as a recommended listen.” A few weeks later we were playing at City Winery in Boston and I went into the bathroom, well, you know what […]
If you’re searching for a hip new music spot, give this summer’s Friday Night Live, the small-scale concert series at Mulligan’s Island, a chance. Its brand new stage was recently host to The Legacy Band and Show, a Providence-based outfit featuring classic Motown rhythms, Caribbean style percussion and a larger-than-life persona, exemplified by their use […]