Mike D’s Top Five: Can’t Miss Shows Of June

By Mike Delehanty

#1 Saturday, June 1: Northern Lands (He Took A Dive CD release) with The Mallett Brothers Band, Viking Jesus and Cactus Attack. $8 advance/$10 day of. 7 pm doors/8pm show. All ages. The Met, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket, RI. This show will likely have happened by the time you are reading this, but I hope you had the good sense to make it out. Northern Lands have been working hard and making inroads to making a name for themselves out of town. He Took A Dive is the band’s debut full-length and is being released by Rhode Island’s own 75 or Less, so go get one, or else. Opening bands all rule. I just saw Viking Jesus’ recent line-up at the Spot and they rip. Should be a great night.
#2 Friday, June 7: Benefit for Dave Lamb of Brown Bird featuring Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, J.P. Harris, Smith & Weeden. $15. 7 pm. All ages. The Columbus Theatre, 270 Broadway, Providence, RI. Dave was recently diagnosed with leukemia. There has been an overwhelming show of support and love on the internet and around the community as people rally to help with bills and in general. That is a testament to not only how great a person Dave is, but also how caring and special the neighborhood is. If you can’t make it out to the show, make sure to check out Brownbird.net to see how you can help.
#3 Saturday, June 8: Calexico and Arc Iris. $25. 8 pm. All ages. The Met, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket, RI. I can only off the top of my head think of three indie rock Tex-Mex bands, but I assure you Calexico is the best. Their cover of Love’s “Alone Again Or” might be my favorite cover of all time, and this should be one of the best shows of the year. I’ve been counting the days for this one since it got confirmed. The other band of Jocie Adams from the Low Anthem, Arc Iris, rounds out the bill.
#4 Saturday, June 15: Turf War, Atlantic Thrills, and T. Hardy Morris (of Dead Confederate). $8 advance/$10 day of. 10 pm. All ages. Local 121, 121 Washington St., Providence, RI. I met a few of the guys from Turf War while throwing myself and beer around at a Deervana (Providence’s only, as far as I know, Nirvana tribute) show in Austin. The band, hailing from Atlanta, GA, is the perfect blend of booze-fueled garage rock & roll. Check out their new EP, The Great Escape, on their bandcamp. Providence’s garage rock hooligans, Atlantic Thrills and Hardy from Dead Confederate/Diamond Rugs, round out the bill.
#5 Tuesday, June 18: Armageddon Shop Presents Limp Wrist, Fucking Invincible, Idiot Vehicle and Dust Cloud. $10. 9 pm. All ages. AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence, RI. Limp Wrist have been making Queercore/Hardcore punk for 15 years. I am pretty sure I saw them back in the day at Fort Thunder, but I definitely saw the singer Martin Sorronduay’s other band, Los Crudos, play there with Drop Dead. Thinking about all the punk shows I saw when I was teenager makes me wish I wrote some of that stuff down. I recommend Googling Fort Thunder and taking a look at all the photos; it’s a nice reminder to those who had the pleasure of going to Providence’s greatest DIY space of the ‘90s and interesting to those who didn’t. I haven’t seen Fucking Invincible yet, but I have been listening to their EP Very Negative frequently. My 11-year-old son Jack thinks it sounds crazy and unfortunate, but I am fond of it. Idiot Vehicle and Dust Cloud round out the bill.