The Good Word @ AS220

Rise n shine it, readers. The sun is out, the times are good, and the game is on. How could I find an ounce of dissatisfaction amongst a group of subscribers so palpably filled with vim and vigor? For what more could so high a concentration of ever-contented individuals possibly ask? I haven't heard any complaints yet. If I did, I'd just shush them up with a little mud and a few hairballs, the old fashioned way. Tried and true, works every time. If it ain't broke... you know what they say. Now where were we?

This Friday night promises one of our favorite noisy neighbors, B Sharp Music, presenting for your auditory enjoyment both You Scream I Scream and Eolune. Saturday, as per the staggeringly awesome yet usual, kicks off with an Irish Music Session in the bar. Later that night, Vudu Bevy, The Denver Boot, and November Calling provide the banjo-noodling soundtrack to your otherwise Rock n Roll lifestyle. Spice of Life! Count me in. Sundays got me quaking in my boots, people. I don't know that I can handle this much excitement; I've never tried. The day kicks off at 1 pm with an absolutely free of charge open house of our brand new Mercantile Block. Now, not all is up and running just yet, but the fabulous residential studios, soon-to-be Printshop and Labs, and plush practice spaces are starting to take shape. Plus, The Stable is open downstairs. Try and resist! I dare you! Starting at 4, our June gallery exhibitions will be unveiled. I'm no connoisseur, but one Serena JVE has spent the past three days logging in the Project Space, threatening something about a "room within a room," and throwing up hyper-insulated electric orange tarps. If this doesn't result in art, I don't know what will. Don't leave downtown just yet, art-goers. Its the first of the month, and you know what that means. The Empire Review, at sharply 8pm, will remind us what it was like to accidentally stumble across some steamy scene on cable TV while lounging in the den with your parents, age 8. Uncomfortable, yet somehow foreshadowing of the quasi-appropriate humorist your inner self will someday admit that you are. I'm going for the articles.

I'll not bore you with the details, readers. You can see for yourself the melange of happenings this week at your favorite non for profit arts establishment. I'll leave you to it. Until the rock show, away!

Local stuff that you can git.

While sitting on the train today, listening to Journey Escape and looking through my Google Reader's Armageddon Shop mailer...I was struck by how much really sick local stuff you can get right now. I was inclined to post it here. There is a lot of really great stuff here including one of my favorite local albums ever...Astoveboat's New Bedford. You can pretty much go to Armageddon and buy anything on this list and be psyched.

LOCAL CD ASTOVEBOAT New Bedford Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL CD DAUGHTERS s/t Hydrahead 14.99 new 3
LOCAL CD HARRY PUSSY You'll Never Play This Town Again Load 9.99 new 3
LOCAL CD KITES Superior Moon Mountain 6.99 new 3inch CD 1
LOCAL CD LANDED How Little Will It Take Load 9.99 new 2CD 3
LOCAL CD MING TORO s/t Bucket Republic 6.99 new Providence Indie debut release 5
LOCAL CD NOXAGT s/t Load 9.99 new 1
LOCAL CD NOXAGT Turning It Down Since 2001 Load 9.99 new 1
LOCAL CD SIGHTINGS Absolutes Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL CD SIX FINGER SATELLITE Half Control Load 9.99 new 5
LOCAL CD YELLOW SWANS At Both Ends Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL DVD LIGHTNING BOLT Power Of Salad Load 13.99 new 2
LOCAL DVD PAPER RAD Trash Talking Load 13.99 new 2
LOCAL DVD PICK A WINNER Various Artists Load 13.99 new 2
LOCAL LP BODY, THE All The Waters Of the Earth Turn To Blood Aum War 16.99 new 2lp 5
LOCAL LP DAUGHTERS Hell Songs Hydrahead 16.99 new plum wax 1
LOCAL LP HOSPITALS, THE Land Of Jocks And Jazz Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL LP HOWL Full Of Hell Relapse 17.99 new 180gram gatefold w/download 4
LOCAL LP KHANATE No Joy Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL LP KITES Hallucination Guillotine / Final Worship Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL LP MENS RECOVERY PROJECT The Very best Of Load 12.99 new 2LP 2
LOCAL LP NOXAGT S/T Load 9.99 new 1
LOCAL LP OLNEYVILLE SOUND SYSTEM What Is True What Is False Load 9.99 new screenprinted cover, orange wax 2
LOCAL LP PRURIENT Black Vase Load 12.99 new 2LP 2
LOCAL LP PRURIENT / KITES Split Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL LP REPOPULATION PROGRAM Various Artists Load 12.99 new 2LP, Arab On Radar, Lightning Bolt, Dropdead, Les Savy Fav, Forcefield plus much more 3
LOCAL LP RUSTED SHUT Dead Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL LP SIGHTINGS S/T Load 9.99 new 2
LOCAL LP SWORD HEAVEN Entrance Load 9.99 new 1
LOCAL LP TINSEL TEETH Trash As The Trophy Load 9.99 new 5
LOCAL LP WHAT CHEER? BRIGADE We Blow You Suck Anchor Brain 11.99 new on VINYL finally with screenprinted cover & download 10
LOCAL LP WHITE MICE, THE Assphixxxeatateshun Load 9.99 new 1
LOCAL LP WHITE MICE, THE Blassstphlegmeice Load 9.99 new 1
LOCAL SHIRT BODY, THE I Believe In Jim Jones / Violence Solves Everything Devil's Rainbow 11 new Small, gray on black shirt 2 sided 2
LOCAL SHIRT BODY, THE I Believe In Jim Jones / Violence Solves Everything Devil's Rainbow 11 new Medium, gray on black shirt 2 sided 2
LOCAL SHIRT BODY, THE I Believe In Jim Jones / Violence Solves Everything Devil's Rainbow 11 new Large, gray on black shirt 2 sided 1
LOCAL SHIRT BODY, THE I Believe In Jim Jones / Violence Solves Everything Devil's Rainbow 11 new X Large, gray on black shirt 2 sided 1
LOCAL SHIRT BODY, THE Jesus Head Devil's Rainbow 11 new Small, black on dark gray shirt 1
LOCAL SHIRT BODY, THE Jesus Head Devil's Rainbow 11 new Medium, black on light gray shirt 2
LOCAL SHIRT BODY, THE Jesus Head Devil's Rainbow 11 new Large, black on light gray shirt 1
LOCAL SHIRT BODY, THE Jesus Head Devil's Rainbow 11 new X Large, black on light gray shirt 1

AS220 Presents: Cyborg Kittens, Dustbowl, etc.

Well, here it is, readers: the moment has come that will test our staid commitment to events, event-going, and communicating exclusively and succinctly about events. These are trying times, people. Up in the news, its all softball scandals and oil slicks. Avert your eyes from these tawdry distractions! Resist the seductive temptations of the blogosphere and television set! Newscasts, be damned! This is all you need to know:

Friday night will offer to us a prismatic showcase of pop/rock and hunkitude. Erin Boucher, get r done! Shryne, Brian Severn & Those Victorious, and Heather Rose share the stage. Saturday promises a a glam-prog extravaganza: A Troop of Echoes celebrates their CD release with Herra Terra, Volcano Kings, and (thank the lord!) Mahi Mahi. And I swore I'd never wear spandex again! We're not just weekend warriors, team: Tuesday the 1st we'll welcome our June Artist /Hacker in Residence, Jimmy Rodgers. (I know, I know! Not the guy that wrote "In The Jailhouse Now." Thats where my mind went, too.) Get ready to bend circuits, build robots, and bust out the solder. Jimmie is here to show us how to hack in style. Make your early-mid nineties fantasies come true! Stop by the labs to see what we're building/destroying/turning into a cyborg (kittens!); stay to build an Atari Punk Console or turn your old toys into blinking musical instruments. 7-10pm every weeknight in June. For rizzle. Wednesday night we're thrilled to host Providence's Pecha Kucha. Did anyone see Lost In Translation? Like that. AND, the following Friday B Sharp is driving the bus. We aim to please.

There it is, readers. I'd love to stay and dish, but I have to break it to the Cute Overload pin-ups that soon they'll be half machine. I'll leave you to it. For a full rundown of the happs, get thee to our calendar. Until the rock show, away!

AS220: Gettin R Done

Bonjour, readers! How goes life in the blogosphere? So far so awesome on this end, thanks for asking. Before we begin in earnest, lets take a moment to debut a new segment I like to call Your Week In Baffling Internet Gossip. Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill sings on a new Christina Aguilera song called I Hate Boys. Seriously? The state of Texas is removing the word "slavery" from all of their textbooks, favoring instead "Atlantic Triangular Trade." Makes sense to me. Photocopiers have a hard drive, which stores scans of everything you ever xerox. When you dispose of/return from leasing/leave unattended your beloved Toshiba, anyone with a philips-head and a USB cable has a window into your passport info, social security number, and tuckus. True story. Ask the interwebs.

This Friday, the careening snowball of Rock n Roll and high fives picks up momentum as What Cheer? Brigade celebrates their fifth birthday. Cakes, greeting cards, and unpitched percussion encouraged. Rounding out the festivities are neat guy Jacob the Terrible, my-very-favorite-rock-band Arcing, and Veveritse. Saturday, in keeping with our apparently newfound tradition, encompasses a host of events so densely packed with intrigue and awesomeness that one questions their heretofore conception of mass. You know how you can fill a jar to the brim with marbles, but there's still room for a cup of sand? Then you think its really packed, but can still add 16 ounces of water? Starting at noon, an all afternoon youth-run collaborative extravaganza, Roots and Rituals, will present workshops about improv, laser cutting, and dance, as well as a Youth Arts Panel discussion at 2 and a slew of performative showcases. Simultaneously in the bar area, our weekly Irish Jam Sesh will provide the soundtrack to "The Best Day of Your Life." Ice cold cocktails! Outdoor seating! Not rain! Who knew? Between 1 and 3, we'll be hosting an open house of our brand-spanking-new Mercantile Building. Picturesque live/work studios! Practice spaces with real locks, and bathrooms you aren't terrified of! Sunday promises a mellow yet riveting chill-fest with haunting acoustic squad Allysen Callery & The Land of Nod, Paul Metzger, Amen Dunes, and Anikki Dawn & The Demons. Shhhhh. AND now, as Monty Python would offer, for Something Completely Different, Monday evening in the darkroom resident photo wizard Denny Moers will unlock the secrets of his signature and quasi-accidental developing processes. Check it out upstairs, and stay for Arrington De Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa, Alec K Redfearn & the Eyesores, and Hector 3.

SHWEW! I'm breathless, readers, and am feeling flushed. I'm off to get ramped up on Red Bull and practice my Arcing lyrics. What? For a full rundown of the happs, get thee to our calendar. Until the rock show, Away!

HOWL and The BODY record releases

Two sweet ass records came out this weekend, accompanied by really good shows.


I was too far away to see The Body (or hear the Assembly of light) most of the time so no pics for that. I did however manage to get close enough to HOWL to snap some pics. See them on the forums or flickr.

As220: Doing Queen Proud Since 1985

Breathe it in, readers. The crisp New England air has given way to some balmy unreality tentatively monickered by its conjectural constituents, "Summer???" Though your glands be enshrined in allergens' mementos, your outward physicality tingles with each warming light; shudders with each passing breeze. I sense it, readers- you've never felt more alive! But in what direction might this newfound vigor be channeled? Toward what momentous endeavor could your energies be most well spun? Try this on for size:

Friday = Progfest, with Sideshow, Doublethink, Infinite Children, and Resistor pop-quizzing your basic math skills from high school. Damn that basic equivalency test! Saturday afternoon is poised, like so many starved and rabid jackals, to erupt into a horizonless infinity of good times and hilarity. Bike swap at high noon, going till 4! Free book-making workshop for kids at 2! Complimentary Irish Jam Sesh from 4-7! PUNK ROCK ALL NIGHT! Read on while I hyperventilate into a paper bag, rockers: Ruiner, Soul Control, Tabernackle, Weak Teeth, and Convulsions grace our humble stage, courtesy of Tor Johnson. Truly, my core has never been so hard. Protective gear encouraged, not just for your ears. Sunday evening, self-identified crazies are invited to take part in the Icarus Project, a rad mental health crew exploring self-care and shirking the traditional mental-health system. Count me in! Falling solidly into the "but not least" category, Wednesday at 5:30 for no charge at all Just Seeds artists and May AS220 Drawer/Inventor in Residence Colin Matthes will present his work of the past month. He'll be giving a slide talk of recent projects that include survival objects realized with scrappy materials, a carnival of War Fair, small "i" inventions (like the kind you might see on an infomercial), contemporary Potemkin villages, and surveillance camera birdhouses. Whut?!

I could tell you that's all, readers, but I couldn't live with the guilt. Though many events fall further and in between, I'm getting antsy, and my bicycle awaits. For the total happs, get thee to our calendar. Until the punk/swap, away!

The Last Armageddon DJ Night: Tues May 11th 9pm

This is going to be the last Armageddon DJ night for a while. We both have some projects happening and need to spend the time elsewhere for a bit. We'll probably do a night here and there every few months. Much love to everyone who has supported the night & the staff at The E&O Tap for hosting us and letting up play the rock.

Armageddon Shop DJ's: The Final Night
Tuesday, May 11th
9pm-Midnight
@ The E&O Tap
289 Knight St Providence RI 02909
(West Side, Prov)
http://www.myspace.com/moonions

Music, Beer, Dudes, Ladies, Pinball, Pool, More Beer.
Garage, Punk, HC, Metal, Indie, Local, Rock, and whatever else.
It's all Rock N Roll.

A Week of Wonder at the AS220

Rise and shine, readers! Get off your tuckus and out into that balmy New England Spring. Or, more specifically, into a dark secluded venue in Providence's lush downcity. Those UV rays are overrated, and will only serve to rob you of your vampiric charm. Besides, your iPhone is giving off enough vitamin D to last you a lifetime. Right? Right.

Tonight grants us the show that we've all been waiting for: B Sharp bestows upon us Olneyville favorites Atlantic Thrills and Los Monos Locos. Muy Bien! Tomorrow promises a non-stop 12 hours of glitter encrusted magic, as well. The party starts at 2pm with Providence "Freedom Summer 2010" Kickball signups. Anybody remember "Breakup Summer 2007"? It'll be like that, but with less tears and more head injuries. Hang in the bar for our weekly Irish Music Session starting at 4, and the sweet Think Outside the Bomb tour at 5. This puppy's going down on a sliding scale of $3-5, and will take the form of a presentation and open dialogue around the intersectionality between nuclear abolition and other struggles for social and environmental justice, anti-war, etc. Rumor has it some rock n roll will also be involved. The party doesn't end there, though. Come 9:30 pm we're firing up an experimental film fest made on the cheap. Fear not, society maidens; its still got class. Lunchfilms indeed. Were I to pick but one winner as the weekdays roll on, I'd be loath to miss Thursday evening's BSS Elementary Showcase. Those gals keep it funky, people, and the dudes aren't bad either. Check out what our youth program does and what beat-making actually looks like. (Ahem. Timbaland? Anybody?) If by some horrifying shortcoming of God or Nature sick beats aren't your thing, give it till 9 that night: punk lives again with The Network, Abominable Iron Sloth, and Jesuscentric add up to a show you won't bring home to mama. Just remember to call her on Mother's Day, will you?

There it is, people. What more could I give? What more could we possibly have to offer? (Spoiler alert: Bike Swap!) For the extended rundown, peep our full calendar on the interweb. Until the rock show, away!

Gunsho Again

James has a rad new day-glo print that he just finished in Chicago. CLICK to buy it.

From the gigposters thread:

The print will be an 8-color 21 x 27" dayglo Blacklight poster depicting the full-on rural bad acid-trip experience. It's the perfect addition to any wood-paneled basement hideaway and will look great over that cat-urine soaked couch. It will be a run-size of 150 and available for the low price of $30.

As some of you may or may not know, I've had some problems for the past couple years, among them is that I've been without a print shop for some time now and it's put a serious dent in getting any prints produced. It's been a nightmare.

Now my dream is coming true. For the first time in 2.5 years I'll be producing an art print again with the help of the very talented Daniel MacAdam of Crosshair while I'm in Chicago next week for Version Festival. I'm curating a show called "Unearthed Americana" at the LVL3 Gallery hArts for Haiti 4/17/10 : LVL3, opening on April 28th. This print will be part of the show which includes 12 other artists band promises to be very interesting.

Dan has been very gracious to offer his studio to me and help with producing this print and it's an amazing testament to the power of Gigposters.com to bring artists together in collaboration to help each other out. This site launched my career as an artist and the folks who have been here from the start were some of the first people out there to give me the confidence to get my work out there. Thank you.

If you'd like to help me out, the prints will be available for $30 each and will be available at the end of next week in the classifieds section. I will have a limited number available then when I return from Chicago.

In the meantime, please enjoy the upcoming print-process thread. Thanks!

This sample of the print doesn't depict the intensity of the dayglo inks, but for now it will do. I hope you enjoy.

MAYDAY! The Weekly Happs at AS220

Enchanté, readers! How goes the tangible reality? Here in the blogosphere we're reading a balmy 75 degrees, though at the rate YouTube keeps adding Lady Gaga videos, its about to get alot hotter. Can you handle it, show-goers? We'll wait and see. Is that a challenge? YOU BET IT IS!

I've spent the afternoon getting jacked up on double-caff Folgers and hyperventilating into a brown paper bag in preparation for tomorrow night's anticipated happening. It's been in my Blackberry for months, people, and the moment is finally nigh. Derek Holzer/TONEWHEELS, Black Pus, Humanbeast, and Shawn Greenlee are poised to lay siege to our senses in but a short 24 hours. With the promise of proactive treason, marital eroticism, horrifying drawings of blood, and untold varieties of aural assault, this ain't your mamas noise show. Be there, or possibly have some hope of decent hearing for the rest of your life. (Wait, does that even rhyme?) Also premiering that night is our fabulous new late Spring "Is It Summer Yet?" menu. (Littlenecks with asparagus, anyone? Vegan Rueben?) Sunday afternoon, get casual and saunter downtown for a free-of-charge May gallery opening. Featured this month is nicest person around town and no-longer secretly incredible artist Corey Grayhorse. Also for show and sale are some awesomely shiny and religiously themed works by Alicia Perez, new work by Andrew Gunnar Norquist, and books by children of the Fox Point Community Library. Stick around for an uncomfortably raunchy Empire Review, during which Keith Munslow will continue to tightrope the creepy/debonaire line via having promised to "get wet." Um, really? We're also having a special open Monday for crooning protestors Detroit Rebellion, Joe Fletcher, and Gregory and the Hawk. Fast forward through a thrilling week of cottage industry classes, and bring it all home next Friday for a "very special" B Sharp Presents. Rearing to go are Los Monos Locos and... are you ready? Atlantic Thrills. DAN TANNER WE LOVE YOU!!!!!! Welcome home, buddy. Your music scene high fives you.

There it is, rockers. For a full rundown of the weekly happs, get to our calendar. If you need me, I'll be in the green room doodling "Reba hearts Black Pus"... "Mrs Reba Humanbeast"... etc. Until next time, away!