Music + Performers
ESG - Emerald, Sapphire & Gold
ESG might fly under the radar in terms of mass-consciousness, but take a listen and you'll quickly realize the incredible influence these ladies have had on post-punk, no wave, hip-hop, house and dance music. Perhaps you think you haven't heard them, but you probably have; TLC, the Wu-Tang Clan, Big Daddy Kane, the Beastie Boys, Unrest and Liars are among those who have sampled ESG's distinctive complex polyrhythmic beats. An art-funk ensemble from the South Bronx, ESG's current lineup (Emerald Sapphire & Gold) is the Scroggins ladies: Deborah, Maria (congas, vocals), Renee (guitar, vocals), and Valerie (drums). During their first incarnation, ESG signed with 99 Records and in 1981 issued a self-titled debut EP that included three studio tracks produced by the legendary Martin Hannett (Joy Division, etc.). 1982's 'ESG Says Dance to the Beat of Moody' EP and their first LP, 1983's 'Come Away With ESG' continued in the same compelling auditory vein. ESG disbanded in the mid-80's but thankfully re-formed again in the early-90's to release the 2002 album, 'Step Off' with U.K.'s Soul Jazz label. ESG's new work has been met by the happy consensus that ESG has picked up where they left off.
http://www.myspace.com/esgband
Two Special Out of Town Guests:
Warpaint
Joining us fresh from Lollapalooza, Warpaint is an all-girl quartet from Los Angeles. They weave intricate guitar lines, hypnotic vocals, and driving post-punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between the soundscapes of psychedelia and intimacy. Onstage, Warpaint's disarmingly authentic package can shake a room into a dance frenzy, while simultaneously holding it in a trance-like dreamworld.
http://www.windishagency.com/artists/warpaint
Javelin
In performance, Javelin will use colorfully painted boomboxes that form large speaker totems ("boombaatas") which can hang from the ceiling or stack up on the floor like pyramids. The signal from the show is broadcast via FM transmitter, thereby fostering audience participation (B.Y.O.Boombox) or fueling battery-powered, mobile parties. The duo (who are real life cousins) has played venues as diverse as the children's branch of the Olneyville Public Library (RI), to the Museum of Modern Art (NY), both of which happened in the same week. When not performing, Javelin is busy producing. Together they have amassed a vast catalogue of music, varying in its aesthetic range. Songs resemble the record collection from whence they spring, if not literally as when sampling, then figuratively as when past forms are cited and recontextualized. They will be just coming off Lollapalooza tour!
http://www.windishagency.com/artists/javelin
FOO FEST'S LOCAL & REGIONAL PERFORMERS (ALPHABETICAL)
Assembly of Light Womens Choir
The Assembly of Light women's choir is a ramshackle collection of about twenty women from Providence, RI. They've been stealing hours to sing together since late 2008, when composer and singer Chrissy Wolpert invited a few women to her apartment to sing some songs she's been working on. It went well. They kept coming back. And it feels good. The Assembly of Light is a frequently changing "cast" of women from various backgrounds and degrees of vocal experience and training. The group is about taking shape on its own terms, forming itself without pretense, and bringing on brightness through dark music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pZ7ANkRJUc
A Troop Of Echoes
In a music scene where many bands claim almost-divine levels of inspiration and originality, A Troop of Echoes shelves the self-important melodrama and delivers finely-crafted rock songs with addictive melodies, informed by exploratory harmony and the noisy experimentalism of Providence, RI. See them create their high-energy, experimental, instrumental dance rock with saxophones, drums, analog synthesizers, guitars & bass with little boxes that make them all sound crazier.
http://atroopofechoes.com
Arcing
Arcing is a the sacred get-together of Hilary Jones from Sweetthieves with the duo you might remember from Tiny Hawks where Art rocked out on guitar & Gus on drums and double bass. Both bands got together way back in 2003 and gave us many a great time; while sad to see Tiny Hawks and Sweettheives disband---we are so psyched about Arcing!
http://www.myspace.com/arcingpvd
AS220 Youth Studio
The AS220 Youth Studio (formerly known as Broad Street Studio) presents "Zukrewe" a Studio-based New Orleans style brass band. Zukrewe will give you an hour of music sprinkled with hip-hop and break dance.
http://www.as220.org/bss/
Bill Harley
A two-time Grammy award-winning artist and recipient of the Magic Penny Award from the Children's Music Network, Bill uses song and story to paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life. His work spans the generation gap, reminds us of our common humanity and challenges us to be our very best selves. A prolific author and recording artist, Bill is also a regular commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered" and featured on PBS. He joined the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence in 2001 and tours nationwide as an author, performing artist and keynote speaker.
http://www.billharley.com/press.asp
Brown Bird
Brown Bird is an original 3 piece band which draws influence from Country, Blues and Eastern European musics. Brown Bird began over five years ago as the brain child of songwriter David Lamb and has developed into a miniature orchestra of harmonized voices and instruments carrying Lamb's haunting lyrics on surging waves of Appalachian, gypsy, and shanty music. The group hails from Rhode Island and pulls from the talents of each member to create a diverse folk music that swells into high-spirited, foot-stomping madness.
http://www.last.fm/music/Brown+Bird
Dropdead
Dropdead have been a band since 1990, so that means 20 years of DIY hardcore punk! Dropdead has proven highly influential to modern strains of hardcore and crust. Bob Otis Ben Barnett, Brian Mastrobuono & Devon Cahill make some seriously fast paced songs, with most lasting less than one minute. A legendary Providence outfit!
http://www.myspace.com/dropdead
Erin McKeown
Although Erin started writing songs while still in high school in her hometown Fredericksburg, Virginia, she really began earning her chops while attending Brown University, releasing two albums before graduation and gigging on weekends whenever and wherever possible. She hasn't slowed down, famously averaging 200 live shows a year. As a multi-instrumentalist, Erin's become in demand as a session player, recording vocals, piano, bass lines and of course guitar tracks for other artists' records all while steadily working material that became "Hundreds of Lions."
http://www.erinmckeown.com/
Example:None
Kate Anderson and Steve Seddon call what they do Poke Art. The duo first performed at AS220 in December, 1985. Then they performed again. And again. They danced to the What's New Pussycat? soundtrack. They showed films. They set off explosives indoors when you could still do that. Then they started opening for bands in rock clubs in Providence and Boston. In February 1987 they opened for GG Allin at Rocket. Club owner James McGrath thought that would be ironic. The extra security guards hired for the event threw pastry at Example: None. In 1990 Example: None got out of Providence and moved to Chicago where they immediately got work as featured performers at the then red-hot Green Mill Poetry Slam. Example: None performed at all the art spaces in Chicago until they all closed. Then Example: None took a rest. Here it is 2010 and Example: None, and AS220 is/are both 25 years old. Happy Anniversary to all.
http://voices.e-poets.net/ExampleNone/home.html
Hector 3
Hector 3 is a Providence-based time travel psych rock trio, featuring members of Manbeard, Tastic and Xerxes. Miles Lacouture on bass Dave Lifrieri on guitar and vocals and Josh Kretzmann on drums together make it all work.
(no suitable site to link & a pic stolen from Facebook)
Joes Backyard Band
Joe's Backyard Band returns for the second consecutive Foo Fest to bring us some all-ages mix of Americana and roots. It's kid music for grown-ups and grown-up music for kids. It's "Mystery Train" meets "All Around The Kitchen," plus many originals all rounded up in the same set. Based in Edgewood, just south of Providence, the band started playing living rooms in dark winter months of 2007 and quickly moved on to clubs, library stages, parks, nifty performance spaces, school yards, a record store, a yacht club, venues around town, and once in a while an actual back yard. Dancing sneakers definitely required.
http://www.joesbackyardband.com
Keith Munslow - Emcee
Our fabulous emcee: An award-winning performer who combines rock solid funky piano playing, soulful singing, hilarious stories, and lightning fast cartooning, Keith Munslow has entertained thousands of children (and adults!) at schools and festivals throughout New England - and beyond. As part of Rhode Island's summer reading program for four seasons, he captivated audiences at nearly every library in the state!
http://www.keithmunslow.com/homeNoFlash.html
Kintaan
Self described "Peyote Metal;" I've heard a couple folks cite Swans and Godflesh when talking about Kintaan's sound. Marc, Eric & Josh bring heavy bass and a steady stream of percussion and noise. Its loud and heavy and awesome if you like those two qualities.
http://www.myspace.com/kintaan
Megasus
Riding forth like thunderbolts cast from the hammer of Thor, the eight hooves of the Megasus burn a trail of ice across the winter sky. Combining elements of heavy metal titans like High On Fire, Slayer, Pentagram and Karp, Megasus have created a debut of amazing power and volume, with riff after riff of neckbreaking fury. Megasus' sound is as much influenced by heavy metal as it is by noise, driven by haphazard, non-traditional drumming and ultra-low, detuned, fuzzed guitar and bass. Among the past and present musical projects of its members Jason Kendall, Paul Lyons, Brian Gibson and Ryan Lesser are Lightning Bolt, Amazing Royal Crowns, Laurels, and Scared Stiffs. Plus-all of these guys worked on the "Rock Band" video game, how could they not themselves rock?
http://flightofthemegasus.com/
Peter Glantz and the Imaginary Company
Peter Glantz and The Imaginary Company present Being Impossible - a 40 minute performance featuring pure love, humor, colorful videos, and space travel. Peter Glantz's performances and directorial visions on stage and screen have generated fun times and opened hearts for over 10 years. The Imaginary Company is his loose collective of collaborators including Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond), Jacob Ciocci (Paper Rad), Gunsho, Kevin Hooyman (The Language Change), and everybody's friend, Andrew WK.
http://www.imaginarycompany.org
Route .44
Via saxophones, standup bass, viola, guitars, precise percussion, and sultry-sly vocals, the band winds down roads as simple as electric folk and as densely complicated as full-on gypsy rock. Listing all the sounds they hit on here would take too much space, but it's not stretch to say that no matter what they take on, they nail it. Its no suprise that Route .44 was named Limelight Magazine's Best Live Act of 2009.
http://www.route44.org/
Shryne
Shryne infuses pop rock with the sensibilities that made classic rock classic while driving the genre forward with modern grooves and melodies that have audiences rocking long after the band leaves the stage. Running strong off of their full length release, "Here and Now", the alt. pop rock quintet is rocking stages across Southern New England with eyes set on expansion on all fronts. With new material mixing in with tried and true crowd-pleasing tracks along with ever-changing stage antics, Shryne is a musical experience best served live and loud.
http://www.shrynerocks.com
S.W.C.
S.W.C is one of RI's hardest working Hip Hop groups, representing with outstanding energy and passion on the stage for over 4 years. Sharing the bill with numerous National acts (K-solo, EDO G, and Killa Preist, just to name a few) has helped S.W.C. become recognized as a truly significant force in local music. With frequent live shows from Manchester, NH to Baltimore, MD and everywhere in between, there is definitely no shortage of opportunities to see it for yourself!
The What Cheer? Brigade
The What Cheer? Brigade is a 19-piece brass band from Providence, RI, USA. Their sound is an aggressive mix of Bollywood, The Balkans, New Orleans, Samba and Hip-Hop, played with the intensity of metal. Since it requires no amplification, some call our sound Luddite Hardcore; proof that loud music doesn't need electricity. A raucous live experience, the Brigade defies categorization, appealing equally to punks and farmers, old and young.
