Top of the morning, readers! As fall greets us with its myriad autumnal pleasures, it seems to challenge us to best its varicolored and psychedelic plumage. Have I got news for you, Harvest! I may be in the summer of my life, but when it comes to jazzing it up, AS220's innumerable scores of opulent miscellany cannot be rivaled, even in the wake of a vibrant equinox. The upcoming half-fortnight promises such a host of wonderment and mirth as to pale even a picturesque seasonal drive through the wooded paths of New England. I know, I know! Hard to believe. But feast your eyes on the cornucopia-esque colluvies that lays before you:

Halloween day holds a spirited happening so bone-chillingly bedeviled that only the truly fearless or most adorably costumed should dare venture in. Team AS220 Darkroom takes over the performance space from 1-4pm to resurrect the dying tradition of spirit photography. Come have your portrait taken, and see what apparitions appear at your side! $20 gets you a portrait and a lesson to print it yourself. For $30, your photo will be printed by our esteemed task force of ghost hunters and delivered to your door after scrutiny by our AS220 Paranormal Experts. (It's a new cottage industry. Don't question it.) The haunting may end after Saturday, but you can still get creeped out on Empire Street: Sunday hosts the Empire Review, Rhode Island's most questionably family-friendly variety show. Swear to me, people, that you won't lose your momentum in the mire of mid-week doldrums. Tuesday and Wednesday are epically hip, yet, like black pearls on the nerveless tongues of so few mollusks, uncommonly engaging. Ballistic Missile darlings Grandchildren play the former, while Wednesday is bejeweled by one Shawn Greenlee and recent West Coast transplant electro-genius Blevin Blectum. Huzzah!

Speaking of brilliant costuming, our uncannily talented Broad Street youth are deep in the throws of learning to design and sew the most cutting edge of fashions, courtesy of local designer extraordinaire Karen Beebe. Problem is, their savvy is so broad, and our tools are so few. Does anyone want to admit that they are never going to touch that perfectly good sewing machine in the basement, donate it to our program, change the lives of some young people, and procure a fabulous tax deduction all from the comfort of the personal computer on which you read this very moment? Hit your Auntie Reba back, people. Do it for the children.

Now into the night, readers. The spirits await!

The Rundown:

Thursday, October 29, 2009 9 pm $6 Divets, Mr Slugg, Goliath, and Johnny Lingo Band

Friday, October 30, 2009 9 pm $7/$5 with costume Big Scythe, Big Rush, Reziztanze, Meta P, Visionary the 3rd, and more

Saturday, October 31, 2009 1-4 pm Darkroom Portraits

Saturday, October 31, 2009 9 pm $7/$6 with costume Caspian, A Troop of Echoes, Beware of Safety, Joe Beats, and Hadoken

Sunday, November 1, 2009 4-7pm Free GALLERY OPENING

Sunday, November 1, 2009 8pm $8 The Empire Revue

Monday, November 2, 2009 9 pm $7 Helen Money, Brent Arnold, Fishing With Finnegan, and Barnacle

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 6:00-8:30 pm $6 Life Drawing

Tuesday, November 3, 209 9 pm $6 Grandchildren (Ballistic Missile Booking), Panther Moderns

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 5:30 -7pm Free DC401 Meeting

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 9:00 pm $6 Shawn Greenlee, Lesley Flanigan, Tristan Perich, Ashtray Navigations, and Blevin Blectum

Thursday, November 5, 2009 8pm $4 Free Speech Thursdays Featuring: Providence Poetry Slam

"But Reba, Tell Me More..."

Thursday, October 29, 2009 9 pm $6 Divets, Mr Slugg, Goliath, and Johnny Lingo Band Divets: experimental nu jazz. Johnny Lingo Band is the 2009 Providence Phoenix Best Male Vocalist. Indie Rock. Goliath is ambient, math indie music. Mr Slugg is industrial psychodelic pop with goth surf swagger. http://www.myspace.com/divets http://www.myspace.com/johnnylingoband http://www.myspace.com/asphodelmeadows http://www.mrslugg.com

Friday, October 30, 2009 9 pm $7/$5 with costume Big Scythe, Big Rush, Reziztanze, Meta P, Visionary the 3rd, and more Opening acts will Include: Nino the Kid, Zyse Dada, Renassaince Dubbed "Rhode Island Best Kept Secret", Big Scythe aims to bring his style of liveliness into hip hop. With the stage agility of Heavy D, spittin power of Big Punisher, the versitilty of TI, heart of KRS-One, and producing capabilities of DJ Premier, Big Scythe plans to inspire, prespire, and aspire to be a great influential figures in not only the hip hop community, but to the whole world. Big Scythe feeds of the energy of the crowd and gives one of the most energetic performances people have ever seen. Tigerlily of Riders Against the Storm called him "The Livest Big Man Since Heavy D." Evidence of his showmanship came when he opened for IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE at the JUSTICE OR JUST US? arts injustice awareness celebration. There will be a costume contest and the first 50 people will get free merchandise from the artist. http://www.myspace.com/bigscythe http://www.myspace.com/westallah http://www.reziztanze.com http://www.myspace.com/therealmeta

Saturday, October 31, 2009 1-4 pm Darkroom Portraits

Saturday, October 31, 2009 9 pm $7/$6 with costume Caspian, A Troop of Echoes, Beware of Safety, Joe Beats, and Hadoken 9:30-10:00 Hadoken 10:00-10:15 Joe Beats 10:20-10:50 Beware of Safety 10:50-11:05 Joe Beats 11:10-11:40 A Troop of Echoes 11:40-11:55 Joe Beats 12:00-12:45 Caspian Hadoken is post rock, ambient, experimental music. Beware of Safety made the conscious choice to create instrumental music. To create sounds that words could not express. To leave out the vocal monologue that is without interpretation or insight, but instead, create music which traverses emotional and textural hollows that teeter between concealment and proclamation; between rapture and affliction; between conviction and deprivation; between opulence and destitution; between choice and coercion; between boldness and apathy. Beware of Safety calls the unspeakable from it's hiding place and imparts it to their listeners with gentle tact and deliberate action. The inexpressible has found its voice. A Troop Of Echoes fuses improvisational jazz, noise, stoner rock, electronica, and modern progressive music together. Caspian is an American instrumental rock band. After releasing their debut EP You Are the Conductor (Dopamine, 2005), the band spent most of 2006 touring The United States and Canada and writing their debut full-length record The Four Trees (Dopamine, 2007). The Four Trees was released in the U.S. on April 10, Japan on May 2 and in Europe in July of 2008. SPIN described the record as "transcending post-rock cliches with meticulously crafted songcraft". Both albums were produced by the band and recorded in Boston with Ethan Dussault at New Alliance studios. Caspian has independantly booked, promoted and funded 4 cross country tours of the United States to promote both records since 2006, appeared at the 2008 SXSW music festival in Austin Texas and toured over 13 counties in Europe to widespread audiences. Joe Beats running hot music between sets!!!

http://www.myspace.com/surgefist http://www.gimmesound.com/bewareofsafety http://www.myspace.com/atroopofechoes http://www.myspace.com/caspiantheband

Sunday, November 1, 2009 4-7pm Free GALLERY OPENING November 1-28, 2009 opening reception (free admission) Sunday, November 1, 4-7pm AS220 Main Gallery New Paintings by Emily Lisker and Gender Redux: Paintings by Michele L'Heureux Open Window Film Stills by Russ Pedro Youth Gallery Handle It ! : new paintings by John Bhogal AS220 Project Space Screening My Thoughts: new work by Julia Gandrund Isolated Fictions: A Group Show from Chicago

Sunday, November 1, 2009 8pm $8 The Empire Revue Witness a raft of talented local performers the likes of which you have never seen at Providence's premiere variety show! The Empire Revue brings you sketch comedy, improv, musical interludes, burlesque, magic, and general devilment, on the first Sunday of every month. Featuring: sizzling music by Superchief Trio and your favorite funnybone fondlers, The Sparkling Beatniks: Richard Goulis, Hannah Devine, & Kate Lohman. Plus, special guest performers every month, unpredictable pre-show shenanigans, a talking squirrel and more! Empire Revue is sponsored by Empire Loan on North Main Street. http://www.myspace.com/empirerevue

Monday, November 2, 2009 9 pm $7 Helen Money, Brent Arnold, Fishing With Finnegan, and Barnacle Helen Money is a Chicago based cellist who has a unique sound and compelling live performance. She is a founding member of Epic Records recording artist Verbow. She has worked with recording musicians including Anthrax, Frank Orrall, Bob Mould, Disturbed, and more. Brent Arnold is also a celloist with effects, a looping pedal and vocals. He builds experimental pop creations. Fishing With Finnegan is a traditional Celtic family project. Barnacle is an eclectic mix of early music including cajun, celtic, french canadian, nautical, and klezmer music. http://www.myspace.com/helenmoney http://www.myspace.com/brentarnoldmusic http://www.fishingwithfinnegan.com http://www.myspace.com/ribarnacle

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 6:00-8:30 pm $6 Life Drawing Every Tuesday bring your drawing utensils and paper to AS220 and sketch from a live model! Please note the time shift!

Tuesday, November 3, 209 9 pm $6 Grandchildren (Ballistic Missile Booking), Panther Moderns Hike up your pantyhose and wear your rhinestone studded dentures and bring it on like the Raging Grannies. Grandchildren is energetic, melodic, electro-acoustic, polyphonic, rhythmic music. Panther Moderns is riff driven off kilter rock with female vocals. http://www.myspace.com/grandchildren http://www.myspace.com/panthermodernsprovidence

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 5:30 -7pm Free DC401 Meeting DC401 is the local Defcon Group for Rhode Island. DC401 is a gathering for folks interested in the alternate applications of modern technology, referred to properly as 'hacking'. DC401 is not intended to compete with any other computer group, such as Providence Geeks, 2600 or Linux User Groups, but rather to provide yet another gathering place for the discussion of technology and security topics. DC401 meetings are open to anyone, regardless of their skill, age, job, gender, etc. DC401 is here to help you learn new things, meet new people, mentor others in areas you may be strong in, and provide some cohesion within the hacker culture and it's members. For more information, visit http://dc401.org or email dcg401 {at} gmail {dot} com http://dc401.org

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 9:00 pm $6 Shawn Greenlee, Lesley Flanigan, Tristan Perich, Ashtray Navigations, and Blevin Blectum Fireflies and mosquitos invade the flesh of one of those new silicone skin robot humans. Their hollow tongues send goose pimples through their electronic core. Here is what WIRE magazine says about Tristan Perich: "(his) compositions are an austere meeting of electronic and organic. His works for soloist, ensemble, and orchestra have been performed nationally and abroad by ensembles including Band on a Can and the Calder Quartet at venues from the Whitney Museum and Issue Project Room to Los Angeles's Zipper Hall." Shawn Greenlee is a composer and performer of electronic music. His work centers on freestyle performance with computer systems for both sound and image. Blevin Blectum Ashtray Navigations was started in 1995, using the barest minimum of outdated equipment, to present a vision of home-made psychedelic rock and avant-garde noise electronics. Ashtray Navigations have collaborated with artists including Merzbow, Jandek, The New Blockaders, Paul Hession, MV & EE, Sunroof!, Nackt Insecten, The Vibracathedral Orchestra and Courtis. http://www.tristanperich.com http://lesleyflanigan.com http://shawngreenlee.com http://blevin.lsr1.com/

Thursday, November 5, 2009 8pm $4 Free Speech Thursdays at AS220 featuring: Providence Poetry Slam 1ST THURSDAY: OPEN MIC, FEATURE, OPEN SLAM *OPEN MIC LIST GOES UP AT 7:30PM On THURSDAYS at AS220, FREE SPEECH is in full effect with a weekly program of SPOKEN WORD OPEN MICS, POETRY SLAMS, YOUTH SLAMS, HIP-HOP - OPEN MIC SHOWCASE (on 2nd Thursdays), MUSICIAN OPEN MICS, and so on and so forth. Come teach, share, and learn! The stage is open to writers, poets, rappers, comedians, professor's, ranters, and ravers; come down and keep the oral tradition alive! The Providence Poetry Slam: Providence is one of the most well known and exciting Poetry Slams nationwide - The PVD team has made it to the National Poetry Slam Tournament semi-finals for the last 5 seasons! Get in touch through our myspace page! http://www.myspace.com/providencepoetryslam