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New England Music News

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LEADING OFF IN PAWTUCKET: Carlson.

There’s a rare nocturnal occurrence happening — call it a lunar local music eclipse — and it’s happening at Lupo’s this Friday. If it all goes well (we’re keeping our fingers crossed) it may be the first of a few more similar eclipses. Plainly speaking, the Schemers, the longtime local music fave, will be topping the bill at the venue with their doppelgangers Dino Club. And a clutch of inspired younger outfits will share their fare: Mustache Ride, Six Star General, the Jesse Minute, and the Masons. Why local music at Lupo’s, and why now?
 
Emerson Torrey of both the Schemers and Dino Club writes in with an opinion. “I think over the years and especially in the old days Rich Lupo has been very supportive of local music. I think as the size of the venue grew he needed to do certain numbers to cover the expense of opening the doors, so booking a single act that didn’t draw was difficult to justify. Rich and I talked about trying to make an attempt to give some of the local acts a chance to play on a large stage and try to get some of their fans to see them in a big venue.”
 
Mark Cutler also plays in the same two bands that night as Torrey.
 
“I’m not sure why it’s happening,” he writes, “but I’m personally excited about having the Dino Club and the Schemers share the stage. There could be some cool cross-pollination of bands happening. I also think the ’kids’ might dig what me and my pals have to say. I like to think that perhaps there’s a local scene that’s vibrant and sustainable enough to warrant shows at a venue the size of Lupo’s. It used to be that way back in the day. It would be nice to prove that there’s support for bands on a scale like that today.”
 
Perhaps over the summer Providence will have another chance or two to prove that there is indeed enough support for local music to take back a stage the size of Lupo’s.

The Schemers + The Dino Club + Mustache Ride + Six Star General + The Jesse Minute + The Masons | June 29 | Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St, Providence | 401.331.LUPO

Newport news
The Sunset Music Festival, the state’s premier summer pop music fest, gets underway this week at the Newport Yachting Center with luminaries such as LITTLE FEAT (Thursday), JOAN JETT (Friday), JACK’S MANNEQUIN (Saturday), moe. (July 5), and ROBERT CRAY (July 6), among others. Beyond the headliners though, the Sunset folks have once again enlisted the services of local talent, giving homegrown artists a chance to play on a bigger stage. MARK CUTLER and JAMES MONTGOMERY kick off the Little Feat show. DAN LILLEY/SCATMAN and BEYOND BLONDE represent local music at the Joan Jett gig. HEATHER ROSE AND THE DRAMA and LAURA WOOD will warm up for Jack’s Mannequin. JOSIE CROSBY will be on the Festival Stage before the Joan Osborne/Brandi Carlile pairing. MONTY ARE I will pack its fans into the State Radio show on Monday, with KIM LAMOTHE setting the scene. PAUL PASCH will sing softly at the Kenny Rogers event, while ALAN HAGUE hangs with the jam kings in moe. On July 8, you can catch BECKY CHACE and LISA MARTIN opening for Paula Cole; MARJORIE THOMPSON (Robert Cray) and FRANK MARTYN (Herman’s Hermits) round out the local reps. The Sunset Music crew has done a bang-up job providing locals a golden opportunity to reach mainstream music fans. Call 401.846.1600 or go to www.sunsetmusicfestival.com.