Sometimes when you walk around the streets of Providence on any given night, it’s hard to believe that you’re in a city consisting of fewer than 200,000 people. The restaurant and bar scene satisfy the local palate with most establishments serving cuisine based on homegrown food alongside beer from the plethora of breweries around Rhode Island. The music and art scenes have been experiencing a blissful reinvigoration during the decade, with plenty of venues and galleries offering stages for artists to show off their craft. How can a small city have such a contagious buzz to it? It’s because of the organic creative nature Providence possesses. To put the spotlight on the music roaring around the city, a local label is starting a stellar compilation series.
This Is Providence was created by Midday Records, a label that started in 2009 through a spearheading effort by Davey Moore and Mark Charron of Providence alternative rock act Satellites Fall. Over the past few years, Moore has taken the reigns of the label and has made it a positive force in the Providence music scene. On the vision behind the compilation series, Moore tells Vanyaland: “It is a snapshot of what one would hear on any given night at any given venue in the great city of Providence. The passion and the talent that fills the city’s rooms from artists who have made Providence their home.”
The music featured is very diverse featuring both amplified and acoustic acts. Rude boys The Copacetics, power-pop acts Jets Can’t Land and Eric & The Nothing, folk trio O.B. Howard, and the neo post-syncretics of Nate Cozzolino & The Lost Arts highlight the local bands on the track listing. A few bands from Massachusetts who have made Providence their home base get some love as Cat Has Claws, The Quins, Cruel Miracle, 3 Parts Dead, and GrandEvolution are also featured on the compilation.
A handful of singer-songwriters, such as Allysen Callery, Bob Kendall, Caleb Ezra, and Michael Graham, are included as well. Along with offering a snapshot of what happens on the stages of Providence’s music venues on a nightly basis, This Is Providence also shows the variety of sounds flowing throughout the city.
If you’re unfamiliar with Providence’s music scene, press play to get your ears up close and personal. If you already are familiar, we’ll stop preaching to the choir so you can give the first installment of This Is Providence a listen via Midday’s Bandcamp below.
