The Noise Lists ‘Seven RI Bands to Take Note Of’
Two 75orLess veterans are part of the The Noise’s Seven Rhode Island Acts To Take Note Of, Allysen Callery and Mark Cutler and the Men of Great Courage
Allysen Callery — guitar, vocals
Noise: Where is your band located?
Callery: I’m in Bristol, RI, about 25 minutes from Providence.
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Callery: There are a couple venues that really shine, The Columbus has an upstairs theatre with seats that’s a dream for me to play, I’ve really enjoyed myself there. Aurora under Jacob Wolf’s booking is starting to emerge as a premier room, as well. They brought out tables and chairs the last time I played, and that works best for my sound.
Noise: Describe your band’s sound and how you fit into the scene?
Callery: I play finger-style guitar & sing on the British Isles spectrum of folk, but I’m New England. I’m not trad Americana, but I play with some of the gentler acts like Haunt the House (I was in his band too, for awhile) and love the gothic New England folk style of Vudu Sister, and I book with them a lot, too.
Noise: What’s your best song?
Callery: Wow, that’s a tough thing to answer- but I’ll go with “I Had A Lover I Thought Was My Own,” for the DADGAD fingerstyle playing, and the narrative. That song got me into SXSW in 2014.
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Callery: Jessica Pratt & Meg Baird do a similar style of acoustic that I do, not quite folk, but I call it that out of convenience.
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Callery: I’m doing my first Italian tour this October, stopping to play a show in Brighton, England for some folks instrumental in getting me on my first European label. I am also thrilled to be returning to SXSW festival in March, 2017.
MEN OF GREAT COURAGE
(rock ’n’ roll/ country and soul)
Mark Cutler — guitar, vocals, Jimmy Berger — bass, Rick Couto — drums, Bob Kirkman — guitar, banjo, Richard Reed — keyboard, Cathy Clasper -Torch – fiddle
Noise: Where is your band located?
Cutler: My bands, The Men of Great Courage and The Schemers are located in Providence, RI.
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Cutler: I love the variety of styles and the high quality of music that’s being made around here. There’s always a sense of support and community. Although nowadays, I don’t get out too much unless I’m playing. One thing that gets me down and it’s probably true for many places is that I hear musicians talking about what they do like its a pain in the ass to play music. For God’s sake, you found something that you love to do! And sometimes you make some dough doing it! It’s not like you’re working in a chain gang. You’re playing music.
Noise: Describe your band’s sound and how you fit into the scene?
Cutler: I don’t know how we fit in the scene. We kinda hover around it. My band is all over the place but we’re influenced by tons of styles and artists. We like to get hypnotic and expansive but we also like to play a cry in your beer song too. Hank to Hendrix and all that it implies.
Noise: What’s your best song?
Cutler: I don’t know and I hope I haven’t written it yet.
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Cutler: The usual baby boomer stuff, Stones, Velvet Underground, Dylan, gut bucket blues, old time country.
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Cutler: I plan on playing, writing, mentoring, putting out records, creating, and trying to do the right thing until the day I die.