Wunderground: Providence, 1995- present

October 9, 2006 2:53 PM

Underground WonderlandThe RISD Museum is hosting a retrospective of Providence's DIY marketing approach to underground shows. The exhibit, with every wall plastered from floor to ceiling, feels like a time-capsule. Fort Thunder and its associated bands has been mentioned here on the blue before, but the sense of community that comes through, and which still runs through Providence's subcultures thanks to individuals like Ryan Lesser and his "Lots of Noise" site deserves yet another post. Be sure to check out the Lots of Noise image and photo gallery for more fun stuff. (No direct links, sorry!)
posted by stagewhisper (7 comments total)

For pics, go to the second-linked article and click on the "Images from the Wunderground" link in the right sidebar, below the bunnies.

Man, this looks like an awesome show. I wish I were on the right coast. I'd honestly never heard of any of this before!

It's weird, a lot of those posters look very... quiet, to me. Not the kind of imagery I associate with noise bands.
posted by LogicalDash at 3:35 PM on October 9, 2006

Yeah, it's funny they still call this town "The Renaissance City" when, through turning all the multi-family houses and warehouse spaces into several hundred thousand dollar condos, forcing all us artists into nearby towns (myself included, at some point over the next year).
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 3:40 PM on October 9, 2006

*sigh* All that stuff was going on while I was still in college, and I was paying more attention to New York and Boston at the time. I still have ties to the Providence scene but I've moved too far away to go to a Providence show unless I pack an overnight bag. I'd love to start stuff up here but I'm out of the house 12 hours a day. :(
posted by mkb at 5:08 PM on October 9, 2006

Neat. I remember seeing many of those posters (and going to a few of the shows) around Providence. I studied printmaking at RISD just after all those guys did, so that stuff brings back a lot of memories. Fun times. I miss it.
posted by atom128 at 5:13 PM on October 9, 2006

One of my favourite Providence bands is The Midnight Creeps, who are totally about the do it yourself aesthetic.
posted by Captaintripps at 5:14 PM on October 9, 2006

Yeah, the Creeps are pretty rockin'.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 5:26 PM on October 9, 2006

Interested parties may enjoy Paper Rad.
posted by numlok at 5:34 PM on October 9, 2006