“Rhode Island” (Used 11 times)

It's getting cold, things are dying, leaves are alluringly pretty, people shiver on the beach-- their sweaters thick and wooly. No one is getting tan. It's autumn in Rhode Island and it's profound and frightening. However, the scariest thing of all is the sickening amount of talent on the AS220 Fall Sampler. It's just stupidly grotesque. In the karmic schema of the world it is definitely not fair that the smallest state is endowed with the crushing force of artistry found in all these musical acts. So, grab a pumpkin spice latte, an apple dripping in caramel and your favorite pair of speakers and blast these tunes from a handful of bands in the ocean state. It arrives just in time for Halloween. Listen here!

Dive in the Narragansett, drinking a Narragansett, listening to this comp on waterproof headphones. 

The community arts center AS220 in downtown Providence has curated another great seasonal mix showcasing local musicians who have performed at their space. Settle into your favorite pair of yellow rubber pants and get chummy with this great seasonal sampler, reeling in great tracks from Rhode Island bands The Low Anthem, Harry and the Potters, Lolita Black, Trip Dicks, and Humanbeast.

Download all 20 great free and legal songs here, and don't forget to grab a ticket for their annual Foo Fest summer concert, featuring FMA favorites Black Pus and ZuKrewe.

The second ever "Seasonal Sampler" is up and ready for your deep enjoyment. This edition: SUMMER. Dive in the Narragansett, drinking a Narragansett, listening to this comp. on waterproof headphones. It features Rhode Island musicians who have performed at AS220.

The album artwork is by AS220 Resident Jason Curzake. What's more Rhode Island than fisherman? ANSWER: A fisherman on this comp.

HERE IT IS: The AS220 Free Music Archive Summer Sampler 2013

Coffee milk is the official state drink of Rhode Island. If you haven't tried it, it's basically chocolate milk's more wired cousin, but just as rich, cool and sweet.

Rhode Island's AS220 will also give you creative jolt. They're a non-profit community arts center in downtown Providence. For Spring, they've compiled a seasonal sampler, showcasing musicians from who have played at their space, including the likes of Javelin, Feels, What Cheer? Brigade, The Kolour Kult, Math The Band, Howse & Mincemeat or Tenspeed. Pour yourself a tall glass here.

Here's a classic from Olneyville Sound System. Like their namesake System—the inspirational former workplace of David Byrne that churns out hot weiners covered in a legendary meat sauce—OSS also specialize in a flavor that is distinct to the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence RI.

OSS make bass and drum music. Not to be confused with "drum 'n' bass." This is real raw bass sludge from Dan St. Jacques (Landed, Six Finger Satellite) and Adam Autry (Boredoms' Boadrum, Plate Techtonics). Their sound is akin to Lightning Bolt doing ESG, concise noise-funk with the experimental humor of Men's Recovery Project. "These Guys Don't Take Requests, They Don't Play Showtunes" comes from their '97 Load Records debut Because We're All In This Together, which featured "anti-blues" harmonica by Roma and maniacal vocals by Jon Von Ryan.

"Olneyville Sound System was very influential on Usaisamonster," Colin Langenus wrote in a post describing a recent collaboration Adam Autry. The Colin L Orchestra joins in on a rare OSS Brooklyn performance this Saturday at the Silent Barn. Providence's Russian Tsarlag, recent WFMU guests Source of Yellow, DJ Greg Fox, and a ventriloquist who goes by the name of Bernard Herman are also on the bill.

Feel free to request "These Guys Don't Take Requests" at an upcoming OSS show, but they'll be playing new material. Word is they have a new album tracked at Machines With Magnets. I got to see some of it live about a year ago and it is going to rule. We'll hear some when they swing by Talk's Cheap / WFMU on April 18th. For a deeper voyage into the history of OSS, check out On Safari, recorded live at Providence's defunct Safari Lounge.