The city of Providence is surprisingly friendly to under-21 culture vultures. There are many reasons to hop on the commuter rail for a 45-minute ride across the state line, but one of the best is the nonprofit arts organization AS220.
The always-all-ages group, located downtown on Empire Street, states its mission clearly on its website: to "provide an unjuried and uncensored forum for the arts." AS220 holds gallery shows, does community mentoring through its Broad Street Studio program, sells delicious tacos at Taqueria Pacifica, and has a lively music presence; in fact the relatively tiny space, which has hosted the likes of Elvis Perkins and Man Man, is one of the more fun venues in the Providence area.
This is a typically great weekend in the life of AS220. Tonight there's a chilled-out country show with Death Vessel, Micah Blue Smaldone, Quaky Gum, and Callers (9 p.m., $7). Tomorrow morning brings the Providence Wintertime Farmer's Market, where you can get locally grown food (noon-3 p.m.), and tomorrow night it's the gorgeous, creepy folk rock of Barn Burning (9 p.m., $6). On Sunday, the entertainment starts in the afternoon with artists talking about Iraq (3:30 p.m., free), moves on to the weekly "songwriters in the round" (6 p.m., $5), and ends with a hip-hop show by the duo GlassandSteel (8:30 p.m., $5).
Sneak down there in upcoming weeks to catch Providence favorites White Mice (March 23), Triangle Forest (April 2), and Deer Tick (April 7).
Simply put, a place like AS220 makes the city more vibrant, and open to all. As Providence writer Kate Schapira puts it: "It's one-stop shopping - it has everything, including tacos, that you might want."
AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 401-831-9327. as220.org
"The Night Is Young" runs every Friday. Got an all-ages or 18+ activity? Contact Elisabeth Donnelly at elisabethdonnelly@yahoo.com.
