by JOHNSON CUMMINS

A rab on Radar may have broken up in 2002, but their posthumous popularity has left a plethora of new bands in their wake. Apart from those who were influenced by the Providence, RI band, there are the direct offshoots: Athletic Automaton, Made in Mexico and the Chinese Stars. The latter includes AOR singer Eric Paul and drummer Craig Kureck, as well as Six Finger Satellite bassist Richard Ivan Pelletier. And despite their dance beats, the term “dance punk” doesn’t do the Chinese Stars justice. The Mirror asked Paul about this and more.

Mirror: Why are there so many great bands like Lightning Bolt, Daughters and Made in Mexico coming out of a tiny place like Providence?

Eric Paul: Bands like Six Finger Satellite, Dung Beetle and Green Magnet School definitely inspired a lot of other Providence bands. They had such a unique sound, and set such high standards. Providence also has a pretty large art school, so that always provides a great audience for the local bands.

M: Six Finger Satellite weren’t that popular in the ’90s, but you hear a lot of their influence now.

EP: Oh yeah, they were one of the most unsung bands of all time.

M: Didn’t something similar happen to Arab on Radar?

EP: I don’t know why that happened. I think a lot of bands started dropping our name, and Karen O started wearing an Arab on Radar shirt. Then we were wondering why all of these kids were showing up to Chinese Stars shows. It’s kind of bittersweet because we really put seven years of hard work into that band and people never liked us until it was all over (laughs).

M: You guys definitely have a dance punk kind of sound, but describing you guys that way seems almost insulting.

EP: Yeah, promoters always stick us on bills with the worst dance punk openers, these kids wearing skinny ties and their nice clothes. We really love records like P.I.L.’s Second Edition and the Pop Group and that’s where we’re coming from. We’re not coming from places like the Rapture.

With Foreign Islands and Think About Life at la Sala Rossa tonight, Thursday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m., $10

>> Music Listings