Wolves in the Throne Room

Last call on the Wolves in the Throne Room show. May 25th, Daniel Street. That's tomorrow night, folks!

JH

Friday at Two Boots

Friday May 22
Two Boots, 281 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport
Music starts at 10 p.m. (come early and get some food)
$5. All-ages

The Tyler Trudeau Attempt
The Inclined Plane
Welcome

From Tweefort:

Don't forget this Friday night at Two Boots in Bridgeport there'll be a great pop show with an all-CT line-up. Come out and support the local pop music!

Headlining will be The Tyler Trudeau Attempt from New Haven. The Attempt is making the rounds throughout CT... last week they played Cafe Nine in New Haven and they've got stops coming up in Oakdale and New London. They've got a great powerpop sound you'll definitely want to be there for.

Opening will be The Inclined Plane from Hartford, who just released their new full-length, "I Am Pants," to rave reviews.

New Haven electro-pop outfit Welcome will be kicking things off.

Plus... you'll want to get some of Two Boots' famous pizza. Honestly, pizza, beer and great pop music... you can't go wrong.

Please visit tweefort for more details.

Send Us Yr Tracks

The CT Indie MySpace page's music player is long overdue for some fresh tracks. And now there's the option of adding up to 10 songs. Ideally, there should be a little bit of everything in the player. Noise, rock, folk, punk, sludge, fudge, blip, buzz, whatever. So, if you're a local yocal that wants to share a taste of your ear rub, send ONE track to ctindiemusic@gmail.com. Please include a pic of band art and a link to your page.

JD

Sweetport 09

Sweetport 09 - Free Concert with Mates of State

5/30/2009 2:00 PM

Mates of State
Caravan of Thieves
The Zambonis
Saint Bernadette
Cosmic Jibaros
MT Bearington

McLevy Green (State & Main St.), Bridgeport, CT
Cost: FREE

On Saturday, May 30th there's a free outdoor festival with 6 bands and special guest DJs. Mates of State, The Zambonis and more, more, more…

From the Sweetport Website:

Dave "Zamboni" Schneider was asked to be the curator of a 4 years and running music and arts festival called Sweetport 09 here in CT. He jumped at the chance saying "it’s like making a live mixtape". HERE IS WHO HE GOT TO PLAY THE FREE SHOW! MATES OF STATE, CARAVAN OF THIEVES, THE ZAMBONIS, SAINT BERNADETTE, COSMIC JIBAROS, MT BEARINGTON & in-between all the live music spinning some great tunes will be iconic music writer MICHAEL AZERRAD. Also spinning some reggae dub will be Dub master YVES WILSON. IT’S FREE !!!!!!! MATES OF STATE - This year saw the release of Mates of State’s highly praised 5th album "Re-Arrange Us", a CD that showed up on numerous year-end "best of" lists across the country. Honestly, they are gonna sound so good in such a small little park. DON’T MISS IT!!! CARAVAN OF THIEVES - They’ve taken the gypsy jazz of Django Rheinhardt from the 1930’s and twisted it up to an original modern melodic bouquet of perfection. Their live show is absolutely fantastic. THE ZAMBONIS - The only band influenced by The Beatles and Wayne Gretzky. "The songs are well crafted pop hockey gems" L.A Times "The smartest, melodic band on skates" NPR. SAINT BERNADETTE - Freshly exhumed from the Bridgeport studio, ready to spread the gospel of rock! COSMIC JIBAROS - Built from Latin, Caribbean, Rock and World rhythms for a sound that’s both cross-cultural and highly danceable. M.T. BEARINGTON - They write trippy, beautiful music that make you wanna lay in the grass on a spring day (unless you have asthma) SPINNING NOTHING BUT GOOD OLD CRACKLY VINYL IN BETWEEN THE LIVE MUSIC... GUEST DEEJAYS ... MICHAEL AZERRAD - MUSICIAN, FILM PRODUCER and ICONIC WRITER MICHAEL AZERRAD will be spinning his favorite tunes throughout the day ON VINYL. Critics and fans raved about Michael’s books "Our Band Could Be Your Life" and "Come As You Are" The Story Of Nirvana. Michael is also the drummer for buzz band The Golden Bloom and also hits the kit for The LeeVees. YVES WILSON- Photographer and Dubmaster DeeJay. Mr Wilson will be laying down the reggae vibe. JASON HAMMEL- Drummer and 1/2 of The band MATES OF STATE, Jason said "I am packing my record crate now, can’t wait"...

Please check out the Sweetport website here for more info. This is a once in a lifetime event, so please please attend!

JH

The Villains

So the other day I stumbled across The Villains on Myspace, and they're the real deal. They play a blend of all kinds off 60s inspired surf, garage, and crusty guitar tunes. So good! There's a lot of great New Haven surf-rock bands that just seem to be popping up from out of nowhere.

Anyway, right after stumbling across these guys, I find out that they're playing a show this Wednesday, at Daniel St. And if you miss that, you can always check out Rudy's on June 20th where they're going to blow out everyone's eardrums for sure.

5/20 at Daniel Street, Milford, CT - 9:00 PM
6/20 at Rudy’s, New Haven, CT - 10:00 PM $3


Oh, and while we're on the subject of surf-rock, check out Surf Nite at Two Boots on Thursday!

Thu May 21
9pm $3
Surf Nite!
Two Boots, Bridgeport, CT

The Vultures
Zen Dudes and the Universe

Both bands are extremely kickass!

JH

Paul Roberts at Cafe Nine

Paul Roberts is the former front man of the legendary Stranglers, a gig he maintained for almost 16 years. If you're not familiar with the Stranglers, you missed a good chunk of punk history. He's playing an intimate acoustic show at Cafe 9 tomorrow night, both covering classic Stranglers songs and doing some solo tunes as well. This should be a pretty great show.

Al Pist is a CT legend, slamming down some great acoustic punk all over the state. He's been throwing down some raging tunes with his solo act for years now. He's also playing at the Whitney House in Hartford on June 6th, an all acoustic show with local Mark Leonard and Jersey punker Malcolm Tent. There's a few other names being bandied about for this show, so stay tuned for more info.

Show Details:

May 19
Tuesday
9 pm

$10 - 21+

Cafe Nine, 250 State St, New Haven, CT

JH

Academy Skatepark Show Review

Check out One Base on an Overthrow's review of the Fatal Film, Brava Spectre and Weird Beards show that went down at Academy Skatepark.

CLICK ON OVER

JD

Kylesa, Rebreather, Iron Hand, Victims

Date: Sunday, May 24, 2009
$10/21+
Time: 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Cherry Street Station
491 North Cherry Street Ext.
Wallingford, CT

Kylesa
They say that if a band fails to perfect its sound by album number four, it’s time for that band to do the honorable thing and throw in the proverbial towel. This Spring, Savannah, Georgia’s KYLESA – whose music defies classification, as it incorporates avant-garde experimentalism with relentlessly sludgy riffs, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock – issues its fourth studio full-length, Static Tensions, and let’s just say they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
Prosthetic Records

Rebreather
It's not everyday a band like Rebreather comes along. With a sound that mirrors the complexity of the breathing process itself, the unit has been exhaling distorted, molten hymns since 1999. While often categorized as an offshoot of the doom metal genus, the fact remains that Rebreather has been developing into something far more intriguing. They draw from the thunderous volumes of Cavity and Floor as much as they do from Barkmarket's twitchy finesse and Hum's melodic rumble.

Iron Hand
Thrash/punk band from the Hartford/Middletown area of Connecticut. Ex-They and The Children.

Victims
All the way from Sweden, d-beat punk/hardcore.

JD

Venue change for WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM

Heads up from Manic:

Due to reasons beyond our control we are forced to move the Wolves in the Throne Room show to a different venue. The Mayor of Wallingford called the American Legion and told them that their has been 41 police calls in the last year. I was told that if their were any noise complaints that our show would be immediately shut down. As you all know, this show is going anything but quiet. I wanted to ensure that this show wouldn't get shutdown.

I'm not really sure about the future of the American Legion but I hope there continues to be shows there. It has been host to many great shows and we've all had some great times there.

Below is the new venue info for the show. Unfortunately it is now 21+ (we can't make all shows at Daniel Street all ages unfortunately) If you have already purchased a ticket and are under 21 please email me so we can figure something out.

Here it is:

Monday, May 25

Wolves in the Throne Room
A Storm of Light
Krallice
Ipsissimus

$12 ($10 advance), 7:00pm - 21+

@ Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street (Milford, CT)

Hope to see you all there! Please help spread the word, the show is in only 9 days!

Rock yer Socks Indie Night

Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 9:00pm

Location: Grady Tavern
622 East Middle Turnpike
Manchester, CT

$2 21 and up
cheep beer
good people
giant moths

Jae
http://www.myspace.com/o0lljaell0o

CJ Boyd
http://www.myspace.com/cjboyd

Jimmy Jude
no website - so get your ass to Grady's to hear this

Rum Glass Serenade
http://www.myspace.com/rumglassserenade

JD

Food Will Win the War

Food Will Win the War
Frank Critelli
Al Raebuck

Saturday. May 16th. 9pm

@ Cafe Nine
250 State Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 789-8281
tickets: $5

Food Will Win the War is coming to Connecticut on May 16th to perform at Cafe Nine. They'll be playing with locals Frank Critelli and Al Raebuck. Food Will Win the War hails from Booklyn, and plays softer indie folk music. This is the first I've heard of them, but after listening to some of their tunes, it's relaxing and laid back indie folk/rock, and I've been really enjoying the songs I've streamed.

New Haven's own Frank Critelli plays folk music that reminds me a little of Roger Miller. He's got a great voice and a great backing band, and his songs are really powerfully written. He also hosts a long-running monthly live music series at Books & Company, a used bookstore in Hamden, CT. It features some of the best independent songwriters from New England and beyond. He's playing a lot of shows this month and next, so check the calendar.

Al Raebuck is from Branford, and he's been playing the Connecticut scene for more than 10 years. He's shared the stage with such artists as Little Feat, Lisa Loeb and The Kennedys. His songs are an infusion of folk, rock, and pop, and he uses his unique voice to great effect. He's got some great tunes, so check him out and support some great local music.

Also, tune in to WYBC Yale Radio before the show (around 8pm) as Frank Critelli and Al Raebuck will be joining radio host Jef Wilson for a pre-show interview, both to talk about the show and perform some music live!

JH

Hartford's Music Scene

Grabbed this article from The Hartford Advocate. Many thanks for the shout, Maria!

All the Small Scenes

Hartford's music scene isn't as beat as people might try to tell you it is

By Brianna Snyder

It seems Hartford suffers from a touch of middle-child syndrome, twice over. The midpoint between NYC and Boston, and the midpoint between New Haven and Northampton, Hartford often gets jumped, missing out on the touring acts who opt for clubs like Toad's Place or the Calvin Theater. Why, though? Hartford's music scene is diverse and pervasive, and its audience is hungry. There's an impressive community of communities here, all different kinds of music: the up-and-coming, the little-known, soon-to-be-well-known, local DIY stuff.

We're noticing things happening in this city. At the beginning of the year, a group of guys calling themselves the Hartford Party Starters Union started booking shows at different venues downtown, and Rock Yer Socks' indie shows are getting bigger and better. The Webster's got a new owner/booker, Real Art Ways is bringing in more great stuff, Black-eyed Sally's is branching out, Sully's is still happening, and the Warehouse and Parkville are changing the way the city moves at night. We've done a quick round-up below of what everyone's got going on. Check back in with us — big things are about to happen, we think.

Changing of the Guard

You've probably heard by now that the Webster Theater's been sold to the New England booking company MassConcerts. (The same company owns and books shows at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass.)

Head of MassConcerts John Peters spoke to the Advocate by phone and said that he's a fan of WCCC radio.

"The stuff they play tends to do well" at venues like the Webster in markets like Hartford's, he said. But "we definitely want to expand into the jam-band scene. [Jam bands] have been going to New Haven in the past. We want to get them to Hartford. We just gotta see what does well."

If you look at the upcoming shows at the Webster, the schedule's fuller, and varies a little more than it used to. Cake has a show at the end of May, and Henry Rollins is performing spoken word in June. While MassConcerts is widening the Webster Theater's scope a bit, the lineup still looks a lot like it did before the venue was sold, though bulkier.

But Peters says it's slow in the summer, and come fall there's a bunch of stuff coming. And the Webster Underground will continue to house local shows.

"Hartford has a decent local-music scene," he said. "The trick is to make it so all those local bands can come play. As long as we can get 100-plus people into the Underground, we'll cover our costs."

Killer Parties

The Grady Tavern in Manchester and the Charter Oak Cultural Center here in Hartford have been host to monthly indie-rock shows for the past few years. Started by three roommates in 2006, Rock Yer Socks is a now-bigger DIY agency of indie-rock fans from Hartford and Manchester who "were sick of going to New London or New Haven or Northampton" to see the bands they wanted to, according to Maria Yates, one of the RYS founders.

Now RYS has a following, loyal in the way indie kids tend to be. "Any show we do is gonna have local bands in it," Yates said. "But we also get bands that are coming from Chicago, California, the South, the Midwest." They even had a band from South Wales play a show.

The group doesn't make any profit, turning over the $5 ($4 with a canned good) ticket prices to the bands playing the shows. And these shows are primarily all-ages.

In the future, RYS plans to book more Hartford people and bands (they're looking to work with the Warehouse in Parkville) and find another all-ages venue. And they plan to book more indie, working with the Connecticut promotional group CT Indie.

"We book everything indie," Yates said. "Punk, pop, noise ... we each have our own niches. That's why we do these shows."

The Hartford Party Starters Union has also been mining the underground indie scene, as well as the hip-hop and, well, everything scene. The three dudes comprising HPSU are Neil Brewer, Patrick Kennedy (PK Partytime) and Benjamin Grippo (Benn Grim). What these guys are after is making Hartford fun, reviving downtown, listening to good music and basically just partying. The trio forwards all profits from the shows to the next event. And there are many more parties in the making, Brewer tells the Advocate.

While on the subject of DJs and dance parties, Dawn Migliore, aka "DJ Breakadawn" champions house music and says it's recently gained a lot of popularity. Migliore works with Underground Sound Productions, a Hartford-based booking and promotions group that puts on shows at the Warehouse.

"[The Warehouse will have] a mix of hippie bands, then they'll have DJs on the side so that when there's a set break people still have music to listen to," Migliore said. "It's brought together a lot of scenes that wouldn't normally socialize together. Even the breakdance scene and the hipster and hippie-jamband scenes and the dance music scene ... it's nice to see people getting out and listening to different music."

Migliore said Shag Frenzy, the collective that used to put on indie-dance nights at Sweet Jane's on Pratt Street (which closed last year), are putting indie nights on at the Warehouse now. She said she also DJs at Koji, on Asylum Street, where there's a big audience for house music.

"House is in random spots all over Hartford," she said. "I think that's really helping the music scene."

The West Indian Social Club gets some really incredible reggae shows, booked by outside promoters and often seriously underpublicized. But you'll find a ton of fliers and postcards all over Hartford, particularly in the North End, near the venue. You can track a lot of this stuff online if you're hooked into the right networks; Sizzla, Buju Banton, Elephant Man and Beenie Man have strong Web presences, and you'll see Hartford is frequently included in their tours.

All that Jazz, Blues, Rock, Reggae ...

Black-eyed Sally's turns 15 this year. And James Varano, who owns the Asylum Street BBQ joint, acknowledges that blues fans tend to be older and that younger people don't seem as drawn to blues as their parents, or parents' parents (and so on). And so jazz nights on Mondays and rock and reggae on the weekends brings in a wider audience than the straight blues shows (which you can still see there).

"We've been moving away from an all-blues format for a few years now. We've been doing a lot of rock acts, anything roots-based. We have music five nights a week. I figure we could please everybody."

Jazz nights are quite popular, Varano says. The Hartt School puts them on, often alternating between more-formal performances and less-formal jams. He said some nights the small restaurant is so packed they've had to move all the tables out. "It's pretty amazing," he said.

"I think you need to have a mix of music in a lot of places, and people doing original music," he continued. "That's what makes a city exciting and sexy."

Artbeat

"You can put Real Art Ways in any city in the world and people would be happy to have it. The music we get here, this is some really amazing-quality stuff," said the Parkville gallery's executive director, Will K. Wilkins.

The Real Art Ways' Creative Cocktail Party is a monthly dance-party-type reception that usually doubles as an exhibit-opening. There are musical and performance acts, which are often arty jazz groups, experimental, hip-hop, reggae, and lots of international music. Last month, at the gallery's yearly blowout party — "The Odd Ball" — Jaleel Bunton, drummer for TV on the Radio, DJed. And a couple of years ago Santogold performed to a jam-packed Creative Cocktail Hour, long before her single "L.E.S. Artistes" premiered on MTV.

But what Wilkins is both most interested in and planning to do more of is jazz, which he says Hartford has tons of.

"I think that people aren't aware of how many really outstanding musicians the area produces."

Wilkins points to the Hartt School, Black-eyed Sally's, and the Artists Collective as being just a few of many schools and venues in the city cultivating and producing great jazz performers. (Not to be overlooked: Vibz Uptown right on Main Street and the Studio@Billings Forge. Both feature a ton of jazz and the Studio even has spoken-word poetry nights.)

Wilkins said starting this summer RAW will be doing more with Stephen Haynes, a Hartford-based jazz trumpet- and cornet-player. Wilkins also recently began working with Ed Fast, who regularly plays Latin jazz at the Firebox restaurant on Broad Street.

"We've got a role to play in building people's awareness," Wilkins said. "And a lot of the artists playing here are really interested in creating a network. ... But there's a lot of music around, and free music in the summer. The Hartford Jazz Society does free jazz nights in Bushnell Park, and Sully's is great and so is Black-eyed Sally's. ...

"People always say Hartford's halfway between New York and Boston. Come on, they're not that close. Hartford's between West Hartford and East Hartford. Get real."

JD

Dates

Many, many, many new dates were added to the calendar today, so please check it out. As always, email us about any dang ol' thing.

Two Boots - Thursday

MOA
FayRey

Two Boots
10pm
$5

Coming all the way from Sweden, MOA is headlining a show with local indie rockers FayRey. It's guaranteed to be a loud and raucus show. MOA is a fierce female-fronted rock band with lots of punk flair. They're stopping in Bridgeport between a couple of NYC shows. Opening for them is FayRey, a New Haven/NYC based art-rock band. Check our their myspace, they've got some really good tunes.

Two Boots is at 281 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport, CT. The show starts at 9pm

JH

Cafe 9 Tomorrow!

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow night at Cafe Nine, Tweefort has put together a great lineup which is sure to be a hell of a free show.

Very Truly Yours hails from Chicago, bringing sweet indie pop tunes to the table. It's all very catchy and very cute. They're touring all over, and played at the Bug Jar last night, and will be playing the upcoming NYC Popfest on the 17th!

Death To New England is composed of members of The Battlecats, who were a pretty big staple of the New Haven indie scene and a member of Joanie Loves Tchotchkes. I believe that this is actually their first show under this moniker...

The Tyler Trudeau Attempt seem to play every show in CT! They're hard to describe, but I think Trudeau puts it best when he says "I write three-minute pop songs about feeling bad." It's a little bit pop, a little bit punk and it's got some garage hooks thrown in for good measure.


Cafe Nine is at 250 State St., New Haven.
Doors at 9 p.m.
Music starts at 10 p.m.

FREE.

Read the Tweefort article for more information!

JH

Wye Oak, Pomegranates, and Welcome

Friday, May 15 2009



LOCATION:
Cafe Nine
250 State Street
New Haven CT

$8 - 9:00PM - 21+

DIRECTIONS: CLICK

BUY TICKETS: CLICK


Wye Oak
The droll tone and fleeting sweetness of a Yo La Tengo are cut into the more deeply textural concerns of shoegaze in the Baltimore group’s work. It’s an interesting alignment, given the contrast in senses of humor. But Wye Oak successfully shed tonnage from the latter without losing potency.

Pomegranates
Pomegranates is a pop band from Cincinnati, Ohio formed in the Fall of 2006. For fans of Bear Hands, MGMT, etc.

Welcome
Indie-pop trio from New Haven.

JD

Connecticut DIY Shows

And one last minute post about this Sunday, May 10:

CAW CAW!, Math The Band, TBA @ Lil Tommy J’s Home For Lost Boys
20 Shelley ST, WATERBURY
6:00 PM
Cost: DONATE

Wondering what Connecticut DIY Shows is all about? From their MySpace page: All shows are a suggested donation of $5 to give gas money to bands and POTLUCK to feed touring bands. If you can't donate any cash, a donation of: food, juice, toilet paper, paper towels, plastic utensils, more food, batteries, or whatever you'd like to give to the bands/show space, is also very appreciated! All traveling bands will be offered a place to spend the night. I can't set up as many shows as I used to, which fucking sucks, but I'm still trying to do my part. My goal with this page is to help you get educated on the cheap shows going on around CT. You don't need to pay 10 bucks to see your friends band play at these shows. Have fun.


Enjoy the weekend everyone!

JD

Papercuts on TND's Live Series

WNPR's The Needle Drop monthly series continues with Papercuts



On Monday, May 18th, 2009, WNPR’s weekly independent music program, The Needle Drop, will feature San Francisco native Jason Quever, better known as Papercuts, in the second show of its live session series.

Papercuts’ You Can Have What You Want is the newest phase in Jason Quever’s ongoing pop investigations. When describing Quever’s sound, Fantano states, “there's a breathy melancholy to Jason's voice that warrant's concern, and the musical nostalgia hanging in the air will lasso the attention of anyone decades older than him.”

Featured in the February edition of Connecticut Magazine, The Needle Drop is not just a Connecticut radio program. It’s now syndicated in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, reaching an audience far outside the boarders of the Constitution State.

The Needle Drop is produced by Anthony Fantano with support from WNPR in Hartford, CT. The show is supplemented by Fantano’s regularly updated blog at http://theneedledrop.com.

The event takes place at The Space in Hamden, CT at 12:00 noon (so working folk like you and me can't go), but is free and open to the public. For more information: http://www.thespace.tk/.

JD

5th Annual Outdoor Flea Market at The Space

Saturday, May 9th, 2009.

9am-3pm is the Fourth Annual Spring Flea Market!

The Space 295 Treadwell, Hamden CT 06514

Come down and buy crazy stuff...or just chill in the first sun in a week.

30+ vendors, music, food and good times! Josh Aciares of Hi-Planes Drifter to play an acoustic set.

JD

Tweefort in May

A quick reminder from Tweefort:

Here are our upcoming shows for the month of May. It's going to be a busy month for us. We have some great little pop bands coming through the area thanks to the New York Popfest next month. I hope to see some of you out at these shows. They should be a good time.

MAY 9:
The Tartans (Los Angeles) with Panda and Child (Manchester, Conn.)
Part of the New Haven Artspace Underground
50 Orange St., New Haven, CT
8 p.m. - 11 p.m. $5. All ages.

MAY 13:
Very Truly Yours (Chicago) with Death To New England (ex-Battlecats from CT) and The Tyler Trudeau Attempt (New Haven, Conn.)
Cafe Nine, 250 State St., New Haven, CT
Doors at 9 p.m. Music at 10 p.m.
FREE. 21+.

MAY 22:
The Tyler Trudeau Attempt (New Haven) with The Inclined Plane (Hartford) and Welcome (New Haven)
Two Boots, 281 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, CT
10 p.m. $5. All-ages.

JD

Zen Bar

Saturday, May 23, 8pm the Zen Bar in Farmington (240 Farmington Ave) there will be a mix of blues, pop, rock and soul.

Filling the bill that night are Jennifer Hill and Co, Sarah LeMeiux and the Super Blue Band, Poor Pluto, Laura Ganci, Maiiah The Serpent Dancer, and painter Kerry Kozaczuk.

Jennifer Hill, on Sling Slang records, has been playing in the CT music scene most of her life, except for a few missed years performing in southwestern Colorado and New York city. When returning to CT in 2001 she began her search for a band that could create the "noises inside her head." After an exhaustive search, and many frustrating years the formula finally clicked and Jennifer Hill and Co. was formed. Coming together as a group of strangers from both coasts and from different musical backgrounds they created a vibe that is all their own. They have played the gamut of shows, from intimate concerts at NYC's Rockwood Music hall, to NYC'S indie M.E.A.N.Y Fest, and various other venues all over CT, NYC and MA. Often described as a "piano soul collective" the sound is a fusion of pop, rock, jazz, soul, and funk shaken together with a fat ass piano pounding beat. They are currently recording their first release for Sling Slang Records.

Poor Pluto, also on Sling Slang, is a 5 piece original rock band hailing out of the Hartford, CT area. Their dynamic sound is influenced by everything while producing music that is uniquely their own. Mixing elegant violin melodies, horns, driving rhythms, spacious piano and guitar work, touches of electronica, and lyrics about the ups and downs of life that are simple but make the listener think. The music is sonically intense yet organically mellow all at once.

Maiiah is a dark beauty who can intoxicate you with one flick of the wrist. She weaves through the music like a second melody...fluid and beautiful. She will be on hand for a beautiful belly dance sure to entertain and mystify you.

Sarah's influences ride the river, from Robert Johnson, Freddie King and Koko Taylor, on through Jimi Hendrix and Bonnie Raitt, to Bjork, Daniel Lanois and Pierre Bensusan. After college, she added some indie-rock to her mix, lending her vocals to bands like Brother Love, Hapikrak, and Toke Squealy, but she always returned to the blues. After stints in the house band at the legendary C-Note Blues jam and Hank's Saloon and Lillie's blues nights, Sarah toured, stopping back for regular gigs at Lower East Side hotspots Mannahatta and the Anyway Cafe.

Laura Ganci is a weaver of effortless melody and beautiful prose. Her waif like deliverance gives an air of innocence reminiscent of the Sundays or Ani DiFranco on a subtle day.

Kerry Kozaczuk (Metaleyelash) enjoys painting fairly abstract compositions interlaced with bits of disgusting invented creatures. She once manipulated a child psychologist into thinking that the death of her kitten was the root cause of her unending complexes.

JD

Zoo Front

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Zoo Front will be playing at The Annex - Upstairs @ The Windham Arts Collaborative 866 Main Street, Willimantic, Connecticut 06226



The show also features The Sawtelles, Malcolm Tent, and Al Pist. It is sponsored by Against All Odds Productions.

Doors are at 7, Music is at 8. Cost: $7.00

JD

Naugatuck Riverfest

Friday, May 8, 2009, ATRINA, Kimono Draggin' and Eula rock to benefit the Naugatuck Riverfest - 9pm, Polish-American Club, Bridge St, Naugatuck. Then, Saturday, May 9, the action continues at 12PM with The Mountain Movers, Pariah Beat, 30 Bag and more more more!

Unless you moved to Connecticut the day before yesterday, you're well aware of Atrina, Eula, and The Mountain Movers. But Kimono Draggin' are new to me, and wow what a swirl of tweaked Television, Stooges and maybe even a touch of Notekillers. I just ask that all you guys down in southern CT be careful. So much is going on down there, that you risk causing an earthquake that could break Connecticut in half, and the chunk would float into Long Island Sound. It's totally possible based on my pseudo-scientific analysis of the situation.

The NRRG (Naugatuck River Revival Group) is dedicated to the restoration and clean up of the Naugatuck RIver. On May 9th, there will be a canoe and kayak race down the Naugy beginning from behind the old Howard Johnson's in Waterbury and ending in Beacon Falls by the train station. It is time the Naugatuck River was returned back to its natural state. If it is respected, we can also use the river for entertainment, like it was many many years ago before pollution made the waters unsafe to navigate, boat, swim and fish. This is a river race and festival. There will be food, several vendors and live music. Please come and support the Naugtauck River. Also, on May 8th, at the Polish American Club in Naugatuck, there will be a rock show/fundraiser to raise money for the festival. COME ON DOWN! For those who would like to be in the race registration forms are available at CT 4 Outdoors in Watertown, Avid Skateboards in Naugatuck or Vintage Furniture in Naugatuck. T-shirts are also available upon registration or the day of the race.

JD

More Saint Bernadette

A Saint Bernadette UPDATE - they have added a slew of dates to their calendar, including two MS Society Benefit events.

May 2 - Stamford, CT - Rack n Roll Café
May 5 - New Haven, CT - Café Nine w/ The Wiles
May 16 - Hamden, CT - The Space (Battle of the Bands FINALS)
May 30 - Bridgeport, CT - Sweetport Festival w/ Mates of State
May 31 - Westport, CT - Sherwood Island (MS Society Benefit)
June 6 - Danbury, CT - Cousin Larry's (MS Society Benefit)


I'm going to let allmusic.com do all the work here in describing Saint Bernadette because allmusic's review of Saint Bernadette's 2007 release In the Ballroom hits the nail on the head in explaining what these guys are all about:

Recorded in the titular space (the ballroom of the Bijou Theater in Bridgeport, CT) in only three days, with no overdubs, Saint Bernadette's debut is a shimmering set of torchy, if not necessarily romantic jazz blues that reveals additional layers the more it's played. Although horns and guitar add to the atmosphere, it's Meredith DiMenna's supple, velvety voice -- somewhat like a combination of Norah Jones, Toni Price, Peggy Lee, and Billie Holiday -- that drives the project. Led by DiMenna, whose vocals are heard in an entirely different setting as MTV's trashy Chunky Pam, along with fellow songwriter Keith Saunders, these 11 originals hint at retro '60s styled mood with contemporary touches. But it's the subtle dynamics that elevate the material; lap steel guitar brings a somewhat ghostly approach to the songs as DiMenna's husky, sexy singing weaves through the spaces in the sound. A few tracks like "Such Ease" benefit from a harder edge yet the album typically stays in a mid-tempo, not quite ballad mode that lets the songs breathe and allows DiMenna the leeway to smother her smoky voice over the proceedings. The project exudes a sensuous sheen over its 40-minute playing time, and the album works due to a greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts dynamic. Imagine a set influenced by Santo & Johnny's nocturnal instrumental "Sleepwalk" and you're close to the hazy vibe evoked here. DiMenna occasionally radiates Grace Slick-styled phrasing, especially on the dramatic "Lay Me Down." Although the material is strong, it isn't particularly hooky. That's not a detriment, though, because it adds to the mystery and sense of ambiguity that the songs simmer in. When the guitars do crank up on "No Dreams," it's a sonic shock to the system. Turn the lights down low, burn some incense, and lose yourself in Saint Bernadette's intense yet lithe charms. allmusic.com

JD