Weekend Rundown

First, I better mention that Ponybird, Lys Guillorn, and Baby G are slated as openers for the Arborea show I posted about, otherwise Jenn Dauphinais is going to give me a black eye. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities are also playing. Cabinet have played with Magnolia Electric Co., Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and Dan Deacon to name only a few. Thanks for the heads up, Jenn.

Bear in Heaven is playing at The Space tonight. POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE. (Doors open at 7 PM – $12 - All Ages.) The Space posted some interesting details:

Bear in Heaven is a Brooklyn-based rock band formed by Jon Philpot. The sound of the band incorporates influences from psychedelic music, electronic music, krautrock.

Jon Philpot has previously released music as part of the duo Presocratics, in collaboration with guitarist and composer Need Thomas Windham. Presocratics released two albums on the record label Table of the Elements in 2001; both were produced by Philpot.

The first Bear in Heaven release (Tunes Nextdoor to Songs, Eastern Developments 2003) was an EP of solo recordings by Philpot, recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, with guest musicians performing on various instruments. Shortly after the release of Tunes Nextdoor to Songs, Philpot moved to Brooklyn, New York and joined with guitarist Adam Wills, keyboardist/guitarist Sadek Bazarra (a graphic designer with Brooklyn design collective GH avisualagency), guitarist David Daniell (of San Agustin), and bassist James Elliott (Ateleia, School of Seven Bells). Eventually drummer Joe Stickney (drummer with Paul Duncan, Rhys Chatham's Essentialist project, and current touring drummer with Panthers) was added to the lineup. Daniell left Bear in Heaven in 2005 to focus on his solo project.

Red Bloom of the Boom, Bear in Heaven's first full-length album with the full band, was released in 2007 by the Hometapes record label.

Elliott left the band after the completion of the recordings of Red Bloom of the Boom to focus on School of Seven Bells and his solo project, Ateleia. Bear in Heaven now performs as a four-piece with Philpot on vocals, guitar and keyboards; Wills on guitar and bass; Bazarra on bass and keyboards; and Stickney on drums.

Twin Thousands: By the time cellist Gretta Cohn left Nebraska in 2005, she had made a lasting impression with emo heavyweights Cursive, in addition to almost every other band calling Saddle Creek Records its home.

Having spent the previous four years on the road and in the studio with friends and labelmates including Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley and The Faint, she moved back to Brooklyn with vague notions of pursuing a solo project, but mainly looking for new collaborations.

Happily under the radar, Ryan Smith had been quietly studying the toy piano, crafting cleverly orchestrated pop songs and releasing music under the name A Million Billion, when he and Gretta shared the stage at a New York venue.

A couple of chance encounters later, the two found themselves with a batch of homeless songs, a handful of battered and beautiful old instruments, and a brand new band – Twin Thousands.

There's the T-Model Ford show at Cafe Nine tonight, which Mr. Hall posted about last week.

In terms of regrets, missing Get Haunted again and again is driving me bonkers. Luckily our favorite cranky internet neighbor was there, and posted about them. (This was the Blood Warrior show we posted about.)

One of the things Brushback mentions is how packed Cafe Nine was. I happened to go to the Mates of State matinee show that same day, bringing both my kids along. The Space was jammed with people. I've never seen it so full. I was told it was going to be a kid-friendly event, but I had no idea the Mates would be bringing a small mob of children with parents and teachers in tow. All ages indeed. For a four in the afternoon show, to have that many people turn out is really something. Connecticut has one hell of a show-going crowd.

Speaking of which, MT Bearington slayed. The backing band was a crew of New Haven heavies, such as Kelly from Atrina on bass, and the madman Panos on noise and brass. Word is Panos is going to be posting videos on CT Indie as they tour, so you can look forward to that.

"Smif" shouted out about this last week - hope you didn't forget, but if you did, this Saturday is the Via Audio show at The Space! Speaking of Fictional West, one of the openers on this bill, looks like Tweefort found themselves in the right place at the right time. They released The Fictional West's single Giant Clouds, which you can download the single from Tweefort's page for free. Now Fictional West are getting plenty of well deserved notice.

As always, Whitney House is serving up a killer punk show this Saturday. THEM, Attentat, Crucial Times, No Love Lost, and Plan 9 are playing. Head over to their Facebook event page. Their March calendar is packed. I noticed Estrogen Highs are playing Whitney House on March 25, and they're playing the No Values event at Cafe Nine on March 7 (with Pierced Arrows and Lullabye Arkestra).

Medication is going to open the Awesome Color / Tyvek show on March 5 at Cafe Nine. Tyvek, by the way, are sick. It's a shame they weren't getting notice sooner, because they were one of the earlier grimy lo-fi garage bands, at least relative to what everyone is hearing now (like the Hozac bands). They've got way more balls than, say, the recent Woozy Viper. And, of course, it's always nice to see bands from somewhere other than Brooklyn that actually rock.

I think the last time Awesome Color came to town was for that April Fool's show last year, opening for Dinosaur Jr. That's when Daniel Street really started to become the place to see balls to the wall rock. Expect a hell of a lot more to come.

*Update* - 2 Ton Bug, Local Girl, florida=DEATH and Angry Times are playing tonight at the Charter Oak in Hartford. Thanks Brushback! Important to note, too, is that the 2 Ton Bug LP Wedding of the Century is going to be out on PRGNT Records really soon. Show starts @ 830pm, 6$ or 5$ with (vegetarian) canned good for Hartford Food Not Bombs.

*Oh Shit Update* D. Gookin, Teeth Mountain, Roman Wolf, Colorguard, and DJ Tim Daltry spinning: At the Warehouse in Hartford on Saturday. Facebook event page here! 9 PM - 21+ - $5 bones. Drink specials, ANSWR will be there selling shirts. - THX blotiefuzz!

*Another Update!* There is a HUGE punk show tonight at the El N' Gee club featuring Plan 9, Them, Suiciety, Attentat, Havnotz, American Infadels, The Clefts, AGA, and These Furious Days. It starts at 6PM and costs only 8 Simoleons. Check the Facebook event page.

The Weatherstar show at Heirloom Arts is postponed until March 19th. All tickets will be honored.

Former Thieves will be playing a Willimantic house show tonight, details which can be found in a previous post.

The Press & Straight To VHS will be at The Oasis in New London tonight.

Tomorrow, Jenny Dee & The Delinquints and The Shellye Valauskas Experience will be at Cafe Nine for Jenny Dee's CD Release party.

Also tomorrow, Old Man Lady Luck and Zevious will be playing at Rudy's in New Haven for $3. This will be a killer show, as any fan of Zevious will know. Also, Old Man Lady Luck is no slouch either.