12-10-13 Jive

Hi I’m Ben Michael General Manager here at WESU. Over the past 10 years I’ve received many compliments and positive remarks about the station. I also get to deal with the complaints!  Of course,  I’ve received a few complaints criticizing us for being  too liberal - go figure... at the same time, I’ve  also received complaints that some of our programming is too centrist or and that certain hosts are too conservative.  

I actually believe that all of those criticisms are true! At least from someone else’s perspective. We all see things differently and we all hold different values.  We interpret the news stories and events that we hear about in our own unique ways and hopefully we arrive at the truth – our own truth. 

What’s most important is that we focus on what we have in common. WESU unites so many communities through diverse and eclectic program and somewhere along the way ,somehow, we help people find what they are looking for.  

Oh well, you can’t please everyone all of the time! Sometimes I tell folks that if you aren’t getting offended at least once a week listening to WESU, then you probably aren’t listening enough.

If you value a wide range of perspectives and a radio station that doesn’t pander to one side or the other, then please donate online at www.wesufm.org

Good evening! It’s Tuesday, December 10th.  This is the Jive at Five - our daily community calendar and rundown of night time programming here on 88.1 FM WESU Middletown, your station for NPR, Pacifica, independent and local public affairs by day and the best in free-form community programming weeknights and weekends.  I'm Ben Michael. Thanks for joining us.

Now for our rundown of some of what’s happening in our area this week.

Down in New Haven, at Café Nine, tonight you can catch Floating Lanterns, Greg Perault, and  The Iron Fudge.  Wednesday, brings Loves It to Café nine for a 7pm show. Later at 10pm Wednesday night Paul Panamarenko  performs at Café nine. Chris Mir opens the show.  Thursday night  The Rosenthals and Naomi Sommers make for anight of bluegrass and roots music.   Friday’s Early show at 5pm features Mountains of the Moon. Later on Friday night you can catch Rizzo's Dilemma with Blessed and Gifted.  Cafe Nine’s Saturday afternoon’s weekly Jazz Jam will be hosted by Gary Grippo and Friends this week. Saturday night Tripeg Lobo Productions presents All I've Got is a Photograph featuring:

Lys Guillorn, Elisa Flynn, The Sawtelles, Frank Critelli, George Hakkila, Brother Burnet, Daphne Lee Martin, Grimm Generation, Dawn Cook, Dave Hogan, Mercy Choir, Chris Bousquet, The Park www.cafenine.com.

Up in Hartford, at Blackeyed Sally’s, on Tuesday nights, Michael Palin’s Other Orchestra, an 18-piece band, works out new material. Wednesday’s weekly Blues Jam, one of the longest running in New England, will be hosted by Tommy Whalen. Friday Night, Mike Law and the Playboys return to the Sally’s stage for a night of roots rock and blues.  Saturday night, Jeff Pitchell and Texas Flood play the blues at Sally’s. www.blackeyedsallys.com.

Here in Middletown, at the Buttonwood Tree, tomorrow/ Wednesday there will be an “Evening Oasis” Belly Dancing Presentation from 8-9pm. The Writers Out Loud poetry and prose open mike happens on the   2nd Thursdays monthly at the Buttonwood.  Friday night Connecticut’s 15th State Troubadour, Kristen Graves  and Glenn Roth Share a bill at the Buttonwood.  Saturday morning kicks off with Tai Chi and community yoga followed by a self empowerment workshop.  Saturday afternoon brings the annual family friendly Holiday ornament making workshop to the buttonwood tree.  Saturday night Charter Oak Bluegrass returns to the Buttonwood.   On Sundays, Food Not Bombs serves food outside the Buttonwood at 1 pm, all are welcome. You are also invited to help prepare the f meal beforehand at 11 am at First Church Congregational on Court Street. www.buttonwood.org

Also in Middletown Wednesday night, Scatz Restaurant and Jazz Lounge on Main Street Ext.  presents a new weekly spoken word event. Friday night Sez Zion takes the stage and Saturday night the Alvin Carter Project Featuring Nita Zarif takes the Scatz stage. www.scatzrestaurantandlounge.com.

Down New Haven at Toad’s Place, Thursday night ANTHONY GREEN, Dave Davison (of Maps & Atlases) and  Psychic Babble take the stage. Friday brings the Marion Meadows Annual Jazz Christmas Celebration with Special Guests Vincent Ingala & Elan Trotman. Saturday night Hip Hop artist LUPE FIASCO tales the Toads main stage with Dee-1 and Political Animals opening the show. www.toadsplace.com. 

Back in Hartford Thursday night Real Art Ways presents the musical event, Improvisations: with Joe morris & Stephen Haynes, featuring Ingrid Laubrock on Tenor Saxophone.
Saturday afternoon at 1pm, Real Art Ways and Hartford Public Library invite you to engage in a Community Conversation about how the physical characteristics of neighborhoods affect community experiences. Seating is limited: please RSVP by email to info@realartways.org or by calling Real Art Ways at 860-232-1006 www.Realartways.org  

Riverwood Poetry’s monthly event happens on the Second Thursday of each month, at Asylum Hill Congregational Church on Asylum Avenue, in Hartford . This Thursday’s theme is Snowflakes on Your Tongue. You are invited read your own work or the work of a favorite poet. www.riverwoodpoetry.org

This is the closing week for Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater’s co production Oliver!  Bringing the classic Dickens' story of Oliver Twist alive in this musical adaptation for families this holiday season through the Dec 14^th. Tickets and info online at Oddfellows dot org. 860-347-6143

Back here in Middletown on Saturday, The City’s Holiday on Main Street festivities continue at 10am. More online at www.arts2go.org
 

Now here's a rundown of some cinema you can catch off the beaten track in Central Connecticut:

Through Thursday at Real Art Ways in Hartford, you can catch: the documentary “Muscle Shoals”. The new critically acclaimed Belgian love story, The Broken Circle Breakdown is also on the screen this week at RAW through Thursday. Friday night, Real awt ways opens the film MOTHER OF GEORGE about  a nigerian Crown heights  family tryign to keep old traditions in a modern world.  Saturday and Sunday Real Art ways is showing:  American promise, a documentary following the 12-year journey of two African-American families as they navigate the ups and downs of educating their sons.  The Sunday afternoon screening will be followed by a panel discussion. Learn more at www.realartways.org   

Tonight and tomorrow At Cinestudio, The Trinity College cinema in Hartford, you can experience the 1956 French classic, Pig Across Paris, a dark comedy set in WWII Paris during the German occupation Tommorrow/Wednesday night, Cinestudio begins a run of  Enough Said, in which Two of television’s biggest icons - James Gandolfini  (The Sopranos) and Julie Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld) - star in a bittersweet comedy that this is also Gandolfini’s final film.   www.cinestudio.org for more information.

And now here’s a rundown of tonight’s programming on WESU.

Right after the Jive at Five stay tuned for: Bill Revill sitting in the student’s who’ve gone home for the holiday.

At 6pm each weeknight, Feature Story News offers a daily dose of alternative international news and reporting from the Pacifica Network.

At  6:30 Acoustic Blender with Bill Revill presents  an eclectic selection of Americana, country, folk, folk-rock, bluegrass, acoustic, and other music that has a roots influence.

From 8-9pm The Voice of the CITY with J-Cherry and the Strawberries offer live and local Connecticut arts and music at its best.

At 9pm it’s time for Wonderland with DJ Cheshire Cat who warns of a song in his heart, a chemical imbalance in his head and a musical library at his fingers.

at  10:30- DJ Moe and DJ Jeffery are in the house for some free form fun.

From 1-2am stay tuned for The Laugh Infection with Willie Zabar for a comedy program showcasing recorded standup as well as original sketches and other on-air shticks.

From 2-3am it’s The Late Night Format with Adi Slepack.

Call it Anything with DJ Skim takes over from 3-4am profiling improvisational music of various traditions that transcend strict genre boundaries.

The BBC kicks on at 4, followed by NPR's Morning Edition at 5.

That’s all for today’s Jive at Five, if you didn’t get a chance to write down some of the information mentioned in our community calendar, the script is published online at www.wesufm.org/jive

Thanks for listening! Now stay tuned for