12-16-13 Jive

Good evening! It’s Monday, Dec. 16th, and 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 Maria Johnson, producer and host of "Reasonably Catholic: Keeping the Faith," which airs every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesday afternoon, from 4 to right before the Jive at Five. Today is Pope Francis's 77th birthday, by the way! We wish him a happy one, and many more! Tomorrow: interviews with two Catholic authors who have new books out – one making a theological case for animal rights, and the other a collection of essays that will uplift you and make you laugh. If you can’t hear the show in real time, you can find the audio at www.reasonablycatholic.com. If you enjoy this show’s progressive approach to religion, why not throw a few bucks WESU’s way during this, our kinder, gentler winter pledge drive? Mention “Reasonably Catholic” when you do and I’ll send you a cool Catholic book or CD.

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

Here in Middletown, at the Buttonwood Tree, tonight is the Anything Goes open mic night. Tomorrow at 6 is the Happiness Meeting, followed at 7 by laughter yoga with Mimi Claire. Wednesday’s Buttonwood Film Night selection is “The Blue Butterfly, at 7 p.m. Based on a true story, the film is about Pete, a young cancer victim who has a dream of catching the rare Amazonian blue morpho butterfly. With the help of his mother and a famous entomologist, Pete sets out on a transformative journey that touches everyone around him. Saturday morning, it’s Qigong (Chi Kung), Tai Chi, community yoga and an empowerment workshop. Saturday afternoon’s Spoken Word session at 4 explores the intersection of faith, gender and sexuality. The Buttonwood is especially looking for poets to present work on the topic. That’s followed at 8 by Celtic folk music and storytelling by The Jolly Beggars. Sunday, Food Not Bombs serves food outside the Buttonwood at 1 pm, as Rumpus, an invitation to express the rhythm inside you, takes place inside. All are welcome. You are also invited to help prepare the vegetarian meal beforehand at 11 am at First Church Congregational on Court Street. Sunday afternoon at 3, and then again at 7, Peter Loffredo presents Dylan Thomas’s holiday classic, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Admission to this Connecticut Heritage Productions show is by donation, plus a non-perishable food item for the Amazing Grace pantry. www.buttonwood.org

Up in Hartford, at Blackeyed Sally’s, tonight is Jazz Monday with Steve Davis and Friends. Tomorrow is Michael Palin's Other Orchestra, an 18-piece band working out new material. Wednesday’s Blues Jam, one of the longest running in New England, is with Tim McDonald. Thursday brings The Superpowers, dedicated to providing only the heaviest 21st Century grooves. Friday brings Devon Allman (Gregg Allman’s son) to Sally’s. Saturday, it’s the X Y Eli Xmas Xtravaganza, with blues guitarist Eli. www.blackeyedsallys.com

Also in Hartford, at Sully’s Pub, tonight is Acoustic Open Mic Night. Tuesday features Pete Scheips. Wednesday is karaoke. Thursday is Jeff Jahnke's West End Friends. And Friday is the Fat Guy Friday Happy Hour, after which it’s The Winter Wimbash. www.sullyspub.com

Down in New Haven, at Café Nine, tonight at 7:30 is the Fistful of Jokes Comedy Series. Tomorrow’s Unplugged Holiday Get-Happy Hour at 5 features The Density Twins. That’s followed at 9 by DrinkDeeply’s presentation of Leonhardt, along with Orb Mellon and Hatfield. Wednesday brings a Connecticut homecoming by Sarah Lou Richards, Jesse Terry, and Mike Clifford. Thursday, DrinkDeeply brings Ports of Spain to Café Nine, along with Milksop:Unsung and Elison Jackson. Friday at 5 brings Gary Heriot, followed at 9 by The Wagon Riders and DJ Dave Coon. Saturday afternoon’s Jazz Jam Session is with Tony Dioguardi & Friends. That’s followed at 9 by The Anti-Emo Empire Benefit/Reunion Show, with No Image, 76 % Uncertain, The Mistaken, The Coquettes, and Malcolm Tent. Sunday’s Original Sunday Night Jam is with the Morris Trent Band. www.cafenine.com.

Manic Productions brings several shows to nearby venues this week. On Wednesday, Eternal Summers, Daphne Lee Martin and the Starlight Girls play Bar in New Haven. Thursday, Manic Productions presents Field Mouse, Tancred (with Jess Abbott of Now, Now), the Box Tiger and Slander to The Space in Hamden. Friday night’s show at The Space features I Am The Avalanche, Wolves At Bay, Canvas, and Life On The Sideline. Saturday at The Space, Manic Productions presents Their / They're / There (with Owen & Into It. Over It); as well as Mansions and Birthmark (with Nate Kinsella from Joan of Arc and Make Believe). www.manicproductions.com

At Toad’s Place in New Haven, Thursday brings Danny Brown to the stage. Friday is the John Valby Triple-X-mas Show. Saturday, Kung Fu plays at Toad’s, along with The Stepkids, Twiddle and Norrin; bring a new, unwrapped toy or coat and receive a reduced admission price of $10 at the door. Sunday, Gorilla Music presents the New Haven Jingle Bell Rock & Metal Fest, with a long list of bands who’l l perform on two stages. Details about this and other shows can be found at www.toadsplace.com

Back in Middletown, on Friday, at the new Scatz Restaurant and Jazz Lounge, 139 Main Street Ext., Middletown, Sez Zion performs. Saturday brings the Alvin Carter Project to Scatz. www.scatzrestaurantandlounge.com. That's Scatz with a z.

On Sunday afternoon at 1:30, the Jovan Alexander Trio plays jazz at Sweet Harmony Café and Bakery, 330 Main St., Middletown.

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

At Real Art Ways in Hartford, the documentary “Muscle Shoals” continues through Wednesday, telling the story of the unlikely breeding ground for some of the most creative music in American history. Also running through Wednesday is Mother of George, an enlightening look at immigrant life in the Crown Heights' Yoruba community. Opening Friday and running through next week is Following the Ninth: part road trip, part adventure story, it's an inspirational film about Beethoven's Ninth, the power it has to liberate us, to shield us against suffering, and to provide hope and resilience for us in dark times. Also opening on Friday is the animated children’s tale, My Neighbor Totoro. The story follows Satsuke and Mei, two young girls who find that their new country home is in a mystical forest inhabited by a menagerie of mystical creatures called Totoros. This family-oriented feature has a powerful ecological theme. www.realartways.com.

At Cinestudio, the Trinity College cinema in Hartford,  tonight and tomorrow’s feature is A Touch of Sin, described as the story of “four outcasts on the edges of a rapidly changing China who channel their rage into a bloody rampage.” Playing through Saturday is Samsara in 4K: In what is now a treasured alternative holiday tradition, folks from Hartford and beyond get together for pot luck dinners and then come to Cinestudio for an awe-inspiring film by director Ron Fricke. This year it’s Samsara, a mesmerizing non-verbal visual experience celebrating the diversity and inter-connectedness of life on Earth, shot in 100 locations and 25 countries. Samsara - a Sanskrit word meaning the ever turning wheel of life - was made, according to Fricke, to “delve deeper into my favorite theme: humanity’s relationship to the eternal.” The images of unprecedented clarity were created by shooting on 65mm film, then transferring the film through the highest resolution scanning process available: The 4K digital projection format now in place at Cinestudio.  Opening Sunday, at 2:30 and again at 7:30, and running through Christmas Eve, you can catch the 1946 Frank Capra classic It’s a Wonderful Life, ranked as the #1 Most Powerful Movie of All Time by the American Film Institute. www.cinestudio.org.

And now let’s take a look at tonight’s programming on WESU, which includes a new addition and also some pinch-hitters because Wesleyan dj's are on their winter break.

5:05-6pm

Afternoon Jazz with Charles Henry

From classic bop to smooth contemporary sounds. A well-rounded jazz show for true jazz heads.

6-6:30pm

That's followed by a new show, which will air regularly: World Socialist Website News..

6:30 to 8:  Life is a Killer with Johnny Analog

Moving through the blues diaspora from front porch country blues and big city electric blues to jazz, R&B and soul.

8-9:30pm: Rumpus Room with Lord Lewis

The best in vintage and contemporary heavy funk, soul, club jazz, reggae, ska, afro and latin dancefloor grooves. Pure Dynamite Mojo Explosion!

From 9:30 to midnight: The Attention Deficit Disk Jockey with Lee

The music of yesterday’s future, today

Then some thoughtfully chosen, very cool holiday music until 3, with...

3-4am: RootsWorld Radio with Cliff Furnald

Introducing you to music from far flung places and sometimes from right in your own backyard. www.RootsWorld.org

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

And 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 wesufm.org/jive.

And if you value WESU as a source for information and entertainment in your life, how about supporting the station with a donation? This is our kinder, gentler winter pledge drive. We’re counting on you. Thanks for listening! Stay tuned for Charles Henry.