05-20-14 Jive

Hello, it’s Tuesday, May 20th. 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.

Congratulations, all you Wesleyan grads -- especially our smart, talented WESU dj's! Keep in touch!
 
By the way, we’re in the midst of celebrating our seventy-fifth year of Community radio that Matters and we just kicked off our Spring Pledge drive. If you value the kind of unusual programming we provide, we need your support. You can make your donation on our website, www.wesufm.org.  Thanks!

Now here's some of what's happening in our area this week: 

 The Middletown Symphonic Band performs its first concert of the season tonight at 6:15 on the campus of Connecticut Valley Hospital, her einMiddletown.  They’re also playing an outdoor patriotic music concert on Saturday at the Great River Park in East Hartford, at 7 p.m.    www.middletownsymphonicband.org

 

Tonight The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown offers Laughter Yoga.  Tomorrow/Wednesday you can catch the documentary film “Happy”, about the science and art of happiness.  On Friday at 8 p.m. Hartford’s Orice Jenkins Trio performs with music ranging in scope from hip-hop to Beethoven.   Saturday morning, beginning at 7:45, it’s quigong (Chi Kung), tai chi, community yoga, and a guided forgiveness meditation. Saturday night at 8, The Buttonwood presents the Matabesset String Collective, a 5-piece acoustic ensemble playing an eclectic mix in string-band style.  On Sundays, Food Not Bombs serves food outside the Buttonwood at 1 pm; all are welcome. You are also invited to help prepare the meal beforehand at 11 am at First Church Congregational on Court Street. Sunday afternoon, WESU’s own J-Cherry invites you to celebrate the life of Tommy Jakula Moses at 4 p.m. More at www.buttonwood.org

Up in Hartford, at Blackeyed Sally’s, on Tuesday Nights Michael Palin’s Other Orchestra, an 18-piece big-band, works out new material.  On Wednesday, the Blues Jam, one of the longest running in New England, is hosted by Tommy Whalen. And Thursday brings the CT Blues Challenge to the Sally’s stage, with bands competing to represent CT at the finals in Memphis. Thursday at 8:30, funk-rockers Jen Leigh and Superlove reunite for the first time in ten years.  On Friday there’s multi-instrumentalist Eliot Lewis at 9, a featured performer on VH1’s “Live at Daryl’s House.”  On Saturday at 9 they offer the Kortchmar/McDonald Band, featuring singer/songwriter Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar.  Other details at www.blackeyedsallys.com .

Tonight, down in New Haven, at Café Nine, an early show features Goodnight Moonshine at 7:30, followed by Downtown Brown and Reptilian Race for the 10:00 show. Wednesday, they present The Woggles and the 509ers.  Thursday’s show features Yarn, and Seth Adams. The holiday weekend starts off Friday with Lonesome Billy’s Rockathon and BBQ beginning at 5, featuring TORQUE, Gary Heriot, and more.  Saturday afternoon’s jazz jam session starts at 4:30 with the George Baker Band, and Saturday night Manic Productions offers Acid Mothers Temple, Perhaps, and The Mountain Movers. On Sunday they’ll have a Bluegrass Jam starting at 4, with Stacy Phillips.  www.cafenine.com

Wednesday, at 7 p.m., First Church on Court St. in Middletown hosts the Middletown Scottish Dancers.  Partners not necessary.  Call 860-347-0278 for information.  They also offer Argentine Tango classes on Friday starting at 7:30 p.m. Teacher Jorge “Gem” Duras  has information at 203-543-8099.

 Manic Productions presents The Zambonis, and Jounce, featuring Danny Tamberelli, at Bar in New Haven, on Wednesday night.  www.manicproductions.org.

Down at Toad’s Place in New Haven this week’s Jammin Thursdays lineup includes The Backyard Committee, Branchwater, Mojo, The Mudd Band, and Sun Dagger.  Their Memorial Day Meltdown, presented by Gorilla Music, starts Friday at 6 p.m. and features the Bright Night EDM Glow Party, featuring twenty different performers on two stages.  Saturday’s EDM Party Spring Glow 1 at 9 includes Mike Skillz, stylite, Psylar, V1BES, Alex Panda, GBJ, Sith, and Basket Case.   On Sunday you can catch HardCore Rapper,  Mobb Deep with Opium Black, Political Animals,  and  more opening the shows. More at www.toadsplace.com .

On Friday Middlesex Community College kicks off its 2014 Arts and Media Festival, with a reception and screenings starting at 6 p.m.  The number for that is 860-343-5806.

Also on Friday, Dave Downs hosts an open mic at The Nest, 129 Church St. in Middletown. As president and CEO of The Highly Unsuccessful Songwriters Association, he invites songwriters to bring their worst songs to perform, starting at 9 p.m. Details at 860-788-2736.  

And also on Friday, The Greater Middletown Concert Association sponsors Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at 7:30.  The number to call for info is 860-347-4887.

Spring Bird Walks happen every Saturday at 8 a.m. at The Audubon Shop, 907 Boston Post Rd in Madison.  The number to call is 203-245-9056.

The Middletown Commission for the Arts is now accepting applications for the summer Kids Arts enrichment program for both local kids and out-of- towners.   The number is 860-638-4510 (MCA Office).

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

At Real Art Ways in Hartford, the film “Finding Vivian Maier,” about a mysterious nanny who took over 100,000 photographs that went unseen in her lifetime, continues through Thursday.  Also through Thursday you can catch “For a Woman,” a French film about a woman’s discovery of family secrets through old photographs and letters.  On Friday a new runs starts with another French film, “Young and Beautiful,” about a seventeen-year-old who returns from a family holiday and starts working as a call girl. Starting Friday also is “The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden,” a documentary about an unsolved murder that took place in the 1930’s.  Saturday at 8 is Spectacle, when musicians gather for small ensembles, ending in a collective performance by the entire group playing as the Abstract Forest orchestra. Details at www.realartways.com.

Cinestudio, Trinity College’s cinema in Hartford, continues the newly-restored 1952 classic, Orson Welles’ Othello, through Thursday at.  Friday begins a run of The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson’s comedy about a World War II era central European republic.  On Sunday at 2:30 there’s a one-time presentation of National Theatre Live’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” about a 15-year-old savant with a social disorder who solves a neighborhood mystery.  www.cinestudio.org.

Now, here’s a rundown of tonight’s programming on WESU, as we set sail on a new summer schedule.

Right after the jive stay tuned for:  Explorers’ Hour with Pickup Sticks,  which aims to take you places that you’ve never been before!   Inviting you to venture into the infinity of the unknown via a synthesis of science, spoken word, and a lot of popular music.

 From  6-8pm enjoy Acoustic Blender with Bill Revill for an eclectic selection of Americana, country, folk, folk-rock, bluegrass, acoustic, blues, Celtic, old-time, singer-songwriter and other music that has a roots influence.

 From 8-9pm The Voice of the CITY with J-Cherry presents live and local Connecticut arts and music , in this weekly show featuring area artists and musicians.

 From 9-11pm Wonderland with DJ Cheshire Cat  presents a free form music show spanning the scope of krautrock to post-rock, grunge to garage, novelty to New Romantic, punk to prog, and more!

 From 11-12:30 Stage Presence with J-Rock invites you to Put your hands together in applause for some of the greatest musical performances ever captured on recording. From Led Zeppelin to John Coltrane, Bob Dylan to Victor Wooten, even YoYo Ma to Daft Punk, Stage Presence has a place for all live musical performance. Tune in and get excited; no tickets required for this free show.

From 12:30-2am Calypso, Soca and Pan with DJ trinimike presents  the inventions of Trinidad and Tobago.  Calypso and Soca music and the only musical instrument invented in the 20th-century: the Steel Pan.  

From 2-3am RootsWorld Radio with Cliff Furnald  RootsWorld radio takes you on a tour across borders and genres, introducing you to music from far flung places and sometimes from right in your own backyard.

 From  3-4am it’s the The Graveyard Shift with DJ Otto Nation for an An eclectic mix of music from the WESU library.

 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 www.wesufm.org/jive

2014 marks 75 years of alternative music, public affairs, and community service from WESU. Look for information on special programming and events online at www.wesufm.org where you can also make a donation to support community programming during our Spring Pledge drive.

Now stay tuned for  Explorer’s Hour with Pickup Sticks