Thursday's Jive

Today's Jive was produced by,

J-Cherry... producer and host of, 'VOICE of the CITY'

 Airing on WESU 88.1 FM Middletown

Tuesdays from 8-9PM

Live and local... This ain't no commercial radio!

www.jcherrypresents.com

Good evening! It’sThursday, July 3rd 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 listener supported station for NPR, Pacifica, independent and local public affairs by day, and the best in free-form community programming weeknights and weekends. Thanks for joining us, I'm J-Cherry producer and host of VOICE of the CITY, Tuesday from 8-9PM, Showcasing live and local music, arts, and culture. 

Thanks to all of the WESU friends and family who made our Spring 2014 Pledge Drive a success! With your support WESU  was able to close out our fiscal year with a little wind in our sail as we work on a capital campaign to  upgrade our studios. 

Next on Deck is our Doo Wop Extravaganza at the Middletown High School Performing arts Center on July 12. Headlined by The Tokens, who recorded the mega hit The Lion Sleeps tonight, and supported by 5 amazing female singers from hit making groups of the 50’s and 60’s, this fundraising concert brings world class entertainment to Middletown. Tickets and info online at www.wesufm.org  

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

Tonight kicks off a weekend long celebration of arts in CT called the ShapeShifters! As part of GalleryWalk which takes place every first Thursday of the month thru October. the show starts in the north end with a the north end farmers market at 4PM The ShapeShifters art opening at MAC 650 starting at 5PM with over 14 original artists on display! Music to start at 6:30 in Luis Lopez Community Garden with J-Cherry & The Strawberries in case of rain music will be at MAC 650. Friday is an all day celebration starting at 12:PM @ Mac 650 with music, art, and free workshops! Sunday the festivities at 3PM with more music art and free workshops! For more information visit ShapeShifters on FB. 

Tonight  at the Buttonwood Tree,  the First Thursday Gallery Walk at 5 brings the AMO Glassware Design Showcase by Alexandra, which continues through the month. That’s followed by Bob Gotta’s Open Mic at 7. Saturday evening they’re offering singer/songwriter and Middletown native Joe Flood, who performs “Busker Stories, Blues, Brassens. . . and Beyond.”  Sunday at 1 p.m., Food Not Bombs serves food outside the Buttonwood Tree.  Anyone is welcome. You’re invited to help prepare the meal at the First Church on Court Street at 11:30 am. Sunday evening at 7 there’s the Great Make Believe Improv Show. More at www.buttonwood.org

Up in Hartford, at Blackeyed Sally’s tonight brings Ray Morant's Rotating Glitterati to the Sally’s stage.  Saturday night at Sally’s you can catch the Rich Badowski Blues Band, winners of the 2012 Connecticut Blues Band Challenge.
www.blackeyedsallys.com

Tonight, down at Toad’s Place in New Haven, they’ve got Tye Henney, and the “Highway Henney” Mixtape Release Party.  Saturday n night Terravita Mantis takes the Toads Place Stage and on Sunday Manic Productions presents Swans, along with Xiu Xiu.  www.toadsplace.com

Also in New Haven, tonight, Café Nine features The Skeleton Beats, and The Evil Streaks that the stage and Friday  Café Nine presents The Big Fat Cafe9 BBQ and Rhythm & Blues Marathon, with The Convertibles, The Langley Project, and The Crown Street Orchestra, starting at 4.  On Saturday their weekly Jazz Jam will be hosted by Mike Coppola and Friends at 4:30, followed by a 9 p.m. show with Big Bad Johns, and The Incorrigibles. Sunday at 3 they offer The Del Rios, and at 8 there’s Blues Boot Camp with Greg Sherrod.www.cafenine.com

Manic Productions brings additional acts to the area this week. On Friday night they’ve got Mission Zero, along with Jay Prince (of Eurisko), and Rudeyna, at The Outer Space in Hamden. www.manicproductions.org
 

At the Russell Library in Middletown, registration for the children’s summer reading programs is now open. There's also an adult summer reading program.
www.russelllibrary.org
 

Tours of the historic Wadsworth Mansion happen every Wednesday at 2 p.m.  860-347-1064.

Dave Downs hosts a new weekly open mic and invites songwriters to perform at The Nest, located at 129 Church Street, Middletown. Info at 860.788.2736.

The Hartford Public Library presents the Hartford Artisan Weaving Center Exhibit:  “Let’s Weave Historic Overshot,” with pieces inspired by historic patterns, through August 10th at the library’s downtown location.  www.hlpct.org
 

Here a rundown of some of the Independence Day Celebrations in our area this week.

Thanks you J-Cherry, I'm Ben Michael with an updated list of Independence day events, The  City of Middletown Fireworks Festival originally scheduled for tonight has been postponed and now takes place Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m., featuring music performances by the High School Jazz Ensemble, Prelude, and the Middletown Symphonic Band.  More at 860-638-4801, www.arts2go.org, or www.middletownct.gov.

New Haven's Fourth of July celebration has also been rescheduled for Saturday, at the Summit of East Rock Park, 41 Cold Spring St., New Haven. Live music, free horse-drawn carriage rides, food, and a soldiers and sailors monument tour are part of the fun, finishing with the fireworks show at 9 p.m. There’s also a celebration with historical reenactments at Fort Wooster on New Haven’s East Shore from 12-4 p.m.  Info at 203-946-8378 and www.cityofnewhaven.com

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New Britain's Great American Boom has also moved to Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. at Stanley Quarter Park, with food and a concert by Latanya Farrell and the Bookman Styles Band.  The fireworks display will happen around 9:15 p.m. There is a fee for participation. Info at 860-826-3360, and www.newbritainct.gov. 

Brownstone Exploration Park in Portland has moved the Food Fest to Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m.  They’ve also got their 5^th annual Top Dog Hot Dog Eating Contest.  Information at 866-860-0208, or www.brownstonepark.com.

Manchester Community College hosts the 31st annual James Dutch Fogarty Independence Day Celebration from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday,  featuring children's activities and musical performances Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Information: 860-647-5235 or www.townofmanchester.org.

Now back to you J-Cherry,

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

Hartford Parks’ free Movies After Dark series will present “Field of Dreams” on Friday at 6:30 p.m., in Colt Park.  www.hartford.gov/parks
 

At Real Art Ways in Hartford, the run of “Walking the Camino” continues through tonight.  The film follows pilgrims from all walks of life as they attempt to cross an entire country on foot.  Opening Friday, Real Art Ways presents “We Are the Best,” a Swedish film about three girls in the 1980’s who decide to form a punk band.  Also opening on Friday is “Cold in July,” starring Don Johnson, a drama about a small town hero in Texas who gets in trouble after killing a low-life burglar.www.realartways.org
 

Tonight, Cinestudio, The Trinity College cinema in Hartford, at 7:30 they’re showing “Birthday Cake,” a fun-filled comedy about a gay couple planning a birthday party for their one-year-old daughter.  Friday begins the run of “A Hard Day’s Night,” the stunning 50th anniversary restored edition of a Beatles classic.  More at www.cinestudio.org

 Right after the jive at Five from 5:05 - 6:00, stay tuned for 

Right after the jive at Five stay tuned for Homegrown with Rob DeRosa for the best crop of Connecticut-connected music presented for a global audience. 

From 6:30-8:00pm it's Imagine with Karen Stein, with an aim to embrace peace, Karen plays mostly world music, blended with music from the US and music from down the road.

At 8:00 stay tuned for 2 hrs of Evening Jazz with Bill Denert, where hearing is the best experience.  Bill presents a broad range of swing, be-bop, and avant garde, as well as a sprinkling of new releases.

From 10-11:30pm, DJ Bard and DJ Sunny D present Multifarious, a radio show featuring brief segments of music constantly interrupted by the hosts debating who has better taste in music. 

At 11:30 it’s time for Radio Obscura with Joe McCarthy and Pete, who present arts and culture through an abstract prism aiming to replace the tiny voice inside your head with new better voices.  

From 1-3am  stay tuned for Dr. Pitkow and the Waste of Time with Jake Pitkow No talk. No jokes. You're getting 2 hrs minutes of eclectic delights, with a twist: every week's playlist will form a story based on a theme which is both specific and universal. 

3-4am is The Graveyard Shift with DJ Otto Nation, for an eclectic romp through the WESU music library. 

The BBC World News kicks on air at 4am, and we continue tomorrow's broadcast at 5 a.m. with Morning Edition from NPR. 

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 atwww.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 atwww.wesufm.org, where you can also make a donation to support community programming during our Spring Pledge drive.