08-05-14 Jive

Good evening! It’s Tuesday, August 5, and this is the Jive at Five, our community calendar and rundown of nighttime 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 Marianne O’Hare, producer of Conversations on HealthCare, heard right hereon WESU each Wednesday at 4:30pm.

Here’s a rundown of some of what’s going on in our area this week.

Middletown’s Summer Sounds Tuesday Evening Concert Series at Harbor Park brings you An evening of swing, r&b, torch songs, and more by Vintage Vox brought to you by the Middletown Commission on the Arts. Rain location is the South Church sanctuary at the corner of Main and Union Sts. across from the South Green. If unsure of the weather/location, call 860.638.4510 between 3 and 4:30 pm the day of the event or come back here to arts2go.org for an update.

Tonight's laughter yoga with Mimi Claire Middletown schedule for 6pm, at the Buttonwood Tree in Middletown has been cancelled. Friday at 8, Isra-Alien performs high-energy Balkan, Israeli, Russian guitar music, finding the deep ties that bind rock and jazz. Saturday afternoon at 1 brings a Chinese painting class to the Buttonwood Tree. Then at 8 on Saturday, Seattle folk singer and songwriter Naomi Wachira sings about the tension of being an African living in America. www.buttonwood.org.

On Tuesday nights at Blackeyed Sally’s in Hartford, Michael Palin’s other orchestra, an 18-piece band, works out new material. Wednesday’s Blues Jam at 8 is with Brandt Taylor. Then Friday at 9, Ryan Hartt & the Blue Hearts plays. Saturday, Cynthia Fabian and Co. perform roots music and torch songs. www.blackeyedsallys.com.

Down in New Haven, at Café Nine, tonight brings Alice Limoges, with The Tet Offensive and Xavier Serrano. Wednesday’s entertainment begins at 5 with La Cantina Flamenco, followed at 8 by the Travis Moody Band. Thursday at 9 at Café Nine, it’s Gasoline Therapy with Kings and Liars. Friday’s weekly wind-down happy hour at 5 is with Sean Bowen, followed at 9 by Funk and Soul Night, with The Greg Sherrod Band and The Langley Project. Saturday’s afternoon jazz jam session is with Gary Grippo and Friends, followed at 9 by Big Lazy and The Claudettes. Sunday at 8, the original Sunday Night Jam is with the George Baker Band. www.cafenine.com.

Tomorrow/Wednesday starting at 6, and every Wednesday in August, WESU’s own DJ Lord Lewis, the Velvet Knight, longstanding host of the legendary Rumpus Room radio show, will be returning to the Canoe Club at Harbor Park in Middletown to play all-vinyl sets of the best in contemporary and vintage funk, soul, afrobeat, reggae, rare groove and more from one of CT’s most heavyweight collectors and taste-makers. www.mattabesettcaneoeclub.com.   

Also on Wednesday, this week’s Music at the Mansion Summer Series at Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown features Goza, Spanish for joy, playing dance rhythms from Latin America. www.wadsworthmansion.com

Manic Productions presents a number of shows at area venues this week. Tomorrow/Wednesday, at Bar in New Haven, you can catch Bob Log III, The Pork Torta, and Rusty Things. Thursday at the Outer Space in Hamden, it’s David Dondero with Jacket Thor and Mike Kusek (of Elison Jackson). www.manicproductions.com.

At 7 pm on Thursday, Author Elisabeth Petry will continue to lead The Veterans' Writing Group at 7pm  in Meeting Room 2 at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Also, the Friends of the Library’s book sale is on Friday and Saturday. www.russelllibrary.org.

Also here in Middletown On Thursday, August 7th, from 5-8:00 p.m. (in conjunction with Middletown’s Gallery Walk series) there will be an opening reception for Barbara Hocker’s exhibit, Caught In The Trees. At the Green Street  Arts center.

Hocker’s exhibit consists of printed images using pigmented inks on rice paper. She then embeds them in beeswax and damar varnish (encaustic medium – one of the oldest painting mediums known).  www.wesleyan.edu/greenstreet

Down in New Haven, at Toad’s Place, Thursday’s feature is a local band showcase; among them: Something Simple, Montgomery Parkway, Drained Glory, Grawlix, Honestly, and Standby. Friday, it’s an evening of comedy with Boston-based stand up comic Dan Boulger making his Toad's Place debut. Saturday night brings the Bright Night 3 Electro Glow Party to the Toad’s stage, featuring EDM/DnB/Trap/Trance/and House music. www.toadsplace.com

The Village at South Farms, 645 Saybrook Road, Middletown is holding a free outdoor summer concert series open to the general public. The Survivors Swing Band will be playing outdoors under the tent on Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 6 pm. Refreshments will be available in our first floor library. Participants can bring their own lawn chairs or enjoy the seating provided under the tent. This is a family friendly event.

For more information please call Program Director, Julie Deak at 860.344.8788 x22.

On Friday, at Scatz Restaurant and Jazz Lounge in Middletown, Michael Augeri and Friends perform. Saturday brings the Rahsaan Langley Project. www.scatzrestaurantandlounge.com. That’s scatz with a z.

Every Friday, at 9 p.m., 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 3rd Annual Middletown Music Festival this Sunday, from 12-8PM!  The festival will take place in the Cedar Grove at Middlesex Community College. Brought to you by J-Cherry Presents, with support from The Middletown Commission on the Arts, and Middlesex Community College. The annual festival is a celebration of local music.  In case of rain the festival will be held indoors at Chapman Hall. This year’s lineup includes the 2014 winner of The Best Jam Band 2014 CT Music Awards, The Michael Cleary Band; grammy nominated artist, Lauren Agnelli & Ravens in The Woods; Gigglejuice, J-Cherry & The Strawberries, HannaH's Field, and Randomizer! With special guests, The Alex Trouern-Trend, Jennifer Dauphinais, The MayFlys, Ebin-Rose Trio, more! There will be vendors, crafters, local artisans, food, Italian Ice, NoRa Cupckaes, face painting, dancing and hula hooping! This year we are also celebrating two big birthdays, WESU 88.1FM turns 75, and the Buttonwood Tree turns 25!! www.jcherrypresents.com

This weekend brings the Podunk Bluegrass festival as well. This annual bluegrass festival happens in Hebron CT August 7-9. This year's line up includes nearly 2 dozen local, regional and national bluegrass acts. http://podunkbluegrass.com 

This weekend also brings the "Vision & Grit" music festival to the Brookwood Olney farm, bringing together award-winning bands, artists, and food vendors from all over New England. The lineup includes Relative Souls, José Oyola & The Astronauts, Balkun Brothers, Daphne Lee Martin,  Isaac Young Quartet,Post Modern Panic, Elison Jackson, Dirty Sanchez, Farewood, Jennifer Hill and Co.and much more!   http://visionandgrit.com   for details

Connecticut’s summer farmer’s markets are in full bloom, and are located: in Middletown on Tuesdays; in East Haddam and Old Saybrook on Wednesdays; in Clinton, Durham, and Middletown on Thursdays; in Higganum and Middletown on Fridays; in Ivoryton on Saturdays, and in Chester on Sundays.  www.ctnofa.org  fills in the details.

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

At Real Art Ways in Hartford, “A Coffee in Berlin,” a German film about the twists and turns encountered by a solitary observer drifting through the streets of Berlin, runs through Wednesday. “Snowpiercer,” a futuristic action thriller about a perpetual motion train that travels the world in a post-apocalyptic setting, runs through Thursday. Thursday, at 7, there’s also an unusual improv event at  RealArtWays:  In what’s called “Improv’d Cinema: Summer Mockbuster,” the audience will choose among five bad B movies to play. Then the improv troupe Sea Tea will hit mute and drastically improve this terrible film by voicing over the entire movie - on the spot! Opening Friday is the documentary Gore Vidal: United States of America, in which the controversial and brilliant late writer recalls his remarkable life as America's most outspoken intellectual. Also opening Friday , in an exclusive East Coast premiere, is  Breathing Earth exploring the works of Japanese kinetic sculptor Susumu Shingu, who works with wind. www.realartways.org    

At Cinestudio, Trinity College’s cinema in Hartford,  the restored 1967 film “Accident” continues through Wednesday. It’s a psychological thriller by Harold Pinter, starring Dirk Bogarde as an Oxford Don whose involvement with one of his students ends in a fatal outcome. Thursday, Cinestudio and Out Film CT First Thursdays bring  a one-time showing of the remastered 1967 film Valley of the Dolls. Then Friday begins a run of The Immigrant, a reminder that New York City has long been a beacon for immigrants that impassively turns its back on anyone not lucky or scrappy enough to get by. www.cinestudio.org.

Now, here’s a rundown of tonight’s programming on WESU Middletown:

Right after the jive stay tuned for The Explorer's hour with Pickup Sticks, who aims to take you places you’ve never been before and invites you to join her for exploration of indie rock and pop.

From  6-8pm  Bill Revill presents Acoustic Blender, where you can catch an eclectic selection of Americana, country, folk, folk-rock, blues, and other roots music.

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 talent. Tonight’s show will feature artists performing at The Mac 650 live Hip Hop concert tonight.  

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 11pm -12:30am  Ian is in the house for Head to Head, where - every week - two
artists connected by a common theme go head to head in an exploration of the
similarities and differences between them.

From 12:30-1:30am: stay tuned for sounds from the Global Village from Pacifica.

At 1:30 its time for RootsWorld Radio with Cliff Furnald to take you on a
tour across borders and genres, introducing you to music from far-flung
places and sometimes from right in your own backyard.

At 2:30 The Graveyard Shift with DJ Otto Nation presents 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.

Thanks! Now stay tuned for Explorers Hour with pickup Sticks!