12-31-14 Jive

Good evening, it's Wednesday, Dec. 31st, and this is the Jive at Five – our daily community calendar and rundown of night time programming here on WESU 88.1 FM Middletown, your station for NPR, Pacifica, independent and local public affairs by day, and the best in free-form community programming week-nights and weekends.

I'm Bill Denert, producer and host of Thursday night's Evening Jazz where "hearing is the best experience" and Connecticut's number 1 Washington Nationals fan! Thanx for tuning in!
If you value WESU as a source for information and entertainment in your life, how about supporting the station with a donation for our Annual Winter Holiday pledge drive.  With your help we can make this our most successful fundraising effort, ever! With just under $1,000 left to raise before the end of 2014, every dollar counts.  Now is the time to make that yearend tax deductible donation you have been putting off.  Thanks so much to those of you who have already pitched in and many thanks to those of you who will take us through the final stage. You can make that donation online at www.wesufm.org/pledge  

Now, here’s some of what’s going on in our area this week:

In New Haven tonight, Cafe Nine presents “The Great Gatsby” New Year’s Eve Burlesque Cabaret starting at 9.  On New Year’s Day, they bring The Detroit Cobras and The Naked Heroes to the Café Nine stage. There’s an early show Friday at 5pm with, Solin, followed by a 9 p.m. show with Entierro, Space Orphans, and LaTunda. Saturday, Café Nine’s afternoon’s Jazz Jam Session at 4:30 will be hosted by Mike Coppola and Friends this week.  Later at 9 p.m. Saturday night Café nine presents Sarcasmo, Old Self, Jules Baxter, Tommy V., Benn Grim, and Apollo Suns.  On Sunday night their Blues Boot Camp will be hosted by Greg Sherrod.  www.cafenine.com

First Night Hartford started today at 3pm. It’s a family-friendly, multicultural and alcohol-free New Year’s celebration with musicians, artists, performance groups and exhibits.  There are fireworks at 6 p.m. and midnight in Bushnell Park, and much more.  http://www.hartford.com/events

First Night Hartford includes an annual Kwanzaa celebration at Charter Oak Cultural Center from 6 to 8 p.m.  Learn the seven principles of Kwanzaa through the artistry of story, song and dance. http://www.charteroakcenter.org

Up in Hartford tonight, Blackeyed Sally’s New Year’s Eve Blues Bash headlines the New England blues super-group Night Train.  On Friday at 8:30, they bring you The Rib Rockers with Special Guests, presenting classic rock and soul. On Saturday at 9 there’s the Mighty Soul Drivers River City Slim’s B-Day bash. www.blackeyedsallys.com

Down in New Haven, at Toad’s Place, this evening, there’s a big Extravaganza with Shakedown, playing The Dead & Beyond, Deep, and Super Trance. On Friday they offer Bright Night 9: Electric Glow Party, with a host of acts to enjoy.  Saturday, they bring Soulive and Remember September to the Toad’s stage.  www.toadsplace.com  for more.

In Hartford, at Infinity Hall, they’ve got monster horn band, Tower of Power for two shows tonight, New Year’s Eve, at 7 and 11 p.m.  Friday night Infinity Hall Hartford presents Ted Vigil “Celebrating the Music of John Denver.” On Saturday you can hear singer/songwriter Javier Colon, Connecticut’s own winner of NBC’s “The Voice.” Special Guests Matt Cusson & Jeff Howard will also be featured.  www.infinityhall.com.
There’s a Downton Abbey preview party this Friday at 7, sponsored by the Wesleyan Center for the Arts at the CFA Hall on The Wesleyan Campus.  Seating is limited and registration is required.  More at   http://www.arts2go.org
The Holiday Light Fantasia remains open through the week at Goodwin Park in Hartford.  It’s a two-mile drive-through a wonderland of holiday scenes and animations.  www.hartford.gov

You can also skate for free at the Winterfest Hartford rink in Bushnell Park all week long, thanks to the City of Hartford and The iQuilt Partnership.  Free skate rentals are available. http://www.hartford.com

Now here's a rundown of cinema off the beaten track in Central Connecticut:
At Real Art Ways in Hartford the run of “Awake: The Life of Yogananda,” an unconventional biography of an Indian Swami who brought yoga and meditation to the West in the 1920’s, continues through tomorrow.  Also continuing is “The Tale of Princess Kaguya,” a Japanese tale of a young princess who enthralls all who encounter her, but who must ultimately face punishment for her crime. 

They’re also screening “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” through tomorrow.  It’s a documentary about the women who founded the modern women’s movement from 1966-1971. On Friday they open “The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness,” a rare look inside the Japanese animation Studio Ghibli with Director Hayao Miyazaki.  It runs through the weekend.  Also running Friday through the weekend is “Antartica:  A Year on Ice,” a documentary following the scientists, technicians and craftsmen who live year-round on the Antarctic continent.   www.realartways.com.

Cinestudio at Trinity College is closed for the holidays, and will reopen on January 8th.
Now, here’s a look at tonight’s programming on WESU 88.1 FM:

Right after the Jive at Five, stay tuned for: The Explorer’s Hour with Pickup Sticks for an exploration into the realm of indie rock and roll.

From 6-6:30, it's Mind Matters with Helen Evrard, M.D. The show provides information and guest interviews on issues concerning mental illness (brain disease). The focus is exploring holistic therapies and stories of individual achievement.

At 6:30-8pm it's Fusion Radio with James Fusion. Techno from around the globe mixed live since 1992. It's a vinyl world!

And from 8-9:30pm, it's The Warehouse with Mike NyceThe best of underground house music, mixed live for your listening pleasure.

Starting at 9:30 it's The Vault with DJ Anton Banks. On the air since 1996! The Vault presents listeners with the very latest in hard techno, minimal tech-house, and leftfield mixed live each week. Regularly featuring exclusive music and mix sets from international producers and DJs.

And from 1am til 4, Leith Johnson presents the News Years spectacular to the Wesleyan and Middletown community.

The BBC world news kicks on at 4 and we start tomorrow’s broadcast day at 5am with Morning Edition from NPR.

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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 for WESU. Look for information on special programming and events online at www.wesufm.org