Monday 11-25-19 Jive

Good evening, it's Monday, November 25^th. This is the Jive at Five, our daily community calendar and rundown of nighttime programming here on 88.1 FM WESU Middletown. By day, WESU offers talk radio from NPR and Pacifica, as well as independent and local public affairs sources. Weeknights and weekends our student and community volunteers bring you the best in free-form programming.

I'm Leith Johnson, host of The Light Fandango, heard every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of the month at 4 pm, where you'll hear uncommon songs of the 1960s and 70s from across the musical genres. I’ll be on this Sunday, and I hope you'll tune in.

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

The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown holds an Anything Goes Open Mic tonight, hosted by Jacob Wiseman. They’re taking it easy for a few days until Friday when you can catch Amsterdam’s Saskia Laroo and her jam group celebrating their new record release, “Trumpets Around the World.” The Aligned with Source Workshop is on for Saturday morning, and in the evening it’s Americana and folk with singer/songwriters Lisa Bastoni and Naomi Sommers. On Sunday afternoon, John Basinger presents Book XII of Milton’s Paradise Lost, and in the evening the Slambovian Underground is in the house to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Buttonwood’s founding. www.buttonwood.org

In New Haven, at Café Nine, Manic Mondays headlines Wilsen, performing with Laura Wolf. Bella White and Lys Guillorn take the stage on Tuesday, and on Wednesday it’s Dean Falcone’s annual Vomitorium #23. Friday’s Happy Hour features the Harris Brothers Balkan Band, followed by a 10-year reunion show with Colvin, Over the Line, and Bad Lieutenants. Saturday’s Jazz Jam session is with Billy Cofrances, and in the evening it’s Shake ‘N’ Vibrate with DJ B the T Jr. You can catch Eric Nassau, Keith Carini, and George Morgio at the Sunday Buzz Matinée, and they round out the holiday weekend with the Mark Dipino Band, Hi-Fi Radio, and Cody Bondra. www.cafenine.com

Up in Hartford at Black-Eyed Sally’s, the Jeff Holmes Big Band is featured in their Jazz Mondays session tonight. Michael Palin’s Other Orchestra brings you jazz, R&B, soul classics, and more on Tuesday. Wednesday’s Community Blues Jam is hosted by Tim McDonald. Christine Ohlman and Rebel Montez return with rock and soul on Friday, and on Saturday it’s R&B, rock, soul and more with Jeff Pitchell and Texas Flood. On Sunday they bring you Southern Fried Sass, a Drag Brunch Eggsperience with Nedra Belle. http://www.blackeyedsallys.com/

Manic Presents is at the College Street Music Hall tonight with A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour. At the Space Ballroom in Hamden, they bring you Vintage Trouble and Hollis Brown on Friday, and on Sunday you can catch Presence CT with their Led Zeppelin tribute. www.manicpresents.com

Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts invites you to attend the Ebony Singers Winter Concert tonight at 8 pm in Crowell Concert Hall. Details at www.wesleyan.edu/cfa

There’s a Kizomba Public Dance Session at Union Station in Hartford tonight, and the Hartford Jazz Orchestra is at the Arch Street Tavern. You can chat about your art or technology projects and take a tour at the Make Hartford Open House on Wednesday evening. It’s Karaoke Night at The Russell on Wednesday. The Wadsworth Atheneum opens their 46^th annual Festival of Trees & Traditions on Friday morning where you can view specially decorated trees, purchase a tree or wreath, and shop for holiday items, with proceeds benefitting museum programs. Winterfest Hartford also opens Friday morning at Bushnell Park where you can skate for free seven days a week. The Hanging Hills Brewing Company sponsors a Barrelled and Dark Bear Festival Friday evening, and the Nick Di Maria Quartet will be in the house. The Mark Twain House continues Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours over the weekend, and Sensual Salsa Saturdays takes place at the Red Rock Tavern. The Arch Street Tavern hosts Lespecial with Tales of Joy on Saturday evening as well, and on Sunday afternoon you can enjoy a Victorian Holiday Tea at the Isham-Terry House. Details on these and more at www.hartford.com/events/

The Wesleyan RJ Julia bookstore holds their weekly Na NoWri Mo Write-In tonight at 6 pm, and tomorrow they host an Open Mic Night. They celebrate Small Business Saturday after the holidays with a pop-up sale and raffle, and in the evening it’s their monthly Philosophy Night. Students can check out their Textbook Buy-Back and Study Bag Giveaway that starts on Sunday. Kids’ events continue this week and include Cardinal Kids and a special Story Time with Janet Lawler. There’s a Teen Na NoWri Mo session on Wednesday at 6 pm. www.wesleyanrjjulia.com

The Russell Library in Middletown hosts their Mystery! series tonight to discuss “Turkey Trot Murder” by Leslie Meier. The Job and Career Center sponsors Diane Lang on Tuesday with her workshop, “Stop Beating Yourself Up and Take Action.” Scrabble Wednesday is on the books before the holiday. On Saturday morning, Councilman Phil Pessina presents a read-aloud of “The Polar Express.” Consult the website calendar for more events, including sessions for those who are home-insecure, geared to patrons of all ages. www.russelllibrary.org

The State House in New Haven hosts a Jam Sesh on Tuesday with Paul Bryant Hudson and Jeremiah Fuller. There’s a Homecoming Back Room Party on Wednesday with Dooley-O spinning hip-hop, funk, and more. It’s gypsy rock, circus punk and more on Friday with the return of Bella’s Bartok, performing along with Sean Henry. On Saturday, Creamery Station, the John Spignesi Band, and Friends of a Feather take the stage. They’re offering a Canadian hardcore matinée on Sunday with No Warning, Year of the Knife, Blind Justice, and more. www.statehousepresents.com

 

Infinity Hall Hartford brings you blues and rock on Wednesday with Jeff Pevar and Scott Murawski’s “Guitarness.” You can hear more of the same on Friday with Quinn Sullivan, and on Saturday Beau Bolero takes the stage with their Steely Dan tribute. Infinity Norfolk brings you the Lespecial trio on Wednesday with two sets: acoustic and electric. They’re hosting a Thanksgiving Buffet on Thursday, and on Saturday you can catch Tusk: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Experience. Singer/songwriter Martin Sexton is in the house on Sunday with Americana, folk, and more. www.infinityhall.com

Toad’s Place presents an Emo Night Thanksgiving Bash on Wednesday with Hunter Moran and Tom Cat. It’s their 10^th anniversary Black Friday show this week with Jarren Benton, Lock Smith, Spose, and Mike Squires. Spring Heeled Jack USA is in the house Saturday to celebrate the 21^st anniversary of “Song from Surburbia,” appearing with Pilfers, Tip the Van, and The Scotch Bonneets . www.toadsplace.com

The Middletown Arts & Culture Office announces that the Wesleyan Potters 64^th annual exhibit and sale opens Friday and includes music by the Sawtelles. Shop for handcrafted items from around the country including gifts for under $20. A portion of proceeds will benefit the work of Gilead Community Services. The 34^th annual Holiday on Main Street series of events starts on Friday and Saturday with tree lightings, wagon rides, free photos with Santa, and more. Their website is www.holidayonmain.com. And remember that you can drop off new, unwrapped toys at the Recreation Division office for the 68^th annual Bernie O’Rourke/Detroit Hunter Christmas Toy Drive, and also learn about how to apply for the program. Details on all this and more at www.facebook.com/CityArtsOffice/

Cherry Street Station in Wallingford brings you Bloodshoot Hooligans and The Screw-Ups on Wednesday, Balkun on Saturday and Carried by Vi, Dirt, Soldiers of Solace, and Diabiolis on Sunday. www.facebook.com/CherryStreetStation/

The Middletown Recreation Division hosts a guided nature walk at Highlawn Forest on Sunday at 10 am. E-mail Beth@HealingNatureCT.com for details and registration.

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

Hartford’s Real Art Ways is showing “Parasite,” a pitch-black modern Korean fairytale, “Pain and Glory,” about a film director’s reencounters in his declining years, and “Downton Abbey,” the movie version, through Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, they open “The Irishman,” Martin Scorsese’s epic saga of organized crime in post-war America. Details and screening times at www.realartways.org

Trinity College’s Cinestudio continues their run of “The Lighthouse,” about two men operating an isolated lighthouse in the 19^th century, through Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, they open the “The Irishman.” Sunday’s National Theatre Live matinée is Noel Coward’s “Present Laughter,” and in the evening they open “Pain and Glory.” Details at http://www.cinestudio.org

Here's the rundown of tonight’s lineup here on WESU 88.1 FM Middletown:

Right after the jive, it’s Afternoon Jazz with Charles Henry. From classic bop to relevant new releases.

From 6-6:30pm Radical Radiowaves with DJ Oracle chronicles the actions of the left locally and across the country.

From 6:30-8 pm, 75% Folk with Michael Benson offers a mix of contemporary folk, blues, jazz and acoustic music, along with occasional live interviews.

At 8 until 9:30 pm, Chip Austin is in the air chair for Unfocused Folk. Americana music from Nashville and around the world including folk, acoustic country and roots-rock from both emerging and veteran artists.

From 9:30 to 11 pm, The Jack Sullivan Show brings you music from the 1950s & 1960's as well as live requests, TV trivia, and lot of fun.

The oldies continue from 11-12:30 am, with Hits of the 60s and 70s with Jimmy Z playing Billboard Hot 100 hits. Win a WESU beverage mug on his weekly "Name That Tune" contest.

At 12:30 until 1:30 am it’s Influenza with DJ Jamsterdam and DJ Celiac. Dig into the origins, relationships, and influences of contemporary artists to expose how they found their direction.

From 1:30-2:30am The Beatles: A Week in the Life with DJ McKenzie tells the story of The Beatles, their contemporaries, and the artists and songs that inspired them.

From 2:30-3:00am, Spoiler Alert Radio provides a retrospective look at independent artists in filmmaking from across the globe.

From 3-4 am, stay tuned for a rebroadcast of the day’s noontime episode of Democracy Now! from Pacifica.

Finally, rounding out the night from 4-5 am is the BBC World Report with international news coverage and then we kick off each weekday at 5am with Morning Edition from NPR.

For a complete schedule of all our free-form and public affairs programming, visit our website wesufm.org.

As we ease into the WESU fall pledge drive, we ask that you reflect on how WESU has contributed to the quality of your life. Does the service we provide keep you informed, entertained, or perhaps even enlightened? Do we bring you content you cannot elsewhere? As a community radio station, these are our goals and we are glad to have your ear, but there is no community radio without listener support. We need your donation, no matter how big or how small, to keep the station going. Donate online at www.wesufm.org/pledge. And thanks!

That's all for today's Jive at Five. Join us weekdays at 4:55 for a daily rundown of area happenings and a rundown of evening programming on WESU Middletown!

Thanks for listening. Stay tuned for Afternoon Jazz with Charles Henry coming up next.