Just Announced @ BSL - 7.27.11

::Just Announced::

J. Geils, Jeff Pitchell, Gerry Beaudoin & Texas Flood Friday September 30, 2011 @ 8:00 PM J. Geils needs no introduction around these parts. Producer, writer, and sports car restoration expert J. Geils is a rockin' master of the blues. Known for several huge classic hits and a soulful approach to the blues, J has now been nominated for the Rock Hall of Fame. Team him up with Jeff Pitchell & Texas Flood and you have a show not to be missed! Jeff has been blistering the paint off the walls of most clubs in the New England area for some years now and he is one of the hottest guitar slingers on the circuit, drawing comparisons to Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn. His CD, Heavy Hitter, reached #7 on the Billboard Charts. Along with Texas Flood they tear up a rich mix of R & B, Rock, Soul and funky Texas Blues. Jeff Pitchell & Texas Flood have just won the Connecticut Musician/Band of the year (2011)! Also on the bill is very special guest Gerry Beaudoin, who will add his own sassy guitar to the mix for a rare night of dance and frenzy. Together they will be playing some of the J. Geils Band hits as well as some of Jeff's songs, that have won international awards... and, will also be heard on their new CD to be released 3Q/2011!! Of course its blues, blues, blues..and rock, rock, rock!!! Tickets - $30, $40

Luisa Maita Friday September 2, 2011 @ 8:00 PM Sultry, seductive and infused with that inimitable samba swing, the music of Luísa Maita embodies the modern spirit of Brazil. She has been called the "New Voice of Brazil" by NPR and recently was recognized as Brazil's "Best New Artist" by the Brazilian Music Awards, the equivalent of a GRAMMY. Inspired by the bustling urban life found in her native city of São Paulo, her music has a contemporary vibe with influences from alternative pop and downtempo electronic music melded with an acoustic foundation deeply rooted in samba, bossa nova and MPB. Hailing from a country overflowing with musical talent, Luísa Maita rises above the fray as one of the most promising young singers of her generation. Tickets - $15, $25

BBC Music Review - Eilen Jewell Queen of the Minor Key

BBC Review
Her understanding of rock'n'roll, gospel, folk and country has a profound depth.
Martin Longley 2011-07-25

Firstly, this disc is blessed with an evocative title, and its song of the same name delivers the sounds to match. Where do we place Jewell, this country miss who also sounds like a darkly mysterious rock'n'roller, a blues-gal, a purveyor of garage exotica? She appears to be quite naturally gravitating toward several scenes simultaneously, well-versed in the manners of each form. Jewell sings and plays acoustic guitar, also taking the occasional harmonica solo.

Closely identified with Los Angeles, though born in Boise, Idaho, Jewell currently lives in Boston. Her songs sound like they haven't reared up out of any of these cities. Nashville noir, maybe? Lower East Side hillbilly? Her right hand man is Jerry Miller, who slides from electric guitar to pedal steel, by way of an acoustic axe. Jewell's four-piece combo is augmented by guests: it’s saxophonist David Sholl and organist Tom West who provide much of the period atmosphere, when it comes to stepping outside the country music parameters. Californian rockabilly king Big Sandy turns up without his Fly-Rite Boys, providing guest vocals. He and Jewell have already been gigging together.

Short instrumentals open and close the album, full of twangy guitar, ghost organ and burred saxophone. Jewell shuffles a range of slowies and trotters, well-pacing these 14 short numbers. The whole album is a mere 38 minutes, a length that lately seems to be grabbing back some favour. Her voice is caught up close to the microphone, enhancing the already mood-drenched aura. She invariably builds up a lonely melancholy tone, a nostalgic yearning. The title-cut has a rockabilly slap-back, the lurching continuing with the next track. Jewell’s words are substantial and loaded with archetypal imagery. Every song is a micro-tale. To ensure her credentials as a country artist, she includes a healthy ratio of decelerated weepies, including Reckless, with its fiddling solo from Rich Dubois. Their character recalls the work of Gillian Welch, or even Lucinda Williams. Not surprisingly, Bang Bang Bang sounds just like its title, loaded with hulking horn-jabs.

In a recorded career that only began in 2005, Jewell has already been marinated by a variety of styles for each of her album projects. Now, she's refining her songwriting into an individualist composite of myriad genres, crafting works which resonate with her own personality. It's clear that she's no dilettante, and that her understanding of rock'n'roll, gospel, folk, country and rockabilly has a profound depth.

Read The Story on BBC MUSIC

The Chapin Sisters Bring Their Voices to Connecticut - hartfordadvocate.com

The Chapin Sisters Bring Their Voices to Connecticut - hartfordadvocate.com

If you attended an alternative school where your music teachers were a bunch of aging hippies who taught you to sing old Elizabethan murder ballads and haunting Appalachian folk songs and to play baroque recorder music, and if your dad and uncle were well-regarded folk singers and songwriters, you too might end up singing tight harmonies with your siblings and forming a group that seemed to exist slightly outside of time. So maybe the careers of Abigail Chapin and her sister Lily — daughters of the singer Tom Chapin and nieces of Harry Chapin (he of "Cat's in the Cradle" fame ) — make perfect sense. Maybe we live in an age when musically omnivorous 30-year-old women can draw equally and naturally from the of-the-moment pop of Britney Spears, the spooky sibling harmonies of the Louvin Brothers (whose songs of judgment and grace and family were already anachronistic in the early '60s when they recorded them), and maybe the future is always a crazy re-imagined mash-up of the past anyway.

The Chapin Sisters will perform at Bridge Street in Collinsville on July 24, and it will be a good opportunity to see and hear how very quiet, simple vocal music can have an arresting effect. Sometimes the sound of two people singing bare harmonies can be more startling and powerful than the most menacing noise you can produce with a stack of Ampeg cabinets and an arsenal of effects pedals. You try getting a room full of beer drinkers to quiet down and attend to two willowy women.

Abigail Chapin spoke with the Advocate recently by phone from Los Angeles, where she lives.

She talked about her and her sister's musical upbringing (until recently the group also included the pair's half-sister, Jessica). Lily graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown — which over the past decade has produced bands like Das Racist, MGMT, the Mobius Band, and others — in 2003. And Abigail attended Oberlin College, a school with a similarly fruitful music scene, where she said her "biggest musical outlet" in college was playing in the school's steel drum orchestra.

After graduating from their respective schools the sisters relocated to Los Angeles and started putting their act together in 2004. Though a crop of what would be called "freak folk" artists was about to emerge, it wasn't exactly a time that was completely receptive to quiet music.

"We started out only playing rock clubs. We didn't consider ourselves a folk act," says Abigail. "There weren't other bands playing three-part harmonies. People were silenced. They were like 'What is this?'"

You might find yourself asking the same question. Early on they got attention for covering Britney Spears. On the Chapin Sisters' most recent release, 2011's Two, the songs can evoke a range of things — Bulgarian women's choral music, soft rock, confessional '60s folkies, bracing Sacred Harp hymn singing and gentle melodies.

Add to that the pair's equally well-curated fashion sense, and the Chapin Sisters conjure something that seems both familiar and completely of the moment. The entire enterprise hinges on the power of human voices, resonating vocal cords, rib cages, air waves, ear drums and beating hearts.

"I hope to move people," says Abigail. "It's moving to me — singing. There's something physically emotional about it. It's such a physical act … the vibrations."

Buy Tickets Here

Film Fete & Mixer

The Farmington Valley Film Commission's second annual Film Fete and Mixer will take place July 22 from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Bridge Street Live in Collinsville, CT.

The volunteer-based commission hopes to promote filmmaking and producing in the Farmington Valley through events such as the film festival and the creation of a production guide for the region — a full list of anything a director or producer would need to create a film.

"The Farmington Valley has a lot to offer," said video producer Craig Murphy. "There is a lot of history here."

There's also an incentive for movie-makers — a law passed by the legislature in 2006 and amended in 2007 gives a tax credit of up to 30 percent to companies that shoot or produce movies in the state.

"Collinsville itself is known for its arts. If you are going to do a film fete, this is the place to do it," said producer and writer Steve Emirzian.

Read the rest of the story HERE @ HARTFORD COURANT. COM!

Comedic Madness w/ Carl Labove

Carl LaBove is an alum of The Outlaws of Comedy, the comics’ group that included Sam Kinison that wreaked havoc throughout clubs during the ‘80’s. And while his work still has that edge to it, there’s a method behind the comedic madness.

LaBove has performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” had guest spots on “Seinfeld,” and “Roseanne,” and had roles in “Parenthood,” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” He was also in the Pauly Shore movie “Pauly is Dead,” where he played Pauly Shore’s insincere agent.

LaBove has performed with greats Robin Williams and Damon Wayans, be he credits Red Skelton for “quote unquote” helping him out the most. “I look back a lot, when I was younger, (Red) Skelton came on every Sunday night. I watched with my mom, dad, brother, grandparents, and was amazed that he made all of us laugh. The fact we were all generations apart,” said LaBove. These Sunday-night shows were a foundation or building block for what LaBove does today.

Carl has a show here at Bridge Street Live. Thursday, July 21st @ 8pm. Tickets!

Just Announced @ BSL - 7.12.11

::Just Announced::

Kenny Vance & The Planotones Saturday May 12, 2012 @ 8:00 PM Among today's great vocal pop musicians, Kenny Vance and The Planotones have voices of original and inviting dimension. The group, Kenny Vance, Johnny Gale, Kurt "Frenchy" Yahjian, Jimmy Bense, keyboardist Chip Degaard, and Tony Gallino on Drums, redefine oldies with vocal authority and freshness. As exemplified by their signature song "Looking For An Echo", their material is influenced by the music of the 50's and 60's, but they consistently bring a unique and musically sophisticated point of view. In this sense they are classicists, opening the eyes of a new generation to a rich historical musical style. With their cool and sultry musical approach, they give a gift to those who are discovering them for the first time! As a kid in New York, Kenny Vance was captivated by the magic of rock'n roll. At the age of fifteen, he was hanging around the famed Brill Building, meeting other singers and songwriters. Eventually he formed the successful group Jay and The Americans, who had the distinction of opening for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for each of their first U.S. performances. Kenny remained with Jay and The Americans throughout the group's eleven-year history, touring extensively and recording fifteen albums, which included the hits Come A Little Bit Closer, Cara Mia, She Cried, and Only In America. In the years that followed, Kenny Vance began an expansive career that kicked off with producing the first record for Walter Becker and Donald Fagen - Steely Dan. Kenny went on to compose, supervise and produce a long list of scores and soundtracks for feature films and television. He gave the film of the Alan Freed story, American Hot Wax, its musical life by recreating the groups of the 50's and 60's for the screen. The Planotones were formed for that film and gave their first on-screen performance. In addition, Vance served as musical director for Saturday Night Live and music supervisor for the films "Animal House," "Eddie & The Cruisers," and "Looking For An Echo." As an actor, Kenny has appeared in "Hurly Burly," "Billy Bathgate," "American Hot Wax," "Eddie & The Cruisers," and in the Woody Allen films "Manhattan", "Stardust Memories", "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Husbands and Wives". Kenny Vance Kenny's passion is singing. One he always maintained throughout a long and successful career in the entertainment industry. He re-formed The Planotones in 1992 and has brought this passion, along with his soulful vocals, to new heights. In 2002, Kenny Vance was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame; in 2007, he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame. The VIP Reserved Ticket for this show guarantees preferred, reserved seats, table service and your Prix Fixe Dinner Menu Option! Choose from Beef, Chicken or Vegetarian for your Entree on the next Ticketing Screen. No Refunds or Exchanges. You must arrive before 8:00 PM for Dinner. Tickets - $35, $65 VIP Dinner & A Show

Tim Krompier Friday October 7, 2011 @ 8:00 PM Tim Krompier’s comedy is like a delicious meat dip, a layer of autobiographical wit on the bottom, coated with physically charged character work, and scrumptiously topped with aging frat boy self deprecation. If you don’t like Tim at least you know what to have for dinner. Having headlined in comedy clubs, theatres, and showcases across the country, and with weekly spots in New York City and Long Island; Tim Krompier has blossomed into a stand-up comedy maven. His mom always thinks he is blossoming into something. Tim’s journey to two-drink minimum glory and sold-out shows is an unlikely one, having only been ten short years since he made his income as a break-dancer, professional party emcee, and entertainment industry lothario. His wife knows in actuality she is the only woman he has ever known outside of his mother and sisters. Tim Krompier has been performing his whole life. As the second son in a house full of 5 sisters, he had to think of creative ways to get attention in the midst of unceasing boyfriend drama and fluctuating hormones. At the age of 6, Tim was forced into tap lessons simply because it was where his mother was dropping everyone else off. Tim was raised in a hurricane of extreme home femaleness but blessed with plenty of material that would serve him unexpectedly in his future endeavors on stage. Having attended community college out of high school, Tim realized he couldn't sit still for long enough to study and also has terrible penmanship. He took a job as a dancer and emcee for a deejay company, and quickly became the hottest ticket on the Bar Mitzvah, Wedding, and Prom circuit. He single handedly cornered the market on Irish guys that can dance the Hora and do the Electric Slide. His years of practice opened the door for him professionally as a hip-hop and break-dancer in music videos, commercials, and corporate parties. In the late ‘90s, having realized Tim’s quick wit and off-the-cuff humor, a friend in the music industry hooked him up with a company that writes and produces comedic programming for radio stations across the country. Tim soon started doing freelance writing and character voiceovers for radio stations across the land. Life was good until a car accident in 2003 left Tim unable to dance but with the time and passion to pursue writing full-time and finally get on stage and make fun of his interesting journey through life. Since then, Tim became a staff-writer for United Stations Radio Networks, where he creates daily humorous program outlines that are used by syndicated stations across the country. People from New York to Los Angeles now get to get to hear Tim’s comedy voiceovers on everything from Jersey Shore fist pumping to married golfers who love sexting their mistresses. Tim headlines at clubs across the US and Canada and continues to be in high demand for private and corporate events. Tickets - $20, $30

Monroeville: Young & Promising Bluegrass

Click here to listen to their latest cuts.

Monroeville is an exciting new acoustic band with a combined experience of almost 80 picking and singing. Individually they have been nominated for Grammy awards, won prestigious competitions, founded bands, and have been highly influential to their fans and peers. Collectively, in their few months since forming, they have appeared on the Today Show, started a record label, gathered a solid fan base, and established themselves as a powerful new act in the business. The group consists of six young men from the East Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina areas.

Daniel Salyer
Daniel Salyer is an experienced musician and singer born in Virginia and currently residing in Bluff City, Tennessee. He brings a strong stage presence to the band as well as his soaring high tenor. He is also a prolific songwriter having cuts with Junior Sisk, The Lonesome River Band, Mark Newton and many others. Daniel is the proud father of two boys, Logan and Peyton. He works as a Biomedical Engineer at the Bristol Regional Medical Center and has been happily married since 2005 to his wife Rachel.

Travis Houck
Travis Houck is a dobro player from the ranks of musicians graduated from the East Tennessee State University bluegrass program in Johnson City, Tennessee. He was born and raised in Chilhowie, Virginia and brings a strong bass vocal to the quartet numbers. He has played on stage with Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, and Porter Wagoneer among many others. He has also traveled across the country representing the University in their top band called the ETSU Pride Band. He was a foundational member of Barry Scott & Second Wind where he recieved a Grammy nomination for his work on their debut project, “In God’s Time.”

Zane Petty
Zane Petty is one of the most talented young musicians in the genre today. At 17 he has been nominated for a Grammy, toured across the country and internationally, been featured in numerous articles and magazines, played for production shows in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and the list just keeps going. His banjo playing is as strong as those twice his age, and his repertoire continues to expand with his ever-growing knowledge of the music. He currently resides in Kodak, Tennessee and contributes his unique character and humor to the band.

Matthew Munsey
Matthew Munsey takes up the mandolin playing for the band. His musical career began at the early age of five touring with his family band. He graduated to a regional band at the age of 16 and quickly saw great success in the tourism entertainment business around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. He is a talented producer and recording engineer with a Grammy nominated project under his belt for his previous band Barry Scott & Second Wind. Matthew applies his business and production experience to his publicity company, Blu Wav, as Production and Publicity Manager. http://blu-wav.com He brings a fun stage presence and tight lead and harmony vocals to the band and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Juliana who is expecting their first child.

Seth Taylor
Seth Taylor began playing the guitar at age three, and then decided to pick up the banjo when he was eight. Seth has played in a few bands around his home in Bryson City, NC including Reel Tyme, and Cane Creek. Seth has won several championships including Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina State champion. His biggest accomplishment was winning the Doc Watson Guitar Contest at Merlefest in 2008 when he was only fourteen, and then one year later, in 2009, he won the Merle Watson Banjo Championship! Seth is the youngest of five children, and he is the only one in his family that plays music. For more info on Seth, visit http://sethtaylormusic.com and http://facebook.com/sethtaylormusic

Matt Flake
Matt Flake, or “Scooter,” as his friends know him, began playing the mandolin when he was only nine years old. About a year later, he started fiddle lessons with Jesse Haycraft. Matt has started various groups over the years but has been a fundamental part of the group Pine Mountain Railroad where he has spent the last six years of his professional career. He has won state champion competitions on three different instruments in Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Alabama. Currently, Matt plays a custom-made John Silakowski five-string fiddle. In March 2008, Matt married his Tennessee sweetheart, Betsy, and moved to Sevierville, Tennessee from his home place in Leitchfield, Kentucky.

Click here to listen to their latest cuts.

See them LIVE this Saturday, July 16th, 2011 @ Bridge Street Live. Tickets are only $12, $22 VIP.

Opening the show, POOR OLD SHINE! You may have seen them open for The Steel Wheels in April. Excellent Young band from Connecticut, and one of the members is from Farmington originally. Now they all attend UCONN. Go Huskies!