I am using the blog to expand on some of the events in the Blues Beat column. In addition, it will allow me to present items that come in after my press deadline. when we are back to normal, the weekly schedule will reappear.
Late Arrivals
Friday at 6 pm – Cheryl Tracy & LB2 – Ninos Restaurant and Bar
Sunday at 3 pm – Rich Badowski Blues Band special guest Mark Nomad – Brass Horse Cafe LLC
Ridgefield Playhouse
Saturday at the Ridgefield Playhouse it is time for Livingston Taylor’s 70th Birthday Concert (Socially distanced at 40% capacity in the theater).
The Cobalt (RKs) Duo
Enjoy a Saturday brunch at The Stand with The Cobalt (RKs) Duo starting at 11 am and going to 2 pm. The Cobalt Duo is Mark Zaretsky and Greg Benn playing together live and in person in the tented outdoors at The Stand. They will be playing the blues with feeling and soul at this awesome restaurant and nightspot just a stone’s throw from the Branford shore in Indian Neck. Great food and drink, along with heaters, a tent or two and a new autumn menu. The Chicago Dawgs ate well when the Duo played there a few weeks ago. Free admission.
Twilight Concerts On The Farm
An unseasonably warm fall day was the perfect setting for Twilight Concerts On The Farm to conclude their season of socially distanced live events. After 45 shows in just over 2 months, the concert/comedy series put together by Premier Concerts/Manic Presents, NHCPA South Farms LLC, and South Farms ended on November 8th with a special afternoon performance by Warren Haynes & Danny Louis (of Gov’t Mule), who had an incredible seven-show run at South Farms.
Twilight Concerts On The Farm, which started on August 22nd and ended on November 8th, took place on over 10 acres of manicured farmland at South Farms in Morris, CT. The venue boasts a beautifully structured grid layout, which adhered to public health guidelines while still maintaining the intimacy of live concerts. Safety was the top priority, and each show complied with the most current health and safety standards per state regulations and local jurisdictions in order to protect guests, artists, crew and staff.
As live music venues remain shuttered due to COVID-19, Twilight Concerts On The Farm has been a beacon of hope for many, the series employed 79 staff and provided live music for over 22,000 guests across the show series. During the last month of concerts, the venue also sponsored a food drive to benefit a local food pantry, FISH – Friends in Service to Humanity of Northwestern CT, Inc. Concertgoers generously contributed, helping feed numerous families during this uncertain time.
Premier Concerts/Manic Presents, NHCPA South Farms LLC, and South Farms would like to thank the Twilight staff and crew for their hard work and dedication throughout the series; all of the artists who brought the venue alive; the town of Morris for hosting the series; and all of the guests who made this season possible.
The Hudson Valley Blues Society
The Hudson Valley Blues Society is proud to release its first (2-disc) CD featuring 23 original songs from artists of the Hudson Valley. What you will hear on these CD’s is typical of the blues genre, a wide variety of styles, emotions, and creativity, all done from the heart with the passion that underlies all flavors of the blues. You can find more information about each artist by visiting their website.
DISC ONE
1. Kickin’ Child / Dion / http://www.diondimucci.com
2. Axe To Grind / The Johnny Feds Band / facebook/johnnyfeds
3. True To You / Phil Buttà / http://www.philbutta.com
4. Passion In My Life / Professor Louie and The Crowmatix / http://www.professorlouie.com
5. Preacherman / Menza Madison Band / http://www.menzamadisonband.com
6. Slide On Rye / Robert Hill Band / http://www.roberthillband.com
7. Turn Up The Heat / Paul Toscano and Tom “The Suit” Forst / http://www.porkchopsbluestime.com
8. Mean World / Vaneese Thomas / http://www.vaneesethomas.com
9. US Funk / Union Stockyard & Transit Company / http://www.porkchopsbluestime.com
10. It’s 7 O’Clock Somewhere / Dave Keyes / http://www.davekeyes.com
11. Mama Needs Some Company / Willa Vincitore / http://www.willaandcompany.com
12. Oh Lord / Petey Hop / http://www.peteyhop.com
DISC TWO
13. Pity Party / Chris Raabe / http://www.chrisraabeband.com
14. He’d Already Told Me So / Cross Purpose / http://www.crosspurposeband.com
15. Late Night Train / Tom “The Suit” Forst / http://www.tomthesuitforst.com
16. Fall Changes / Chris Bergson Band / http://www.chrisbergson.com
17. How Many Roads / Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers / http://www.lexgreymusic.com
18. Empty Promises / Alexis P. Suter Band / http://www.alexispsuter.com
19. Jackpot 14 / Wyld Blu / http://www.wyldblu.com
20. Getting Even / Jaxx Cafe / facebook/jaxx-cafe
21. Kinda Mess / Tas Cru with Sonny Rock / http://www.tascru.com
22. May May / The Full Stop Blues Band / facebook/the-full-stop-band-from-danbury
23. The Train / Roadhouse Roosters / http://www.roadhouseroosters.com
The Hudson Valley Blues Society “Lockdown Blues CD” is now available for pre-order:
First Night Hartford
This year, First Night Hartford will be turning its 32nd annual New Year’s celebration into a robust TV broadcast, Facebook and Youtube livestream, and live Zoom workshops. First Night Hartford 2021 will not be hosting any in-person events but will be embarking on the creation of an innovative virtual experience to be held on Thursday, December 31, 2020. With the hope of bringing our communities safely together to ring in the new year, First Night Hartford will create a broadcast and livestream experience alongside dozens of community partners, artists, and a local video production company.
First Night Hartford is excited to announce the addition of eight new board members: Taneisha Dugan, Mallory Mason, Helen Boyke, Adam DeSantis, Jennifer Moore, Eugene Morton, Kailey Townsend, Marian Andoh.
First Night is also excited to announce our 2021 button design artist, Lindaluz Carrillo. Lindaluz Carrillo is a local urban artist, graphic designer, and prolific muralist.
For more updates, visit their website: https://firstnighthartford.org/
Happy Traum
Friday, at 7:30 pm live in 360° online event it is Happy Traum: Coming of Age in the Greenwich village Folk Revival and the Woodstock Scene.
You can watch the show from the stage, the sides or the front row with a VR headset,, that can be shipped to you, so you can experience concerts in a completely new way. They are helping artists create concert experiences through its 360°/VR platform. The live events will include extra features provided by the artist to make the show an unforgettable experience. The VR Headset is included in all ticket purchases.
River Spirit Music and CT FOLK have joined forces to present this special virtual concert in association with Musae using the 360°/VR platform to make the show an unforgettable experience.
Renowned folk singer, writer, teacher, recording artist and first-rate fingerstyle guitarist Happy Traum began playing guitar and 5-string banjo as a teenager and was an important participant in the legendary Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1950s and ‘60s. He was a student of blues guitar legend Brownie McGhee, a major influence on his picking style. Traum has played in concerts, clubs and festivals throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan, both solo and with his late brother, Artie Traum, with whom he performed for more than 40 years. Their performances at the 1968 and 1969 Newport Folk Festivals helped to gain them an avid following and a contract with famed manager Albert Grossman. “Between them, they’ve been studio musicians, composers, comedians, writers, editors, folklorists, and a host of other things… A brilliant and unique entity in the world of country-folk music.” – The New York Times
Happy has since appeared and/or recorded with Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, John Sebastian, Larry Campbell, Eric Andersen, Allen Ginsberg, Jim Kweskin, Maria Muldaur and many other major figures in the folk music world.
As one of America’s best-known guitar instructors, Happy has taught at major guitar workshops throughout the country and overseas; is the author of more than a dozen best-selling guitar instruction books; and has produced more than 500 music lessons on DVDs and CDs for his internationally-renowned company, Homespun Music Instruction.
Happy’s latest CD, “Just For the Love of It,” was released in October 2015 and received a rare four-star review from Rolling Stone. https://www.happytraum.com.
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