Having sold out at their last appearance, A Tribute to the Grand Ole Opry, Matthew Male and the gang are back at The Kate with Folk City. Small Town Concert Series, based in Chester, CT,  presents a grass roots revival beckoning back to the heyday of American Folk featuring music from Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, Peter, Paul & Mary, Judy Hensky, Judy Collins and the Kingston Trio.

In the early 60’s, several Greenwich Village clubs made their mark as “the” place to be for both performers and audience members. Gerde’s Folk City was one such place. It is this particular venue that is the cause for a night of celebration on April 9th at The Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Saybrook Connecticut. Musicians Joe Bouchard (Blue Oyster Cult), Dave Rave (Teenage Head), Lauren Agnelli (Washington Squares), Ebin-Rose, Rodney Maxwell, Joan Levy Hepburn and Jill Bowen will bring the best of the American Folk to the stage.  But as I sit with Male and Hepburn, I learn that is not all Matthew Male’s Small Town Concert Series hopes to accomplish.

Having produced already 28 concerts since 2007, it is Male’s ambition to bring together and unite local musical talent.  He seeks to create a music community.  Male is not only the producer of STCS, but he also performs with them and is their chief officer of PR and poster distribution. “Once you have the community together, it becomes something really cool. It starts to sell itself, “ says Male. His big challenge is to bring musicians not only onto the stage but into the audience.  “It seems that they don’t want to go to something unless they are playing in it.”  While Male loves to play he loves to be a part of the audience as well. “I’ve learned so much from watching… the way someone picks a guitar, the way someone holds their instrument. These are  important lessons for me as I learn.”

Small Town Concert Series presents shows with themes such as Leonard Cohen, Joan Mitchell and Bob Dylan. These themes provide STCS with a steady variety of beloved music to offer their audiences. Joan Levy Hepburn explains to me her participation; “When Small Town asked me to join them, I thought ‘great’ because Dave Van Ronk was my teacher, my mentor and my best friend for 20 years. He was such a purist about music. So I’m basically doing this as an homage to Dave Van Ronk who passed away in 2002.  I’ll be doing some early blues and ragtime music… all that Van Ronk finger pickin’ stuff.”

“People like the music so we keep thinking up new themes to do,” says Male. This is not computer enhanced music. “I think what I’d like people to know is that this music is not music which is performed every night at several different locations. It’s not produced by a sound person. I want people to experience live impromptu music. It’s magic.” smiles Male. It’s not studio perfect, but it’s real and it’s honest and it even gives back to the community. Once again, the group will be offering Shoreline Kitchen Fundraising CDs produced by The Shoreline Acoustic Underground. “We give $10 back to the Soup Kitchen,” explains Male.

Join Small Town Concert Series, this Friday night at 8:00pm at The Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center for Folk City.

Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center

300 Main Street

Old Saybrook, CT 06475

Tickets: 877-503-1286

For  more information on Small Town Concert Series

contact Matthew Male at:

860-526-4777

malematthew@comcast.net

Saturday night, February 13th, you can find us a little further north up I-95 at the USS Chowder Pot III, located at 560 East Main St. (Rt. 1), Branford, CT, their phone: (203) 481-2356.  Another favorite for all of our fans, the Chowder Pot is the  most popular dance club and live music venue on the greater New Haven area shoreline…we always have a rockin’ good time at this place!!!  The Chowder Pot is also well known for their great seafood dishes so feel free to arrive hungry.  Showtime kicks off at 9:00 PM, again, reservations or an early arrival suggested as seating goes quick here…if making reservations, make sure to specify that you are there to see the band and would like seating in the lounge area.  For directions and info, visit the Chowder Pot website at: http://www.chowderpot.com/

Have to thank all of our Stamford area friends and fans for coming out Friday night to our show at Monster B’s...yeah we certainly dodged the bullet with that threatened snowstorm Friday night!  A special shout out to the singles meet up group for coming out…as always we always appreciate ya’ll organizing your events at our shows!!!  We had a nice crowd, though they started thinning out around midnite due to the erroneous forecast about snow arriving around that time…not a flake to be seen when we pulled out of there around 2 AM!  We’ll be back at Monster B’s on Sat., March 20…see ya then!

Saturday night saw a good turnout at our show at the Stonebridge…it had been several years since we were last there, we forgot how nice of a venue it is!  We appreciate you all coming out…we enjoyed a packed dance floor all night!  Fun crowd and a great vibe.  We return not to the Stonebridge, but their sister venue across the street, Daniel Street on Sat., April 3.

Upcoming shows: next weekend…Fri., Feb. 19 at Two Boots in Bridgeport, CT...Sat., Feb. 20 at Park City Pride Holiday Party in Trumbull, CT.
Side projects: this Tue. night, Feb. 9, Bernadettes harmonica man, Don D. will be sitting in as a special guest with the Greg Sherrod Blues Band at the Owl Shop located at 268 College St. in downtown New Haven, CT, phone: (203) 624-3250.  The Owl Shop is New Haven’s finest cigar lounge, featuring a full bar and the area’s best selection of cigars.  Showtime is from 9:00 PM till midnight.  Greg Sherrod is one of the area’s finest blues and soul singers and is a long time friend of The Bernadettes…also featured on this show is former Bernadettes drummer Mike D’Amico and guitarist Ed Jones who has subbed for Jimmy on a couple gigs with The Bernadettes…a night of great blues and soul…hey what else do you have to do on a Tuesday night?!?

Parties, weddings, corporate events…yeah you name it, we do them all!!!  If you’re interested in having The Bernadettes perform at your big shindig or special event, please feel free to contact us at: bernadettes@snet.net  If you see that we’re already booked for a date that you have in mind, don’t fret…we can usually re-schedule a nightclub gig to perform at your event if we have ample notice!

Have great weekend and hope to share it with you…
The Bernadettes
www.thebernadettes.com
Visit us on Facebook and sign up as a “Fan”!!!

Chris Barron

Specialists gave vocalist Chris Barron from the Spin Doctors a 50% chance of ever talking normally again – let alone singing on a professional level – when he was stricken with vocal chord paralysis. After a miraculous marathon recovery Chris Barron is back with his latest solo release Pancho and the Kid and singing better than ever, winning audiences all over again with his sincerity and that vocal tone that has made his voice recognizable to millions all over the world.

Chris will be live at “The Kate”  Saturday night, February 6th at 8Pm. Here is your chance for you & a friend to see him for free:

Just share this on any social networking medium. “Twitter”, or even easier, just go to the “FB” share button at the bottom of the page, and click.

Send me an email through the site or to edwinbartlett@hotmail.com, and you are in the running. i will post the winner of this and the Joe Bouchard tickets tomorrow at 2PM, and contact you with how to claim your tickets.

Saturday night, January 30th, the band returns to Jake’s Martini Bar, located at 179 Center St., in downtown Wallingford, CT, their phone: (203) 793-1782.  The newly enlarged Jake’s is gonna be where “the” happening dance party is gonna be taking place this Saturday night!!!  We luv playing this room…Jake’s serves up some very tasty dinners, including their scrumptious Spanish inspired tapas dishes and and a newly expanded menu including steaks and seafood…add the extensive selection of rare beers, ales, wines, single malt scotches, tequilas, etc…not forgetting their signature martinis, with a very hip, upscale vibe…no wonder Jake’s has become the hippest party spot in the northerly ‘burbs of New Haven!  Reservations highly recommended, as we usually pack this place! The great Joe Grieco will be opening in the front dining room, playing standards and your favorite singalongs on the piano earlier in the evening…the Bernadettes will kicking the party into high gear at 9:30 in the back room!  You’re not gonna wanna miss this party…for directions and info, visit Jake’s website at: http://www.jakes1pub.com/

Sunday evening, January 31st, join us for our DVD taping party at Daniel Street, located (appropriately enough!) at 21 Daniel St. in downtown Milford, CT, their phone: (203) 877-4446.  The band is going to be taping a live performance video this Sunday night, and we’re asking all of our friends and fans to show up and be part of this video and give it a real “party feel!”  Show/taping starts at 6:00 PM and is scheduled to run to around 8:00 PM.  We would like to have everyone in the room by 6:00 so if possible, plan on arriving a little earlier, around 5:30 – 5:45.  No cover charge, everything is free, except for drinks…Daniel Street will be offering some drink specials!  The band will be providing a spread of hors d’oeuvres and appetizers for all of our friends and fans so feel free to arrive hungry!  We’re looking for a “dress to impress” kinda attire, lotsa great dancers…spread the word to any aspiring actresses, actors, models, dancers to come on down, they can include the finished DVD in their portfolios.  There will likely be multiple takes of various songs during the taping.  If everyone still wants to party afterwards…we’re gonna stick around and do another set or two!!  We’ll probably send out another notice later in the week on this special event, after we work out some final details…don’t miss this party!  For directions and info about Daniel Street, visit their website at: http://www.danielstreetclub.com/

We arrived Friday night to a fairly light dinner crowd at the Georgetown Saloon, but soon during the first set the place filled up.  We always like playing this room, a very good musically appreciative crowd here…we always appreciate the great response we receive here…we thank all of you who came out, making for a fun night!  A special thanks to Nancy, Sherry, and the rest of the staff here at the G-Town Saloon for taking care of us…we can’t wait to come back, catch us next time on Sat., March 27.

Saturday night, we enjoyed a packed house over at the Chowder Pot in Branford…we always get such a great crowd here!!!  Dance floor was packed and jumping all night…a big shout out and thank you to all of our friends and fans for their support, and making our Chowder Pot shows such a blast!!!.  Mark your calendars, we return to the Chowder Pot on Sat., Feb. 13, see ya’ll then.

Upcoming shows: next weekend…Fri., Feb. 5 at Monster B’s in Stamford…Sat., Feb. 6 at the Stonebridge in Milford, CT.

As always, have a great weekend and hope to share it with some of you,
The Bernadettes
www.thebernadettes.com
Visit our Facebook site at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/the-Bernadettes/70293944379

The high lonesome sound of a bluegrass band brings the memory of a sun-kissed field or a happy harvest moon – even the sad songs make you feel all right! That’s the reason behind pairing the CT bluegrass heroes HOE with new CT bluegrassers RAGWEED: keeping the memory of sunshine and warmer times through music.

Hoe is an acoustic bluegrass band that blends bluegrass/ string band traditions with modern pop ideas. A Hoe concert features tight vocal harmony with five singers and crisp instrumental accompaniment.  A dollop of the band’s onstage wit is included at no extra charge!  Hoe personnel are: Dick Neal (5-string banjo), Chris Teskey (guitar), Bob Csugie (bass), Stephen K. Miller (mandolin), Larry Deming (fiddle).  Hoe has gained a reputation around Connecticut as an act with an original sound and an unpredictable sense of humor. “The original music is fresh and interesting” Bluegrass Now, “Great songwriter” Fairfield Country Weekly.    www.hoesite.com

In Ragweed, everybody sings, harmonizes, and has a ball, playing bluegrass with some blues, country and a few fiddle tunes mixed in. Ragweed is a barn band that is slowly becoming public: “We were quite happy being a barn band; we hope the transition is not too painful for anybody!” Ragweed consists of Paul Neri (banjo, dobro), Jon Wuerth (guitar), Bob Boettger, (acoustic bass), Richard Kane (mandolin), and Chris Wuerth (guitar), plus for this show Deb Cafiero (fiddle).

On the night of Friday, January 22, 2010, at 8 PM at “The Kate”, witness the historic first (but certainly not last!) pairing of these new classic Connecticut Bluegrass groups – and have a hot time in Old Saybrook town tonight!

In Ragweed, everybody sings, harmonizes, and has a ball, playing bluegrass with some blues, country and a few fiddle tunes mixed in. Ragweed is a barn band that is slowly becoming public: “We were quite happy being a barn band; we hope the transition is not too painful for anybody!” Ragweed consists of Paul Neri (banjo, dobro), Jon Wuerth (guitar), Bob Boettger, (acoustic bass), Richard Kane (mandolin), and Chris Wuerth (guitar), plus for this show Deb Cafiero (fiddle).

On the night of Friday, January 22, 2010, at 8 PM at “The Kate”, witness the historic first (but certainly not last!) pairing of these new classic Connecticut Bluegrass groups – and have a hot time in Old Saybrook town tonight!

Produced by The Small Town Concert Series

]]> http://www.shorelineoutandabout.com/demo/blog/2010/01/small-town-concert-series-bluegrass-at-the-kate/feed/ 0 http://www.shorelineoutandabout.com/demo/blog/2010/01/the-bernadettes-weekend-wrap-up/ http://www.shorelineoutandabout.com/demo/blog/2010/01/the-bernadettes-weekend-wrap-up/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:00:08 +0000 Edwin Bartlett http://www.shorelineoutandabout.com/demo/?p=3600 Gotta busy weekend coming up, here’s what’s up… Thursday night, January 7th, The Bernadettes will be making their debut  at Downtown Danny O’s, located at 441 Howe Ave in downtown Shelton, CT, their phone: (203) 922-0459.  A new place for us, many of our friends in “the Valley” told us about this place…we hear it’s [...]]]> Gotta busy weekend coming up, here’s what’s up…

Thursday night, January 7th, The Bernadettes will be making their debut  at Downtown Danny O’s, located at 441 Howe Ave in downtown Shelton, CT, their phone: (203) 922-0459.  A new place for us, many of our friends in “the Valley” told us about this place…we hear it’s one of the happening places in the area, very popular watering hole down in the Valley!  They’re trying out live music on Thursday nights here, so of course, both us and they can use your support, so come on down!  They serve up some pretty tasty pub grub, sandwiches, burgers, etc., so bring your appetite.  We start the jams at 9:00…we wanna see your face in the place, especially our Valley friends and fans!  For more info, visit their website at: http://downtowndannyos.com/

Friday night, January 8th, back in the Valley again, this time at John J. Sullivan’s, located at 557 Wakelee Ave., Ansonia, CT, their phone: (203) 735-6417.  We’re gonna do it again at Sullivan’s this Friday night…we hear they lowered the cover to $5!  This is a nice room, spacious dance floor, lotsa tables, plenty of room to move, good acoustics…then add the great Italian-American food they serve here…makes for nice evening out.  The only place in the Valley with a real dance hall feel to it, come on out and we’ll make it a party!  Again showtime kicks off at 9:00, early arrival recommended if you want to score a table.  For directions and info, visit their website at: http://www.johnjsullivans.com/

And Saturday night, January 9th, we return to the Route 22 Restaurant, located at 1980 West Main St. (Rt. 1) in Stamford, CT, their phone: (203) 323-2229.  You can find the Route 22 out on the west end of town, in a small shopping plaza right near the Greenwich town line.  It’s been well over a year since we’ve last performed here, always one of the best sounding rooms we’ve ever played at…now under new management and bringing back live music!  We always liked this room and glad to be returning…nice big stage, lotsa room on the dance floor here.  Putting the call out to all of our greater Stamford and lower Fairfield County…Westchester too, friends and fans to come out and support live music at this place!  Feel free to arrive hungry, as they serve up the usual pub grub here too.  Showtime starts around 9:30, reservations or an early arrival recommended if your looking to snag a table.  For directions and info, visit their website at: http://www.rt22restaurant.com/stamford/index.php

Our New Years Eve show at Johnny Ray’s was definitely a total blast…sold out and fully packed!!!  Everyone was partying it up big time, very fun gig…we have to extend a huge thank you to all of you for coming out, despite the snow, for making the night such a success!  It was great to see so many of our friends and fans from all over Connecticut and a few from Westchester, for coming out to celebrate the new decade with us, we appreciate it.  A very special thanks to John, Ray, Julie, and the rest of the staff at Johnny Ray’s for accommodating the band so nicely.  We will be back at Johnny Ray’s on Sat., Jan. 16, see ya then.

A little more subdued the following night at the 121, but still a good crowd!  A special shout out to Ness and Dino for making it out both nights…we appreciate that kind of support!  Great seeing long time friends Mary and Sandi again (and making the ride down from Albany!)…and their great moves out on the dance floor!  We always like playing this venue, great room.  Not confirmed yet, but looks like we’ll probably be returning here sometime in April…as always, we’ll let ya know.

Saturday night saw our show at the Bear & Grill being canceled prematurely over a threat of snow, which really never amounted to much.  Wasn’t our call, but still we apologize to anyone who came out and didn’t find us there.  We tried to get notices out via e-mail, our website, and Facebook.  It’s that time of the year that snow can cause last minute cancellations, when in doubt, call the venue before heading out.  You should realize even a minor snow will cause a lot of places to cancel…they fear a low turnout.  We always try to get an e-mail out and a posting on our website, but sometimes we can’t get these out in a timely manner…so call first if the forecast is iffy!

Upcoming shows: next weekend…Thu., Jan. 14 at North Star Restaurant in Pound Ridge, NY…Fri., Jan. 15 at Rowley’s Tavern in Norwalk, CT…Sat., Jan. 16 at Johnny Ray’s in Milford, CT.

Parties, weddings, corporate events, etc…yeah we do them all!  If interested in having The Bernadettes perform at your event, please feel free to contact us at: bernadettes@snet.net for info.  If you see that we’re booked at a nightclub/restaurant gig for the date you have in mind, not to worry…many of the venues we play at we’ll allow us to reschedule a gig to play at your event if we give them ample notice, so don’t hesitate to contact us.

E-Mail List…you may notice some changes in the format of our e-mail newsletter.  We’re now having third party vendor handle the formatting, delivery, and maintenance of our e-mail list.  Our list has grown to over 1500 names and the maintenance of the list had become burdensome to say the least.  We hate spammers too, so hit the unsubscribe link to remove your name from our e-mail list.

A very Happy New Year to all of you…hope to see some of you this weekend,
The Bernadettes
www.thebernadettes.com
On Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/the-Bernadettes/70293944379

The next year is going to be an amazing year. We are working on constant improvements t0 the site. More events,more content, and a better social networking side. When I tell you that we have some really incredible things planned, you will have to take my word for it, but, I don’t think that I have let you down yet. We are committed to bringing the best that the State has to offer, and to put it in the most enjoyable, and easy to use website, and we will do it.

Now the party end. Many of you know that I am a big fan of both Christine Ohlman and The Country Tavern. Christine, and the band, Rebel Montez, put on one of the best shows that you will see in the state. The country Tavern is one of the friendliest places to kick back and have a good time. And  they do know how to have a good time. Now, combine Christine, The CT, and the fact that it is the 5th annual Holiday Extravaganza, well, this is a party not to be missed. Even better, come early, and enjoy one of the best burgers this town has to offer, and you get just about as good a time as you can have, legally. Saturday Night, December 26th. Click on the CT link for address, and get their as early as you can, and just have a good time. You have earned it.

” You see me everyday”

That special Halloween Voodoo will reign supreme as the Beehive Queen & The Montez Boys christen this brand-new concert-size venue that has a big, fab stage and great sight lines. Cherry Street is a kickin’ Italian restaurant, too (The Music Hall is attached) and it’s been decided that a cool southern-themed buffet will be included in a $15 door price ($8 if you decide just to dig the music). The food rolls out at 8 pm so you can kick back, adjust your costume, have a drink and get ready to groove, way down in the Beehive… Music starts at 9. COSTUMES are the order of the night…and the club will hand over $100 cash to the grooviest!!!

For advance reservations call…..Cherry Street Restaurant (Melody Lane Music Hall & Bistro)  Wallingford, CT 428 S. Cherry Street Call 203.741.1113 Costumes encouraged ($100 cash prize for the best!!)

For directions, log on to: www.cherrystreetrestaurant.com