There isn't a lot of live music happening in New London this weekend, but there is a show at 33 Golden Street on Friday night that you'll definitely want to check out. Brooklyn rockabilly trio the Bloodshots will be in town, along with Filthy Still, from Providence. Filthy Still is a folk/bluegrass/punk band whose instrumentation includes guitar, banjo, drums, washboard, fiddle, and upright bass. New London has always loved the Can Kickers, so Filthy Still must feel right at home here. They've played at 33 several times before, and they have done a lot of touring in between their local shows. I'm sure the band will have some good stories to tell. Somehow they have also managed to put out two albums in the four years they have been playing together. After this show Filthy Still is headed out west, and then to Europe in June. The Bloodshots will be playing in New London for the first time. The band is fronted by Little Leslie, who also plays upright bass. She began singing and playing piano at bars when she was only eight years old. Brian “Swifty” Swift, the son of a preacher, plays guitar, and Bobby Lee is on drums. The Bloodshots have only been together since the summer of 2012, but they have already shared the stage with such rockabilly legends as Robert Gordon and the Rockats. They also have an album out called “On Fire”. The show starts at 9 pm and cover is $5.
Also on Friday night, Sue Menhart will be doing a solo acoustic show at Angie's and Pier 27 (restaurant and lounge) in Mystic. Sue will start playing at 8:30 pm, and at her solo shows she usually has a local musician (or two) sit in on the “guest guitar” she makes available. The Sue Menhart Band has been finishing up a new album called “Love Ain't Hard”, and they are hoping for a spring release date, so that should be soon! 100% of the proceeds from the title track of the album will be donated to local homeless shelters and soup kitchens. The venue is a restaurant, so there is probably no cover charge.
There isn't much going on in town on Saturday, but if you are an early riser, you will want to go see Hugh Birdsall when he plays at Fiddleheads Food Co-op in New London at noon. Hugh is one of the area's best-known musicians, having spent many years playing with the Reducers and Dogbite. This will be a solo show, but there's always the possibility of a special guest or two. Fiddleheads has a small performance area in the front of the store, and they have a lot of live music. They are celebrating Earth Month by having performers every Saturday in April. Admission is free and kids are welcome.