Anne's Show Picks of the Week (July 31)

By Anne Castellano

There are a lot of shows this weekend, and there should be something to suit anyone's taste. On Friday night, there's a four band show at Strange Brew Pub in Norwich. The bands are Eastern Hollows, Dances, Straight to VHS, and The Mendition of the Quay. Jangle-psych quintet Eastern Hollows is from Brooklyn, NY. They released their debut LP, The Way That You've Gone, in May. Garage pop trio Dances, who is also from Brooklyn, put out a new EP called Whiter Sands  in April. The Mendition of the Quay is a four-piece garage/psych/pop band from New Haven, who formed in 2008. They have released one album and a single, with a new one on the way soon. New London trio Straight to VHS, in addition to taking home a statuette for Best Garage Act at the recently Whalie Awards, recently released a new album called Weekend Weekend Weekend. The bands on this bill seem to be well matched, and this looks to be a great night. The show starts at 8 pm and cover is $5.

CD Review: Horns of Ormus - Bashful

Published July 28, 2014
By Adam Wujtewicz


I've referred to Horns of Ormus as intelli-punk before and I'd say that their new release Bashful only solidifies that classification. Drawing as much influence from the arty leanings of bands like Television and Sonic Youth as they do the fury of bands like Wire and the Dead Boys, Bashful gives me the same feeling as I had when I first heard J Reatard's Blood Visions, "Wow I actually still enjoy punk!". HOO isn't reinventing the wheel but they're walking such a fine line with an incredible amount of grace that it's a pleasure to listen to. They're never obtuse, they're never hardcore and they're never ever ever up their own ass. It is an incredibly rare thing when smart and raucous go together without being any of those things. There is a jangly attack that runs through the entire record. Whether it's the high end scrape and cut of Chris's guitar or the sandpaper melody of Greg's vocals...these guys don't play defense. 

Anne's Show Picks of the Week (July 24)

By Anne Castellano

We have a slow weekend ahead for live music, but there are still a few shows happening. On Friday night, Craig Johnson and Dana Takaki will be doing a happy hour set of originals and classics at the Bulkeley House in New London. Craig plays bass in Monkey68 (Vincent Tuckwood's band) and the Rivergods, but he occasionally does acoustic singer/songwriter type shows as well. Craig also hosts the highly successful Common Ground Open Mic that takes place on Wednesday evenings at the Bulkeley House. He'll have accompaniment on Friday from violinist Dana Takaki, who has been extremely busy lately. Dana is a classically trained player who performs with orchestras as well as with local artists such as the Rivergods, Dogbite, and Arlene Wow!. She plays a wide variety of styles, and it should be great to see these two talented musicians play together. The show takes place outdoors on the patio from 5-7:30 pm, and there is no cover.

Anne's Show Picks of the Week (July 17)

By Anne Castellano

On Friday night, Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billys will play a show at 33 Golden Street in New London, along with NYC trio The Bloodshots. It's been years since the Sick-A-Billys have played here, but Dave "Sasquatch" has performed at 33 several times in the meantime with King Sickabilly and his Full Moon Boys. From what I understand, this Providence psychobilly band recently reunited, and they just finished a two week tour that took them to Virginia and back. They played their first show in 2001, they've done a lot of touring, and they've had a bunch of lineup changes. I'm not sure who is in the band these days, but you can bet it will be a wild show anyway. I've seen this band a bunch of times, and I've definitely seen some crazy things happen onstage. You never know how his shows will turn out, but I can tell you that the best Sickabillys shows are the ones where Sasquatch does more music and less talking. Drunkenness and other antics aside, the music is excellent, and Sasquatch is a really good guitar player as well. Also on the bill are the Bloodshots, a Brooklyn rockabilly trio fronted by Little Lesley, who sings and plays upright bass. She's from upstate New York. Guitarist Brian "Swifty" Swift is from California. He's the son of a preacher, a situation which seems to create a lot of great songwriters. Staten Island native Bobby Lee plays drums. The band has been together about two years, and they have played a lot of shows in that short time period (including at least one show at 33 Golden Street). They have shared stages with legends such as Robert Gordon and the Rockats, and their live show sounds like it's extremely entertaining. This should be a fun night. I always love checking out the fashions and hair at the rockabilly shows too. The show starts at 9 pm and cover is $5.

Bruce Carpenter Memorial Benefit Show @ Mystic German Club Sat July 19


"Frohsinn Hall" German Club
54 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic, CT
6pm to midnight
$5 - all proceeds are going to Lisa Carpenter
ALL AGES
Facebook Event Page


(6:30-7:00) I left my gun in San Francisco
(7:10-7:30) Crime
(7:40-8:10) We Got Mouths
(8:20-8:50) Matt Gouette
(9:00-9:30) Debcaster
(9:40-10:10) The Feels
(10:20-10:50) Anderson Family Picnic
(11:00-11:30) Riki Rocksteady
(11:40-12:10) Doll Steak



SAILFEST MUSIC & INFO July 11-13

This article will continued to be updated as new information becomes available. Check back often!
Last updated July 11 - 11:43am

Sailfest Hours:
Friday - July 11  (5pm to 11pm)
Saturday - July 12  (10am to 11pm)
Sunday - July 13  (10am to 6pm)



Street Closures: (Sat & Sun ONLY)
State Street

(from Eugene O'Neill Drive to Bank Street)
Bank Street
(from Tilley Street to State Street)





Anne's Show Pics of the Week - Sailfest Edition (July 10)

By Anne Castellano

One of the best weekends of the year is coming up, which means New London is going to be filled with great live music. Sailfest 2014  will be this Friday July 11 through Sunday July 12 in the downtown area, or if you prefer, "The District". Band stages will be at the Hygienic Art Park and the Custom House Pier, with the local clubs also hosting their own events from early evening until closing time. Due to a last minute cancellation, there will only be one ship in port for the festival (I could go on about that, but this is a music blog and you really don't want to get me started on that subject anyway), but for me Sailfest has always been about the music. Sure, there's lots of fair-type food (although not many vegetarian options), vendors, and the best fireworks show anywhere around. But one of the best things about living in New London is the opportunity to see live music in an outdoor setting on the waterfront. That's why this is one of the best weekends of the year.....

Anne's Show Pics of the Week (July 3)

By Anne Castellano

There aren't many shows this weekend as New London rests up for next weekend's Sailfest, but there are a couple of outdoor events that you'll definitely want to see. On Saturday night, the Hygienic Art Park is the place to be, for the first Can Kickers show in a very long time. To make the evening even better, The Paul Brockett Roadshow and The MacLean Sisters will also be playing. The Can Kickers released their first album of punk-influenced old-time music thirteen years ago, while the members were still students at Conn College. Since then they have toured all over the United States, even doing tours of Mexico and Ireland. These guys are masters of DIY, releasing four self-produced CDs in addition to booking all their local shows and tours. In the process, they also brought a lot of great bands to town...

LOVE & PRESS

"I just wanted to thank you for all you do for the local music community. I have tonight off so I went to the wailing city site to see who was playing. It’s amazing all the work you put in for all the local musicians and venues and I just wanted to thank you."
- Phil Smith (musician)

"...my new best friend Meghan Killimade, who's site Wailing City, lets me find all the latest local bands -- where they are playing and the times -- has suddenly been a big help in letting me find some events outside of my usual box!"
- Stephanie Shawn "Bar Fly Journals"
(Sound Waves Magazine)
Published December 2024

"Wailing City is this absolutely fantastic local music blog here in CT. They've been the place to go to find out what's happening, what's new and why you should care for well over a decade. Graciously, they interviewed us about the new album, the book, the film and all that. While touring throughout the years, we've sometimes felt like 'one foot in, one foot out' with the local scene, but they've always made us feel right at home. Thanks Wailing City."
- Pocket Vinyl (band)

"There are a staggering 64 documented live music performances in my home of New London county, CT today alone! The population of this county is only 268,805 and it is only 772 square miles. That is an incredible saturation of venues hosting live music and is a stark contrast to places I've lived in the past! You would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the country that has so much live music. Amazing really! Thank you for the hard work documenting and promoting Wailing City!"
-Travis Hyll (musician)

"Wailing City appreciation post: true champions of the New London county music scene. Follow them!"
-Dirt Pile (band)

"We wanna take a minute to shout out our friends over at Wailing City for always helping to spread the word about our shows. They've been curating the most comprehensive live music calendar for SECT since 2006. If you don't already, give them a follow."
- 33 Golden Street (venue)

"Wailing City should be your first check in for all local music schedules. Thank you so much for all your efforts in promoting the scene!!
- David Schena (musician)

"Wailing City has been keeping the calendar up to date since I first started going to shows 20 years ago. We’re lucky to have Meghan volunteer her time to help keep the scene going!"
-James Burke (musician)

"With a little footwork and a short drive I managed to visit three live music shows on Bank Street last night... New London ROCKS...and all made possible searching out local music on Wailing City... thanks Meghan."
- Don Diederich (musician / local music fan)

"If you don't have ears, then it's possible you're not aware that southeastern Connecticut - specifically New London County - has an incredibly vibrant music scene. Over the years, it's gone from a hotbed of indie rock to an area of musicians, fans and venues that support a complex and varied number of artistic styles. The wailingcity.com web site - newly and lovingly redesigned - is a tremendous resource. A labor of affection and devotion conceptualized in 2006, wailingcity.com boasts artist bios, reviews and interviews, a club and band data base and calendars, videos, audio streaming, and cross-referenced links on all of the above - as well as lists of music services such as instrument instruction, record and retail stores, related media and periodicals, festival information, and so on. It's the brainchild of musician/artist Meghan Killimade, (and contributors), and they do a terrific job."
- RICK KOSTER (The Day) Published April 03. 2014

“Wailing City, is, as of now, probably the most successfully comprehensive listing on local and area shows in Southeastern Connecticut on the Internet; the folks at Wailing City are doing an excellent job of making sounds from the underground.”
-Ben Johnson (The Day) Published July 27, 2006