This Saturday is the annual I AM Festival in downtown New London, now in its eighth year. Beginning at 12:30 pm, 28 bands will perform on five different stages: Hygienic Art Park, Parade Plaza, the Telegraph, the Oasis Pub, and 33 Golden Street. Admission is free, and except for 33 Golden Street and the Oasis Pub, admission is open to all ages. The I AM Festival will be a great opportunity to see a LOT of bands, many of them bands from out of the area that you probably haven't seen before. The great thing is that all the stages are within a very small area of downtown, spanning a little over a block. I'll give you a few suggestions for bands that I would try to see, but there will be plenty of good music all day and into the early morning hours, so you really can't go wrong.
If you are an early person (I don't know how you do that, seriously), the U.S. Coast Guard Dixieland Jazz Band will kick off the festivities at 12:30 on Parade Plaza . Then stick around the Parade for New Haven folk-pop band Goodnight Blue Moon, beginning at 2 pm. You've got a few choices after that, but there are some good folk/indie artists at the Telegraph, and I'd especially recommend seeing Elison Jackson, who play from 5-6 pm. One band that's a must-see is Quiet Life, who are from New London but are now based on the west coast. Needless to say, they don't play here often anymore. Quiet Life will be performing from 5:30-6:15 pm at Parade Plaza. As soon as they are done, hurry over to the Hygienic Art Park for the Can Kickers, another New London favorite. The band has been geographically challenged for years, with drummer Doug Schaefer living in Texas. Since he has just moved to Maine, we'll get to see them more often, which is great news. The Can Kickers are one of New London's most loved bands, and they truly appeal to everyone. The Oasis starts up at 6:00, and 33 Golden gets going at 6:30, so there are a lot of decisions to be made in the evening. Except for the late night portion of the festival, all the bands' set times are staggered a bit, so no one should be starting and ending at exactly the same time. If everything runs on time (it could
