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

By Anne Castellano

This is a big weekend for New London's Paul Brockett Roadshow. They will be releasing a six song EP called Up All Night, and they will also be playing three shows this weekend to celebrate. Up All Night  was recorded and mixed by Jason Banta, of Recur Occurrence and Burnouts From Outer Space fame. The first show already happened, on Thursday at noon when the trio played at the Telegraph for The Day's Live Lunch Break. If you missed it, the video should be posted on The Day's website very soon. You can go to http://www.theday.com/section/medialivelunch/, which is where all the Live Lunch Break shows are archived, and watch the show there. On Saturday, the band will be appearing at the Daffodil Festival in Meriden. If you've never been to the Daffodil Festival, it's a great FREE two day event featuring Connecticut-connected bands that takes place at Hubbard Park in Meriden every year on the last weekend in April. There will be three stages with live music, and the Paul Brockett Roadshow will play on the Food Tent Stage at 11:45 am. If you're going, you will want to get there early to beat the traffic. General information including directions and information on shuttle buses is available at http://www.daffodilfest.com/. On Saturday night, the official Paul Brockett Roadshow CD release will take place at 33 Golden Street in New London. Special guests will be The Hornets, from Mansfield, MA. The Hornets played at the Telegraph as part of last Saturday's Record Store Day festivities, and they blew the crowd away. The band is a three-piece, with drums, upright bass, and piano accordion. You have probably never heard accordion played like this before, though, electrified with lots of effects pedals. Whatever you expect from these guys, you will probably be surprised and impressed. If I had to describe their music, it's a mix of Eastern European traditional and dance tunes, country, rock, and psychedelia. There are no vocals, but you won't even miss them. The show starts at 9:30 pm and cover is $5. 

Pics from Record Store Day @ The Telegraph April 19

Pics by Meghan Killimade, Corrine Jensen & Rich Martin

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

By Anne Castellano

This Saturday is Record Store Day, and there's a full day of music planned at The Telegraph in New London. The live music begins at 2 pm with John Faraone, a folk musician from Providence. Next up will be the CBYD (Call Before You Dig) Jazz Trio (actually a quartet for this show) at 3 pm. Bassist Jaime Duquette and drummer Jonas Sanchez will be playing a set with Isaac Young and Nick DiMaria. Daphne Lee Martin will follow at 4 pm. She'll have a busy day, since she'll also be running the record store with husband Rich Martin. Daphne's been doing a lot of touring with her band to support her new album “Frost”. I'm not sure if this will be a solo show or a band show, she's quite versatile that way. Sketch Tha Cataclysm, a hip-hop musician from Waterbury, performs at 5 pm. At 5:45 pm Sam Perduta. from New Haven indie band Elison Jackson, will play a short solo set, followed by piano and painting duo Pocket Vinyl at 6:15. Mansfield, MA band the Hornets are up at 7 pm. The Hornets describe themselves as an "electro-folk power trio" with a heavy psychedelic influence. Jack Hanlon from the roots/rockabilly band the Throttles plays upright bass. Local punk favorites Horns of Ormus are next at 8 pm. These guys have got credentials dating back to the beginning of New London's music scene. Closing out the evening will be hardcore/noise/doom band Empty Vessels, also from New London, at 9 pm. Admission is free, and you can BYOB if you wish. The store will also have sales, giveaways, and limited edition Record Store Day releases for sale. The Telegraph is located at 19 Golden Street in New London, and the store opens at 10 am.

Record Store Day @ The Telegraph Sat April 19

Record Store Day 2014 is April 19 and The Telegraph has quite a day planned! Lots of incredible new and limited edition vinyl, great sales, free stuff while it lasts and a day full of fantabulous music featuring live sets from Horns of Ormus, Sketch tha Cataclysm, Pocket Vinyl, Daphne Lee Martin, Elison Jackson (Sam Perduta solo), the Call Before You Dig jazz crew, John Faraone, and more. Stay tuned to this event page for updates: Facebook Event Page

Video & Recap of The Gallows Cadence Debut Set @ Oasis April 5

The Gallows Cadence @ Oasis Pub

Pic & Video by Meghan Killimade
Show recap by Adam Wujtewicz

Did you miss Blowpop, Doug and Small Town Hero the first time around? Did you see them but miss hearing them now? Enter The Gallows Cadence: front man/guitarist Dayne Duranti, (of the 3 aforementioned bands), along with bassist Thomas Johnson, (ex Superflies), and drummer Pete Egner, (Amido Black). The trio are bringing back the straight ahead rock-your-face-off style that we used to hear coming from every venue in New London county. They've got the gruff melody and groove of Hot Water Music with the steady driving rhythm section of Face to Face. While the sound is something that people in the late 90's and early 00's are familiar with, it's doesn't sound dated. This wasn't a trend, it's just good blue color rock music... and it's still here....

Anne's Show Picks of the Week (April 10)

By Anne Castellano

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.

WailingCity Mentioned in 'The Day'!

Thanks so much to Rick Koster from The Day for the kind words and for spreading the word about WailingCity! This was such a pleasant surprise to stumble across yesterday!!

"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 musicians/artists Meghan Killimade, Adam Wujtewicz and Corrine Jensen, and they do a terrific job." - RICK KOSTER, The Day, April 3, 2014
http://theday.com/article/20140403/ENT10/304039508/-1/ENT#.Uz3f3ie9KSM

Anne's Show Picks of the Week (April 2)

By Anne Castellano
 
In an effort to bring this blog to as many people as possible, we'll now be cross-publishing on both Local Band Review and WailingCity each week. For those of you who are new readers, I'll be highlighting some of my picks each week. Hopefully people will find the information useful and will be motivated to get out to see some shows, which is the blog's reason for existence in the first place.....

New Video: Daphne Lee Martin - Five Points

More info: https://www.facebook.com/DaphneLeeMartin

CD Review: Matt Gouette - Sunnyside

Published March 24, 2014
CD Review by Adam Wujtewicz

It seems like it's been a while since we've heard from pop songster Matt Goutte. Seems only appropriate that he releases his latest effort Sunnyside as winter turns to spring. It also seems like he's been taking his time to get the perfect blend of his rockin' Cassingles project and his previous melancholy pop solo work. 

Sunnyside is upbeat tunes and sad tales, melodic hooks and lonely lyrics. It's the Get Up Kids without the indie rock pomp or Weezer without waving the "geek pride" flag. I don't believe that New London has ever had a more true pop rock songwriter than Matt Gouette. There is a purity to his style that no one else can boast. This album more than anything else I have heard of his seems to have been written so that everyone would like it. I say that without any irony or malice, I say it with the utmost respect. Matt just seems to have tapped into a sound that people everywhere couldn't find fault with. It moves and it's got some push to it but it never loses it's sense of melody or it's hooks.

CD Review: Fatal Film - Self Titled

Published February 16, 2014
CD Review by Adam Wujtewicz
 
New London indie rock stalwarts Fatal Film are releasing their new self titled CD at 33 Golden Street on Friday. Released by local record label The Telegraph Recording Company and having been ¾ recorded by Jason Banta (Recur Occurrence, Burnouts from Outerspace) this record is a celebration of all things local.

While most of their back catalog was rife with angst and angular sounds this album features a kinder gentler side of Fatal Film. The ryhthm section still pounds away with a steady slab of low end. Bassist Dave Freeburg still has a good mix of rubbery bounce and fat clipping distortion to his tone. Drummer Mike Winslow is as in the pocket as a metronome and his tom work adds great texture to the high end assualt of the guitars. It's really Matt Potter's vocals that are the first thing to give away this poppier direction.

CD Review: The Rivergods - Never Grow Old

Published January 20, 2014

CD Review by Adam Wujtewicz

The Rivergods are releasing their Never Grow Old EP on January 25^th.  If you’re familiar with the Rivergods then you are expecting nothing less than the lush Pop Americana sound they’ve been cranking out for years.  If you’re unfamiliar with the Rivergods than allow me to paint you a quick picture of this 4 song outing.

Picture this; Blood on the Tracks era Bob Dylan and Harvest Moon era Neil Young in a poppy, less guitar centric, package.  Now remove the vocals (because as iconic as both Bob and Neil’s voices are neither one is winning any awards for pitch and technique) and Ben and Nancy Parent both have wonderful and easy to listen to singing voices that work incredibly well together. It’s this 60’s folk rock and pop influence mixed with a more modern tonality, song structure and recording techniques gives you the groundwork of Never Grow Old.  It’s channeling your forefathers through the lens of your own life and experience.