Standing room only at The Buttonwood Tree!

Standing room only at The Buttonwood Tree! Over 40 people, including 2 children and even a dog filled the house last night (4/23) for the Triple Bill of Glenn Roth, Sarah Blacker and Lara Herscovitch, the CT State Troubadour. Sarah started the first set off with her song, O Holy Night, and it surely was a wholly enjoyable night for all present
- and THAT'S MIDDLETOWN!
Each performer sang 3 songs during the first set, well, sort of. Lara, claiming it a perk of being the State Troubadour, snuck in an extra song - a short love song that had the audience laughing all the way through. Lara explained a little bit about the application process that she went through to be considered and chosen as the state Troubadour and it was no easy undertaking. After the break Sarah brought her black lab, Beasley, up on stage, to the delight of the children. The two youngsters came at the suggestion of their guitar teacher, a friend of Lara's. They all drove an hour to get here, and were thrilled with the show. I spoke with the teacher after the show, who told me he wanted the kids to come to not only hear the instrumentation of the artists, but also to see the paths a musician can follow. It's not all about being a "Britney Spears" they learned. The night ended with a mellow sweet version of Bill Withers' Lean On Me which Lara eloquently introduced with a quick talk about how important community is and how important The Buttonwood Tree is for keeping a sense of community alive right here. Tonight, Saturday, Lys Guillorn and Christina Antipa take the stage during and after a special Riverwood Poetry performance by Shijin, a 6 woman ensemble. The Arts are Rising in the North End!