Double Bill concert tonight! Chris Castle and the Womack Family Band at The Buttonwood Tree

Touring musicians are making a stop in Middletown tonight for a fun-filled Roots/Americana/Folk show filled with youthful spirit, family camaraderie high energy and lots of strings! Only $8 suggested donation. Drop by for a listen anytime from 7:30-9:30pm! Refreshments available.

Chris Castle

Somewhere in the rich, fertile musical garden tilled by Darrell Scott, Ron Sexsmith and Ryan Adams, grows an obscure bloom named Chris Castle; a tunesmith of almost scary vision, narrative acumen and hooky instinct. Writing songs is utterly programmed into his DNA. He’d write songs even if he thought he didn’t want to.

- Rick Koster (The Day – New London, CT)

The Womack Family Band

It’s rare find. A quintet of twenty somethings, gathered ’round an Ella Fitzgerald record in a dimly lit room that smells of coffee and Nag Champa incense. Each one drawing a different piece of inspiration from the sounds popping off the vinyl, and each holding a record of their own, patiently waiting their turn to hear whatever gem they happened to grab on this particular night.

So goes a usual evening at the Womack house. The rest of the group’s time is spent rehearsing, recording new material, and performing more than 150 dates per year.

The Womacks are currently recording their new EP and backing Chris Castle on his trip to Levon Helm Studios. They’ll set out on the Drenched Earth Tour again in September, promoting their latest work as well as Castle’s Of God & Man (Beneath the Sun).

http://www.womackband.com/

Attractive Coming Attractions

Hard to believe but the summer is winding down and it's time to think about the arts offerings coming our way this fall (yes, autumn is but a mere 5 weeks away.)


The Center for the Arts at Wesleyan has announced its Fall 09 schedules for the Crowell Concert Series, the Breaking Ground Dance Series, the Outside-the-Box Theater presentations, the Russell House offerings and more. Though the economy is still wheezing its way back to health, there's much to enjoy in the CFA selections and a goodly amount of the events are free.

The Crowell Concert series commences on Friday September 18 with the traditional & non-traditional Cajun sounds of Balfa Toujours (pictured above.) The quartet, led by Christine Balfa, daughter of legendary Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa, blends swing, blues, and folk elements into their attractive program. Their 8 p.m. show is preceded at 7:15 by a pre-concert talk delivered by Tim Eriksen. Following the show at 10:30 p.m. will be a dance held in Fayerweather Beckham Hall, across the street.

On Saturday October 17, Crowell gets "Cuban" with an appearance from the Omar Sosa Afreecanos Quartet. Pianist Sosa (pictured left), born and raised in Camaguey, Cuba, is a prolific composer and performer, releasing 17 CDs since 1997. Trained in Havana, Sosa moved to Ecuador in 1993 and then to the San Francisco Bay area several years later. His music is an exciting blend of African, Caribbean and Middle Eastern rhythms. For his Middletown appearance, Sosa is joined by the exciting young drummer Marcus Gilmore, electric bassist Childo Tomas, and vocalist Mola Sylla.

Tickets for both shows are now available online at www.wesleyan.edu/cfa.

The Fall offering for the Breaking Ground dance series takes place on Friday and Saturday September 25-26 and features the Stephen Petronio Dance Company. The troupe, now its 25th year, presents a full-length work, "I Drink The Air Before Me", with music by the fine young composer Nico Muhly and a cameo appearance by the Middletown High School Chamber Choir. With appearances around the world, Petronio's Company brings together dancers and artists willing to take chances and be daring on stage. Tickets for this event are available online.



The Outside-the-Box Theater series presents Dan Hurlin's "Disfarmer" on October 17 and 17 at 8 p.m. in the CFA Theater.
Based on the story of American portrait photographer Mike Disfarmer (1884-1959) who set up shop in Heber Springs, Arkansas, in 1939 and took photographs of the local citizenry. He did not pose his subjects; instead, he allowed to choose the way they wished to be seen. Disfarmer was born Michael Meyers in 1884, the sixth of seven children in a family of German immigrant farmers in Arkansas. As he grew older, he came to reject both his family and its agrarian lifestyle. (A tornado, he once claimed, uprooted him from his birth parents and blew him into the Meyers household.) So he chose a new surname. Upon learning, somewhat incorrectly, that the German word "meyer" translated to "farmer" in English, he reasoned that he could only be called an anti-farmer, or Disfarmer.

Hurlin's show, which has a brilliantly evocative set, portrays Disfarmer as an ever-shrinking puppet. It's a fascinating look at the photographer's life and his choice to remain aloof and apart from his family, his many subjects and community. Dan Mose Schreier contributed the original score and and Sally Oswald the text. To find out more about this show, go to http://mappinternational.org/programs/view/61.

In an unrelated yet equally compelling project, guitarist Bill Frisell has a new CD based on his impressions of Disfarmer's work. You can hear excerpts from the disc and find out more about the project by going to www.billfrisell.com/artists/Frisell/discs_link.html.

Music at The Mansion Series July 2009

The Friends of Long Hill Estate will once again host their ‘Music at the Mansion’ series in July at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown. Concert dates are July 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd. The rain date for the concerts is July 29th. Concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. There is no charge for admission and seating is on the south lawn.

Back by popular demand, Eight to the Bar (pictured above) will open the series on July 1st. They were voted ‘Best Band 2008’ by Connecticut Magazine and ‘Best Jazz Band’ in the 2008 Hartford Advocate Readers Poll. Drawing their musical influences from American roots music: swing, boogie woogie, rhythm & blues, soul, and Motown, Eight to the Bar is known for its outstanding instrumentalists and sophisticated musical and vocal arrangements. For more information, go to www.eighttothebar.com.

The July 8th concert will feature Galvanized Jazz Band, a dynamic group of Connecticut musicians devoted to the energetic performance of hot Dixieland, New Orleans jazz, blues, rags, stomps, struts, spirituals, swing, and classic popular songs from the past century. Recognized by Connecticut Magazine as "Best Jazz Band in the State", the Galvanized Jazz Band is showcased at large Jazz Festivals throughout the state. To learn more about these fine musicians, go to www.galvanizedjazzband.com.

Making their first appearance at the Mansion and their only visit to Connecticut this summer will be Jay Ungar & Molly Mason on July 15th. Steeped in American Roots music, the duo is best known for their performance of Jay's haunting composition "Ashokan Farewell", the musical hallmark of Ken Burn’s PBS series, "The Civil War." The soundtrack won a Grammy and "Ashokan Farewell", originally inspired by Jay & Molly's annual fiddle and dance camps, was nominated for an Emmy. To find out more, go to www.jayandmolly.com.


The concert series will conclude with Planet Zydeco, a six-piece band that captures the essence of traditional rural-style accordion-driven dance music played in Southern Louisiana. Led by accordionist Rose Sinclair (who's worked with Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem), the group (also featuring 2 guitars, bass, drums and rubboard) plays a popular mix of up-tempo songs, as well as slower blues-inspired numbers and traditional waltzes. To learn more, go to http://planetzydeco.tripod.com.

All of the concerts will begin at 6:30 p.m. The grounds will be open for picnicking at 5:30 p.m. Parking will be at the Mansion, at the Wilbert Snow School, 299 Wadsworth Street, and at Mercy High School, 1740 Randolph Road. Concerts will be held in light rain or the threat of showers. Concerts will be canceled in the event of electrical storms or threat to the wellbeing of the musicians and their instruments. Information will be available on the Wadsworth Mansion website at www.wadsworthmansion.com or by calling (860) 347-1064.

The music series is co-sponsored by the Long Hill Estate Authority and the Friends of Long Hill Estate.

Buttonwood Doings

Singer-songwriter Deni Bonet comes to The Buttonwood Tree Friday February 6 to play her songs and share the stage with banjo man Curtis Eller (more about him later.) Bonet blends elements of rock, folk, country, blues, even a touch of hip-hop into her witty and accessible songs. She's recorded with Robyn Hitchcock, Sarah McLachlan, and the late Chris Whitley and appeared on stage with REM, Allan Touissaint and Warren Zevon (among others.) She plays fiddle and can really rock out when she wants to. To learn more, go to www.denibonet.com.

Curtis Eller is billed as "New York City's angriest banjo playing yodeler" and works hard to uphold his image. His songs may remind some of "protest music" from the 1960s, with influences like Phil Ochs and Dave Van Ronk. One hears touches of blues, country, folk, even reggae in his music. His website claims that he and his band (American Circus) attempts "to capture the spirit of the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944. Although there are sure to be many acts of heroism by performers and crew alike, ultimately it will prove to be the greatest disaster in circus history." Not sure if his band is coming but you can be the judge of these claims by sitting in the intimate performance space for this 7:30 p.m. show. To get a feel for Eller's music, go to www.curtiseller.com. For ticket information, call 347-4957.

Saturday night, it's more "Americana", folk and roots music, when Delusions of Adequacy returns to The Buttonwood for a 7:30 p.m. show. The quartet, composed of Mark Hoffman (guitar, banjo, harmonica, vocals), Denny Collin (bass, guitar, vocals), Cornelius (Con) Dowd (mandolin, dobro, guitar, vocals) and Jim King (guitar, vocals), is known for its fine vocal harmonies and strong musicianship.