This Weekend at The Buttonwood Tree

Welcome back! This weekend, we welcome the return of Ravens in The Wood to our venue, accompanied by Ben and Nancy Parents, from the Rivergods! Together, they will entertain us with their eclectic mixture of various genres, from country to jazz, and from rock to folk. Next, on Saturday night, we will be seeing Medusa, lead by Jocelyn Pleasant. With her powerful jazz drumming, it will surely be an amazing experience. Don't miss it!

For more information, click below!

 Ravens in The Wood with Ben & Nancy Parent (of The Rivergods)

May 8 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm | $10

Come to the Buttonwood Tree to hear songs by two Connecticut songwriting teams who are shining lights on the independent music scene, Ben and Nancy Parent of the well established and deservedly lauded Rivergods, along with the two main writers of the newer-formed rockers, Ravens in the Woods (with Dutch rocker Rempe Ferreira Kooij and Grammy-nominated Lauren Agnelli of the Washington Squares).

Ben and Nancy Parent of the Rivergods:

Established shoreline Connecticut roots based country/folkrockers, The Rivergods are fronted by husband/wife songwriters, Ben and Nancy Parent. Formed in the 1990’s, the Rivergods are the cream of the working band crop in the Connecticut music scene (and the nicest). The New Haven Advocate called their latest release, 2011’s Signs, “a perfect example of (the Rivergods’) eclecticism: country, gospel, pop and funky backbeats mix seamlessly.”

Ravens in the Woods:

The new kids on the figurative block, this diverse four-piece group plays melodic alt-rock and folk-rock. Formed in Chester, CT in 2014, they made their recording debut in March 2015 with the New London-based Good Sponge sampler III. With a keynote of magic, trickster and wise fool, the Raven makes the perfect totem for the combined musical forces of veteran songwriter/folk rocker Lauren Agnelli (vocals, bass, 12 string guitar, ukulele, autoharp) and Dutch alternative rocker and songwriter Rempe Ferreira Kooij (vocals, lead guitar, keyboards, bass). They are a male and female-fronted team, joined by Matt Gouette on drumkit and percussionist Matthew Male.

For more information, visit our event page here.

Medusa| A Jazz Performance

May 9 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm | $10

Jazz music and tap dancing share a history that’s easy to overlook. As big-band swing gave way to bebop after WWII, and tap strengthened its ties to certain strains of jazz, it also went off in search of newer, more fertile rhythmic terrain — rock music, funk and hip-hop — to plant its roots. These days, tap dancers and small-band jazz combos rarely occupy the same bandstand.

That’s part of the appeal of Medusa, a Hartford-based jazz quartet that plays mostly standards.  Drummer Jocelyn Pleasant co-founded the group with tap dancer Corey Hutchins, whom she met through the Artists Collective in Hartford, a few years ago. After a few lineup changes, pianist Orice Jenkins and bassist Matt Dwonszyk, two terrific musicians, are solidly on board too.  Guitarist Dan Liparini is also a regular member of the group.

For more information, visit our event page here.