lsg spot – Brought to you In Living Colour – August 10 2012

lsg spot
by Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez
http://www.facebook.com/lsgoriginal
Twitter at @lsgoriginal

8.10.2012

HOT Rewind                                                                                     

Back to business as usual and there’s a lot going on!

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!  CT has chosen the top 5 best bands/performers in CT in16 categories in the Grand Band Slam.  I am delighted to see so many of my favorite bands on this list.  Although the Grand Band Slam has been celebrated for many years, this year will be special.  CT.com and The Advocate will be hosting The First Annual Connecticut Music Awards on September 12 at The Bushnell to recognize the accomplishments of our song writers and musicians.  Keep watching my blog for profiles on some of the nominees as well as details about the show.  You’ll find the full list of nominees here http://www.ct.com/entertainment/music/news-and-commentary/wtxx-grand-band-slam-2012-the-finalists-20120803,0,6309799.story

Rook from Mandrake

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT this Monday at CT.com regarding shows that will be happening September 20-22 that will feature Grand Band Slam nominees.  At press time, there were FORTY-FOUR…I’ll repeat that…FORTY-FOUR local bands signed up to perform for you at venues throughout the state in celebration of the CT Music Awards!  Participating venues include:  Two-Boots in Bridgeport; Black-Eyed Sally’s, The Wadsworth, The Russian Lady, Up or on The Rocks, Firebox Restaurant, Arch Street Tavern, Sully’s Pub, Black Bear, The Pour House in Hartford; and Anna Liffey’s and Café 9 in New Haven.  More venues to be announced as well!  This is going to be one amazing weekend kids!  Mark your calendars!  I expect you to hit at least half of what I do!  Lol!!!

FRIDAY NIGHT we took in a couple of Grand Band Slam top 5 nominees at Arch Street Tavern.  Klokwize and Mandrake Mechanism kicked it hard with amazing sets.  This was the first time I’d check out Klokwize so it was a real treat.  Rhymes with a rock back beat complete with an amazing hip hop dancer showing us some slick moves on the dance floor.  Hats off to Rook from Mandrake who drove more than 4 hours to get to the gig after teaching at a camp.  Full energy and high performance from Rook despite his fatigue!

lsg and Ricky Skaggs Podunk 2010

LITTLE KNOWN FACT…I love Bluegrass music.  It wasn’t always a fave.  I was strong armed into it after years of resisting volunteering at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival.  Friends of mine are the organizers and my daughter volunteered for years before I did.  So, this year was my 6^th year and it was great.  Since that first year, I have seen some incredible pickers and singers.  We’re talking Grammy winners.  And the festival itself is no slouch.  It was voted Bluegrass Event of the Year in 2012 by The International Bluegrass Music  Association.  This year, I volunteered on Saturday night.  I got to see bands like The Grascals, Spinney Brothers, and marquee performer of the festival, Kathy Mattea who closed her set with a bluegrass version of The Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”.  The festival moved this year to a new home in Norwich at Dodd Stadium.  And it worked out very well.  Excellent venue and a great show.

Doug Wimbish and lsg

Doug and Diana

YOU KNOW HOW SOMETIMES you have these surreal moments in your life when you think “Am I really here?  Am I really doing this?”  Such was the case for me on Wednesday when I had the cool opportunity to sit down with legendary bassist and Grammy-winner, Doug Wimbish as well as his manager and partner in crime, Diana Nilsson, at his Nova Sound Studios in Hartford on Wednesday.  We talked new Living Colour, new Tack>>Head, Wimbash, and the local music scene.  My discussion with him is forthcoming but in the mean time, mark your calendars for August 18 when he’s bringing his annual event, Wimbash to Sully’s in Hartford for its 9^th year.  Special surprises are in store for you there…guaranteed!

MY INSPIRING AND TALENTED FRIEND, Karen Tobias Stanford (and Mom to Jesse from Heirlooms!), photographed an amazing pinup calendar of gorgeous women from CT.  A few of my lovely friends were part of this and the calendar is H! O! T!  All proceeds from the calendar will go to battered women’s shelters in CT including Hartford Interval House.  Like their page but more importantly, pick up this beautiful calendar.  http://www.facebook.com/CtCalendarGirlz

YELP HELP! Is hosting a Red and Black Ball next Thursday (8/23) at The Society Room in Hartford.  The idea is to pull together folks in one space to get to know some of the known and not-so-well-known non-profits in Connecticut that could sure use some support and volunteers.  So put on your fancy red and black duds and come meet some great folks while enjoying food, drink, and music.  The event is free to the public.  RSVP here http://www.facebook.com/events/456074484412808/

Peace!

Support LOCAL!  And, as always…

Occupy a VENUE!!

“Spot”light on… Grand Band Slam

From now until September 12 when the Grand Band Slam winners are announced at the First Annual CT Music Awards at the Bushnell in Hartford, I will be highlighting the bands and performers who were voted top 5 in their respective categories.  My goal is to focus on bands that I’m not as well acquainted with so hopefully you can learn about them with me.  I’ll even have some special additions out as well because…there’s so much goodness!

HOT local video of the week…Klokwize
http://www.facebook.com/KLOKWIZECT

Nominated in the Best Hip-Hop category in the Grand Band Slam, I caught Klokwize last week at Arch Street Tavern.  And now I know why he was nominated.  Check him out!

What’s Playing in “The Flounce”? Sunspots
(Music in my car CD player this week!)            

Band:  Sunspots
Album: Sunspots
Genre:  50% plaid 25% vocal harmonies 16.67% soviet synthesizer manuals 8.33% AM radio on the snare drum
Contact: http://www.sunspotsband.com
Fave Track:  Wrong This Time

What’s HOT this week…

Friday August 10

* Live Music at the Buttonwood feat Mad Satta, Buttonwood Tree, Middletown – 8:00 pm

* Roots Music Series:  Blues, Bluegrass, Country and Western Swing, Black Eyed Sally’s, Hartford – 9:00 pm

* CT Heavy Hip Hop Show:  Ceschi Ramos, Full Blast, plus more!, Two Boots, Bridgeport – 9:00 pm

* Sue Menhart Solo Acoustic, Riverwalk, Mystic – 8:00 pm

* Ana Egge, Amy Black, Daphne Lee Martin, The Outer Space, Hamden – 7:00 pm

* Reckless Abandon, The Angry Olive, Rocky Hill – 8:00 pm

* Driven, Blackstone Irish Pub, Southington – 9:30 pm

* Mercury feat members of The New Remains, Firehouse Grille, Plainville – 9:30 pm

Saturday August 11

* Traditions: Kristin Hersh, Hygienic, New London – 3:00 pm

* Johnny Tripps Experience, Hards Corner, Stratford – 9:30 pm

* Bandwith Karaoke, Center Station Pub, Berlin – 9:30 pm

* Karmic Justice, The Red Door, Watertown – 9:30 pm

* Bon Appetit Burlesque Feat Dot Mitzvah, The Deuce, Northampton, MA – 8:00 pm

* 6^th Annual Shoreline Wine Festival, Bishops Orchards Farm Market, Guilford – Noon

* Total Hacks, June’s Outback, Killingworth –9:00 pm

* Diamondback, Allstars Rock Bar, Manchester – 10:00 pm

* Vasudo, Two Boots, Bridgeport – 10:00 pm

* Roots Music Series Zydeco and New Orleans Funk, Café 9, New Haven – 8:00 pm

* Crosseyed Cat, The Groggy Frogg, Southington – 8:00 pm

Sunday August 11

* Middletown Music Festival, Middlesex Community College, Middletown – 4:00 pm

* Fast Lane Band, Walnut Beach Pavillion, Milford – 4:00 pm

* Wallypalooza Music Festival, PNA Park, Wallingford – 10:45 am – 8:00 pm

Monday August 13

* Manic Productions presents Young Man w/Modern Merchant and Mercies, Outer Space, Hamden – 9:00 pm

Thursday August 16

* Dave Hogan Acoustic Happy Hour , Two Boots, Bridgeport – 5:30 pm
PLEASE LIKE MY FACEBOOK PAGE…WORKING HARD FOR CT LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT http://www.facebook.com/lsgoriginal – and follow my antics on Twitter at @lsgoriginal.  Web page forthcoming!

Peace…
lsg

Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez – lsg Original

Lover of music and the visual arts, Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez is the insanity behind lsg original photography. lsg specializes in artist and performer photography. She’s had the honor of photographing national bands such as Weezer, Snoop Dogg, A Simple Plan, Paramore, Whitesnake, Wye Oak, and The Antlers along with countless local bands and performers.

Hailing from Hartford, CT, Lisa is a life- long music connoisseur. Growing up, her mother exposed her to everything from The Stones to Simon and Garfunkel to Earth, Wind, and Fire to Loretta Lynn…and everything in between. No genre was left unexplored in her vinyl collection. She saw her first concert at 14…Rod Stewart at the (then called) Hartford Civic Center. Thirty years later, it’s still her favorite pastime.

Lisa has two kids (grown!) and a day job. Her loves of music and photography have melded into a second career. And her love of CT keeps her promoting and pushing for local artists and performers. Lisa spends the greater part of her free time seeing and shooting live bands, performers, and artists and art work…and purchasing vinyl!

Scene Queen lsg on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scenequeenlsg

lsg Original Photography on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lsgoriginal

Lisa on LBR: http://www.localbandreview.com/author/lsg/

OCCUPY A VENUE!