Anne’s Shore & More #125 – Jan 9 2014

Anne Castellano

It’s another quieter-than-usual weekend in New London, as the area recovers from the holidays and starts thinking about the annual Hygienic Art Show weekend at the end of January. On Friday night, Dogbite (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dogbite-Band) will play the happy hour show at the Six String Cafe in New London. The club will begin hosting the Blue Collar Happy Hour later in the month, so this isn’t an official BCHH show, but it’s a good opportunity to see some great live music early in the evening and perhaps grab a bite to eat at the same time. Dogbite will play two sets, including some new songs, and Dana Takaki will be joining them on violin for at least part of the evening. There may be other special guests as well. Music starts at 6 pm and continues until 8 pm. The kitchen will be open, and there is no cover.

Later in the evening, Blonde Furniture and Chris MacKay & the ToneShifters will be playing at the Six String Cafe. Chris and Sue MacKay will have a busy night, as they are members of both bands. Blonde Furniture (https://www.facebook.com/BlondeFurniture) goes on first, at 9 pm. They were featured last week on the Day’s Live Lunch Break from the Telegraph, and they have also been working on a new CD. Chris MacKay and the ToneShifters (http://www.toneshifters.com/) will close out the night with a set that begins at 10 pm. Cover is $5.

On Saturday night, the John Fries Band (www.johnfriesmusic.com) will be appearing at the Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington for their “Blues in the Barrel Room” series. In a recent lineup change, Ben LaRose (Matzah Cigar, the Suicide Dolls) is now playing drums for the band. Admission is $30, which includes a glass of wine and “comfort food small bites”. The John Fries Band plays from 7-9:30 pm.

On Sunday night, it’s another edition of the Weird Beards Medicine Show at 33 Golden Street in New London. The Weird Beards (www.theweirdbeards.com) have a great, entertaining, unpredictable live show, so if you haven’t seen them you should do that soon. There’s no cover and the show starts at 9 pm. Weird Beards play all night.

Check out Blonde Furniture’s Live Lunch Break show here:

CONCERT CALENDAR    

Thur 1/9/14    – Geoff Kaufman at the Telegraph in New London 11:45 am (Live Lunch Break)

- Village Jammers at Sneekers Cafe in Groton 7-10 pm NO COVER

- Kindred Queer, Sam Perduta at Cafe Nine in New Haven 9 pm

- Lee Ranaldo and the Dust (feat. Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth), Steve Gunn at the Spaceland Ballroom 9 pm

Fri 1/10/14      – Dogbite at the Six String Cafe in New London  6-8 pm

- Chris MacKay & the ToneShifters (10 PM), Blonde Furniture (9 PM) at

the Six String Cafe in New London 9 pm

- Sarah Borges, Girls Guns and Glory at Cafe Nine in New Haven 9 pm

- David Dondero, Jay Prince at the Outer Space in Hamden 9 pm

Sat 1/11/14      – Night of the Rabbit, Instant Family, Synaptic Groove at Willimantic Records in Willimantic 6 pm

- The John Fries Band at the Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington 7 pm

- The Iguanas at Cafe Nine in New Haven 9 pm

- Murdervan, Horns of Ormus, the Vultures at Anna Liffey’s in New Haven

Sun 1/12/14    – The Weird Beards at 33 Golden Street in New London 9 pm

Mon 1/13/14   – Michael Martin Murphey at Cafe Nine in New Haven 8 pm

Tues 1/14/14   – Meklit Hadero, Tet Offensive at Cafe Nine in New Haven 8 pm

Wed 1/15/14   - Black Taxi, Violent Mae at BAR in New Haven

- April Verch Band, Abby & Harrison Adams at the Spaceland Ballroom in Hamden 7:30 pm

Thur 1/16/14  – Political Animals, Zak G, Apollo Suns, Mister, Details at Cafe Nine in New Haven 9 pm

Fri 1/17/14      – The Hoolios at Steak Loft in Mystic 7-10 pm

- Goodnight Blue Moon, Oh! Cassius, Milksop:Unsung at Cafe Nine in New Haven 9 pm

- Across the Aisle,Glitter Mouth at Two Boots in Bridgeport

Sat 1/18/14      – Bedroom Rehab Corporation, Reign of Zaius, Horns of Ormus at 33

Golden Street in New London 9 pm

- Pat the Bunny, Douglas Fur, Mark Leonard, Mike Arsenault, Mickey Rickshaw, Dead Weather Machine at the German Club in Mystic 8 pm ALL AGES

- Jovial Crew, Ample at Cafe Nine in New Haven 9 pm

- In the Woods, the Weird Beards at the Knickerbocker Cafe in Westerly 9 pm $5

Sun 1/19/14    – The Weird Beards at 33 Golden Street in New London 9 pm

- Saxtet, Andrew Beals at Cafe Nine in New Haven 4-6 pm

Anne Castellano is a New London, CT songwriter and guitarist who fronts her own original band, Anne Castellano and the Smoke. She has also played in several other bands over the years (the Uninformed, the Skin Walkers, and the Cavities) and spent several years performing as a solo artist.

In 2010 she released a full-length self-produced CD entitled “What’s Been Going On”. Anne also collaborated with Hugh Birdsall (Dogbite, the Reducers) on an EP called “In the Dark”, released in 2012 under the name SheSaidHeSaid. She is a 30-year veteran of college radio, and is currently doing the Deranged Radio Show on alternate Tuesday evenings from 6-9 pm at WCNI 90.9 FM in New London.

She grew up in New Fairfield, CT in a musical family, with a father who played guitar and listened to country artists such as Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, and a mother who loved Elvis Presley. Involvement in band and chorus in high school led to membership in the UCONN Marching Band and a two-week tour of Europe performing with the band in the early 1980s.

Anne moved to New London in 1987 because of the vibrant local music scene there. She began putting together her weekly concert calendar in 2005, to get the word out about all the local band shows that were taking place in the area. She enjoys books, animals, hiking, and the beach, and sees as much live music as her “day job” schedule permits.