by | Jan 24, 2022 8:47 am | Comments (1)
Coral Ortiz photo
On the Trail opening Saturday night at Cafe Nine.
Quarantine put a “hold of their dreams.” So they wrote a song about it — and emerged onstage to perform it.
Continue reading ‘A New Bluegrass Generation Emerges At Cafe 9’
by | Jan 24, 2022 8:43 am | Comments (0)
Trey Moore had just finished his first song Sunday night at the State House. The applause had ended and there was a silence. “I don’t talk much,” Moore said, direct and self-deprecating. But it turned out that he and the two acts that preceded him — Danie V and Ammar — had a lot to say, perhaps all the more so because, for all three acts, it was their first time returning to a performing stage since the pandemic had started.
Continue reading ‘Three Groups Mark Return To Stage At The State House’
by and | Jan 21, 2022 10:01 am | Comments (6)
Warmth is in the cards at DESK drop-in center during freeze.
Gloria came to New Haven’s drop-in center Thursday not just to stay warm during the day — but to remain overnight rather than sleep outdoors as usual, as preparations kicked into gear to keep unsheltered residents safe during an expected week-long deep freeze.
Continue reading ‘Deep Freeze Sends DESK, Keefe Into Action’
by | Jan 17, 2022 9:44 am | Comments (0)
Brian Slattery Photos
Julai and the Serotones
CT-based bands Julai and the Serotones and Esor Rose brought the heat to Cafe Nine on State and Crown on Friday night.
by | Dec 20, 2021 9:32 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photos
Elm City Big Band
Sunday night, under the full moon and the first breaths of true winter weather, the Elm City Big Band made its State House debut with a holiday spectacular, an event filled with two sets of seasonal favorites, original music, covers, and all that jazz.
Continue reading ‘Elm City Big Band Jazzes Up the Holiday At State House’
by | Dec 16, 2021 9:25 am | Comments (0)
Brian Slattery Photos
Sketch Tha Cataclysm
Four indie hip hop acts connected with the New Haven-based Fake Four record label made good on Cafe Nine’s nickname of the musicians’ living room by holding a show Wednesday night that felt personal and familiar, even as the acts themselves hailed from as close as the Elm City, and as far away as Dallas.
by | Dec 13, 2021 9:14 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photos
The Hulls
Celebrating tens: That is what a slew of local music fans did this past Friday night at The State House for the 10th anniversary of Deck the Hulls, the annual holiday fundraiser event hosted by local punk legends The Hulls.
The tradition began at Rudy’s and proceeded to Three Sheets. It ended up this year at the State Street club, where the band was joined by two always-ready-to-party New Haven bands, The Simulators and The Right Offs, to raise money and collect food for a good cause while also gathering friends to get the holidays off to a spirited start.
Monetary donations as well as canned goods were accepted at the door for CT Foodshare (formerly know as CT Food Bank) while Christmas music played overhead and attendees greeted each other after a year off due to Covid closures.
First to the stage was The Simulators, six members strong and ready to get the audience good and warm. A fun and feisty set of rocking reggae-ska-punk felt like a party that welcomed any and all to attend. Guitarists Kevin MacKenzie and Julian Wahlberg traded off vocals and riffs while Frederic Anthony and Zachary Yost kept the beat tight on drums and bass and Cody Freedom and Brian Koopman shared saxophone duties. Together they melded into a smooth sweet sound that got the steadily building crowd to move around, though MacKenzie also egged the crowd on by telling them to “shake your booties.”
MacKenzie also thanked The Hulls for “putting this on,” to which Wahlberg countered with “you just thanked yourself, I think” — in reference to MacKenzie being a member of The Hulls as well. The crowd laughed, loving every minute of this set, which Wahlberg had mentioned earlier marked the band’s first show at The State House. And the celebration had only just begun.
“Good evening. We’re The Right Offs. How you doing?” said Maxwell Omer, guitarist and vocalist of the hard rocking trio, rounded out by Than Rolnick on bass and vocals and Robert Breychak on drums. The band immediately exploded into a stellar set of beloved originals that felt fresh and new again, complemented by a couple of holiday tunes that sparkled with the band’s indelible sound.
Omer mentioned he was having a “hard time getting into the Christmas spirit,” but you would have never known that given the way he stomped and strutted through Chuck Berry’s “Run, Run Rudolph.” The band was joined on bells by The Simulators’ Cody Freedom, dressed in an elf hat and holiday sweater, adding a healthy dose of cheer to an already super-fun tune.
With some of the hardest driving beats around, guitar licks that sailed into the stratosphere, and lyrical songs like “Fire in the Theater” and “Post Bone Savvy,” the Right Offs’ set felt almost celebratory and definitively anthemic. The band mentioned recently on social media that they have only a couple shows left before they take a break. I suggest getting to one of those if you too are feeling the need to be rescued from the holiday blues.
The Hulls came to the stage decked out in holiday attire. Guitarist and vocalist Jess Corbett had on a colorful tree-studded suit, bassist John Meah wore a Santa hat and sweater, drummer Robert Breychak (fresh off his explosive set with The Right Offs) also sported a Santa hat, and guitarist and vocalist Kevin MacKenzie was decked out in a full Santa suit. Smiling and laughing from the get-go, with audience members shouting out to them even before a note was played — “watch what you wish for,” MacKenzie yelled back as requests were being made — the band immediately cemented the holiday tone even for those of us not quite there yet by beginning the set with Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” Freedom, now dressed as an elf, joined the Hulls on saxophone for this one and came back to play bells on a few other songs, including Wham’s “Last Christmas,” which in their hands became a pulse-pounding punk rock proclamation of loss.
The band added its own spin to a multitude of classics, such as Tom Petty’s “Christmas All Over Again,” Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” and The Kinks’ “Father Christmas.” They also sang originals, including a holiday song called “Christmas Time on the Picket Line,” which Corbett said he wrote years ago for union members; he added to not forget those out there on the lines right now.
For that one the Hulls were joined by Michael Cooper, who also delivered a spirited performance of The Ramones’ “Merry Christmas,” dressed as his alter ego from The Hymans, a local Ramones cover band that includes members of The Hulls. A well-known local artist as well as performer, Cooper made the flyer for this show and has made them for the band for years.
The crowd got crazy in on the action during “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” sung in the style of Bruce Springsteen’s cover of the song, singing and dancing along, and many kept going for the next one, Midge Ure’s and Bob Geldof’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
By the time the Hulls got to its last song, a riotous punk version of “Auld Lang Syne,” the crowd was deep in party mode and deeply appreciative. While the night had been a joyous respite from the recent ills of the week, it also did what the best shows often do: instilled a sense of community and hopefulness that could be carried away beyond that evening.
“Here’s to a better year next year,” said MacKenzie. “If we all stick together, we can do it.”
by | Dec 6, 2021 12:46 pm | Comments (0)
A trickle of excited conversation ran through the audience Friday night just before Lioness took the stage. For serious devotees of live music, of jazz, of Firehouse 12 as a storied listening and recording room, the thrill of attendance cannot be taken for granted, now that audiences and fans worldwide have learned what it’s like to not have it available. As for me, I had the time to unhurriedly grab another glass of water, and fetch a better pair of headphones before the band hit, maybe even crank the heat up a notch. I was watching live, from home — even though pandemic restrictions have been lifted.
Continue reading ‘Lioness Brings Collective Joy To Crown Street’
by | Dec 3, 2021 12:07 pm | Comments (1)
Lisa Reisman Photos
Executive chef Stephen Ross putting the finishing touches on his Jamaican jerk chicken at Jazzy’s Cabaret, a new Ninth Square nightspot which has its official kickoff this weekend.
To attain jerk status, the chicken sizzling on the grill at Jazzy’s Cabaret had spent the last 48 hours marinating in a blend of scallions, onions, and scotch bonnet peppers, with a rub of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice working their way into the meat.
“That’s for maximum flavor,” said executive chef Stephen Ross, as he turned the chicken over with a pair of tongs, a smoky aroma wafting through the brightly lit kitchen.
“And that flavor is why we make 40 of these on a given night.”
by | Dec 3, 2021 9:19 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photos
Ch’Varda gets the party started .
The State House was the setting Thursday night for the first of seven Hip Hop for the Homeless shows, an annual live event created by Hartford’s Joey Batts to raise money, food, and clothing for those in need throughout Connecticut.
Continue reading ‘Hip Hop For The Homeless Begins Year Eight’
by | Nov 30, 2021 9:24 am | Comments (1)
From now until the end of December, visitors to Cafe Nine will see a change of art on the club’s walls — the photographs and paintings of Leigh Busby, who as a photographer has become one of the most sharp-eyed chroniclers of life in New Haven, particularly during the unrest of 2020, where he was there, camera in hand, to document the outrage and the energy of that summer and show the city to itself.
In combining his photographs and paintings into one show, Busby allows even those familiar with his work a chance to see how he moved from painting to photography, and the lines that carry through all his work.
Continue reading ‘Leigh Busby’s Cafe Nine Exhibit Shows The Evolution Of An Artist’
by | Nov 26, 2021 9:23 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photos
Phat A$tronaut.
Five years ago, musicians Mark Lyon and chad browne-springer met up at a D’Angelo tribute gig, and shortly thereafter a band, Phat A$tronaut, was born. On Wednesday night that band came together with two other New Haven-based acts to celebrate its fifth anniversary with a pre-Thanksgiving show that had been an annual event up until last year’s Covid-19 shutdowns.
Continue reading ‘Phat A$tronaut Turns 5, WEAREBISON Debuts At State House’
by | Nov 24, 2021 8:13 am | Comments (3)
Brian Slattery Photos
It wasn’t even 9 p.m. yet Tuesday, but Cafe Nine was already full of people. Some had come to hear New Haven-born drummer Ryan Sands and members of the house band play for the first New Haven Jazz Underground live session since the Covid-19 pandemic began. But many more had come to play with Sands, as the evening promised not only a hot set from the featured performer, but an open set to follow, and the kind of music making that brings a community together.
Continue reading ‘Jazz Jam Sessions Swing Back To State And Crown’
by | Nov 22, 2021 9:51 am | Comments (1)
Kevin Mackenzie Photo
The Cannon.
On Saturday afternoon the New Haven Gooners — the official supporters’ club for Arsenal, a London-based football team — came together at The State House to do what they have done countless times before: watch their beloved team play a match while lifting a few pints and laughing with a few friends.
The event had a purpose far beyond cheering on Arsenal; the fans also raised funds for their future home, The Cannon, a bar, restaurant, and gathering place at 135 Dwight St. that has been trying to open for over a year now and has ties to not only the Gooners, but to New Haven’s arts scene.
Continue reading ‘Soccer Fans Cheer On Arsenal, Bring Cannon Closer To Goal’
by | Nov 18, 2021 9:31 am | Comments (20)
Beacon Communities
Proposed housing slated to replace parking at 300 State lot. (Building on left would be new. Building on right currently exists.)
A Boston-based affordable housing developer has won city approval to build 76 new apartments — and only three new parking spaces — in the Ninth Square.
by | Nov 15, 2021 9:22 am | Comments (0)
New Haven-based rockers Chaser Eight premiered a new music video that tackled a serious subject at The State House on Friday night while also giving live music fans a serious dose of hard hitting rock ‘n’ roll as they headlined a three-band bill that also included the fast and furious trio The Problem With Kids Today and the dreamy pop rock group The Sparkle and Fade.
Continue reading ‘Chaser Eight Premieres Video With a Message’
by | Nov 15, 2021 9:20 am | Comments (0)
Brian Slattery Photo
Rachel Sumner flashed a broad smile from the Cafe Nine stage. “I’m so excited that we get to have the show that wasn’t,” she said to the full house that had come to hear her, a Boston-based musician, perform, with New Haven-based acts Mercy Choir and Lys Guillorn supporting. The show had been originally scheduled at Cafe Nine for April 2020. On Saturday night, it happened at last.
Continue reading ‘Rachel Sumner Headlines Cafe 9 Bill, After 19-Month Covid Postponement’
by | Nov 8, 2021 8:44 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photo
Peasant.
On a day that included a bomb threat at Yale and the first big burst of cold weather, Cafe Nine found a way to make everyone feel safe, warm, and blissed out with not only a three-act late night rock ‘n’ roll bill, but also a rooftop happy hour performance preceding it.
by | Nov 4, 2021 8:12 am | Comments (0)
Brian Slattery Photos
Blvck Hippie.
Josh Shaw of Blvck Hippie was on tour from Memphis, but had nothing but praise for the two New Haven acts — Glambat and Mightymoonchew — who had preceded him on the stage at Cafe Nine on Wednesday night. He declared himself maybe a little intimidated. “Why did both bands have to sing so good?” the headliner said. “I’m a little self-conscious now.” He was paying the same respects to his openers as they’d paid to him, in a night filled with music that was both personal and partylike.
Continue reading ‘Three Bands Make Room For Everyone At Cafe Nine’
by | Oct 29, 2021 9:10 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photo
Addy Edward and Sarah Golley Thursday night at Cafe 9..
Killer clowns, candy, and catchy tunes that make you want to dance are not typically associated with one another, but Thursday night at Cafe Nine a combination birthday/Halloween celebration with two local acts showcasing their original music brought them together.
Continue reading ‘Killer Birthday Show Brings Seasonal Spookiness To Cafe 9’
by | Oct 28, 2021 8:53 am | Comments (0)
Brian Slattery Photos
It was just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday, and host Dan Kalwhite lost no time warming up the healthy crowd for the latest A Guy Walks Into a Bar comedy open mic night at Cafe Nine, which featured returning performers from September’s installment as well as fresh new faces. He fished the crowd for anything interesting they have eaten for dinner.
One audience volunteered that she’d had pretzels for dinner — at a pizza place outside New Haven, before coming down to the club on State and Crown.
“They serve pretzels at a pizza place?” Kalwhite said. “The pizza must be terrible.”
Continue reading ‘Comedy Night Relieves Tension Of The Times’
by | Oct 22, 2021 8:29 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photos
daniprobably
Three bands entertained and engaged the crowd — and one another — at Cafe Nine Thursday night, where local acts Mightymoonchew and daniprobably came together with the Philadelphia-based Lizdelise to raise the energy level and get the weekend started a day early.
by | Oct 20, 2021 10:23 am | Comments (5)
Brian Slattery Photos
Minto.
At Artspace on Monday, as part of the Open Source Festival, artist Allison Minto was on hand to continue her deep dive into New Haven’s Black community, helping people preserve their own familial past while marking a moment of time in the present.
by | Oct 18, 2021 8:36 am | Comments (1)
Douglas.
The band members stood at a 90-degree angle from the audience at Firehouse 12, facing stage right. Bassist Dezron Douglas held a clave, and played a simple, piercing rhythm that was a call to attention to the audience. Everyone fell silent. Douglas continued with the rhythm. Nazir Ebo picked it up on drums. Douglas then moved to his bass. George Burton sat at the piano. Lummie Spann took up his alto saxophone, and they began.
by | Oct 15, 2021 10:07 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photos
Jake Blount Thursday evening at Cafe 9.
Fiddle music filled the “musician’s living room” Thursday night as two acts took to the Cafe Nine stage to offer an evening full of love, joy, and veneration.
Continue reading ‘Jake Blount, Moon Shells Reach Into History At Cafe Nine Fiddle-Music Show’