Today’s Ted Take
by | Apr 22, 2020 12:37 pm | Comments (0)
Arts & Culture
Three Bands Make A Virtue Of The Virtual
by | Apr 22, 2020 10:42 am | Comments (0)
Rachel Sumner’s face beamed as she beamed in on Instagram. “Hello, hello, hello!” she said. “Hi Nancy! Hi Tom! Hi Dave!”
The Somerville, Mass.-based musician was the headliner — and in this case, the opener — for a triple bill including the New Haven-based Lys Guillorn and Mercy Choir. The three were supposed to have been part of triple bill at Cafe Nine on Tuesday night. With the pandemic-induced shutdowns, playing on that State Street stage was impossible. But it wasn’t impossible to play.
Pride Center Pivots Towards Virtual Support
by | Apr 21, 2020 3:14 pm | Comments (0)
New Haven Pride Center photo
Drag artist Loosey LaDuca records a virtual drag story hour video.
Video-recorded drag queen story hours to promote LGBTQ+-friendly children’s books.Online safe spaces for queer youth to share stories and get advice about sheltering in place at home.Advocacy for the repeal of a decades-old federal policy that discriminates against gay man who want to donate blood.
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Elm City Crossword: Station Turns 100
by | Apr 21, 2020 12:00 pm | Comments (5)
Union Station, a New Haven architectural gem and transportation lifeline, turned 100 this month. A planned celebration had to be postponed because of the pandemic. In the meantime, celebrate along with Aaron Goode by taking a ride on a crossword he put together for the occasion.
Miss Kendra Helps Kids Deal With Covid-19 Fears
by | Apr 21, 2020 10:35 am | Comments (1)
Miss Erinn, a representative of the Miss Kendra Programs, beams over jaunty yet gentle piano music. She speaks directly into the camera. “Oh! Hello! I’ve been waiting for you! Wow, it’s so good to see you. Do you know what time it is?”
“It’s Miss Kendra Time!” children say. Miss Erinn’s smile gets even bigger. “It’s Miss Kendra Time,” she affirms. Without losing her welcoming tone, she continues. “Today we’re going to be talking about the coronavirus and the way that it has been affecting all the kids and families around this community and all over the country — even all over the world.”
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Gratitude Goes Viral
by | Apr 20, 2020 5:16 pm | Comments (0)
(With gratitude to Good Night Moon.)
To give yourself over to sleep at night
And to wake into the morning light
The Cellar Does Distance Dinner And A Show
by | Apr 20, 2020 10:21 am | Comments (0)
Karen Ponzio Photos
Eric Vikmanis delivers.
Pete Mould, co-owner of The Cellar on Treadwell in Hamden, was seeing the crowds at his bar and concert venue grow steadily — until the Covid-19 outbreak.
Since the government-mandated closings and alterations of businesses in Connecticut, Mould and his partners Shari and Eric Vikmanis have found a way to keep their patrons coming back for more, albeit at a distance, with The Cellar Presents: Dinner and a Show. This Friday night event pairs curbside pickup of the best of the club’s bar food and drink with live streamed shows on Facebook by bands that have performed or were to have performed at the venue.
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Steve Rodgers Sounds The Alarm
by | Apr 20, 2020 10:15 am | Comments (0)
“Invisible Forces,” a new song out from Steve Rodgers, begins with a flurry of driving percussion and a guitar that sounds a bit like a siren. An organ lays down a pulsing rhythm. And then there’s Steve Rodgers’s voice, in harmony with itself. The lyrics — and the images from the accompanying video — are pulled from the headlines about the Covid-19 outbreak.
“This is not somewhere else’s battle,” he sings. “This time it is every human’s war / The swords in our hearts start to rattle / Against these invisible forces.”
Ted’s Takes
by | Apr 19, 2020 4:53 pm | Comments (0)
To Infect Or Not To Infect
by | Apr 17, 2020 11:44 am | Comments (0)
To infect or not to infect? Isn’t that today’s question?
How else may I pose it? What other way could it be?
Covid-19-Era Crafted Cocktails To Go
by | Apr 17, 2020 11:43 am | Comments (0)
Allison Hadley Photos
A cocktail kit from Sherkaan.
As social distancing wears on, walls become conversational, watching movies featuring crowds becomes fraught, and masks are a necessary fashion accessory, life still finds a way. No coffeeshops open? Enter FaceTime coffee dates. No restaurants open to gather with friends? Zoom dinners!
But what of the deliciously crafted cocktail from a mixologist, presented just-so in a coupe glass with an artful garnish? How do we fill the void that happy hour left?
New Haven Kicks Out The Quarantunes
by | Apr 16, 2020 10:00 am | Comments (0)
A vibrating synthesizer, then a slinky drumbeat and cooing vocal. Jangling guitar strings and a tambourine. A wash of cymbals and spacey cascades of notes from guitars. With New Haven and most of the rest of the country on lockdown, and shows local and elsewhere cancelled until further notice, a few holed-up musicians set themselves what under normal circumstances might be near-impossible tasks. Laura Wolf decided to write and record a song a day. Mickey Blurr decided to cover a song a day, playing multiple instruments. And Eggy, with its tour schedule dismantled by Covid-19, recorded a live set as if it was still on the road.
State House Streams The Hits
by | Apr 15, 2020 10:15 am | Comments (1)
Vapors of Morphine.
The bass comes in rumbling yet clear. It’s joined by pulsing drums and burbling sax. Then the singer’s rich voice intones the words. “You’re good, good, good — so good, good, good.” The lyrics are simple, but the pushing rhythm gives them a deeper meaning. It’s pulling light from darkness, hope from despair. It’s the band Vapors of Morphine playing at the State House on State Street. The set was from October. The State House, having recorded it that night, is streaming it now. And there’s much more to come.
Midnight Strangers Emerge On Streets Of Westville
by | Apr 14, 2020 9:30 am | Comments (4)
Still from the newly released “Speed of Light” video.
In the heart of Westville, a young musician walks past the ghost rubble of a former hot spot and imagines traveling at the “speed of light.”
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Best Video Members Defend Their Favorites
by | Apr 14, 2020 9:28 am | Comments (0)
Musician and filmmaker Brendan Toller stared out from a pink-lit living room, explaining how, with Best Video closed, he would have to dig into his own film archive for movies to watch under lockdown. “One of my favorite films that I have, that I know I’m going to be watching in this quarantine bunker, is Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, by Fassbinder.” Toller went on to explain that Rainer Werner Fassbinder, in the ups and downs of his career, had a breakthrough with his story about an interracial couple in Germany. The film was itself a remake of Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows. And, most important, Toller said, “this is one of those films that changed my life. What I’m always looking for in art, I say to people, ‘well, it did or didn’t change my life.’ This film … changed my life.”
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Huck’s Defenses Were Ready For Covid
by | Apr 13, 2020 4:41 pm | Comments (1)
“Huck on air” at WYBC.
Popular radio deejay Darryl Huckaby didn’t miss a beat on the air when Covid-19 came to his door — thanks to years of healthy living.
Sonnet For “Peak Death Week”
by | Apr 13, 2020 11:35 am | Comments (0)
My father’s favorite poem used to be
“They flee from me who once did me seek”
Bitsie Fund Open For Arts Grants
by | Apr 13, 2020 10:37 am | Comments (0)
Courtesy Bitsie Fund
Clark.
The Bitsie Clark Fund for Artists, established in 2018, is now accepting applications from New Haven-area artists for 2020. The deadline to apply is May 1.
Local Musician Reaps “Harvest”
by | Apr 13, 2020 10:32 am | Comments (0)
Brian Dolzani cut a convincing outline for a working musician, the kind of traveling troubadour that would fit right in with a line-up of legendary songwriters. The wide-brimmed, bone-white fedora and close-cropped, grey-flecked beard gave Dolzani a convincing road warrior grizzle, but he spoke with soft and sincere gratitude as he addressed his invisible audience.
Covid Updates: 146 Local Artists Funded; Covid Cases Rise To 559; Health Centers Expand Service
by | Apr 11, 2020 6:03 pm | Comments (1)
Arts Council of Greater New Haven
Artists who received grants.
The city and the Arts Council have given out grants to 146 New Haven artists and arts organizations as they struggle to stay afloat during the Covid-19 crisis.
The Local Bands Show Goes Remote
by | Apr 10, 2020 1:08 pm | Comments (2)
Karen Ponzio photo
Rick Allison and Frank Critelli (with a photo of James Velvet) at Cafe Nine.
“Frank? Frank? Frank? Hello?” Rick Allison called out to Frank Critelli — his friend and cohost of The Local Bands Show.
“Hello?” Critelli answered.
“You’re sounding a little more distant than usual, Frank!” Allison said with a laugh, but he was only slightly joking. Critelli was there via phone, doing his first remote cohosting of the show, which has been on WPLR 99.1 FM at 10 p.m. on Sunday nights for 33 years (and is also replayed on CygnusRadio.com Mondays at “noonish”).
50-Video Challenge Brings Earth Day Home
by | Apr 10, 2020 9:27 am | Comments (1)
Chris Ozyck wants you to know that there are 90 million dogs in America, or one pooch for every four inhabitants. Only about 40 percent of their owners pick up after them.
That adds up to whole lot of doo doo that’s washing into rivers and streams and lakes, which is why we can’t swim in many of them, including the lovely Quinnipiac River.
You might find that gross. Or surprising. Or surprisingly engaging. Ozyck hopes you also take that knowledge and become a better steward of the environment.
Kierstin Sieser Shoots The “Moon”
by | Apr 10, 2020 8:56 am | Comments (0)
“In The Reading,” from Kierstin Sieser’s new album Shark Tooth Moon, starts with a splash of electric guitar, a swinging acoustic guitar behind it. A sound a little bit like a small gong finishes the melody the electric guitar began. “Made a wish on a wishing card / the only one she said / turn myself into a kite / to get pulled in your wind,” Sieser begins singing. With a simple chord change, the mood shifts; the lyrics shade a little darker, but the music gets brighter. “But I know I’m going down / and I don’t know how to stop it,” Sieser sings. The way she sings the line, you’re not at all sure she wants to know, either.
Elijah The Prophet Dials In For Virtual Seder
by | Apr 9, 2020 9:18 am | Comments (2)
Zoom
Wednesday’s state-spanning virtual seder.
We were at the point in our virtual seder when we were supposed to invite Elijah the Prophet into the room. At our table, a place had been set. Elijah’s glass of wine was full. My wife Steph was explaining to the 21 adults and 3 children assembled online that we all just needed to open our doors to let the prophet in. On each screen, we watched as people got up to open their front doors. Then a new icon appeared in the lower right-hand corner of the gallery of windows.
“Oh, look,” Steph’s mother Laurie said, “Elijah the Prophet is connecting to audio.”
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“Elijah The Prophet” Descends
by | Apr 8, 2020 2:30 pm | Comments (1)
Nu Haven Kapelye members on newly released “Eliyahu Ha Navi.”
Elijah the Prophet came to New Haven just in time for Passover — but he sounded different.