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Brian Slattery |
Jul 29, 2021 8:32 am
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Ferrer.
Fernandito Ferrer began the last song of his set Wednesday night with a shaker that he fanned in the air in front of the microphone. His pedal captured the sound. He added whistles uncannily like bird calls, a falling chain that sounded like rain. Then he began playing the guitar and lifting his voice. By the end he had built the song into cascading waves of sound that entranced the full house that had come to Cafe Nine to hear music — and he, humbly, was the opening act.
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Brian Slattery |
Jul 28, 2021 9:53 am
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The song “Go Down Moses” may be familiar, but the New Haven-based Afro-Semitic Experience’s take on it isn’t. It starts with the rhythms, stretching through the Caribbean and back to West Africa, the sense of the interlocking drums propelling everything. And above the impassioned vocals, there’s a trumpet drenched in effects, creating its own small universe of sound. It feels new but drenched in history — which is fitting for Freedom Seder, the Afro-Semitic Experience’s latest album and one that has a history of its own.
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Natalie Kainz |
Jul 27, 2021 9:34 am
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Natalie Kainz
The Nields in Westville on Monday.
Sending folk harmonies and bluegrass tunes out onto the grassy slope behind Mitchell Branch Library, folk-rock band The Nields became a part of the Westville community on Monday afternoon.
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Karen Ponzio |
Jul 26, 2021 9:02 am
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Jazz on the patio at The Orchid Cafe
Brunch is one of the most celebrated meals in this city, and the brunches that include jazz are particularly revered. This reporter decided it was time to revisit three of them: one that had recently restarted, one that was a limited-run event, and one that had been ongoing for the past year.
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Brian Slattery |
Jul 23, 2021 9:18 am
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Singer/songwriter Dylan Hartigan began the final song of his set alone on acoustic guitar. Alex Haddad joined him on electric. Halfway through the song, Hartigan said if the audience would sing along in the chorus, he might have a surprise for them. The audience obliged, and an entire backup band — Them Vibes — joined Hartigan and Haddad on stage to turn Hartigan’s quiet song into an all-out rocker. The shift set the tone for the rest of the evening, as a three-band evening of headliner Maggie Rose, supported by Them Vibes and Hartigan, brought the sound of ‘70s rock and funk to CT Folk’s Folk at the Edge concert series and showed how expansive the concept of folk music can be.
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Karen Ponzio |
Jul 22, 2021 9:36 am
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(from left to right) Lawrence, James, Serenita, and Andersen
Four singer/songwriters shared their words, music and admiration for each other side by side last night under the ever-changing spotlights on The Cellar at Treadwell’s stage while a full moon glowed in the night sky.
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Brian Slattery |
Jul 19, 2021 9:40 am
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“Horse,” the lead song from Nose Bleed’s self-titled album, starts with an ambling beat, a simple guitar line, keyboards murmuring in the background. “I want to see how the other half lives because too much honey has made me sick,” the vocals intone. “I want to feel something sweet.” Then the song suddenly kicks into a higher gear, the drums and guitar gaining urgency. “The face of Our Lord,” the vocals sing. “You can’t hurt me any more.”
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Brian Slattery |
Jul 15, 2021 9:27 am
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“Hi! Hey everybody!” Nick Grunerud says at the beginning of The Best Wing of the Psych Ward, his latest release as Underwear. As Grunerud tests the keys on his keyboard, we hear cheering in the background, of a live audience. “Thanks for coming out. It’s been a long time — do I need to mention all this? Is it obvious?” he says with a laugh. “I guess I’ll start.” He then launches into “Been A Long Time,” full of the fractured vocals, glitchy keys, surprising samples, and dance rhythms that have become the vocabulary Grunerud uses to build his songs. “It’s been a long time since I went back in,” he sings. “It’s been a long time since anyone gave me confidence.”
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Brian Slattery |
Jul 14, 2021 9:18 am
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In her new video for “Paradise,” New Haven-based rapper Snowsa — formerly Snowprah — stares down an adversary over the mysterious contents of a duffel bag. Her antagonist accosts her. There’s an argument. He throws a punch. Snowsa ducks it and throws a punch back. She makes contact, and he staggers. She grabs the bag and runs, out into the streets of the Hill, toward friends, toward safety.
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Brian Slattery |
Jul 12, 2021 9:41 am
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Nelson.
Sunday afternoon’s tribute at Cafe Nine to New Haven-based musician and writer Rob Nelson, who died of a heart attack on May 26 at the age of 56, began with a reading of an excerpt of Walt Whitman, from his preface to Leaves of Grass.
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Brian Slattery |
Jul 12, 2021 8:00 am
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Brian Ember.
Baroque-pop theatrics and pop confections went head-to-head on Friday night at Cafe Nine on the corner of State and Crown Streets, as the New Haven-based Brian Ember and Youth XL gave two sets of music that heralded the return of something a lot like pre-pandemic normalcy to the long-running music club.
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Karen Ponzio |
Jul 9, 2021 10:09 am
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Paul Belbusti.
Laughter and conversation permeate the air while percussion, horns, and piano each tap in to begin “Just For Fun,” the sing-a-long-ready first single off Mercy Choir’s latest album, the eclectic Kitchen Knife Collection. Whether you have ventured out to a live show recently or are still keeping yourself socially distant, local singer-songwriter Paul Belbusti has created a listening experience for everyone who wants to feel alive in the moment.
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Brian Slattery |
Jul 8, 2021 9:42 am
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Album cover of Comfort in Illusion.
“Of Uncertainty,” the first track from Head With Wings’s new album Comfort in Illusion, starts as the title implies, drums, bass, guitars, and vocals each occupying their own space, the atmosphere around them uneasy. The melody carries words that reflect the musical mood: “From where I’m holding down / relentless / protecting my / relaxation / or so I thought / I began to question it all,” Joshua Corum sings. “Doubt from within / strangled my wits / to choke out the best part of my being / I fed it backwards / back towards my gut / yet I still hunger.”
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Natalie Kainz |
Jun 28, 2021 1:10 pm
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Charlie Widmer locked eyes with his wife in the front row.
“There is nothing for me but to love you and the way you look tonight,” crooned the trained operatic tenor. The song was Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight.” The soft accompaniment came from piano, saxophone, bass … and the squeals of seagulls on Long Wharf.
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Brian Slattery |
Jun 25, 2021 10:16 am
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Erik Elligers (r.). Mat Crowley (l.).
The audience applauded even the sound check for the New Haven-based Goodnight Blue Moon, as four members of the seven-piece band — Erik Elligers on guitar, Mat Crowley on mandolin, Nancy Matlack on cello and banjo, and Vicki Wepler on violin, with all four providing vocals — regaled a crowd of about 70 on Thursday night, in the latest of Best Video’s run of outdoor shows since the weather warmed up in April.
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Brian Slattery |
Jun 24, 2021 9:12 am
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Mountain Movers at Cafe Nine in 2018.
“I Wanna See the Sun,” the first track from World What World, the new album from New Haven-based underground anchors The Mountain Movers, starts right where the band’s previous full-length release, Pink Skies, left off. There’s the powerful, elemental rhythm section of Ross Menze on drums and Rick Omonte on bass. There’s Dan Greene’s surging rhythm guide, his voice and elliptical lyrics serving as a guide through the band’s sonic landscape. And there’s Kryssi Battalene’s guitar, first prowling in the background, them roaring to the front in the song’s second half like a howling storm.
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Brian Slattery |
Jun 23, 2021 8:48 am
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Ionne.
“Rocket,” from New Havener Ionne’s For Those Who Remain, begins with a plaintive triad from a piano. A woman’s voice, clear, calm, and resolute, asks questions. “Why are we expecting someone else to save us? Why do we think that there’s someone else coming to save us?” she says. Other voices chime in, about social justice, racial equity, environmental repair. The beat accelerates; the music hurtles forward. Ionne floats over the top: “They all said we’d heal / On a rocket to paradise / I can’t help but feel / Like we’re running away,” he sings.
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Brian Slattery |
Jun 22, 2021 9:33 am
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Quan Grant.
A rock duo and a single singer with a message were among the offerings Monday afternoon at Bear’s in Fair Haven, as the barbecue joint, partnering with the social services organization Marrakech, participated in Make Music New Haven, an event tied to a statewide and national effort that brought dozens of bands out to make music across the city from midday into the night.
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Karen Ponzio |
Jun 22, 2021 9:32 am
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Briana Williams and Cliff Schloss.
As the sun began to set Monday evening, Make Music New Haven hosted an afterparty on the rooftop of the Arts Council building, with five acts and a DJ spinning tunes in celebration of another year of international Make Music Day.
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Brian Slattery |
Jun 21, 2021 8:44 am
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Kevin Monroe and Devotion.
Before Kevin Monroe and Devotion hit the stage Sunday afternoon on the Green, Rev. Kevin Ewing of Baobab Tree Studios (and formerly of Center Church on the Green) addressed the hundreds of people who had gathered to hear the music and the message. He pointed out that gospel music has been a part of the programming of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas for years, and this year was no different. He welcomed people who already knew gospel and people who were about to get their first taste.
“For those of you who don’t know what gospel is, sit back,” Ewing said. “You’re about to learn something.”
He then turned to the faithful. “Church folks know what to do,” he said. “I hope you brought your shouting shoes.”
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Brian Slattery |
Jun 21, 2021 8:38 am
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Ceschi.
Ceschi, Phat A$tronaut, and Siul Hughes stood together on the stage of the Space Ballroom Friday night, near the end of a triple bill that marked the reopening of the venue since Covid-19 shutdown restrictions were lifted. A packed house stood close to the stage in front of them.
“I was very hesitant” to put on the show, Ceschi (a.k.a. Julio Ramos) said. “I didn’t know if people wanted to do this. Obviously you do.”
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Thomas Breen |
Jun 18, 2021 3:38 pm
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Rohn Lawrence and Jay Rowe light up the stage.
Toad’s owner Brian Phelps (center) with SBA CT Director Marx, Rep. DeLauro, and Sen. Blumenthal.
For the first time in 15 months, musicians took the stage at Toad’s Place — with the promise of more tunes to come, thanks to a federal bailout slowly making its way to shuttered venues across the country.
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Karen Ponzio |
Jun 18, 2021 10:02 am
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Steve Vlazo Photo/Graphic design Andrea Sicco
Cover art for Ready For the Morning.
“I’ve been down underneath the ocean of sound, got bloodied in the battle of the blues. Yeah, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but I’m ready for the morning.” The unmistakable voice of Kelly Reilly shines through like a summer sunrise on her newest single, the ethereal rocker “Ready For the Morning,” released two weeks ago after a year of indelible changes. Now the legendary New Haven singer and lifetime fan of music and the local scene is ready to record again.
