Sam Carlson Photos
American Elm.
An enthusiastic crowd from throughout Connecticut gathered at Cafe Nine for one final Manic Monday this week. For over three years, the series — promoted by Manic Presents and hosted by Cafe Nine — welcomed national touring musicians and paired them with local artists, hot on the heels of Manic’s previous long-running free events at BAR on Crown Street.
“The series was an extension of what we did at BAR,” said Mark Nussbaum of Manic Presents. “It was a good opportunity for up and coming bands and local artists.” But “the series has simply run its course.”
Manic’s free shows at BAR and Cafe Nine were part of a succession of free events held around the city, notably an earlier concert series at BAR curated by Rick Omonte (now of the State House) and Beatnik 2000, a previous weekly mixed-media show at Cafe Nine. Manic Mondays began on Sept. 4, 2016 with Laundry Day, The Backyard Committee, Elison Jackson, and Area Man.
The first artist to see off the series this Monday was Reese Florence, a Connecticut native now based in Manhattan. Her set was intimate and centered around her haunting and soft vocals. Reese will be recording and releasing a debut in 2020.
The second solo set of the night belonged to American Elm. The brainchild of songwriter Chris Bousquet, American Elm is a solo neo-folk act — a meditative, cosmic-American sound, lyrically heavy and artistically dense. Bousquet is the former leader of the critically acclaimed High Lonesome Plains and has performed with artists like Roger McGuinn, Mercury Rev, Miracle Legion, Nathaniel Rateliff, and The Turtles.
“It was amazing, some of the bands you could see come up through Cafe Nine,” said Bosquet of the series, which hosted artists such as The Murlocs, The Sun Parade, Thick, and Weakened Friends.
Witch Hair was the first full band of the evening. A veteran of many Manic shows, Witch Hair is a searing rock ‘n’ roll trio based between New Haven and the western part of the state. Ashley Kenney, Joe Russo, and Tom Connelly played an ultra tight set of favorites from their two releases, Out On Love and You Are Not A Surface.
Square in the middle of the night was Ports of Spain (in which, in full disclosure, this reporter plays drums and sings). Manic’s free events have always held a special place for Ports of Spain; we’ve used them as record releases, tour launches, and homecomings. They’ve helped us grow our audience and put us on with some of our favorite bands. The previous free shows at BAR were always seen as a sort of foot in the door, and for us Manic Mondays were no different.
New Haven expats Ellison Jackson (now based in Philadelphia) were the perfect bookends to the Manic Monday series, playing both the first and last shows in the series and possessing a dark and whirling Americana that is exemplary of the sounds coming out of Connecticut in the 2010s. The band has had many lineup changes over the years and its current incarnation — featuring Justin Courtney Roberts, formerly of New Haven favorite Fake Babies, on drums — felt stronger than ever.
Closing the show was New Haven’s hardest-working new band, The Fiction Kids. Led by Rama Kooks, formerly of Laundry Day, The Fiction Kids are a trio with a large throwback shoegaze sound for fans of Interpol or The Cure.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play Manic Mondays with 3 or 4 different bands over the years,” said J Thompson of The Fiction Kids. “It feels really fitting to play a nice sloppy set on the last Manic Monday ever.”
While this may be the end of Manic Mondays, this series was just another in a succession of such events in the changing landscape of New Haven music. The past few years have seen a number of new spaces openings from the State House, The Cellar On Treadwell, Pacific Standard Tavern, and Manic/Premier Concerts’ new venture, the Westville Music Bowl, to DIY spots like Never Get To Be Cool. It’s an indicator of a healthy music scene, and a public with an appetite for the arts. With thriving bands and successful venues both above and below the radar, the future seems bright for music in New Haven.