Music News And Commentary - WCCT

Clearwater Festival Line-Up Set

By Christopher Arnott — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:46:00 EDT

June 15-16 in Croton-on-Hudson, New York

Another summer folk/jam festival to mark on the calendar: Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival, better known just as the Clearwater Festival. It’s happening June 15-16 at Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson NY, just an hour or two’s drive from Connecticut.

Connecticut Likes Luke Bryan

By Christopher Arnott — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:31:00 EDT

First sold-out Comcast concert of the summer

The Luke Bryan concert May 31 at the Comcast Theatre has sold out. The Hartford venue is ballyhooing this as “the FIRST sell out of the 2013 Summer Concert season!” For those of us going, “Huh? Who?,” know this: Luke Bryan’s a Country & Western hitmaker who won a record nine American Country Awards last year.

Stornoway is a Dinosaur Band

By Christopher Arnott — Sun, 5 May 2013 10:21:00 EDT

Hit British indie folk band plays the Peabody Museum this afternoon, May 5

Plenty of bands have had strong Yale connections, and play any number of places on campus when they visit New Haven on tour. You might find name acts at the GPSCY Bar, the Yale Cabaret, an undergrad college attic, the “YBC House” on Dwight Street, a dorm lawn…

Local Bands Play a Big Daytime Gig in Downtown New Haven May 4

By Christopher Arnott — Fri, 3 May 2013 09:49:00 EDT

Family-friendly "KIdstock" includes punk rockers, folkies, classical students, bluegrass...

A dozen local acts, from punks to bluegrassers to neoclassical dinosaur-song singers, are gathering Saturday (May 4) from noon to 5 p.m. for Kidstock: United Family Musical Festival. The show is held at United Church on the Green, corner of Temple and Elm streets on New Haven Green.

Master West African Dancer and Drummer Abdoulaye Sylla Returns to CT

Wed, 1 May 2013 13:35:00 EDT

Before he and his wife moved to Seattle a few years ago, Abdoulaye Sylla had taught West African dance at Trinity for years, and he’d also presided over weekly drum and dance classes at Hartford’s West Indian Social Club. But before that Sylla had danced in the world-famous Les Ballets Africains, a drum and dance troupe from Guinea (Sylla’s home country). Les Ballets Africains are kind of like the New York Yankees in the world of West African dancing and djembe drumming (the popular goblet-shaped hand drums). Sylla is a stupendous dancer, with astounding energy, virtuosity and a wealth of traditional dance steps embedded in his brain and his feet. He’s also a masterful teacher, able to tailor his classes to children and first-timers as well as to advanced students and pros. Cementing his role as an ambassador for West African culture, Sylla has also led regular teaching trips back to Guinea, bringing a dozen or so loyal drummers and dancers to study for several intensive weeks. Some of his devoted long-time students will host Sylla as he returns to Connecticut to dance, drum and teach on Monday, May 6 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Cast Children’s Theater, 113 Summit St., Manchester, ($20). for more information contact rick@drumeventsunlimited.com.

Four Decades of Blue at the Spaceland Ballroom May 3

By Mike Sembos — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:23:00 EDT

New York singer songwriters pay tribute to Joni Mitchell's masterpiece Friday at the Spaceland Ballroom

Joni Mitchell's Blue: A 40th Anniversary Celebration

More Bands Announced for Gathering of the Vibes 2013

By Christopher Arnott — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:08:00 EDT

Blues Traveler, Kimock & Worrell will play at July 25-28 festival

Bridgeport’s Gathering of the Vibes festival, scheduled for July 25-28 in Bridgeport, has announced its line-up in several waves. Phase two of the announcement occurred this morning:

Diana Ross' Resurgence

By Christopher Arnott — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:22:00 EDT

She returns to the Bushnell in August; tickets go on sale May 3

The prospect of Diana Ross coming back to Hartford—August 13 at the Bushnell, tickets going on sale May 3—might strike some as “OK, another nostalgia act.” But for those of us who remember Ross as a singular superstar on the name-her-own-terms plateau of touring, a concert in a reasonably sized theater is still an astonishing concept.

Richard Barone Talks About Playing Cafe Nine April 25

By Christopher Arnott — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:45:00 EDT

The former Bongos frontman is a-Glow

Richard Barone has traveled to the beats of many drummers. Bongos, particularly. But he’s done solo pop that reverberates with jazz and religious and classical references. He’s pals with garage gods The Fleshtones. He’s worked regularly with Bowie’s producer Tony Visconti. He’s respectfully covered songs by T. Rex (“Mambo Sun”) and The Velvet Underground (“I’ll Be Your Mirror”) in ways that make you respect the songs and don’t just evoke the personalities of their writers. And Barone helped create one of the most exhilarating drum sounds ever for The Bongo’s defining single “In the Congo.”

Connecticut Celebrates "Record Store Day" This Saturday

By Mike Sembos — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:45:00 EDT

4/20 isn't just for smokers this year; record enthusiasts will celebrate too

Record Store Day began in 2007 as a way for the independent record store community to have a holiday of sorts to rally around, a focal point for the year. Since then it has fallen annually on the third Saturday of April and grown steadily. Special vinyl and CD releases are made available for one day only. In-store performances are held. There are cook-outs and DJs, contests and meet and greets — and since most every shop is independently owned, each puts its own hyper-local spin on it.