*As you probably know, The Newtown Earth Day Committee has been busy preparing for the 3rd Annual Newtown Earth Day, which will return to Newtown Middle School next weekend (Saturday, April 24; rain date is the following day). I know I generally highlight club shows and concerts, but this week I noticed that there will be plenty of live music so why not lead your attention that way as well?

The event will be running from 10 am to 4 pm, and during that timeframe there will be performances of bluegrass by THE BANDOLINS at 10, originals and covers by a number of performers who are billing themselves as 59 BANK STREET TUESDAY OPEN MIC at 11, jazz and blues by THE NORTHWEST QUARTET at 1, and reggae by THE SKANKTONES,

There will also be dance performances by students from The Graceful Planet at noon.

In addition to all this, there will also be some acoustic rock by THE BLUE YODELS and a performance by MEN IN GREEN, who describe themselves as “local enviro-rappers.” Both of these groups’s performance times have yet to be determined.

The Earth Day event is a pretty cool one. If you have any time available next weekend, stop by the middle school to visit with any of the 40-plus vendors including businesses, clubs and associations; the return of The Environmental Maze, as well as The Recycled Art Show (a way cool presentation), a food court, and plenty of environmentally friendly information for all ages.

I fall this isn’t enough, there will also be an Earth Day Hootenanny at My Place Restaurant, also on Queen Street, at 6 pm Saturday. This promises more live music, as well as great beer and pizza specials.

Full details, including an updated schedule, is available at NewtownEarthDay.org.

*THE DISCO BISCUITS, who enter their second decade with a crazy-quilt mixture of rock, techno, jazz, soul, blues and classical music, will be at Klein Memorial Auditorium next week. The band will be in Bridgeport for a 7:30 show on Thursday, April 22. Visit FairfieldTheatre.com for ticket details and reservations. (DB will also be performing at The Webster on Sunday, April 25; visit WebsterTheater.com for details about this and other shows coming to the Hartford theater.)

Fairfield Theatre, who is sponsoring the Disco Biscuits show, will then host ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN on Tuesday, April 27. Another 80s band, THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS, will then have the stage on June 6.

Visit FTC’s website for details on that and other shows coming to the Fairfield theater.

*Speaking of Fairfield Theatre Company, the venue will also be hosting “Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa,” a show that my friend and co-editor John Voket raved about when it rolled into the Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford back in November 2007. Dweezil Zappa spent more than two years putting this show together, John wrote in his review, “with a nearly three-hour extravaganza stocked to thrill the most ardent of his father’s fans, myself included, with something so much more than a gratuitous tribute show.

“In fact, except for the recent live recreations of Pet Sounds and Smile by Brian Wilson himself, I’m not sure I have ever seen as loyal and thorough replication of such complex musical material,” Voket’s review continued.

Find out for yourself if Zappa the Younger is still living up to his father’s lead on Thursday, July 1. Visit the website above for ticket and show time details.

*A handful of shows being promoted by Live Nation went on sale last weekend but I didn’t receive notice of this until after my deadline. With apologies, here are the shows that are now available: NEIL YOUNG’s solo acoustic tour, stopped at the Toyota presents Oakdale Theatre on Sunday, May 23; Vans Warped Tour 2010, at the Comcast Theatre in Hartford on Sunday, July 11; JACK JOHNSON with G Love and ALO on Friday, July 9, at the Comcast; and TIM McGRAW with Lady Antebellum and Love & Theft, at the Comcast Theatre on Friday, July 16.

*CARLOS SANTANA has announced initial dates for a summer arena tour with his Santana Band, during which he’ll bring along Steve Winwood as opening support. The tour is set to roll into the Mohegan Sun Arena on July 21, and tickets will be going on sale Saturday morning at 10, priced at $65.60 and $85.50, and available through TicketMaster. They will then be available through the casino’s box office as well beginning Sunday.

*An Evening With Rush: The Time Machine Tour will be at Mohegan Sun Arena on Monday, July 19. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart will be performing their Moving Pictures album in its entirety on this tour.

Tickets ($70 and $90) go on sale Friday, April 16, at 10 am, through TicketMaster, and then on Saturday at 10 also through the casino’s box office.

*Also going on sale Friday morning will be the tickets for the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which will hit the Comcast Theatre in Hartford on Saturday, July 24. The festival will feature KORN, ROB ZOMBIE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, LAMB OF GOD, et al; the full artist listing is available at RockStarMayhemFest.com. Tickets for Hartford are $59.75 general admission pit, $49.75 and $39.75 reserved, and $25.25 lawn, and will be available through Live Nation vendors.

The second show also going on sale at 10 through Live Nation will be an August 7 JOHN MAYER show, also at The Comcast Theatre, with Train opening. Those tickets are $42 for lawn seating and $81 reserved.

*From the Satellite Office for On the Road (John Voket’s desk) comes the following:

ROGER WATERS has confirmed dates for his long-rumored full-album performances of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, announcing a 33-city North American outing to launch this fall which includes a stop in Hartford at the XL Center October 15.

According to a press release, the 1979 concept album has previously been performed in its entirety only 31 times, most of them by Pink Floyd during the 1980-81 tour supporting the set, and again in 1990 when Waters performed it with an all-star cast to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall.

*Also from the satellite office, Lillith Fair, which will include a huge cast of prominent female performers headlined by SARAH McLACHLIN will land in Hartford at The Comcast shed August 1. While the lineups for each of the three dozen tour stops changes almost by the day, the Connecticut stop could draw from a diverse range of talent that includes The Bangles, Brandi Carlile, Colbie Caillat, Corinne Bailey Rae, Emmylou Harris, Erykah Badu, The Go-Go’s, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Heart, Indigo Girls, Loretta Lynn, Martina McBride, Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, or Suzanne Vega.

Until next week, I’ll be seeing you… on the road.

Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks c/o The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470, or shannon@thebee.com, or call the office at 426-3141. Shows listed at clubs are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

 

UPCOMING SHOWS

APRIL 16 — The Hip Replacements at The Blue Z Coffee House, Newtown;

April 17 — Crystal Pyramid at The One-Eyed Pig, Newtown; Stale Crackers at The Blue Z; The Way-Back Machine at Rivalry Sports Grille, Monroe;

April 18 — John Bernier at The Blue Z; Patty Larkin at Infinity Music Hall, with special guest The Nields; Paul Meyers and Steve Davis at The Acoustic Café, Bridgeport;

April 22 — The Disco Biscuits at Klein Memorial Auditorium, Bridgeport;

April 23 — Laura Sumner at The Blue Z; Montgomery Gentry at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Darryl Worley opening; Graham Parker at Fairfield Theatre Company; WCCC Homegrown Showcase at The Webster Underground, Hartford, featuring Domeringer, Tempest Edge, Limited Sight, Big Moon and Agrippa 93;

April 24 — Old School at Proud Mary’s, Newtown; Jim Allyn at The Blue Z;

April 25 — Manny Pavone at The Blue Z; The Fray at The MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Mashantucket; Disco Biscuits at The Webster;

April 27 — Echo and The Bunnymen at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne;

April 28 — “One Night of Queen” performed by Gary Mullen & The Works at The Ridgefield Playhouse.