*THE COWBOY JUNKIES will be on the road early next year, and the band will actually be at Toad’s Place in February. The band has an all-ages show set for February 28 at the New Haven club. The Junkies’ dates early next year will keep the band on the road for just under a month, beginning with a February 4 date in Chicago. After the Connecticut stop, the 11-date tour will wrap up at Irving Plaza on March 2. No opener has been announced yet for the New Haven show, but hang in there…

Also new at Toad’s Place is a January 2 holiday dance party. No live music at the club that night, but a DJ will help revelers continue to ring in the new year. On January 4, local band MINUS will be at Toad’s Place for an all-ages show. Psycho Current, Dread and Mad Hatters all have opening sets Tuesday night. Also local is VICIOUS CIRKILL, who headlines on Thursday, January 6. Opening sets are scheduled for Eye Above All and Cyd Xmas. The following week, Toad’s will feature yet another night of locals, with the main act PEARLY SWEETS, another all-ages show.

In February, THE DEREK TRUCKS BAND will make New Haven its final stop on a six-week stint that begins on New Year’s Eve in San Francisco. The DT Band show is open to all ages, and Soulive will be opening that one.

*AZTEK TRIP and MISSING JOE will share the bill on January 15 at The Webster Theatre in Hartford. That’s going to be an all-ages show.

*Finally this week, the new mailer from SOL DOG appeared in the mailbox Tuesday afternoon. The band has played its final show of the year, century and millennium, but has a few dates set up for the post-Y2K arrival.

Rev, Ron, Mark and Curt will be at Toquet Hall, a student coffee house in Westport, on January 7 (details, call 203/341-1155); and then at Jimmie’s Seaside in Stamford on January 29 (203/964-9225). The guys return to Café 127 in Shelton on February 4 (203/924-2329), and then to Jimmie’s again on February 10 (still 203/964-9225).

Merry Christmas everyone. Until next week, I’ll be seeing you... on the road.

Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks, c/o Bee Publishing Co., 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown 06470, or shannon@thebee.com. Include a phone number for confirmation, please. If you don’t have a stamp or a piece of paper or a writing utensil that works, give me a call! The phone number at the office is 426-3141. Shows listed on the calendar at club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

 

UPCOMING CONCERTS

DECEMBER 25 —Sugar at Tuxedo Junction;

December 26 —Hubinger Street at Toad’s Place (all ages), Cubistic Jack and Sneaky Pete opening;

December 29 —Spring Heeled Jack USA, Sgt Scagnetti, Big Mistake at Flip Ya For Real at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

December 30 — Psychedelic Breakfast at Toad’s Place (all ages).

JANUARY 1 —Post Y2K Party at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury, featuring Scream;

January 4 — Minus at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages, local bands night), Psycho Current, Dread & Mad Hatters opening;

January 6 — Vicious Cirkill at Toad’s Place (all ages, local bands night), Eye Above & Cyd Xmas opening;

January 7 — Sol Dog at Toquet Hall, Westport; Darik & The Funbags at Toad’s Place, DOA 2000, Epic and Ink opening;

January 11 — Hash Clyde at Toad’s Place (all ages, local bands night), Tranzgression & Logan 3 opening.

January 14 —Gargantua Soul and Murphy’s Law at Toad’s Place (all ages), Greedy Edna and Zero Chance opening;

January 15 — Aztek Trip and Missing Joe at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages);

January 18 — Pearly Sweets at Toad’s Place (all ages, local bands night), Peter & The Wolves and Normal opening;

January 20 —Anthrax at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Fu Manchu opening;

January 21 —Shakedown at Toad’s Place (all ages), Smoke the Prophet and Pepper Jive opening;

January 27 — Cowboy Mouth at Toad’s Place (all ages), The Uninvited and Paul Sanchez opening;

January 28 — Simple Jim at Toad’s Place, Paradise Vendors and Jive Bone opening;

January 29 — Sol Dog at Jimmie’s Seaside, Stratford;

January 31 —Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals at the New Haven Palace.

FEBRUARY 4 — Sol Dog at Café 127, Shelton; Guster at The Webster Theatre, Hartford;

February 8 — Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages);

February 10 — Sol Dog at Jimmie’s Seaside, Stratford (showcase night for original music); The Derek Trucks Band at Toad’s Place (all ages), Soulive opening;

February 11 —The Moody Blues at the Oakdale, Wallingford; Max Creek at Toad’s Place (all ages);

February 28 — Cowboy Junkies at Toad’s Place (all ages).

MARCH 19 — BR5-49 at Toad’s Place, New Haven.

APRIL 12 —Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Hartford Civic Center.

JULY 24 —The Slackers at The Webster Theatre, Hartford.