*Music returns to Newtown Meeting House next weekend, when Newtown Coffee House begins a brand new year of what will hopefully become a monthly event. On Saturday, January 8, Kent guitarist COLEMAN BROOKS will be the evening’s featured artist.

Brooks has 28 years of performance experience throughout the area, and has become popular thanks to his singing and songwriting talents. In a recent conversation with coffee house co-organizer Andy Spencer (yep, of TREBLEHOOK fame), Brooks mentioned he plans to do a set of children’s songs early in the evening. The second part of the evening’s performance will then feature covers and originals geared to the adults in the audience. Andy says Brooks’ covers of Neil Young’s songs are “so close it was scary!!”

The coffee house begins at 7:30 pm with one hour of open mic performances. Coleman Brooks goes on at 8:30. Admission is $5, which includes all the coffee, soft drinks and baked goodies your belly can hold. The coffee house is in the memorial room of Newtown Congregational Church House, at 41-A Main Street. Park in the new lots behind Newtown Savings Bank, which is the same lot that services visitors to the church house building.

*If that performance isn’t to your liking, traditional Irish music will be featured the same evening around the corner and down the hill, at Starbucks. Moira Kelly (harp, guitar and vocals), Margie Manion (fiddle) and Tom Doyle (boghran and bones) will be providing the entertainment from 7 to 9 pm at 34 Church Hill Road in Newtown. Tom called in last week to mention the show, and said that audience participation will be more than welcomed, and “requests will be entertained.” Meaning this is not Stump The Band night, but if the trio knows a song you are interested in, it can’t hurt to ask.

There is no charge to get in to Starbucks, but all coffee, tea, baked goods, etc, are on your own.

*Finally this week, a few new shows are on the schedule for Laszlo’s Arts Café over in Monroe. On Friday, January 14, MD6 will get the crowd going with its rock performance around 8 pm; an open mic will follow at 9:30. The following night, HOUR ZERO and ADVA will be the featured bands. MIKE AND CHRIS will continue with a folk/rock show on Monday, January 17. And later in the month, SANS CHERUBS returns to the area with a performance scheduled for Saturday, January 29. Cherubs has the first set that night, at 8 pm; HASH CLYDE will follow at 10 o’clock.

Happy New Year, and until next week, I’ll be seeing you... on the road, gathering my thoughts for the traditional lists of the ten best and worst of 1999. Check back next week to see if my thoughts match any of yours…

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

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 8 — Coleman Brooks at Newtown Coffee House; Moira Kelly, Margie Mannion & Tom Doyle at Starbucks Newtown (traditional Irish music);

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; MD6 at Laszlo’s Arts Café, Monroe;

January 15 — Aztek Trip and Missing Joe at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages); Hour Zero and Adva at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

January 17 — Mike & Chris at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

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; Sans Cherubs and Hash Clyde at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

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.