Date: Fri 25-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNON

Quick Words:

Matthews-Oakdale-Laszlo's

Full Text:

ON THE ROAD/SHANNON HICKS

A reminder that Tuxedo Junction will be open tonight (Dec 25), for anyone

looking to get out of the family home for a few hours. FLIRT will be playing

at the Ives Street club. THE ZOO returns for a show Saturday, December 26.

Next Friday, VIBE TRIBE will be at Tuxedo Junction for a New Year's Day

evening show. TOY BOX performs Saturday, January 2.

Blues guitarist L.A. JONES will be in Southbury on for New Year's Eve. The

blues guitarist will be playing at The Lodge, on Route 67 near its

intersection with Route 188 in the Southford section of Southbury. Showtime is

9:30 pm. Details, call 267-6974.

Mr Jones, who continues to perform over 200 shows a year after two decades of

performing with his band The Blues Messengers, will be in the area just this

one night before really hitting the road again. The guitarist is scheduled to

play an Italian festival in Venice next month, and will then be touring

Australia beginning in February.

THE DUKE ROBILLARD BLUES BAND, led by the founder of ROOMFUL OF BLUES, will be

performing Sunday, December 27, beginning at 8 pm, at The Towne Crier in

Pawling, NY. Mr Robillard's latest release is called Dangerous Place , and it

is his most recent exploration of what he calls African-American "root music."

Tickets are $20.

DAVE MATTHEWS has two dates scheduled for his return to Connecticut, which

will be in February. Matthews will first be at the Oakdale Theatre in

Wallingford on February 5. Tickets for that show are going to be available in

late January.

Matthews will play the following night at the Jorgensen Auditorium on UConn

main campus. Tickets for that show are being made available to the student

body first, on February 1, and any remaining tickets (highly unlikely) will

then be made available to the public. Fortunately the Oakdale tickets are all

available to the public. Opening both shows will be Tim Roth.

Speaking of founders and co-founders, DAVE MASON and JIM CAPALDI of TRAFFIC

fame will be returning to Hartford's Webster Theatre in February. The two will

be in town on February 19.

Also returning to the club, on February 12, will be KING'S X, who last

performed in Connecticut during an October show at Toad's Place. The King's X

show is open to all ages; Mason and Capaldi is a 21-and-over show.

The Perception is Reality/Playback CD Release Party next month for the Newtown

band PLAYBACK is starting to take shape as more performers come on board.

Added to the roster this week is DAN SOBO, a high school student who will be

playing an acoustic set on January 22.

The party will be at The Fireside Inn beginning at 7:30. Tickets are $5, which

includes all performances, chances at door prizes, and light refreshments.

Want more information? Call Newtown Youth Services, which will benefit from

the evening's proceeds, at 270-4335. Tickets will be available at the door, or

you can also purchase them in advance from NYS.

Haven't been there yet myself, but there is a still-fairly-new

coffeehouse/cafe in Monroe that is offering different events nightly, a venue

for local artists (whether in the performance vein or the presentation --

photography, drawing, sculpture, etc -- mode) to present their work, and for

local folks of all ages to enjoy said work. The locale is called Laszlo's Arts

Cafe. The coffeehouse opened about four months ago, reports owner Laszlo

Szegedi, and "has something for everyone."

The cafe has a rotating schedule of events, with something going on just about

every night of the week (presently, the cafe is closed on Sundays). Monday

night features indie films and B-movies by lesser and/or unknown directors, or

movies with smaller budgets. Tuesday features spoken word and poetry,

including story telling, while Saturday is also an open mic/performance night.

Wednesday is reserved for cards, games and chess.

The music starts Thursday nights, with jazz and blues bands. On Friday nights,

local bands are featured. Upcoming performances include ROCK AND RULE on

December 28, beginning at 8 pm; a New Year's Eve folk party with a variety of

performers December 31; the local rock band LAST DAZE on January 2; and

performances by the bands SI/MENT and TRIBES on January 9.

Laszlo's is at 179 Main Street/Route 25 in Monroe, opposite Skate Time. Want

more information? Call 459-8889.

Until next week -- next year! -- I'll be seeing you... on the road.

Questions and comments concerning "On The Road" (or anything music related)

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! 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 -- Flirt at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury;

December 26 -- The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction; Aztec Two-Step at Towne Crier Cafe,

Pawling, NY, Devonsquare opening;

December 27 -- Duke Robillard Blues Band at Towne Crier Cafe; Holiday Jazz

Expo (featuring Mokijam, Ricky Alan Draughn, and The Russ Becker Quartet) at

Toad's Place, New Haven;

December 28 -- Rock and Rule at Laszlo's Arts Cafe, Monroe; Dream Theater at

Toad's Place;

December 29 -- Mighty Purple at Toad's Place (all ages), Hot Rod Circuit

opening;

December 31 -- The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction; L.A. Jones at The Lodge, Southbury;

New Year's Eve Folk Party at Laszlo's Cafe (performers); New Year's Eve

Celebration at Town Crier Cafe, featuring Bill Perry Blues Band, Todd Charles

and Von Em, special appearance by Steve Katz (The Blues Project); Max Creek at

the CT Expo Center, Hartford, Sassagrass opening.

JANUARY 1 -- Vibe Tribe at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; The McKrells at Town

Crier Cafe, Pawling, NY;

January 2 -- Toy Box at Tuxedo Junction; Last Daze at Laszlo's Arts Cafe,

Monroe;

January 7 -- The Hornets at Toad's Place, New Haven (all ages);

January 8 -- Gargantua Soul at Toad's Place (Opus' Birthday Bash), Candiria

opening; Chris Smither at Towne Crier Cafe;

January 9 -- Si/Ment and Tribes at Laszlo's Arts Cafe; Treblehook at Morris

Coffee House; Livingston Taylor at Towne Crier Cafe, Christian Bauman opening;

January 14 -- D.R.I. at Toad's Place (all ages);

January 15 -- Darik & The Funbags at Toad's Place, Prezens, 13 O'Clock and

Link opening; The Nields at Towne Crier Cafe; Fuel at The Webster Theatre,

Hartford (all ages);

January 16 -- John Hammond at Towne Crier Cafe; The Scofflaws at The Webster

Theatre;

January 21 -- Atmosfear at Toad's Place (all ages);

January 22 -- Playback CD release party at The Fireside Inn, Newtown

(performances by Newtown band Playback, also few addt'l Newtown bands,

proceeds benefit Newtown Youth Services); Max Creek at Toad's Place, 4:20 and

Carnival Dogs opening;

January 26 -- Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Toad's Place;

January 29 -- Simple Jim at Toad's Place, Paradise Vendors and Eclectic

Nobody's opening;

January 30 -- Best of the Best Connecticut Concert featuring Fabulous Farquar,

Eight to the Bar and Galvanized Jazz Band at The Palace Theatre, New Haven

(Eight/Bar and Galvanized were winners in 1998 Connecticut magazine Readers'

Poll).