On The Road With Shannon Hicks, February 5

*ERIK KRIEG, a Woodbury based singer-songwriter, will bring his acoustic indie-rock to Mocha Coffee House in Sandy Hook Friday night.

Then on Saturday, Sandy Hook superstar (in my book, anyway) DARRYL GREGORY will be headlining. Friend and fellow Bee John Voket will tell you the same thing: Darryl is a wicked nice guy with a ton of talent.

The multi-instrumentalist honed his skills as a rocker and singer-songwriter in New York City during the late 1990s and early part of this century. He produces other songwriters at his Sandy Hook-based Blue Cave Studios, and is celebrating the release of his first solo CD in seven years. A 13-track concept album, She is not the usual relationship tale, says Darryl. Instead, “it is more like aural portraits of female archetypes.”

Find out what all this talk is about Saturday night. Darryl’s show, like most Mocha weekend events, will run from 8 to 10 pm.

JENNIFER ZULLI will headline in the corner stage at Mocha next Friday night, and then on Saturday THE SKANKTONES, who helped make a recent Haitian earthquake fundraiser here in town quite the success, will return to Sandy Hook.

*NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK are bringing “The Right Stuff” to MGM Grand at Foxwoods, as the group is set to take the stage on May 21. Tickets are $55 and $75 and are going on sale Friday, February 12, at 9 am.

*The American Carnage Tour, featuring SLAYER and MEGADETH with TESTAMENT and which was originally scheduled for next week at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, has been rescheduled for August 16. Tickets from the original February 9 date will be honored, and tickets are still available for the new date, priced at $39.50 and $59.50. Visit LiveNation.com to purchase.

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

 

FEBRUARY 5 — Aaron Lewis at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville; Erik Krieg at Mocha Coffee House, Sandy Hook; Bob Franke at Redding Community Center (Lyrics Coffeehouse series), Redding; Max Creek at Infinity Music Hall, Norfolk;

February 6 — Darryl Gregory at Mocha Coffee House; Christopher Robin & The Rockgrass Band at Fairfield Theatre Company, Fairfield; Off The Hook at Lumberyard Pub, Georgetown;

February 11 — Buckwheat Zydeco at Infinity Music Hall; Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, Uncasville;

February 12 — Jennifer Zulli at Mocha Coffee House; Phil Vassar at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Greg Brown at Infinity Music Hall; Steve Winwood at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods, Mashantucket;

February 13 — Wiped Out at Proud Mary’s, Newtown (8-10 pm, followed by Bongo Joe until closing); The Skanktones at Mocha Coffee House; Kid Rock at Mohegan Sun Arena; River City Slim & The Zydeco Hogs at Infinity Music Hall; Dave Davies at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den; Trey Anastasio at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford;

February 14 — The Neville Brothers at The Ridgefield Playhouse with Dr John and Lower 911; B.B. King & Buddy Guy at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods; John Mayall at Infinity Music Hall;

February 16 — Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace at Mohegan Sun Arena, Flyleaf opening;

February 18 — George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic at Toad’s Place, New Haven; Sophie B. Hawkins at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

February 19 — Off The Hook at Redding Roadhouse; Kala Farnham at Mocha Coffee House; Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell at Quick Center/Fairfield University; John Mayer at Mohegan Sun Arena, Michael Franti and Spearhead opening; Alien Ant Farm at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

February 20 — Stephen Pascuzzi at Mocha Coffee House; Hot 8 Brass Band at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Buddy Jewell at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

February 24 — New Found Glory at The Webster, Hartford,

February 25 — Flogging Molly at The Webster, Saves The Day and Hello Goodbye opening; Cyril Neville at Fairfield Theatre Company; Dennis DeYoung at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

February 26 — JP Shannon at Mocha Coffee House; Phil Lesh and Bob Weir at Mohegan Sun Arena; Bobby McFerrin at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Cyril Neville at Infinity Music Hall; John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

February 27 — Bill Devlin & Friends at Mocha Coffee House; The Black Eyed Peas at Mohegan Sun Arena; The Verve Pipe at Infinity Music Hall (note: billed as “alternative takes, an acoustic evening”); Soul Asylum at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

February 28 — The Verve Pipe at Infinity Music Hall (note: billed as “alternative takes, an acoustic evening”).