Holiday show with Dust Hat, Bronson Rock returns Sat., Dec. 18

Party rock ‘n’ roll band Dust Hat and roots quartet Bronson Rock will power up some holiday spirit on Sat., Dec. 18, at Best Video Film & Cultural Center. The shindig starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

This being an inside show, these are our covid protocols: attendance of 30 max, masks and proof of vaccination required.

Garage-y rock ‘n’ roll party band Dust Hat dubs itself a rock ‘n’ roll affront for modern times on its Bandcamp page. The group features Brendan Toller (Vox, Guitar, Tambourine Man); Jeff Slocum (Guitar, Fire Extinguisher); Dan Soto (Thunderstick); and Rob Ruby (Beat of The Traps).
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Bronson Rock is a four piece rock and soul band featuring Buzz Gordo (aka Gary Mezzi) on guitar and lead vocals, Eric Bloomquist on bass, Lou St. John on organ, and Tom Smith on drums. Individually, the seasoned musicians in Bronson Rock have performed with a “who’s-who” of Connecticut artists, and continue to maintain busy schedules as players.

The band featured the songwriting talents of Gordo, who was the main songwriter for New Haven’s illustrious Big Bad Johns. Two of his songs from those days have been featured in a recent season of HBO’s True Blood.

The band plays a tight, danceable mix of original garage soul sounds, with some choice obscure covers thrown in, owing a debt to groups like the Rascals and Booker T. and the MG’s.

December 6, 2021 by
Filed Under: BVFCC News, Performance Space Events

Jeff Fuller & Friends play jazz at Best Video Fri., Dec. 17

Jeff Fuller & Friends play Best Video Film & Cultural Center Fri., Dec. 17. The show starts at 7 PM. The cover is $10.

This being an inside show, these are our covid protocols: attendance of 30 max, masks and proof of vaccination required.

Bassist and composer Jeff Fuller, recipient of the 2014 Jazz Haven Award, has been has long been an integral part of the Connecticut, New York and international jazz scenes. He toured worldwide and recorded with saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Paquito D’Rivera, and has played with jazz masters from all styles and eras. Co-leader of the popular Brazilian group Sambeleza, he has received commissions from the New Haven and the Hartford Symphony Orchestras and has received project grants from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.

Pianist/composer Darren Litzie studied jazz piano with Dr. Rex Cadwallader, jazz theory, improvisation, and composition with Jim McNeely, Mike Holober, Jimmy Greene and Jamie Begian. Darren has performed with such artists as Dave Scott, Andrew Beals, Chris Morrison, Thierry Arpino, Nick Biello, and Harvie S. Darren completed a three-year stint with the prestigious BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, where he had several of his works premiered in concert by the BMI Jazz Orchestra.

Ben Bilello received his Bachelors Degree in Jazz Studies at the Hartt School of Music. He has performed and recorded with Mulgrew Miller, Eddie Henderson, Branford Marsalis, Curtis Fuller, Javon Jackson, George Cables, Joe Wilder, Anthony Braxton, Steve Davis, Jimmy Greene, and Wayne Escoffery, among many others. In addition to performing with noted jazz musicians, Ben has toured with the South American folk groups Viva Quetzal and Markamusic.

December 5, 2021 by
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Perennial, Window seat play indie rock/punk Thurs., Dec. 16

Perennial and Window Seat play Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Thurs., Dec. 16. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

This is an indoor show so attendance is 30 max. Proof of vaccination is required to enter and masks are required.
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Perennial makes loud sounds at oblique angles. Perennial makes punk for the mods. They are a noise-art 3-piece band from New England. Perennial is an effort to make something both visceral and thoughtful. Perennial is Chelsey Hahn (Organ and Vocals), Chad Jewett (Guitar and Vocals) and Wil Mulhern (Drums).

Window Seat is an indie/pop-punk three piece from New Haven. They started in 2019 as a college band, playing as many dorm room and DIY basement shows as they could. They released their debut album, Call Me in the Morning, at the beginning of the pandemic, and are itching to get back into live shows.

 

December 4, 2021 by
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Lys Guillorn & Her Band, Elisa Flynn perform Sat., Dec. 11

Lys Guillorn and Her Band shares the bill with Elisa Flynn at Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Sat., Dec. 11. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

This being an inside show, these are our covid protocols: attendance of 30 max, masks and proof of vaccination required.

Lys Guillorn is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and discipline-hopping artist from Shelton, Connecticut. A stylistic shape-shifter, Guillorn dips her pointy boots in folk and psych-rock.

In 2018, Guillorn won CT Now’s Best of Hartford Readers Poll for Best Singer-Songwriter. She has two full-length studio records of original material, a collection of covers and compilation tracks, and a couple of EPs and singles on her own label Little Cowgirl Records. Her most recent single is called “Dolores & I,” released on the 2020 compilation Waiting on a Sunrise Vol. 1. Guillorn will be playing electric guitar, and will be joined by Lys Guillorn & Her Band’s bassist, Eric Bloomquist (also of Bronson Rock, Chica Non Grata.)

Elisa Flynn is a musical and visual artist, known for her literary, historical and supernatural references and powerful vocals. Her sound, which has evolved and changed over the years, now take indie rock and folk elements and add more electronic-based rhythms and sounds. Her use of layered vocals, guitars, electric banjo, synth loops and electronic drums create her own dark folktronica sound. Her most recent EP “Eighty-three” was released in the summer of 2020.

November 30, 2021 by
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Ernie Mazza & Friends play jazz at Best Video Dec. 10

Ernie Mazza & Friends play Best Video Film & Cultural Center Fri., Dec. 10. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

This is an indoor show so attendance is 30 max. Proof of vaccination is required to enter and masks are required.

Veteran pianist Ernie Mazza hosts an evening of cookin’ jazz at the performance space. He’ll be joined by wife, Mary, on vocals (They met on a gig, ya know!); son, Dave, on guitar; Mark Kaplan on sax, and the tasty rhythm section of Art Principe and John Rispoli on bass and drums, respectively. They’ll be playing some of their favorites from the jazz repertoire including standards, be-bop, Latin, and a couple of surprises along the way.

A New Haven native, and a regular on the local music scene for decades, Ernie has assembled a fine ensemble of versatile and seasoned pros to join him for what is sure to be a fun evening of jazz music with friends and family.

November 29, 2021 by
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The David Chevan Klezmer Quartet debuts at Best Video Thurs., Dec. 9

The David Chevan Klezmer Quartet plays Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Thurs., Dec. 9. The show starts at 7 PM. The cover is $10.

This being an inside show, these are our covid protocols: attendance of 30 max, masks and proof of vaccination required.

Bassist David Chevan arrives at Best Video with a Klezmer quartet featuring Dana Astmann on accordion, Will Bartlett on clarinet (and occasionally sax) and David Sasso on mandolin. The repertoire pulls very heavily from Klezmer and early swing.

This is the first time this group will be playing in public, though David has been getting together on and off since early this summer with Dana, Will and David and they’re beginning to put their own stamp on this material. Sometimes things are coming out straight Klezmer and sometimes it swings like crazy, and it never sounds the same twice—in a good way. Come raise a ruckus and shake your tuchus!!! Who knows? There may even be some special guests who pop in to join the group for a tune or two.

November 28, 2021 by
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Washboard Slim & The Bluelights at Best Video Sat., Dec. 4

Washboard Slim & The Bluelights play Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Sat., Dec. 4, starting at 6:30 PM. The cover is $15.

This is an indoor show so attendance is 30 max. Proof of vaccination is required to enter and masks are required.

After 40 years of playing together, Washboard Slim and the Bluelights has evolved into one of the country’s most versatile and original of jug bands incorporating pure Americana instruments like tub bass, washboard, jug, banjo, harmonica, and fiddle.

Adding drums and powerful vocal harmonies, this band rocks sold-out concerts, dance halls and family shows. Playing their own compositions as well as original arrangements of traditional gospel, blues, country and early rock n’ roll, their music is by turns playful, haunted and uplifting.

The band for this show is Peter Menta (aka Washboard Slim), Howie Horn, John Pendergast, Brooks Barnett, and Mat Kastner.

November 23, 2021 by
Filed Under: BVFCC News, Performance Space Events

The Lost Tribe perform Afro-Funk Fusion music Fri., Dec. 3

The Lost Tribe plays Best Video Performance Space Fri., Dec. 3. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $12.

This is an indoor show so attendance is 30 max. Proof of vaccination is required to enter and masks are required.

The Lost Tribe is a drum-centered Afro-funk fusion ensemble, led by percussionist Jocelyn Pleasant. Their sound winds through many genres that are rooted in West African rhythms and sensibilities. As a traditional percussionist and drum kit player, Pleasant wanted to create a group that showcased the drum as a lead instrument and melodic voice. She started the group in 2016, with the goal of infusing the djembe ensemble into African Diasporic music like jazz, rock, funk, and reggae and hip-hop. Her goal was also to provide a platform for musicians of different but overlapping communities to come together.

In addition to its core members, Lost Tribe performances often include various special guests that reflect the large talent pool of their community. Regardless of the line-up, the staples of a Tribe performance are energy, stage presence and GROOVE. They have opened for international acts Mokoomba (of Zimbabwe), and Trio da Kali (of Mali), were a featured artist at the 2018 Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, and won first place at the 2019 Valley Music Showcase (of Western Massachusetts).

Their eclectic collection of music is available on Bandcamp and streaming platforms, including the EPs Diaspora and WLCT Radio, as well as two singles released in 2020, Say Their Names and Diaspora Sings.

The members of The Lost Tribe are Jocelyn Pleasant (drums, percussion), Joel Hewitt (bass), Mike Carabello (keys), Doug Wilson (guitar), and Asaad Jackson aka DJ Stealth (turntables, aux percussion).

November 22, 2021 by
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Richard Neal, Mark Mirando, Frank Critelli trade off songs Sat., Nov. 20

Singer-songwriters Richard Neal, Mark Mirando, and Frank Critelli take turns sharing their songs at Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Sat., Nov. 20, at 7 PM. The cover is $10.

This show is a late substitution for a show by Anne Marie Menta (with Neal and Carroll) that had to be postponed due to illness.

This being an inside show, these are our covid protocols: attendance of 30 max, masks and proof of vaccination required.

Richard Neal is a student of music, songwriting, record production, and live performance. A multi-instrumentalist (guitar, 5-string banjo, mandolin, dobro, slide), he has been privileged to make a living as a musician and to work in a wide variety of musical settings and styles.

Neal appears regularly in concert as a sideman for any number of acts, and also as a regular member of the bluegrass band HOE. As a solo artist and songwriter, he has released 2 CD’s of original music, HOE and Beacon. Several of his compositions have been recorded by other singers.

Mark Mirando started his music career in New Haven Connecticut playing in the legendary “Dogs”, a group that was well know for their originals as well as carefully chosen, well crafted covers

Mark concentrates on original music now, although he’ll pull out a Beatles gem on occasion – and he’s recorded with no less than Beatle Ringo Starr. Mark played guitar and sang backup vocals on Ringo’s releases, “Ringo-Rama”, “Choose Love”, and two of Ringo’s greatest hits CD’s, “Photograph” and “Ringo 5.1”.

He performs the east coast singer songwriter circuit working both solo and also with his band and also travels to Nashville to write, record and perform with Nashville’s top songwriters including Georgia Middleman and Connecticut’s own Gary Burr. Mirando—with Mark Hudson and Gary Burr—is also a member of the Laurel Canyon Band, an acoustic tribute to Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.

Frank Critelli writes and performs songs, talks on the radio, pours the beer, and does the dishes. But really, he’s just a gardener.

November 14, 2021 by
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UPDATE: POSTPONED Anne Marie Menta with Richard Neal, Cadence Carroll play Sat., Nov. 20, at 7 PM

UPDATE NOV. 16: Due to illness this show by Anne Marie Menta has been postponed. We will announce a new date soon.

Anne Marie Menta plays Best Video Performance Space deck on Saturday, Nov. 20, starting at 7 PM. She will be joined by Richard Neal on guitar and mandolin and Cadence Carroll on harmony vocals and percussion. The cover is $10.

This is an indoor show so attendance is 30 max. Proof of vaccination is required to enter and masks are required.

Anne Marie Menta hails from New Haven, CT., where she has been a long time favorite singer/songwriter. She comes from a family of three brothers, where playing and listening to music was their great passion. Her musical credits include fronting various rock & roll, folk, and country bands as a singer/guitarist, including The Wanderers, Sugar Moon, Sky Riders, and Rodeo Radio. In the mid 90s, she decided to concentrate on her own original music, and those tunes of hers that she “snuck” into her cover band repertoire now became her main focus. But, the country, folk, and pop music that she loved continued to be an influence in her writing.

Her most recent CD, “Sky Tonight,” came out in the fall of 2019.

November 10, 2021 by
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