Marc Apostolides, Bryan Titus & Shawn Taylor present: Songs From the Trail
Bryan Titus, Marc Apostolides and Shawn Taylor serve up songs, stories, photos, gear and vibes from their collective thru-hikes and long-distance section hikes. With three distinctly different musical styles and perspectives, “Songs from the Trail” is as unique and eclectic, as the journeys they explore. Marc Apostolides performs on piano, guitar and vocals; Shawn Taylor on guitar, harmonica, foot percussion and vocals; and Bryan Titus on guitar, viola and vocals.
Cartoons and Cereal
Join us for Saturday morning Cartoons and Cereal! There will be breakfast provided and Cartoons to remind us all of those Saturdays growing up with all our fav shows! Suggested donation is $5-$10 per family!
2nd Annual Best Video Pinewood Derby!
Please join Best Video Coffee Bar Manager Matt Elliott and Barista/Resident Artist Graham Honaker for Best Video's 2nd Annual Pinewood Derby on Sunday, September 12th from 1 - 3 pm!
So What is a Pinewood Derby, you ask?
A Pinewood Derby is a racing event for miniature, unpowered, and unmanned cars made of wood that are raced down a gravity-driven track. The event is often run by Cub Scout packs of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), and is intended to promote character development, creativity, and STEM learning.
The Joe Carter Samba Rio Trio
The Joe Carter Samba Rio Trio plays Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Sat., Sept. 12. The group features Carter on guitar, Jeff Fuller on upright bass, and Graciliano Zambonin on drums. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $15.
The trio celebrates the music of Brazil – Samba, Bossa Nova, Choro, Baiao and more. Their repertoire features songs by Brazil’s classic composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Moacir Santos, Jacob do Bandolim, Luiz Bonfa, Pixinguinha, Baden Powell, Ary Barroso and others. The trio takes things a step further by using their Jazz backgrounds to add Jazz improvisation into the tunes, creating a sound that blends the best of both worlds. In other words: the best of Music from “Both Sides of the Equator.”
Whether performing on stage and in clubs, teaching jazz and coaching ensembles, or composing and arranging in his home studio, Jeff Fuller brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to all his musical endeavors. An integral part of the Connecticut, New York and international jazz scenes, Fuller toured worldwide and recorded with saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Paquito D’Rivera. He has played with jazz masters from all styles and eras including such diverse artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Mose Allison, “Papa” Jo Jones, Gerry Mulligan, and Clark Terry.
Having performed in such diverse places as Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Recife in Brazil, Bombay, Bangalore and Goa in India, Trossingen and Stuttgart in Germany and Paris and Corsica in France, Joe Carter has used these experiences to form a sound and style based in “Samba Jazz”, a style that combines the improvisational nature of North American Jazz with the lyrical and rhythmical aspects of Brazilian Bossa Nova, Samba, Choro, Baiao and MPB.
Graciliano Zambonin is a drummer/composer who plays mostly Brazilian and Jazz music in New York.
The Nutmeg Anthology: Contemporary Poems of Connecticut
Join us for a poetry reading from The Nutmeg Anthology: Contemporary Poems of Connecticut on Sunday, September 13th at 2:00 pm.
We will have readings from the following poets: Gretchen Fletcher, Elaine Zimmerman, Mark McGuire-Schwartz, Dolores Hayden, Pat Mottola, Bill Conlon ,Tony Fusco, Kevin Carey, and Ginny Lowe Connors.The poems featured in The Nutmeg Anthology:
Contemporary Poems of Connecticut invite
readers to think about the state in multi-faceted
and multi-dimensional scenes including
childhood and recent memories of Connecticut
neighborhoods like New Haven and Vernon, the
written recording of the first execution for
witchcraft in the 1640s and the 1944 Hartford
Circus Fire, iconic buildings like the Mark
Twain House and the Prudence Crandall House
in Canterbury, and the astounding majestic
beauty of the Connecticut landscape as it
changes every season...A stellar collection of
outstanding Connecticut poets!
—Sean Frederick Forbes, author of Providencia
Jazz Night: Allen Lowe & The All-Stars
Step right into Hamden’s very own monthly jazz club…
Please join BVFCC and host Allen Lowe for our Monthly Jazz Night with Allen Lowe & The All-Stars on Wednesday September 16th at 7pm. There will be a coterie of musical guests assembled by our host each month in a relaxed setting with tables and chairs to truly sit back, relax, and enjoy the great vibe. Of course, the BVCoffee Bar will be open for beer, wine, and café drinks. Cover charge is $10.
Sleeping Giant Reading Series
The Sleeping Giant Reading Series brings writers and book lovers together on the third Thursday of the month. In the long shadow of Hamden’s Sleeping Giant, writers of every kind gather to hear professional readings, raise a glass, network, and support one another’s work. All are welcome, whether you’re a scribbler who hasn’t yet dared to call yourself a “writer” or an experienced published author.
Curated by local writers Alice Mattison, Sandi Shelton (aka Maddie Dawson), Kathy Czepiel, and Heather Jessen, the Sleeping Giant Reading Series happens every third Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Best Video Film and Cultural Center in Hamden, Connecticut. The Sleeping Giant Reading Series is free to attend. Donations at the door are always appreciated.
A starred review in Booklist describes Larissa Pham’s new novel, Discipline, as“a brilliant, entrancing, and provocative mirror-within-mirrors tale of art, story, and power.” Larissa is also the author of the essay collection Pop Song, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize. She's written essays and criticism for the Nation, Aperture, Art in America, and Granta. A Yale alum, she’s an assistant professor of writing at the New School.
Chad Wriglesworth edited What Clever Friends: The Selected Letters of Jane Kenyon and Alice Mattison, which came out in July. Geographies of Reclamation: Literature, Art, and Lived Experience in the Columbia River Basin will appear in 2027. Chad is associate professor of English at St. Jerome’s University in the University of Waterloo. He writes and teaches about the interplay between contemporary American literature, environmental studies, and religious thought. Earlier, he edited Distant Neighbors: The Selected Letters of Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder.
Alice Mattison’s correspondence with Jane Kenyon appears in What Clever Friends: The Selected Letters of Jane Kenyon and Alice Mattison. Her memoir, Eye Trouble, will come out in July, 2027. Alice is the author of eleven books of fiction, including The Book Borrower and In Case We’re Separated, as well as a collection of poems and The Kite and the String: How to Write with Spontaneity and Control—and Live to Tell the Tale. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and Ploughshares.
Wow, Okay, Cool; Problems; Void Ripper
Best Video Film & Cultural Center features a triple bill of Fri., Sept. 18, of PROBLEMS (Chicago, IL); Wow, Okay, Cool (CT), and Void Ripper (CT). The show begins at 7 PM and the cover is $10.
Chicago-based Darren Keen is the one-person band called PROBLEMS. PROBLEMS has extensively toured Europe, New Zealand, and the USA, opening for Peaches, Sleaford Mods, Getdown Services, Dan Deacon, Pile, death’s dynamic shroud, Mezerg, Lightning Bolt, Wolf Eyes, Plack Blague, and many others. PROBLEMS makes composer-driven electronic music with live vocals that is sometimes very fun and is sometimes very beautiful and is always interesting, singing about dogs, glue, and nuts.
12” LP “PROBLEMS GETTING HARD” was released 4/10 on The Record Machine. Available on all streamers except spotify, because they fund AI weapons of war, this record was another leap forward in an already progressive catalog. Exploring the cycle of life and debt via a weightloss journey funded using buy now pay later schemes and musically anchored by the Fender Bass VI. The 12” LP “Enter The Annals” was released 2024 on The Record Machine, and is now sold out.
Wow, Okay, Cool produces panicked, boisterous songs that convey an urgency in desperate times. The post-punk project is the handiwork of New Haven, CT-based musicians Tim Fitzpatrick (vocals, synthesizer), Juniper Cadence (guitar), Dan Barletta (bass), and Brendan Galvin (drums). Since 2023, the group has been a staple in the Connecticut DIY punk scene, delivering an explosive live show experience throughout New England and the Tri-State area.
“If This Is Where It Got Us, What Good Is It?,” the band’s self-produced debut LP releasing September 4th, 2026, is a collection of 9 songs channeling the precarity and anxieties faced in the modern United States. The result is a flurry of post-punk riffs, violently-precise drums, and wailing vocals raging against the authors of our immiseration. From landlords, to private equity firms, to a feckless Democratic establishment, “If This is Where it Got Us, What Good is it?,” demands accountability from those who stand as gatekeepers to a life of dignity for the working class.
Wow, Okay, Cool's live shows deliver screaming hooks from Cadence, and a bombastic, chaotic performance, with Fitzpatrick’s manic presence drawing comparisons to The Blood Brother’s Johnny Whitney and Refused’s Dennis Lyxzen.
VOID RIPPER puts digicore, EDM, and chiptune through a blender and launches the contents into the sun. Enjoy aggressive, cinematic dance music straight into your DNA from the seams of reality where the veil is thinnest (New Haven, CT).
GuitarTown CT- Bluegrass Jam
The Hamden Bluegrass Jam—hosted by GuitarTown CT Productions takes place Sunday, September 20th, from 3pm-5:30pm.
A suggested donation of $5 is appreciated. Come on down, have a coffee, beer, or glass of wine, and enjoy the music. It’s all acoustic and mostly traditional. Any and all bluegrass players are welcome.
Bring your instrument or just bring your ears. Come to pick or just to listen.
The Secret Music Documentary Society hosted by Gorman Bechard and Dean Falcone
Please join filmmaker Gorman Bechard and musician Dean Falcone for their monthly screening series: THE SECRET MUSIC DOCUMENTARY SOCIETY on Thursday September 24th. Doors open for beer/pizza at 6pm, and the film starts at 7pm. Each month, they will share an underseen or unknown music documentary. Tickets are $10 for tickets only, and $20 for a ticket, pizza, and a drink.
Family Yoga @ Best Video w/ Lani
Join us on Sunday, September 27th for a Family Yoga class taught by Lani Rosen- Gallagher.
Movie Trivia Night hosted by Michael Domangue
Please join us for Movie Trivia Night, hosted by Best Video member Michael Domangue, on Wednesday, Oct 7th at 7 pm. Entry is $5/person. Teams of up to 4 members will enjoy 5 rounds of movie-themed trivia questions. The winning team will receive a $25 Best Video Gift Card!
A word to the wise…this event has become very popular (yay!). RSVP’s are strongly encouraged!
Kingsley Flood, The Shellye Valauskas Experience
Kingsley Flood and The Shellye Valauskas Experience share the bill at Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Fri., October. 30. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.
Kingsley Flood is a Boston and Washington, DC-based band with a "Billy Bragg-like folk-punk sound" (Washington Post) and "signature high energy" (Rolling Stone). They have played the main stage at the Newport Folk Festival, have been featured on the History Channel and Lifetime Network, opened for Josh Ritter, Grace Potter, Lucius, Langhorne Slim and have been been covered by NPR, New York Times, Esquire Magazine, Wall Street Journal, American Songwriter, among others.
PopMatters wrote, “One of those bands that matters.” NPR commented, “A band that seems to understand where inspiration can lead." And Esquire magazine opined, "The kind of hard-rocking folk-punk band that makes you want to dance with the person next to you and then punch them in the face. In a totally good way."
Based in the New Haven area, Shellye Valauskas & Dean Falcone lead The Shellye Valauskas Experience and write meticulously crafted power pop songs, with an emphasis on “power.” The songs hearken back to the finer moments of the 1970’s and 1980’s and are filled with sparkling melodies powered by sharp and often jangly electric guitars; think Big Star, The Raspberries and Aimee Mann. The latest release, History of Panic, is a collection of catchy choruses, swirly guitars and melodies that instantly draw you in and satisfy on every level.
Jazz Vocal: Mimi Lines
The Mimi Lines Trio plays a Sunday jazz matinee at Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Oct. 11. The show starts at 4 PM and the cover is $10. Jazz vocalist Mimi Lines will be accompanied by Michael Carabello on piano and David Chevan on bass.
Mimi Lines is a New Haven based cabaret and jazz vocalist whose performances blend timeless standards, heartfelt storytelling, and elegant musicality. She’s performed with jazz musicians Eric Comstock, Jeff Fuller, Darren Litzie, Ben Bilello, Josh Catania, David Chevan, Alvin Carter, Allen Lowe, Mark Kaplan and Michaela Coppola in clubs and theatres in Connecticut and New York City, including The Side Door, Café Nine, Long Wharf Theatre, Yale Cabaret, University Theatre, Lyric Hall, Best Video, Don’t Tell Mama and The Triad.
Dr. David Chevan is a bassist, composer, and educator whose work bridges jazz with African American and Jewish musical traditions. He co-leads The Afro-Semitic Experience, directs the Nu Haven Kapelye—Connecticut’s largest klezmer orchestra—and leads Bassology, his swinging jazz ensemble. His compositions range from liturgical jazz pieces to big band and klezmer works; all rooted in a deep commitment to cultural dialogue and community connection. A longtime advocate for music education, David has served on the board of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation for over 25 years.
Michael B. Carabello is a multifaceted pianist in the tri-state area. Carabello is a product of the Artists Collective Youth Jazz Orchestra under master artist in residence Rene McLean, as well as the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford. Carabello has worked with many artists and diverse settings including Nat Reeves, Rene McLean, Antoine Roney, and Steve Davis. His performances include stints at New York Jazz Piano Festival at Kalvierhaus, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Side Door Jazz Club, The Blue Note NYC, The Hartford Jazz festival, NYC Winter Jazz festival, and Newport Jazz Festival to name a few.
From Paris, France: The Perfido-Humbert Duo
The Perfido-Humbert Duo plays Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Wed., Oct. 28. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $15.
The Perfido-Humbert Duo, based in France, features Dominique Humbert on alto and soprano saxophones and Peter Perfido on drums, gongs, and small percussion instruments.
Their repertoire covers a fairly expansive musical palette that is multi-directional in concept. Their influences range from tunes by some of the great modern jazz composers such as : Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, Ornette Coleman and Paul Motian. They also like to experiment with wide open improvised pieces, exploring areas as diverse as meditative/minimal atmospheres to African-inspired folk sounds. There are also more energetic, charged up excursions that come into play in their « terra incognito » explorations. They have a number of original pieces and a few compositions written by friends who are excellent composers. All this to say: The Perfido-Humbert Duo can cover a wide range of sounds in an exchange that is quite intimate between two instrumentalists who enjoy the challenge and sense of spaciousness in performing as a duo.
Cinema Nomad Screening
Cinema Nomad is an arts and culture-focused travel series that explores various nations through the lens of the country’s cinematic past, present and future. In each episode, our cinephile host, Stephanie Gardner, takes viewers on a journey around the world through the eyes and experiences of filmmakers from a diverse set of backgrounds, delving into their hopes, dreams, and desires. Each episode delves into the country’s history and socio-political context while viewers are immersed in the local filmmakers’ day-to-day lives, visiting their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, hang-outs, and the locations that inspire their creativity. The series is ultimately about curiosity, empathy, connection, and the universal power of storytelling to bridge cultures and deepen understanding.
Join us at Best Video for a screening of two hour long episodes from Season 2 of Cinema Nomad on Sept 9th at 7pm. Tickets are a suggested donation of $5-10.
There will be a Q&A with Director Stephanie Gardner moderated by Journalist and BVFCC Board Member Karen Ponzio.
Cinema Nomad Season 2 promo/sizzle:
https://vimeo.com/cinemanomad/s2opening
Follow Cinema Nomad @CinemaNomadTV
For more information visit www.CinemaNomad.TV
To catch up on Cinema Nomad Season 1, visit PBS.org/show/cinema-nomad
Albania Episode Teaser: https://vimeo.com/cinemanomad/albpromo
Albania short synopsis: We meet Rain, a spirited photographer who returns home to Tirana to follow her heart towards filmmaking.
Albania synopsis: Through the eyes of women directors, we explore Albania's isolated past, and a rich filmmaking heritagestruggling to survive. We meet young and energetic Rain, who chooses to return to Albania after a few years abroad, while most of her generation aims to leave. And Iris, head of the Albanian Cinematheque trying to preserve the rich catalogue of Albanian films that are at risk of deterioration. (57 mins, 27 secs.)
Jamaica Episode Teaser: https://vimeo.com/cinemanomad/jamaicapromo
Jamaica short synopsis: SAS shows us how to be a one-woman crew while raising her son, who inspires the stories she tells.
Jamaica synopsis: We explore the impact of foreign and local films on creating Jamaican clichés as either a lover’s paradise or a crime-ridden danger zone. We meet SAS, a spunky single mom fighting for her voice in a male-driven film industry; Justine Henzell, who gives insight into her father’s cult classic, “The Harder They Come;” and Gabrielle, a director and cinematographer striving to change the traditional narratives. (57mins, 46 secs.)
Screening at Best Video
Join us at Best Video for a special surprise screening on Monday September 7th 2026 at 7pm.
Tickets are $5/members and $10/non-members.
Sotto Voce (NYC), Calendula (CT), Cousin Oven (NYC)
Best Video Film & Cultural Center presents a triple bill matinee show on Sun., Sept. 6 with two acts from Brooklyn, NY—Sotto Voce and Cousin Oven—and Connecticut's Calendula. The cover is $10 and the show starts at 4 PM.
Sotto Voce has been the moniker for Pittsburgh native Ryan Gabos's homespun musical project since 2011. Recording nearly every note in whatever small space he calls his bedroom at any given time, he catalogues his personal brand of songcraft built on the result of his influences, including Jim O'Rourke, The Sea and Cake, Deerhoof, and Joan of Arc. Sotto Voce operates live as a band with bassist Justin Gonzales and drummer Ryan Hopper. Of latest album—2026's The Sound of Trying—Pop Matters says it "suggests a sort of Todd Rundgren in Brooklyn vibe, marrying the lo-fi, DIY aesthetics of bedroom pop with a musical mind that never seems to run out of good ideas."
Cousin Oven is the Brooklyn-based rock band led by frontman, Owen Bologna. A master of personification, Owen skillfully weaves emotional honesty, clever prose, and rhythmic drive into a consistently beautiful musical product. Cousin Oven songs are sweet and subtle, rewarding you for the attention you pay to them with genuine warmth.
Calendula is the musical project of Abigail Golec, a singer-songwriter based in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Their nostalgia for past homes, daydreamed futures, and yearning for loved-ones fuels their folk-inspired melodies. Their self-titled album releases on June 21st, 2026.
First Friday Lounge Night
Please join us for First Friday Lounge Night from 5:30 - 7:30 pm on Friday, September 4th featuring Wes O’Brien’s jazz piano. There is no cover charge, and the Best Video Coffee Bar will be open throughout for all your beverage needs, with Happy Hour pricing on beer and wine.
5:30 - 7:30 pm - Come on by Best Video for a nice glass of wine with a friend or a cup of tea and your book. Sit back, relax, and enjoy as Wes O’Brien delights with his great anecdotes and wonderful selection of jazz standards, show tunes, and ballads.
Tonight's all about good vibes, great music, and having a blast together. Let's make it a night to remember, everyone! 🎹
Queer Film Club @ Best Video!
Queer Film Club is back at Best Video for a special surprise screening! Doors open at 6:30pm and the film will start at 7pm. There will be popcorn and drinks available for purchase at our Cafe. Tickets are $5!
Call the store for details on the film.
Movie Trivia Night hosted by Michael Domangue
Please join us for Movie Trivia Night, hosted by Best Video member Michael Domangue, on Wednesday, Sept 2 at 7 pm. Entry is $5/person. Teams of up to 4 members will enjoy 5 rounds of movie-themed trivia questions. The winning team will receive a $25 Best Video Gift Card!
A word to the wise…this event has become very popular (yay!). RSVP’s are strongly encouraged!
Jazz Haven Presents: Screening of "Anatomy of a Murder"
Join Jazz Haven at Best Video on September 1st 2026 at 7pm for a screening of the film, Anatomy of a Murder. This 1959 legal drama film directed by Otto Preminger has a score by the great Duke Ellington. Tickets are a suggested donation of $5-10.
Screening @ Best Video
Join us at Best Video on Tuesday August 31st for a surprise screening of a (here's a hint!) 1970 German Drama film. The film will start at 7pm. Drinks and popcorn will be available for purchase. Tickets are $5/members and $10/non-members
Nathan El/Mother Juniper/Offering Field: Indie
Best Video Film & Cultural Center features the triple bill of Mother Juniper, Nathan El (Pittsburgh, PA), and Offering Field. (All the Pretty Horses, originallty scheduled to be part of this show, had to drop off the bill.) The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.
Mother Juniper is made up of dream story weavers, many myths, and a three stringed street banjo.
Nathan El has independently toured the East Coast, received airplay on NPR, and opened for internationally touring acts. The project’s most exemplary release to date, reworkings of the traditional songs Jubilee and Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still, arrives Friday, May 29.
New Haven’s Offering Field—Adam Parker's stage name—steps out of the studio and into the midwinter dusk with a gift: a new album of mystic songwriting crisp as frost on the fallen leaves. Hand Reaching Through Flames, his first album in seven years, is the most intimate work Parker has released, having both the immediacy of small club performance and the uncanny quality of a voice picked up on a shortwave radio.
Parker paints fluid shapes with his palate of acoustic guitar, bass, shimmering percussion, and Mellotron around delicate lyrics steeped in magic and longing. We’re led down winding paths to windows, mirrors, eyes: thresholds that beckon us somewhere within and beyond — into the night sky and back into the basement. Producer Sam Carlson renders these songs in a detailed chiaroscuro. Each strum rings out like a beam of light through dusty air in a home emptied and moved away from. Adam’s voice cuts through the veil and echoes down the hall.
Val McKee: Children's Music
Val McKee plays music for kids at Best Video Film & Cultural Center Saturday morning, Aug. 29, at 10:30 AM.
Suggested donation is $5-10 per family but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.
Music, movement, and storytelling have been ever-present in Val McKee’s life. Always the singer in her sibling’s living room band, Val grew up connecting music to play. It is a practice she brings into her classroom as an early childhood educator, songwriter, and performer. Val is presently a teacher with Leila Day Nurseries, Neighborhood Music School, and Southern Connecticut State University.
Screening at Best Video: Buffet Infinity (2025)
Join us at Best Video on August 28th at 7pm for a screening of Buffet Infinity, directed by Simon Glassman.
Starring Kevin Singh, Claire Theobald, and Donovan Workun ,this Horror/Comedy about two restaurants fighting for dominance is told entirely through mock television commercials.
The film premiered at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival in July 2025. Buffet Infinity was also awarded Best Editing at the 2025 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.
Tickets are $10 & refreshments will be available for purchase.
Strawberry Hands (Philadelphia), The Regal Drug (CT)
Philadelphia act Strawberry Hands shares the bill with local ambient act The Regal Drug at Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Wed., August. 26. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.
Born 2006 in Philadelphia, Strawberry Hands is the songwriting project of poet, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Brunner (Weyes Blood, Karl Blau, Mike Bruno). The Strawberry Hands universe is one where basketball philosophy, Zen Buddhism, found poetry, and bedroom psychedelia somehow coexist without contradiction. Rounding out the ensemble are Jonathan Davenport (Dirty Projectors, Red Tailed Rounders), John Comune (Henbane, Bitter Wish), and Mark Ettingoff (Ghostwood Orchestra, Golden West Service).
The Regal Drug is the sonic brainchild of Scott N. Amore, born from an abandoned, busted piano discovered in a New Haven parking lot in the dead of night, 1995. What began as a spontaneous experiment in sound and electronics has evolved over three decades into an immersive recording and performance project. The current incarnation features a dynamic trio: Amore on keys and textures, joined by Ben Heller on trumpet and effects and Richard Brown on alto sax and guitar. Blending improvisation with deep electronic atmospheres, The Regal Drug channels three decades of exploration into moments of musical gratitude and raw expression.
Secret Cinema hosted by Rob Harmon
Join us on Monday August 24 for a Secret Cinema screening hosted by Rob Harmon.
Screening starts at 8pm and tickets are $10. There will be popcorn and drinks available to purchase at the cafe.
Lucy's Neighbor, Zoo Front
Power pop group Lucy's Neighbor and indie rockers Zoo Front share the bill at Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Sat., Aug. 22. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.
Lucy’s Neighbor—named after the Mrs. Matilda Trumbull character in the “I Love Lucy” Sitcom—is an original indie rock/power pop band from New Haven. The members are Derek Di Fronzo (vocals); Dave Esposito (guitar); Tom Quagliano (drums) and Ed Flynn (bass). They will be playing songs from their four self-released CDs, the self-titled “Lucy’s Neighbor” (2011), “Over Easy” (2018), “Till It’s Gone” (2020), and "Long Road Home" (2023).
Zoo Front is a sonically eclectic original band always striving to evolve their sound. Each member brings their own somewhat divergent influences to the group, where ideas and genres are meshed and massaged to form a cohesive body of work. 2023’s “Re-Entry” album was a collection of songs taking listeners on a ride through a variety of musical styles and moods. Anyone who has witnessed a Zoo Front gig has been along for that ride, taking in a mix of new and old, soft and sultry, moody and energetic songs. A new batch of music is under development and promises to take the band and audience into uncharted territory.
Zoo Front is Ed Ekendu, Ju Dee Luna, Nancy Tatsapaugh, and Lisa Tonner.
You can find Zoo Front on Bandcamp, SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, You Tube Music, Apple Music and other streaming services.
Family Screening + Ice Cream Bar
Join us at Best Video on Saturday August 22nd at 2:30pm for a Family Friendly Screening and ice cream bar where you make your own sundaes! Movie will start at 3pm.
Admission (one sundae included) is a suggested donation of $7/per person.
Call the store for any information on the film being screened.
Lys Guillorn & The Void Kittens, Baron Von Elsa
Lys Guillorn and The Void Kittens share the bill with Baron Von Elsa at Best Video Film & Cultural Center Fri., August. 21. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.
Lys Guillorn is a genre-bending singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Connecticut, dipping one boot in twangy indie folk, and the other in psych rock. Live, Guillorn is joined by The Void Kittens--Peter Riccio (drums) from The Sawtelles and NHIC, and Eric Bloomquist (bass) of Chica Non Grata and Bronson Rock.
Guillorn’s self-titled first record, released in 2003, earned some indie press and radio airplay due to its originality as well as guest turns from members of the Feelies, Luna, and Voidoids. Since then, Guillorn has remained a steadfast member of the Connecticut music scene, printing photos by day and playing shows by night with both local and national artists. They have two full-length studio records of originals, and a couple of EPs and singles on their own label, Little Cowgirl Records. Guillorn's most recent release is a newly remastered version of Wayward Children, which features demos and tracks from compilations put out by other labels. They are currently working on their next full-length record.
Baron Von Elsa AKA Aly of Magik Press is a multi-media, multi-genre artist, poet, and musician who layers haunting imagery and ambient noise with blues and folk traditions. They sing for the Wild Void and sometimes it answers back.
Screening at Lyric Hall: "Sideways" (2004/R/2h7m)
On Tuesday , August 18th we will have a screening of Alexander Payne’s, SIDEWAYS at Lyric Hall Theater. Doors open at 6:30pm and the film starts at 7pm. Tickets are $10 for ticket alone or $20 (including drink and popcorn).
Lyric Hall is located at 827 Whalley Avenue in New Haven. Worried about parking?? Don’t be! Here’s a great map with all kinds of parking for you.
The Secret Music Documentary Society hosted by Gorman Bechard and Dean Falcone
Please join filmmaker Gorman Bechard and musician Dean Falcone for their monthly screening series: THE SECRET MUSIC DOCUMENTARY SOCIETY on Monday August 17th. Doors open for beer/pizza at 6pm, and the film starts at 7pm. Each month, they will share an underseen or unknown music documentary. Tickets are $10 for tickets only, and $20 for a ticket, pizza, and a drink.
GuitarTown CT- Bluegrass Jam
The Hamden Bluegrass Jam—hosted by GuitarTown CT Productions takes place Sunday, August 16th, from 3pm-5:30pm.
A suggested donation of $5 is appreciated. Come on down, have a coffee, beer, or glass of wine, and enjoy the music. It’s all acoustic and mostly traditional. Any and all bluegrass players are welcome.
Bring your instrument or just bring your ears. Come to pick or just to listen.
Big Brooklyn
Big Brooklyn plays Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Fri., August. 14. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.
Bridging jazz, klezmer, rock, and groove, Big Brooklyn carries a progressive and inviting presence, exploring beautiful melodies while defining new boundaries. Awarded Semi-Finalist positions in the UK Songwriting Contest for multiple compositions on their album, Everyone Everywhere, as well as being a jazz finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for a song on their first album, Purpose, this 5-piece group captivates audiences with a unique depth of passion in expressive melodies and harmonies from jazz and beyond, touching on the inseparable exultation and pathos of the klezmer sound, all interwoven over a fabric of jazz and groove that pulls all stops.
Big Brooklyn was formed by Willie and Melody Dornfeld. While having New England roots, they formed the band while in Colorado, but have since moved back to New England and are excited to be performing in the Northeast. Band members include: Melody Dornfeld – Clarinet & Bass Clarinet, Nigel Regan– Tenor & Soprano Saxophones, Gannon Ferrell – Guitar, Preston Murphy - Bass, and Willie Dornfeld - Drums.
Cult Night w/ Molly
Join us for an evening of Cult Film at Best Video, curated by BVFCC Staffer Molly! The film starts at 7pm. Tickets are $5 and there will be refreshments available for purchase at the Cafe.
Screening @ Best Video
Join us for a very special screening at Best Video on Wednesday August 12th. Tickets are $5/members and $10/non-members.
Call the store for information on the screening.
Jazz Night: Allen Lowe & The All-Stars
Step right into Hamden’s very own monthly jazz club…
Please join BVFCC and host Allen Lowe for our Monthly Jazz Night with Allen Lowe & The All-Stars on Tuesday, August 11th at 7pm. There will be a coterie of musical guests assembled by our host each month in a relaxed setting with tables and chairs to truly sit back, relax, and enjoy the great vibe. Of course, the BVCoffee Bar will be open for beer, wine, and café drinks. Cover charge is $10.
Notorious I.F.C Presents: A French New Wave Screening
Join Writer and Film Director David Gutnik at Best Video on August 7th at 7:30pm for his film club : Notorious I.F.C. For the 2nd installment he will be showing a Summer themed French New Wave Classic. The Cafe will be open for drink and snack purchases. The event is free to the public but donations are always appreciated.
Call the store for any information on the film.
Queer Film Club at Best Video
Queer Film Club is back at Best Video on Thursday August 6th for a secret screening. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the film starts at 7pm. Tickets are $5!
Movie Trivia Night hosted by Michael Domangue
Please join us for Movie Trivia Night, hosted by Best Video member Michael Domangue, on Wednesday, August 5th at 7 pm. Entry is $5/person. Teams of up to 4 members will enjoy 5 rounds of movie-themed trivia questions. The winning team will receive a $25 Best Video Gift Card!
A word to the wise…this event has become very popular (yay!). RSVP’s are strongly encouraged!
Pinewood Derby Workshop
The 2nd Annual Best Video Pinewood Derby will be held on September 6th, Labor Day Weekend. We are currently registering racers! Teams must be registered by July 28th! Each team will create their own pinewood derby car. Kits will be handed out at a workshop on August 2nd at 12pm . At our workshop we will give you ideas, go over the rules and help you get started on your build!