Dr. Martino's Big Day EP

Dr. Martino are a band in Willimantic that moved there from Florida earlier this year. They have been playing shows and have released their new EP "Big Day" which is brimming with good time tunes to brighten your parties and fill up your ears!

Vultures & Bangladeafy on Aug 18 @ Anna Liffey's

The Vultures and Bangladeafy are coming to rock Anna Liffey's in New Haven on Sunday, and you all should get down for some fun music and dancing!

End Of Summer Party w/ The Clams @ ELM BAR on 9/22

The Summer is winding down to a close, and The Clams want to have one last soiree before the fall begins! Incentive: they are bringing hot go-go dancers!

Bobby D's 5-oh! Birthday Weekend • two nights FREE 7/27-28

For those of you who don't know Bob D'Aprile, he pretty much RUNS Bridgeport. He works at Two Boots, and hosts CT ROCKS on WPKN. This weekend is his big 50th birthday bash at Two Boots, featuring a slew of awesome free music!

Dex Romweber Duo

Thursday, July 1, 2010, GO KAT GO Presents:

courtesy of Meg Wachter

Location:
Cafe Nine
250 State Street
New Haven CT

$10 - 9:00PM - 21+

Directions

Dex Romweber is an icon of the American rock and roll underground. The former frontman for the world famous psycho-surf-rockabilly-garage-punk combo Flat Duo Jets, which needs no intro here. Dex has long been a force for the cause of rock and roll and is one of the most original and larger than life personalities to come along since the days of Gene Vincent and Little Richard. He’s joined in the duo by his sister Sara Romweber who’s been smacking drums since way back in bands such as Mitch Easter, Lets Active, and Snatches of Pink. Dex Romweber's new record Live At Third Man is produced by Jack White.

“Dex Romweber was and is a huge influence on my music. I owned all of his records as a teenager, and was thrilled at the fact that we were able to play together recently on tour. [He is] is one of the best kept secrets of the rock n roll underground.” —Jack White, White Stripes



Tour dates:

Jul 01 Cafe Nine New Haven, CT

Jul 02 Mexicali Live Teaneck, NJ, Kenneth Brian supports

Jul 03 Zaphod Beeblebrox Ottawa, Ont

Jul 04 La Sola Rosa Montreal, Quebec

Jul 06 Sneaky Dee's Toronto, Ont

Jul 07 Thunderbird Cafe Pittsburgh, PA

Jul 08 Majestic Cafe Detroit, MI

Jul 09 The Abbey Chicago, IL, Black Diamond Heavies support

Jul 10 Bourbon Street, Columbus, OH

Jul 11 Southgate House Newport, KY, Black Diamond Heavies support

The Vultures, Skeletonbreath, and 420 Blackbirds

Saturday, May 8, 2010, Safety Meeting presents:


Location:
Rudy's
372 Elm St
New Haven, CT

$5.00 - 21+ - 9 PM

From the FB event page:

While the rest of CT is going to be skanking it up at Toad's, [Safety Meeting] will be delivering the rock at Rudy's. Chances are you probably saw Skeletonbreath and The Vultures rock Cafe Nine about a year ago for the Vultures record release show, but if not, here's your big chance to get your face melted off by some of the area's best musicians. Here's the Deal:

The Vultures are a surf, punk, skate, whatever-works power trio that's constantly evolving but never laming out. We released their LP, Chingus a while back and those who own it will tell you it's 12 inches of pure fucking awesomeness. We still have a couple copies left, so bring some extra loot with you.

The 420 Blackbirds make the psychobilly music in such a fashion that it makes all other "-billy" bands sound lame and samey. They used to rule the late nights of many a dive bar as the Danglers, before the man made them change their name in a lame attempt to subdue their rock powers. Luckily for us, they're still the same band, rock just as hard, and bring on the good times just like you remember.

The last time Skeletonbreath played in New Haven, many people lost their minds and got a little sweaty to the unlikely sonic assault of drums, bass, and violin. Their Safety Meeting LP, Eagle's Nest Devil's Cave, is one of the most unique records we've had the pleasure of working. Trust me when I tell you, these guys can put on a show.

North Shore Troubadours + The Clams @ Two Boots - Jan 28

If you're like me then the last thing you think of when you think of Connecticut is surf rock. Seeing as the last time a wave hit any of our beaches was 1852, just thinking about it seems like a joke. Listening to North Shore Troubadours may change your opinion. These guys are able to make the snowiest day seem like a picnic on a Costa Rican beach before the track ends. The Clams will also be there with their Go-Go dancing troupe to bring in the surf fury. Long story short: Great music, Go-Go dancers and the best pizza in Fairfield County - a no lose situation.



Two Boots - Jan 28
North Shore Troubadours
The Clams
Nouveau Pony Banditos
Time:8:00pm
Cost: Free

The Vultures - Chingus

A lot of albums really don't give you a good idea of what a band is like in a live setting, they're usually much more subdued and there's a lot more focus on tiny elements rather than capturing the excitement and energy of a live show. Not on this album. The Vultures somehow managed to capture all of the action that you would get on a live show and record it into their new album Chingus. They're the tightest trio I've heard in a long time, and each song is so polished it's gleaming.

When you first put it on, it's like a train coming at you full speed. After the dust settles and the needle is slowly circling that inner ring, you feel like you need a neck brace. It's brutal, angsty and aggressive rock with killer instrumentation and vocals. Everything on Side A is intense and nonstop. Side B is a bit more subdued and surfy, but there's nothing wrong with that. This album sounds like a skating accident - raw, bloody and full of grit.

Go to Safety Meeting and pick this up right away.

Last Surf Nite of 2009!

Thursday, Oct 29th will be the last Surf Nite of 2009. It's going to be a killer Halloween show featuring Zen Dudes & The Universe and North Shore Troubadours. This one's free, folks! Head on down to the fantastic Two Boots in Bridgeport to get your fix.

Surf Nite feat. The Clams

SURF NITE!
Thu Sept 24
with Go-Go dancers!!!

Featuring:

The Clams w/ Dan-o Clam on lead guitar are one of the most active surf-rock bands in the northeast. Recently, The Clams were on the beach in Milford performing for the CT Surfrider Foundation.

Rope, led by guitarist Sal Paradis will play their set with some surf rock classics and dig out some instrumentals you may not have heard live before.

Surf Nite! is all ages.
at Two Boots
281 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport

Show Review: The Mystery Lights

Thursday night I went down to Surf Nite! at Two Boots. It was a good time. The pizza was outstanding, and the Brooklyn Lager was cold and fresh. Onstage, there were two bands, The Villians, a surf rock band from New Haven, and The Mystery Lights, a garage band from California. It was a pretty killer night.

The Villains were having a really hard time. It seems like the vocals were flat and they were playing really sloppy. After hearing their tunes on MySpace I was expecting a lot more out of them, but they weren't up to par. Maybe it was just a bad night? I mean, I don't want to trash talk them or anything, they were trying pretty damn hard, it just seems like they weren't on top of things, the guitar work was sloppy and late at times, and they just didn't seem to gel. Lead singer/guitarist John Paul seemed to have a little trouble working the crowd, too. He had a smoking jacket and an ascot on for the show, possibly playing a Lex Luthor type role? It also seemed like he was doing his best to be an old time crooner while he sang. It was a little too cheesy for me, but it had a bit of an off-kilter charm to it. It's like he was trying too hard to get you to like him (or maybe that's part of the character he was playing? If so, then it was absolute genius!) While they did struggle, they had some legitimately good moments throughout the night. There was one point where they dropped the singing and decided to play instrumental. When they did, it was really high energy and great, and exactly what I expected to hear out of a surf band. Their drummer really had a chance to shine here, throwing in two killer solos in the middle of the tune. I just wish they played more like that throughout the night.

The Mystery Lights were intense. They were completely high-energy, fueled garage rock action. From a first look, these guys were young, way younger than they sounded. I was not expecting what was in store for me. As they warmed up and did a sound check, you could easily tell that the energy and suspense building up in the crowd was overwhelming.

Dressed like Dee Dee Ramone, lead singer Mike Brandon was full of raw energy. He was a blur onstage most of the time, legs thrashing, arms flailing, jumping and just going crazy with the microphone. He had a really great voice too - it was perfect for the bluesy 60s garage sound they were going for. The band played loud: a wall of guitar riffs with a pounding bass line and thunderous drums. Their sound was massive for just four people.

The songs themselves were absolute nonstop action. They seemed to move from really fast overgained guitar-driven rockouts to slow bluesy bass groves on a whim, and the dichotomy of these two never got old. How they managed to keep up all that energy for the entire show, I'll never know. After walking onstage, they assaulted us for what felt like a scant 20 minutes, then they were done. I wanted way more. I know they played for over an hour, but seriously, it was still way too short.

After the show wound down and the world settled back on its axis, I picked up a copy of their album Teenage Catgirls and The Mystery Lights Show. It's good, but it really doesn't capture what these guys are all about. It's slower and quieter than their stage show, but I guess that's not a surprise as their sound was monstrous onstage. All the same songs are there, but the execution just isn't the same. Anyway, you can listen to the album and snag a copy from Closet Trekkie if you're interested.

It looks like after the few East Coast shows they've done in the past few days, they're heading back to CA. If they ever make it back to CT, it's definitely worthwhile to check them out. It was a hell of a show, absolutely the most energetic and charged shows I've heard in a long time.


Surf Nite! takes place on Thursdays at Two Boots in Bridgeport, and comes at you courtesy of Bobby D.

The Mystery Lights and The Villains

This Thursday evening, Surf Nite! at Two Boots has a special little surprise for us. A psych garage band called The Mystery Lights from California will be rocking out with local surf legends The Villians.

The Mystery Lights have some great songs with wild 60s-inspired guitar riffs. Sometimes the songs meander into long psychadelic breakdowns, sometimes they're loud yellfests. Either way, they're definately displaying a lot of 60s Detroit garage influence with their tunes. They were at Heirloom Arts Theatre on Saturday, a show I missed but heard was pretty decent.

I freaking love The Villains. They've got some great surf tunes that make you want to just rock out. My only complaint about these guys is that they don't play enough shows! I mean seriously, they rule.

Thrs, Aug 27
Surf Nite! at Two Boots with The Mystery Lights and The Villains
281 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, CT
9 p.m., $5

Thanks to both Bobby D and Tweefort for throwing this show together!

Surf Nite feat. Daikaiju

Thursday night is Bobby D's big birthday bash! It's at Two Boots, so you'll be guaranteed some great music and some great pizza. Doors open at 9. Come support what will probably be the most rockin Surf Nite yet.

Get ready for a night full of reverb from Huntsville, Alabama's own Daikaiju! In Japanese, Daikaiju means "giant monster," and with songs like Mothra Girls and Attack of the Crabwomen, the 50s sci-fi influences run deep. The band wears kabuki masks and apparently are a real great band to see live, so check em out.

Also on the bill are CT's own 9th Wave, who have been playing for years and are possibly the most well-known surf band in New England.

Also, tune in Wednesday at 4 to RewBee's World to catch the Big Birthday show with Bobby D, Witches in Bikinis, Sean Kershaw, Blue StingRaye, Daijaiku and More! RewBee's World is a LIVE Indienet Radio/Video Talk Show that focuses on music and the people who bring it to you. The live call in number is 212-283-3437.

Tune in, call in and turn it up!

The Villains

So the other day I stumbled across The Villains on Myspace, and they're the real deal. They play a blend of all kinds off 60s inspired surf, garage, and crusty guitar tunes. So good! There's a lot of great New Haven surf-rock bands that just seem to be popping up from out of nowhere.

Anyway, right after stumbling across these guys, I find out that they're playing a show this Wednesday, at Daniel St. And if you miss that, you can always check out Rudy's on June 20th where they're going to blow out everyone's eardrums for sure.

5/20 at Daniel Street, Milford, CT - 9:00 PM
6/20 at Rudy’s, New Haven, CT - 10:00 PM $3


Oh, and while we're on the subject of surf-rock, check out Surf Nite at Two Boots on Thursday!

Thu May 21
9pm $3
Surf Nite!
Two Boots, Bridgeport, CT

The Vultures
Zen Dudes and the Universe

Both bands are extremely kickass!

JH

Surf Nite

April 11, 2009


Two Boots
281 Fairfield Ave.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203) 331-1377

$5 cover after 9 PM.

If your inner tentacled sea beast is grumbling for a taste of buxom bikini clad blondes, I can't help you. And no, this has nothing to do with Cthulhu or a Dungeons & Dragons session. What's actually going on is way cooler - Surf Nite's 2nd Anniversary Party at Two Boots!

Things kick off early with a FREE matinee set by The Crustaceans at 4 pm.

Then at 7 pm there will be a screening of the 60's surf doc Endless Summer.

On the stage starting after 9 pm will be 9th Wave, TarantinosNYC, and The Octomen!

JD