Local music enthusiast Crystal “Kissy” Willard won’t quite cop to which birthday she’s celebrating during her birthday bash in the banquet hall of Club Meadows this Saturday, Dec. 10. But the seasoned scenester will admit that at least two of three bands she selected to perform at said shindig take her back to the vibrant musical community she fondly recalls as a teen.
“I caught Black Heart Epidemic at Geraldine’s one night, Crescent Hill at Sierra Grille on another, and I was just floored by them both,” she exclaims. “These newer bands literally resurrected my faith in live shows and what the scene can be at its best.”
Joining Kissy’s sonic youth are scene stalwarts the Uncomfortables.
“Always a band I can depend on to party with,” she notes. “I love those guys and the music they play, so when I think of an awesome lineup for any show, they are always keepers in mind.”
Cover charge is $5, with 100 percent of the proceeds going towards the bash and the bands. For more information, call (413) 733-7290.
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In other news… what the GT Project may lack in the moniker-making department (the band name is derived from the initials of founding members Mike George and Tom Terry), it will more than make up for with musical talent and special guests this Saturday. The GT-ers are slated to perform at the Southwick Inn (southwickinn.com) Dec. 10, and, according to Terry, no less than the likes of Jason Arnold (the drummer best known for his work with soulstress Latayna Farell) and Southwick High School teacher/saxophonist Adam Call (who also rocks the brass for the Floyd Patterson Band) will help the duo share with their audience the sonic sugarplums that have been dancing in their heads.
“Rock, soul, blues classic to Motown and Hendrix—we have our own arrangements for all of them,” Terry says. “Plus, with some of the other surprise singers we have showing up, it’s really shaping up to be a special evening for anyone interested in great musicianship.”
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Next up, a program note: A freak weather event (specifically, Hurricane Irene) may have quelled a rare opportunity to catch some of the Valley’s top performers under one roof earlier this summer. But like a phonic Phoenix, the Valley Rising compilation concert will emerge from the debris once again for a Dec. 11 Iron Horse (iheg.com) makeup engagement.
Valley Rising is a project aimed at shining the spotlight on a solid cross section of the area’s most prominent independent artists. Among the CD contributors scheduled to participate in Sunday’s live event are singer/songwriter Joshua Meltzer, Amherst-based Afro-beaters Wolfman Conspiracy, Infinite August and Noho folk rockers Darlingside. Tickets are $12.50 in advance, $15 at the door; proceeds will benefit both the artists and the Northampton Community Music Center. Doors open at 7 p.m.
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Last but not least, an audio adieu to the Mambo Sons, who closed the book on a 12-year career at Black-eyed Sally’s in Hartford earlier this month.
“We recorded four CDs and had Rick Derringer as a special guest on guitar and Kenny Aaronson [who’s played with Derringer, Keith Richards and Bob Dylan] on drums,” Mambo-man Scott Lawson Pomeroy says. “All of our accomplishments didn’t always translate when playing in a small club, however. Live, we never truly found our place.”
While the Mambo Sons have officially bid sayonara to area stages, Pomeroy hints that assorted Mambo amalgamations and collaborations may someday surface from the studio: “My bandmates and I are all good friends, and I am hoping we all get together to record some songs for one of my solo projects in the very near future.”
To monitor such activity, kindly point your browser to scottpomeroy.com.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, PO Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
