Get a taste of the blues this week in CT arts featuring legendary beats and new treats
This week in Connecticut arts will 'blue' you away.
A tribute to the late guitar legend George Baker at Cafe Nine reminds attendees of Baker's prowess in the R&B, jazz and blues genres, and the Connecticut Blues Challenge, which sends the victorious act to a national competition in Tennessee, is in its final round.
Van Gogh and Monet, both known for their vibrant blues, are the subjects of a multimedia 'Beyond' art exhibit at Connecticut Convention Center and the String Queens feature a violin/viola/cello combo who delves into numerous styles, from classical to spirituals to 'Stand by Me.'
Here are some of the top things to see this week.
The late George Baker settled in New Haven in the 1990s after an astounding career as the music director for Marvin Gaye, a member of the house band at New York's Apollo Theatre and as the guitarist for dozens of pop, Motown, blues and R&B acts, from the Dixie Cups to The Drifters to Melba Moore to Earl Davis and the Upsetters. Former members of his band, the George Baker Experience, and many other friends and fellow musicians will be part of a tribute to Baker marking five years since his death. The celebration is March 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Cafe Nine. Hosts include Baker's longtime friend Jo Ann Haller, Cafe Nine founder Mike Reichbart and the event's music director Lou Ianello. cafenine.com.
The 2025 Connecticut Blues Challenge is holding its four-hour finals on May 18 at Black-Eyed Sally's starting at 3 p.m. The winner gets to go to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. No cover charge. blackeyedsallys.com.
Billy Sherwood, the multi-instrumentalist who succeeded Chris Squire as the bassist for Yes (a gig he's had for over a decade), also has nearly a dozen solo albums to his name and has worked with many other bands from World Trade and Lodgic to Prog Collective and Light Freedom Revival. Sherwood, who is the son of 1960s actor/singer/heartthrob Bobby Sherman, is at Toad's Place on May 20 at 8 p.m. $40, $35 in advance. toadsplace.com.
Two long-serving pop/punk bands are on tour together, each playing one of their best-known albums (which also happen to be their respective second albums) in their entirety. For The Smoking Popes, it's their 1995 classic 'Born to Quit,' which featured the song 'Need You Around.' For the Minnesota punk legends Off With Their Heads, it's the album 'In Desolation,' released after the band signed with Epitaph Records in 2010. May 21 at 8 p.m. $32.34; $28.75 in advance. spaceballroom.com.
The New York-based New Orleans-rooted comedian Sean Patton, who's been on all the late night shows, is at Fairfield Theatre Company on May 22 at 8 p.m. $40, $35 FTC members. fairfieldtheatre.org.
Little Theater of Manchester's regular script-in-hand reading series offers three one-acts: David Ives' 'Time Flies,' Murphy Guyer's 'The American Century' and Rich Or's 'The Whole Shebang,' directed by Bobby Schultz. May 23 at 7 p.m. Free; $5 suggested donation. cheneyhall.org.
Mayday Parade is on its 'Three Cheers for 20 Years' tour, marking two decades as a band. Not only that, the Florida rockers just released the first part of what will be a trilogy of new albums this year. Mayday Parade is joined on tour by Microwave, Grayscale and Like Roses. May 23 at 7 p.m. $50.35-$136.33. collegestreetmusichall.com.
Septuagenarian horror rocker Alice Cooper, who is releasing a new album featuring the surviving members of the original Alice Cooper group in July, is doing one of his standard hits-filled shows with his usual backing band on May 23 at 8 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena. $61.85-$253.70. mohegansun.com.
Three hot soul/R&B acts of the 1990s — 112 ('Only You'), Total ('Kissing You') and H-Town ('Knockin' Da Boots') — are on a nostalgic tour, groovin' at Foxwoods' Premier Theater on May 23 at 8 p.m. $78.55-$154.55. foxwoods.com.
Cuban actor/comedian Faizon Love, who has appeared in everything from 'Elf' and the first 'Friday' film to 'The War with Grandpa' and the series 'Step Up: High Water,' does four sets at the Funny Bone in Manchester on May 23 at 7 and 9:45 p.m. and May 24 at 6:30 and 9:15 p.m. $32. hartford.funnybone.com.
The new exhibit opening on Memorial Day weekend at Mystic Seaport Museum is designed to show the massive scale and scope of the whaling industry in the United States at its peak in the 19th century. The exhibit includes a 51-foot whale-themed mural, harpoons and other tools used in whaling, items made from whale parts and much more. Opening on May 24 in the Collins Gallery at the seaport's Thompson Exhibition Building, the exhibit is viewable daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Museum admission is $32, $30 seniors and $22 youth. mysticseaport.org.
The India Arts Foundation presents an adaptation by Rasa Dance Project of a classic romantic Indian play from the 5th century. May 24 at 6 p.m. $10-$20; $10 seniors and children. bushnell.org.
A violin/viola/cello trio that plays everything from classical chamber pieces to old-school jazz and present-day pop, The String Queens are at The Kate on May 24 at 7 p.m. $42. downtownlivect.com.
The Louisiana-rooted Latin pop duo Ha*Ash titled its sixth album 'Haashtag.' Now its seventh is out and it's 'Haashville,' with a country theme. Sisters Hannah and Ashley are at the Oakdale Theatre on May 24 at 8 p.m. $30-$86.50. concerts.livenation.com.
The celebrated cellist Yo Yo joins Orchestra Lumos. The program includes Jean-Féry Rebel's Les élémens, Antonín Dvořák's 'Silent Woods' for cello, Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 5 and Josef Haydn's Cello concerto No. 1. May 24 at 7 p.m., May 25 at 3 p.m. $25-$125. palacestamford.org.
The multimedia 'Beyond Van Gogh' exhibit is back at Connecticut Convention Center (where it was first seen in 2022), and this time it's been joined by 'Beyond Monet.' These great artists' works are rendered not just in digital clarity but become the basis of fancy projection/lighting effects installations. May 24 through June 29. $29. ctconventions.com.
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High school grad goes viral for working at his Burger King job … still wearing his graduation outfit
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'She's a part of my family, and I'm a part of hers now.' He adds that he and Mendoza's daughter, Daizie, are now friends. Mendoza, for her part, is more than happy to brag about Baker if he won't do it himself. She shares that Mendoza's goal was to attend college and that he had been saving for it, holding jobs in the fast food industry since he was 16. If he didn't have enough, his plan was to join the Army, which would cover the cost of his education, a testament to his determination and resolve. 'He's incredible,' Mendoza says. "A lot of kids don't think that way." After hearing about the story, Burger King and the Burger King Foundation surprised Baker at work with a $10,000 scholarship. In recognition of Mendez's act of kindness, the foundation also awarded Daizie a $10,000 scholarship to support her studies in neuroscience at Georgia State University. 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20 hours ago
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Safe and sound: Orange County's oldest music store reopens in Laguna
Wave Baker, a longtime employee of Sound Spectrum, will tell anyone who listens that the place has 'an energy of its own.' So when the Laguna Beach-based record shop, which opened on South Coast Highway in 1967, closed in October, Baker had a feeling it wasn't over. Whether it was more than a feeling, what happened next was more than he hoped for. A music-oriented family came forward with a bid, planning to revive the business and restore the building. James, Audrey and Sadie Jean Wilcox, siblings who grew up in the nearby city of Tustin, worked together to reopen Orange County's oldest music store. After spending more than two decades working under the original owners, Jimmy and Edith Otto, Baker was asked to remain on staff. 'In a sense, I'm a bridge from the old to the new,' Baker said. 'I met with them, and we got along, and they wanted my help. I said, 'Well, I come with one condition — my left and my right arm. Travis [Garman] and Niloo [Aghaseyedali] were part of the old, and now we're all three part of the new.' James, 28, recalled visiting Sound Spectrum during surfing trips to Laguna Beach. In December, when he learned the iconic record store had closed, he called Wave. Within a week, the family had submitted an offer that was accepted. 'At the end of the day, a record store sells music,' James said. 'The special thing about this store is that it has sold music for so many decades. It sold music through the vinyl era, through the cassette era, through the CD era, and then all the way back again. 'In my opinion, the special part about this store is that it's past trends. It doesn't need to sell off of these trends. It can just keep selling music that touches people's hearts.' As for the responsibility that goes with inheriting a legacy of 57 years of service to the community, James said that Jimmy Otto created a business that could stand on its own. 'Jimmy was very much someone who could stand on his own, and he made his store stand on its own,' he added. 'We hope to keep that same energy, really forever. We believe that this store is so sacred and special. The special thing about music is that it does last forever.' James also called it a 'special moment' to have the keys to Sound Spectrum passed on to his family by Edith Otto, who also gave them a tour of the store. Audrey, 30, who is due to be married this year, compared the commitment to preserve a community staple to a wedding. 'There's like this union,' Audrey said. 'I have this connection with the former owner. … I feel like the Sound Spectrum itself is like a being of its own. I feel less that I'm the one that's deciding what happens to it and more that I'm listening to what it needs, being more like a steward to what the store wants, listening to that and making it happen. That's been my biggest source of inspiration is just what … everyone needs.' The Wilcox family's music industry experience has been driven by a burgeoning career for Sadie Jean, 23, as a singer-songwriter. James and Audrey, both of whom have business backgrounds, have helped manage her career. She has nearly two dozen shows lined up in Europe this fall, and she's preparing to release her first album later this year. Sadie Jean revealed she has been writing songs from a young age, but she was unsure if her family would embrace that side of her. 'It was so funny because once I told people I could sing and write songs, my family was like my biggest champions,' Sadie Jean said. 'Now they manage me, and my siblings manage me. My career became like a really big family thing, and my parents go on tour with me. All of a sudden, we're like a music family after being so like not at all. 'I think it just made so much sense when we found out that the record store in our community that we love was about to be gone forever. It felt so serendipitous. It was like a calling that we had to take it on and save it because music is built into our family culture now.' The return of the record store was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday evening, music pumping as people perused the aisles stocked with selections of vinyl, CDs and posters spanning the decades. Local artists also collaborate, leading restorative efforts at the store. Amanda Burke touched up a mural by Bill Ogden, and a display by Brighid Burnes in the front window depicts musicians jamming away on various instruments. 'I saw many fathers or mothers say to their kid, 'I bought my first record here in the '80s,' Baker said. 'I want that little kid to be able to say that to their kids 30 years from now, long after I'm gone. I know the importance of that feeling. … That's what I want to keep. That's part of what I want to help survive.'
