*Local band OFF THE HOOK is back on the road this weekend, returning to Carl Anthony’s in Monroe for a show scheduled to begin on Friday at 8 pm.

Upcoming shows this month include a return to The Rathskeller in Southbury on January 14, and then back at Jacob Marley’s in Orange the following night.

*On what would have been Elvis’ 70th birthday, Café Nine in New Haven will be hosting a special show – an Elvis Birthday Bash – by LOUISIANA HAYRIDE on Saturday night. The band features Jami from The Sleazies and Jack from The Amazing Crowns.

The party – lots of music and “special treats” to celebrate his early years – starts at 9:30 and the cover is $5.

*When the Community Coffeehouse series in Danbury resumes next month, one local band will be performing the opening set.

Kari Frawley, a Newtown resident who is heading to Australia on January 17, will lead COMPELLED through an opening set on Saturday, January 15, at 7 Madison Avenue (just off North Street, two blocks from I-84 Ext 6 westbound and about four blocks from eastbound Exit 5). The music starts at 7:30 and admission to the three-hour event is free; freewill donations will be accepted, however.

Donations can be earmarked for Miss Frawley, who will be starting studies this month at Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, a school well-known for its praise and worship education.

The lead vocalist and praise and worship leader may be heading overseas for a few years of studies, but bandmate and bass  player John Elliott recently told Community Coffeehouse organizers that while the band needs to sit down in upcoming weeks to talk about its future, there are no plans for the group to disband. The other band members are William Torrentino on keyboard, drummer Melissa Eide, guitarist Aaron Faubel and Peter Krause on rhythm guitar.

The headliner next weekend is MAEVE, a three-woman folk-pop group from Boston. The band is Rachel Taylor, Rollyn Zoubek and Courtney Reid, and they released their newest album about a year ago. The Simple and The Wonderful, which came out in March, was technically self-produced but the ladies also had professional help from Nashville producer Phil Madeira.

Maeve, named after a little girl the members met during a subway gig, is a truly egalitarian group. All three women write music and share the role of lead singer. In the writing, Ms Zoubek favors traditional folk sounds, Ms Reid adds more of an emotional rock/folk flavor, and Ms Taylor leans toward jazz/folk.

Information on the coffeehouse, which is a monthly event, is available by calling 748-4972 or visiting www.1HeartOnline.org.

The series is in its 14th year and is sponsored by Community of the Cross, a non-denominational prayer group in Danbury.

*If contemporary Christian music isn’t your thing, The Ridgefield Playhouse for Movies and the Performing Arts has a concert that’s about 180 degrees opposite on the same night, so you have a choice. RICK DERRINGER will be the special guest with MOUNTAIN, who has an 8 pm show that evening.

The band is now made up of Leslie West, with his signature guitar sound and lyric composition; Corky Laing, drumming and melody writing; and newcomer Richie Scarlet, who brings in his own style of the blues.

Tickets are $55 and $65 and can be reserved at 203-438-5795.

*If you need a MOUNTAIN fix and can’t wait until next weekend, the band will be at Toad’s Place in New Haven this weekend. Done Mama Proud, Rusty Horse and The Lost Forty-Fives will be opening Saturday night’s show. Tickets are $18.50 in avnace, $20 at the door.

AARON CARTER is playing at Toad’s Place next month. Tickets are $25 for general admission, but there are a limited number of Meet & Greet tickets also available at $75 a pop. The M&G also includes an autographed photo from young Mr Carter. The show is of course open to audience members of all ages.

*SOL DOG’s next show, of course, is also on January 15, so there’s a third option for you. Rev, Ron, Mark and Curtis will be at Café 127 in Shelton that night.

Their next show in Connecticut is Friday, February 4, at The Avenue Café in Black Rock. That show is tentatively scheduled to double as Sol Dog’s CD Release Party.

After that the guys will also be at The Georgetown Saloon on February 25.

Until next week I’ll be seeing you… on the road.

Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks c/o The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470, or shannon@thebee.com, or call the office at 426-3141.

Shows listed at club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

JANUARY 7 — B.B. King at The Waterbury Palace; Off The Hook at Carl Anthony’s, Monroe; Heather Hardy & The Lil’ Mama Blues Band at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café, Hartford;

January 8 — Mountain at Toad’s Place, New Haven, Done Mama Proud, Rusty Horse and The Lost Forty-Fives opening (all ages); B.B. King at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre, Ledyard, Kate Fenner opening; Louisiana Hayride at Café Nine, New Haven (special Elvis Birthday Bash evening); The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; The Debbie Davies Band at Black-Eyed Sally’s; Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson and The Magic Rockers at Towne Crier Café, Pawling, N.Y.;

January 9 — The Bobs at Towne Crier Café;

January 11 — The Furors with Sam Miller at Café Nine;

January 14 — Joey Belladonna at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, X-It opening; Off The Hook at The Rathskeller, Southbury; Darik & The Funbags at Toad’s Place, Green Inside (CD release party), The Gamma Rays and Milo opening (all ages); Sonny Rhodes Blues Band at Black-Eyed Sally’s; Danny Kalb Trio at Towne Crier Café, Paul Geremia opening;

January 15 — Mountain featuring Rick Derringer at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Off The Hook at Jacob Marley’s, Orange; Sol Dog at Café 127, Shelton; Mighty Purple at Toad’s Place, The SMYRK, Mike Errico, Eschellon and Home By Midnight opening (all ages); Cameo at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den; Clarence Spady Band at Black-Eyed Sally’s; The Nerds at Tuxedo Junction;

January 16 — Bile at The Webster Theatre, Circus of Dead Squirrels, Lil Bunny and Transfixed opening (all ages); Joan Jett & The Blackhearts at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den.