*MIKE TOWNSEND will be at Mocha Coffee House this weekend, playing a 7:30 show on Friday night. According to some notes from Mocha, Mike learned how to play guitar and banjo at an early age and then mastered the harmonica and mandolin after being hired as a replacement banjo player for a country band.

The self-proclaimed King of Slide Guitar (see his website address: MySpace.com/TheKingOfSlideGuitarMikeTownsend), Mike has been a professional for many years and has shared the stage with the likes of Gordon Lightfoot and Rick Danko of the Band. Should be another good show.

Then on Saturday look forward to a return by “The Dynamic Duo of Acoustic Jam,” JOHN VOKET and BRENDAN WALSH. These two put their own spin on the music of  Van Morrison, Bruce Hornsby, Gordon Lightfoot, Grateful Dead, Warren Zevon, Bob Dylan, The Church, Tom Petty, The Animals, Aimee Mann (yep!) and plenty of others. John said this week that they’re planning on “breaking out some rarely-played and brand new material” for Saturday night.

*TALE SPIN, a classic/progressive rock band “with a little rockabilly thrown in for good measure” (according to a note from the band last week), will be headlining at City Ale House next weekend. Showtime is 9 pm, but the music will start with a set by Slight Return.

Tale Spin will take the stage second, performing the music of Green Day, Deep Purple, Brian Setzer, Jethro Tull, Mountain, Moody Blues, Alice Cooper and other similar bands and musicians. The ale house is at 253 Main Street in Danbury; telephone 790-4287.

*JOHN VOKET and BRENDAN WALSH return to Mocha Coffee House for another show this weekend. The guys are scheduled for Saturday night, January 19, and showtime is 7:30.

John has a new venue on his calendar these days, too. Next weekend he will be making his second appearance at Milano’s, a very good restaurant with a comfortable bar and entertainment area in New Milford. The restaurant and pizzeria is at 10 Railroad Street, which makes it convenient to park in the lots on either side of the train tracks and an easy walk to the restaurant.

*The Palace Theater in Waterbury will host a pretty interesting show February 1: THE MARK WOOD EXPERIENCE with members of TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. Electric violinist, composer and musician Mark Wood and members of TSO will be performing with the Waterbury Arts Magnet School Orchestra as part of the “Electrify Your Strings” educational series.

Showtime is 7 pm, and tickets are available for $15 to $35.

*Later in the month the theater will host HAMMER OF THE GODS: The Led Zeppelin Experience. Tickets for the Saturday, February 23 show are $40 each. This band promises to re-create “the sights, sounds and mystical aura of a real Led Zeppelin concert in [a] concert for all ages.”

*MICHELLE SHOCKED has always offered a great live show, and her latest album celebrates that. ToHeavenURide, which was recorded live during the 2003 Telluride Bluegrass Festival, also celebrates the singer-songwriter’s love and respect of gospel music. Hard to tell what she’ll be performing when she plays Ridgefield Playhouse next month, but it’s usually a safe bet that whatever she does it’ll be good.

Shocked will headline at the playhouse on Saturday, February 2, as part of the Doyle Coffin Architecture Singer-Songwriter Series. Showtime is 8 pm, and the evening will begin with a set by rising singer-songwriter ERIN McKEOWN.

Tickets are $45, and are available by calling the theater’s box office (203-438-5795) or online at RidgefieldPlayhouse.org.

*For some reason when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast a few years ago it really got under my skin. These folks needed help, and I saw that long before the government took its time getting to Louisiana, Mississippi, et al, never mind once the paperwork started stalling projects and everything else hit the fan.

To hear that The Acoustic Café is preparing for its third annual Black Rock Rocks Mardi Gras fundraising party, set for Saturday, February 2, makes me very happy. This will be the third time the café raises funds for New Orleans folks who can still use a lot of help (Believe me, the relief work is still very much underway. I was in Biloxi, Miss., and then New Orleans, again just a few months ago and there is still a lot of work to do down there.). This year’s Acoustic Café event will raise funds for The Tipitina’s Foundation in New Orleans.

Musicians scheduled to appear include 930 MOON, DARIAN CUNNING BAND, LARISSA DELORENZO, MIKE FALZONE, CHELSEA GENZANO, COSMIC JIBAROS, NARDY BOY, DAN TRESSLER’S STRING FINGERS and JOHN TORRES. More artists will be announced as they are confirmed.

The event begins at 3 pm with a showcase of local exhibiting artists. Live music begins at 4 pm and will continue all night. Admission for $10 for adults, $5 age 21 and under, and the show is all-ages until 8 pm.

New Orleans style food, along with drink specials and Louisiana’s Abita beer, will be available for purchase throughout the afternoon and evening. The live entertainment features two stages of continuous music until closing. Items donated by various local businesses will be raffled. Local artists, in conjunction with Saginachoe Art Collective, will provide artwork created for the event, all of which is available for sale.

Black Rock Rocks Mardi Gras is made up of a group of local musicians, artists, and avid supporters of both. They share a love of New Orleans’ rich history and cultural contributions, and have a sincere desire to aid its continued recovery and redevelopment.

The café has again promised that 100% of this year’s funds go to the charity of choice, which as mentioned above is Tipitina’s Foundation. Located in New Orleans, Tipitina’s is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1997 that works to support childhood music education, the professional development of adult musicians, and the increased profile and viability of New Orleans music as a cultural, educational, and economic resource. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, the foundation adjusted its programs to contribute to rebuilding the musical culture of New Orleans.

Black Rock Rocks Mardi Gras, to date, has donated approximately $10,000 for the revitalization of New Orleans. Previous beneficiaries included the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the Higher Ground Fund.

Acoustic Café is at 2926 Fairfield Avenue, in Bridgeport’s Black Rock area; telephone 203-335-3655.

For more information about Black Rock Rocks Mardi Gras, call Angel Telesco at 203-243-3778 or visit myspace.com/fattuez, AcousticCafe.com and TipitinasFoundation.org.

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 clubs are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING SHOWS

JANUARY 18 — Mike Townsend at Mocha Coffee House, Sandy Hook; The Quake at Georgetown Saloon, Redding; Eran Troy Danner & The Hot Dallas Nights at Circa Bistro, Waterbury;

January 19 — John Voket & Brendan Walsh at Mocha Coffee House; Shoo Fly Blues at Georgetown Saloon;

January 25 — John Cain & The Blues Busters at Georgetown Saloon; The Doug Wahlberg Band at The Atrium at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard (also January 26);

January 26 — Bob’s Your Uncle at Georgetown Saloon; The Doug Wahlberg Band at The Atrium at Foxwoods; Tale Spin at City Ale House, Danbury, Slight Return opening;

January 31 — Keith Urban at Mohegan Sun Arena, Carrie Underwood opening (also February 1).

FEBRUARY 1 — Keith Urban at Mohegan Sun Arena, Carrie Underwood opening; 2U at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard (U2 tribute band); The Mark Wood Experience with (members of) Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Waterbury Arts Magnet School Orchestra at The Palace Theater, Waterbury;

February 2 — Third Annual Black Rock Rocks Mardi Gras fundraising party at Acoustic Café, Bridgeport (3 pm start, all ages until 8 pm), featuring 930 Moon, Darian Cunning Band, Larissa DeLorenzo, Mike Falzone, Chelsea Genzano, Cosmic Jibaros, Nardy Boy, Dan Tressler’s String Fingers and John Torres; Michelle Shocked at The Ridgefield Playhouse, Erin McKeown opening.

February 8 — The Doug Wahlberg Band at The Atrium at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard (also February 9); Joe Perry at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre.

February 9 — The Doug Wahlberg Band at The Atrium at Foxwoods.