*JEFF LaBIANCO will be headlining tonight (April 28) at Mocha Coffee House in Sandy Hook. My apologies for any confusion over who tonight’s performer will be – a previous column had his name misspelled… but sometimes I only copy and paste what arrives in my emailbox.

Jeff plays alternative acoustic guitar music, and it’s all original. Shows at Mocha generally run from 7:30 until 10 pm, and there is never a cover to get into the coffee house.

Tomorrow night at Mocha, JSwine – featuring Wayne Warwick-Williams – will return with its unique combo of authentic Australian instruments and acoustic guitar. On these instruments the group performs jazz, Australian and American folk, blues and even some classic rock. Showtime is 7:30 pm.

*Also tomorrow night JOHN VOKET, last week’s guest columnist, returns to Sal e Pepe. One week after his debut show at the Main Street South eatery in Newtown, John will be heading back for some more of his classic rock and folk backed by guitars and The Always Fabulous iPod Band.

*On Sunday morning tickets for THE BEACH BOYS will be going on sale for an August 9 show at Mohegan Sun Arena. Tickets for the perennial boys of summer are just $25 each, and they will be going on sale Sunday morning through all TicketMaster vendors. Tickets will be available at Mohegan Sun’s box office beginning Monday morning.

Sunday night the Grammy nominated LISA LOAB will be playing in Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den. Showtime is 7 pm and shows in the Den are all free of charge, but attendees must be at least age 21.

*ZOX has finished putting together its tour schedule for the rest of spring and most of the summer, and highlights include upcoming shows in many of our favorite Northeastern cities and summer stints with The Warped Tour, RUSTED ROOT and OZOMATLI. Having just played a few nights ago at Toad’s Place in New Haven, the closest upcoming events will be gigs at Pomfret School and then a show at Hopkins School in New Haven, both of which are closed to the public, and then a show at Arch Street in Greenwich that is closed to anyone over the age of 21. A hoped-for return to Newtown High School seems to have been put on the back burner for the time being.

The guys will join the Warped Tour for 11 shows, Rusted Roots dates will have the band on the road from June 30 until July 12, and then they catch up with the Ozomatli tour for July 14 and 15.

Also, the band has moved ahead with plans for the national release of its second album, The Wait, on the once legendary, now infamous, SideOneDummy Records. The album will be in stores Tuesday, June 6. In select markets it will include a bonus EP with live acoustic tracks and Zox’s version of The Pixies’ “Where is My Mind,” as well as spiffy new artwork by in-house designer and violin aficionado Spencer Swain (the Newtown native who makes us so proud).

CD release events are being planned in major Northeast cities during the week of the release, and band member and email scribe Eli Miller will be getting in touch with anyone on the band’s mailing list with information on those shortly.

Finally, Zox has one again been nominated again by the Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll in the “Best No Longer Local Act” category.

“I agree, it is a dubious distinction,” wrote Eli,  “but … we still want to win!”

Take a moment to help the band by visiting BestMusicPoll.com and clicking on the tab for “Providence.” For all other band-related information the website is open 24-7; visit ZoxBand.com.

*KENNY CHESNEY will be playing at the Dodge Music Center in Hartford on Thursday, July 27. We’ve known this for a little while now because a Country Super MegaTicket that provides admission to this concert along with Toby Keith and Montgomery Gentry shows this summer has been offered by the promoters for a few months.

Now each of those shows are being put on sale individually, and the Kenny Chesney one will be going on sale this weekend. Tickets will be available Friday, April 28, at 10 am, at $37 for lawn seating or $71 for reserved pavilion seats. Dierks Bentley will be opening. Contact a TicketMaster vendor or visit LiveNation.com to purchase tickets.

*Notes from Pollstar and promoters this week (and also from my co-conspirator in music, John Voket), include the mention of several new shows for Connecticut. Among them are KEITH EMERSON of ELP at Ridgefield Playhouse on June 24; COUNTING CROWS and GOO GOO DOLLS at Mohegan Sun on July 31; Acoustic Planet Tour featuring BELA FLECK & THE FLACKTONES, NATALIE MacMASTER & THE DEL McCOURY BAND at Ives Concert Park in Danbury; TOM PETTY and THE ALLMAN BROTHERS at the Dodge Music Center on August 12; CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG at Mohegan Sun on August 15; MICHAEL McDONALD and STEELY DAN at Dodge Music Center, August 24; The Class of 70s Tour (featuring AMBROSIA, GARY WRIGHT, JOHN FORD COLEY and STEPHEN BISHOP) at Mohegan Sun, August 24 and 25; and SHAKIRA at Mohegan Sun, September 4.

As soon as we have ticket details for any of these shows, we’ll pass them along to you guys.

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 SHOWS

APRIL 28 — Train at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre; Jeff LaBianco at Mocha Coffee House, Sandy Hook; KRS-ONE at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages); Seamus Kennedy at Acoustic Café, Bridgeport;

April 29 — Maynard Ferguson at The Ridgefield Playhouse; John Voket at Sal e Pepe, Newtown; JSwine at Mocha Coffee House; Monty at The Webster Theater, Hartford, Permanent Me opening; Lifehouse at Central CT State University, New Britain;

April 30 — Spill Canvas at Toad’s Place (all ages); Lisa Loeb at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, Uncasville.

MAY 1 — Train at The Palace Theater, Waterbury, Brandi Carlile opening;

May 2 — Lonestar at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Josh Gracin opening; Method Man at Toad’s Place, New Haven (18-plus);

May 4 — The Edwin McCain Band at The Webster Theater, Hartford, Mieka Pauley and Shades of Grey opening; INXS at Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport; Culture at Toad’s Place, featuring Joseph Hill (all ages).

 

May 5 — Fall-Out Boy at The Arena at Harbor Yard, with The All-American Rejects, Hawthorne Heights and From First to Last opening; Lisa Pulman at Mocha Coffee House, Sandy Hook; Aztec Two-Step with Dave Strumfeld at University of Hartford’s Wilde Auditorium, West Hartford.