*Live music will be the order of the day this Sunday at Dickinson Memorial Park in Newtown. Newtown resident Jason Glander has coordinated a one-day music festival, The 1st Annual G-Fest, which will run from 11:30 am until 10 pm. Admission is a $10 donation, which will go to the American Heart Association. There will be plenty of grilled food, raffles and room to play volleyball, Frisbee and other games. The event is suitable for all ages.

The July 25 event will feature performances by DAN BAILEY, GUTTER BOOGIE, GRAVY HOUND, RETZLIB FLOW, THE MENTAL GYPSIES, THE GRAPES, DRAWN INWARD, AMNESTY, and maybe a few others.

For additional information contact Jason directly at 270-9700.

*This weekend’s show at Ives Concert Park is a reprise of the concert John Voket reviewed in last week’s Newtown Bee. PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO will be headlining in Danbury on Saturday, July 24. Showtime is 8 pm and tickets are $41 and $56 for the reserved seats, $26 for adults on the lawn, and $12 for kids on the lawn.

For last-minute tickets head over to TicketMaster or call the concert park’s box office, 837-9226. Remember that if you wait until Saturday to purchase the tickets, the concert park adds a $2 surcharge to all tickets.

*AMERICAN MORTAR ROCK BAND will be at Dean’s in Naugatuck on Friday, August 6.

Dean’s, at 191 Rubber Avenue (telephone 203-723-1844), was recently remodeled and has reopened with new ownership. Susan Washburn, the lead vocalist and a lyricist for American Mortar, says the bar has plenty of attractions including a jukebox, dartboard (and openings in its dart league), pool table, NASCAR Sundays, workday Happy Hours, live music as often as possible, and plenty of nearby parking.

“Bring your dancing shoes,” says Susan. There is no cover charge for the band’s August 6 show, which will run from 10 pm until 1 am.

*The Ridgefield Playhouse For Movies And Performing Arts released its autumn schedule last week and right in there between shows by an award-winning youth orchestra based in a neighborhood of Colombia’s poorest cities (Medellion Symphony Youth Orchestra, October 2) and a pair of performances of The Jungle Book (part of the theatre’s Pepsi Children’s Series, October 30) are three very cool rock concerts: BOB WEIR AND RATDOG on Thursday, October 7; CLARENCE CLEMONS on Friday, October 15; and BRUCE HORNSBY on Tuesday, October 19.

Weir’s show will incorporate material from his full career, from GRATEFUL DEAD material, solo releases and the current material he’s cranking out with his newest band. Tickets are $68 for the balcony, $75 mezzanine and $80 orchestra.

Clemons’ show, likewise, will offer tunes the great sax man has played while backing SPRINGSTEEN and RINGO STARR, stuff he has created for TV shows and movie soundtracks, and plenty of the material he wrote for his newest album, Temple of Soul Live in Asbury Park, Vol. II. Tickets for that show are $70 and $75.

Contact the Ridgefield Playhouse at 203-438-5795 for details on any of the shows, or visit www.RidgefieldPlayhouse.org for the venue’s full schedule.

*Tickets have gone on sale for an August 29 JUDAS PRIEST concert at Mohegan Sun Casino. Sorry that I missed getting this into my column last week. Tickets are $40 and $25; call 800-477-6849.

*SOL DOG will be at The Corner Pocket in Orange on July 24, playing an opening set for THE BOMB SQUAD. Showtime is 9:30 for Ron, Rev, Mark and Curtiss.

Both bands, by the way, were nominated for this year’s Fairfield County Weekly Grand Band Slam. Rev and the guys were in the Rock/Pop Rock division, while Jen Durkin and her band wound up in the Funk category. Voting closed on July 22 and the results will be announced next week. Winners will be performing on August 5 in downtown Stamford, so these two bands may end up sharing stage time again very soon.

*He is. He isn’t. Now he is.

Late last week I heard that TOBY KEITH will be performing after all this fall in Connecticut. Keith had originally been scheduled to be at the Meadows Music Centre – tickets for a Country Super Ticket had even been sold for three country concerts at the Meadows during the spring – and then suddenly it seemed that not only had the Hartford show disappeared from Keith’s schedule, the night he was to be performing here was being promoted for a show in Vermont.

Now comes word that the country super megastar will in fact be in Connecticut on Sunday, September 12. Tickets will be going on sale Saturday, July 31. That’s according to Country 92.5; the date hasn’t been put onto the schedule on Keith’s official website yet, however.

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

JULY 23 — Laser Spectacular featuring the music of Pink Floyd at The Meadows Music Theater, Hartford; Sebastian Bach at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Warped and Society’s Children opening (all ages); Yellowman at Toad’s Place, New Haven,  (all ages); Sammy Kershaw at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, Uncasville; Jay Stollman & The Black Rock All-Stars at The Georgetown Saloon;

July 24 — Pat Benatar and Neil Girardo at Ives Concert Park, Danbury; The Misfits at Toad’s Place (all ages); The Bomb Squad at The Corner Pocket, Orange, Sol Dog opening; The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury;

July 25 — The G-Fest at Dickinson Park, Newtown, featuring Dan Bailey, Gutter Boogie, Gravy Hound, Retzlib Flow, The Mental Gypsies, The Grapes, Drawn Inward and Amnesty (all ages); Staind at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford; D12 at Toad’s Place, Goodie Mob, Slum Village and King Gordy opening (all ages);

July 26 — Arrested Development at Toad’s Place, Spookie Daly Pride, Time Machine, et al opening (all ages);

July 27 — 311 at the Oakdale Theatre, The Roots opening; Everlast at The Webster Theatre, Buddahead opening; Carole King at Mohegan Sun Arena; Explorations at Toad’s Place;

July 28 —Fat Joe at Toad’s Place, Tony Sunshine, Frankie J, et al opening (all ages);

July 29 — Clay Aiken at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre, Ledyard, with special guest Cherie; SPAD Management Showcase at Toad’s Place featuring Elements of Motion, Downpore, Rise, et al (all ages);

July 30 — Twinkies at The Georgetown Saloon; Nina Sky at Toad’s Place (all ages).

July 31 — Projekt Revolution 2004 at The Meadows (Linkin Park, Korn, Snoop Dogg, The Used, et al); Alice Cooper at the Oakdale Theatre; Blues Patrol at The Georgetown Saloon; Kick at Tuxedo Junction; Deadwait and Aggressia at Toad’s Place (dual CD release party, all ages), Symphony of Sickness, Guerra and Good God opening.