*JOE PROC will be working as a DJ this weekend at The Stone River Grille, the recently opened restaurant at 1 Glen Road in Sandy Hook.

Joe, who usually performs, will be there “no guitars, no vocals,” he said Monday afternoon, on Friday night starting at 10 pm.

Saturday night the Newtown resident will also be doing a DJ gig, this time at Nuvo Lounge in Fairfield (238 Post Road; 203-256-0079 or www.NuvoLoungeFairfield.com), starting around 10. Then on Thursday, September 22, Joe will be joined by friend and fellow musician Abu for a performance under their OFF THE HOOK name, at Uncorked Wine-Restaurant-Bar, 63 Memorial Road in West Hartford (860-216-2620 or www.UncorkedCT.com). That show will start around 8, which is nice for a week night.

In addition to all that, Joe also hosts open mic nights every Wednesday night at Two Boots, 281 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport (203-331-1377 or www.TwoBootsBridgeport.com), from 8 to 11 pm.

*CRYSTAL PYRAMID will provide the music for Firehouse Ride 2011, a fundraiser for Newtown Hook & Ladder Co. #1 that returns to The One-Eyed Pig on Sunday, September 25.

A 40-mile motorcycle ride will start from and return to restaurant and bar at 71 South Main Street. Once the riders begin returning around noon there will be an afternoon pig roast and plenty of live music to continue the event, which is scheduled to run until at least 5 o’clock.

Cost is $30 per bike and driver, with $15 for passengers or general admission (same prices as last year) for those who want to support the volunteer fire company and its efforts to fund a new house.

If you need more information visit Facebook and search for 2011 Firehouse Ride & Pig Roast.

*Because of Hurricane (Tropical Storm) Irene, the Michael Jackson Tribute that was to be held on August 27 at Georgetown Saloon has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 17. The event includes a Michael Impersonator Contest, so practice your moonwalk!. 

Visit www.GeorgetownSaloon.com for additional information, or just head over to 8 Main Street in the Georgetown section of Redding this Saturday night.

*Ives Concert Park will host the return next weekend of The Greater Danbury Irish Festival. Gates open at 6:30 Friday night and the event will run that night, plus all day Saturday and Sunday, and there is a ton of great music lined up again this year.

Friday night’s performers are THE MIGHTY PLOUGHBOYS and THE HIGHLAND ROVERS; Saturday’s musical highlights include CELTIC CROSS PIPE & DRUM opening the stage at 12:30, along with FIONA MALLOY at 1:30, CC PIPERS and a Children’s Parade at 3 o’clock; THE TIPPERARY KNIGHTS at 4, ED RYAN at 5:30, KELTIC KICK at 6:30, and BARLEYJUICE at 8:30.

Sunday’s music will open with Waterbury Police Pipe & Drums on the stage at 12:30 (and again at 3 pm), along with performances by Irish Idol Finals at 1, THE SCREAMING ORPHANS at 1:30, the winners of Colors of Ireland at 4, and EILEEN IVERS & IMMIGRANT SOUL at 4:30.

In addition to all that, Newtown based GRAY SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCE will have students performing on Saturday at 1 and 3:30 and Sunday at 3:30 and 6 pm.

Tickets are $10 if you reserved them in advance (online, through the website below) or $12 at the gate each day.

The 16th Annual Greater Danbury Irish Festival will also have plenty of food and (naturally…) drink, vendors with a ton of Irish cultural goods, a children’s tent, classes and seminars, cultural quizzes, a raffle that will give one winner a trip for two to a destination of their choice among offerings that include a Super Bowl, a Pro Bowl, a World Series game, and about a dozen other major sports offerings, or Hawaii, Walt Disney World, St Thomas Virgin Islands, or a Carnival Caribbean or Alaskan cruise.

The festival is again being sponsored and presented by Danbury Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH & LAOH) and The Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center (GDICC). Additional information is available at 203-739-0010 or www.GDICC.org.

*Local smooth jazz duo GOMEZ&SADLON (a/k/a guitarist Thom Gomez and saxophone/flutist Rick Sadlon) have their next show at  The Twisted Vine in Derby on Saturday, September 24.

The restaurant is at 285 Main Street (Route 34) in Derby, the music will begin around 7:30, and there is never a cover charge… although the guys say reservations for the Birmingham Cellar are recommended by calling 203-734-2462.

Samples of the duo’s music can be heard at www.myspace.com/smoothjazzexpressions.

*Landmark Community Theatre is hosting four shows in November at the Thomaston Opera House, 158 Main Street in Thomaston. While the first show is a performance (Women Fully Clothed, Canadian sketch comedy by Robin Duke, Jayne Eastwood, Kathryn Greenwood and Teresa Pavlinek on November 10), the other three are concerts.

The November 11-12 ARLO GUTHRIE shows originally planned for The Warner Theatre in Torrington have been moved to Thomaston, and the opera house will also play host to a show by LEON RUSSELL on November 16.

Tickets for the Torrington show will reportedly transfer over to the Thomaston location. New tickets can be purchased through Premier Concerts, but I do not have prices available; visit www.PremierBoxOffice.com, which will hopefully have their website updated by the time tickets go on sale Friday, September 16, at 10 am. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 866-55-TICKETS (558-4253).

*STEPHEN STILLS will headline the Wolf Den stage at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, October 21. Josh Hisle will open the 8 pm show, which is free of charge but open only to those age 21 and over. The concert is part of the casino’s 15th anniversary celebration.

*If country is more your vein, or if you have the energy to do two nights at the casino, DIERKS BENTLEY will be the headliner in the Wolf Den the following night, October 22. Again, 8 pm, free show, age 21 and up.

*The big ticket (literally…) show for the 15th anniversary weekend will be JENNIFER LOPEZ, who will be in the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday, October 22. Tickets are $85 and $125, and go on sale Friday, September 16, through TicketMaster.

Visit www.TicketMaster.com, call 800-745-3000, or visit any TicketMaster outlet. Tickets will also be available at the Mohegan Sun box office starting Sunday, September 18, subject to availability.

*Meanwhile the casino has also announced that BOB SEGER AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND will return to Mohegan Sun Arena’s stage for the first time in four years. Tickets for the Saturday, November 27 concert will be on sale Saturday, September 17, priced at $75 and $95, through TicketMaster. See the options outlined above for TicketMaster sales.

*INSANE CLOWN POSSE’s “American Psycho Tour,” with supporting artists Twiztid and Blaze Ya Dead Homie, begins its nationwide run on September 26 and ends on Halloween night in Detroit with the duo’s 17th annual Hallowicked show.

Just before the end of that run the tour is scheduled to hit The Webster in Hartford, on Wednesday, October 26. As of earlier this week, however, the show was not yet listed on the Webster’s website. Keep an eye on it for yourself; www.WebsterTheater.com.

Tickets for a December 2 show at the Oakdale by FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, with All That Remains, Hatebreed and Rev Theory opening, will be on sale Friday morning. Priced at $29.50 whether you’re going for a reserved seat or general admission pit, tickets will be available at www.LiveNation.com.

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

SEPTEMBER 16 — Toby Keith at the Comcast Theatre, Hartford, Eric Church opening; Old School at Proud Mary’s, Newtown; Orleans with special guests Chris Barron and Wally Palmer at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

September 19 — Colbie Caillat at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

September 23 — Vince Gill at The MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Mashantucket; The Zombies (50th anniversary tour) at Infinity Music Hall, Norfolk, with special guests Acoustic Strawbs; The Mighty Ploughboys and The Highland Rovers at Ives Concert Park, Danbury (part of Greater Danbury Irish Music Festival, which continues Saturday and Sunday); Kicking Daisies at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

September 24 — An Evening with Lindsey Buckingham at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Commander Cody at Infinity Music Hall; Fiona Malloy, The Tipperary Knights, Keltic Kick, Barleyjuice, et al at Ives Concert Park (part of Greater Danbury Irish Festival, which continues on Sunday); Gomez&Sadlon at The Twisted Vine, Derby;

September 25 — Crystal Pyramid at The One-Eyed Pig, Newtown (early afternoon show, part of Hook & Ladder Firehouse Ride 2011); Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul at Ives Concert Park (part of Greater Danbury Irish Festival)

September 29 — John Hammond at Infinity Music Hall; Marc Broussard at The Ridgefield Playhouse, with special guests Scars on 45 and Chic Gamine;

September 30 — Old School at Proud Mary’s; Cheryl Wheeler at Infinity Music Hall; MADD About Dancing at Mohegan Sun’s Cabaret Theatre, with special musical guest Chuck Wicks; Grace Potter & The Nocturnals at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts (UConn), Storrs.