On The Road With Shannon, edition dated June 17, 2011

*LOW ANTHEM will be headlining a benefit concert at Edmond Town Hall this weekend. The band will be in town on Friday, June 17, with Brown Bird expected to perform an opening set around 8 pm.

A Providence, R.I.-based indie folk-rock quartet, The Low Anthem released its latest album, Smart Flesh, in February, spent part of last year touring with Emmylou Harris, went on the road earlier this year with Iron & Win, and just wrapped opening duties for one leg of the Mumford & Sons tour.

Newtown resident Hayden Bates is organizing the concert, the proceeds of which will be given to the town hall’s board of managers to do renovations as they see fit. Bates met The Low Anthem lead singer Ben Knox Miller when the band was performing in Ridgefield last summer. The two stayed in touch, and when plans began forming for a series of Edmond Town Hall fundraisers Bates is hoping to coordinate, Miller was immediately agreeable to performing here.

BROWN BIRD is a duo which draws influence from country, blues and eastern European music, Brown Bird’s members are David Lamb (vocals, guitar, banjo, percussion) and MorganEve Swain (vocals, violin, viola, cello, ukulele).

“The Low Anthem — who took us to Europe with them [during the winter of 2009] and are longtime friends — invited us to join the bill when they play at The Edmond Town Hall on the 17th,” said MorganEve, a Newtown native who graduated from Newtown High School in 2003… and whose mom is probably going to be one of the first in the house this weekend when doors open for this concert. Liz Swain has been proudly keeping all of us posted on the musical goings on of MorganEve and her brother Spencer, of fellow Providence based band ZOX (who has been on hiatus, other than one show last October, since June 2010).

“Of course, I am elated,” MorganEve told me last week. “It’s obviously very special to me that I’ll be able to come perform in my hometown.”

Tickets are $24.99 each, and can be ordered through EdmondTownHall.org/TheLowAnthem.

Every dollar of profit from the June 17 show will go toward updating and restoring the Edmond. Mr Bates plans to continue fundraising efforts, with The Low Anthem show to be just the first show of a larger series devoted to this cause.

“The future of the projects is very much predicated on the response of next week’s show,” said Mr Bates, who is working with Jennifer Rogers and Newtown Cultural Arts Commission on bringing the series to fruition. Because the funds raised will all be turned over to the town hall board of managers for use in building upkeep at their discretion, Mr Bates has been given a break on the normal rental fee to use the theater.

*Saturday night, Sandy Hook musician (and cool guy extraordinaire) DARRYL GREGORY will host his next house concert at 29 Fawnwood Road.

From a note form Darryl: “Some songwriters come up with words for their songs and some don’t. On Saturday, June 18, music lovers can enjoy both forms when … Gregory pairs up with fingerstyle guitarist Buzz Turner to present an evening of songs [a few sans lyrics] and stories in a house concert setting.

“Mr Gregory’s music is best described as ‘hard-edged country, with a soft heart’ while Mr Turner plays contemporary instrumental guitar pieces in which blues, jazz and rock merge with Celtic, Latin and world influences.

“We both have an American roots sound and we both experiment with open tuning. But since he doesn’t use lyrics his music is open to interpretation and I thought that would be a fun change for the audience,” Darryl’s note continued.

Seating is limited to 25 persons and reservations are strongly recommended by sending a note to Darryl@BlueCaveStudios.com or calling 917-297-3113. The house opens at 6:30, music begins at 7:15, and light snacks will be available but drinks are BYOB. Suggested donation in support of the artists is $5.

*Local jazz duo GOMEZ&SADLON will play its next show at The Twisted Vine in Derby (285 Main Street; 203-734-2462) from 7:30 until 10:30  pm on Saturday, June 18.

*Tickets for an August 9 BRITNEY SPEARS concert at the XL Center in Hartford will be going on sale Monday, June 24, at 10 am, through www.TicketMaster.com (including in-person vendor locations) as well as www.LiveNation.com. Prices range from $26.50 to a whopping $347.

Citi® Cardmember Presale will actually start on Tuesday, June 21, at 10 am, and run through Friday, June 24, at 5 pm.

*Meanwhile, for the You (Literally!) Don’t Hear That Every Day file: Hartford Symphony Orchestra announced ticket sales this week for “The Music of MICHAEL JACKSON.”

The King of Pop will reign over the Talcott Mountain Music Festival when HSO teams up with guest vocalist James Delisco for the special event on Friday, July 15, at 7:30 pm, at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows. Led by guest conductor and arranger Brent Havens, the program will feature songs from the Jackson 5 on up to tracks from Jackson’s iconic HIStory album, including “ABC,” “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Man in the Mirror,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Thriller,” “We Are the World,” and more.

According to the press released issued by HSO on Tuesday, “Performed by the HSO and amplified with a full band and vocals, this concert will capture Michael Jackson’s distinct sound while presenting some new musical colors.” Ummmm hmmmm, sure.

Subscriptions to the 2011 Talcott Mountain Music Festival range in price from $150 to $1,420, but single tickets range in price from $20 to 45 and lawn tickets for ages 12 and under are $5. Discounts are available for tickets purchased in advance. Contact HSO ticket services at 860-244-2999 or visit www.HartfordSymphony.org for details.

*BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY will also be teaming up with HSO this summer, bringing their New Orleans style jazz and Big Band sound to Simsbury Meadows on Friday, July 8.

The program that evening includes a selection of BBVD hits, including “Go Daddy-O, Come On with the ‘Come On,’” “Hey Now, Hey Now,” “Minnie the Moocher,” “5-10-15 Times,” “Jitter Bug,” “The Old Man of the Mountain,” “Jumpin’ Jack,” “You & Me & The Bottle Makes Three,” and more

Ticket details and purchase options for that show are the same as the “Music of Michael Jackson” show above.

*If that weren’t enough odd sounding music news for ya, how about this one: STEVE MARTIN will be at The Warner Theatre in Torrington for “An Evening of Bluegrass & Banjo” on Thursday, June 30, at 8 pm. It may sound like a joke, but for the uninitiated, it isn’t: Martin began playing the banjo in 1962 with the help of friend and NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND member John McCuen. The first CD released by the man better known for his acting and comedy chops, The Crow/New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, won the 2010 Best Bluegrass Album Grammy.

Tickets are $45.50 to $100, and attendees can expect songs from this album, along with songs from Rare Bird Alert,  released on March 15 (and featuring Dixie Chicks, Paul McCartney and The Steep Canyon Rangers, the latter of which will also be performing in Torrington), as well as a bluegrass renditions of some of his previous hits (“King Tut” will certainly make an appearance). Call the Warner box office at 860-489-7180 or visit www.WarnerTheatre.org.

*Tickets for TOBY KEITH’s September 16 concert at The Comcast Theatre in Hartford, which had previously been available only as part of the Country Super Ticket, will be available for that show only beginning Friday, June 17, at 10 am. Reserved seats are $74.25 and $89 (although ask about the limited number of Hellraiser 2 for $40 reserved seats), while lawn seating is $24.75. Visit www.LiveNation.com or call 800-745-3000 for details.

Eric Church will open.

*And finally this week a reminder for anyone who was planning to hit Mohegan Sun Casino’s Wolf Den next week for the BLUES TRAVELER show: The June 24 show was cancelled last month. MC HAMMER will instead be playing a free show in the Wolf Den next Friday night.

It’d be a heck of a surprise to drive to Uncasville expecting John Popper and crew only to find out you’re in for an evening of Hammertime.

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

gomery with The Uptown Horns, and James Cotton with special guest Billy Squier (festival continues June 19); Gomez&Sadlon at The Twisted Vine, Derby; Hat City at The Redding Roadhouse, Redding.