*When VELVET ROOF plays at Laszlo’s Arts Café in Monroe next week, the audience can take home more than memories from that show. A few months down the road, music lovers can pick up a copy of the band’s live CD, which will be recorded on December 9 at the café, and maybe hear some of their own applause in the background.

Additional shows on the December schedule for Laszlo’s include a folk-rock performance by THE BRIAN DOLZANI BAND, December 8; WHO’S INSANE on December 10; and OUTSPOKEN, POINT OF VIEW and THE LIMIT, all on December 11. Details are not yet available, but check back here in a week or so or call Laszlo’s directly at 459-8889 to get the band list for Saturday, December 18, when six local bands will be featured in a folk/blues/rock jam.

*SOL DOG must have made quite the impression last weekend when the band played its first show at Classic Rock Brew Pub, because whoever does the booking at the Danbury club invited the guys back before they left the club Saturday night. The band returns later this month, on Thursday, December 23.

*Next week, WestConn’s student-run radio station, WCXI, will be hosting its 2nd Annual Can ‘O Christmas event at Tuxedo Junction. This is pretty cool: Beginning at 7 pm on Tuesday, December 7, there will be performances by TRU PROPHITZ, SGT SCAGNETTI, FANTASTIC SUPERHEROS, DJ B. BLAIR and DJ SPOOKY. Admission is $10 at the door, or $7 if you show up with a canned food item.

The food proceeds from Can ‘O Christmas will benefit the Dorothy Day Hospitality House in Danbury. Get there early, enjoy a lot of music, and bring a few cans of food with you.

*Anyone interested in purchasing a pair of tickets to next weekend’s NEIL DIAMOND concert at the Hartford Civic Center should contact Neil or Natalie Copeland ASAP. Natalie stopped in the office this week and said she isn’t going to be able to get to the December 10 concert after all, so she is trying to sell the two tickets she has.

The tickets are in Section 214, Row R. With the service and handling charges that have been paid already, the two tickets are worth $107. Contact Neil Copeland, 470-9108, or Natalie, 426-5239, with your best offer.

*Starbucks in Newtown has already been living up to its promise to bring live music to the Church Hill Road coffee house. This weekend the café will present a performance by MCJD — The Mahoney-Coyne Jazz Duet. The guitar and vibraphone duet performs the music of CHARLIE PARKER, DUKE ELLINGTON, THELONIUS MONK and CARLOS JOBIN, among its jazz standards. The duo will be at Starbucks on Saturday, December 4, from 7 to 9 pm. There is no charge to get in, and of course there will be plenty of coffee and refreshments available to purchase.

*And finally this week, tickets are still available for QUEENSRYCHE, Saturday night at the Oakdale in Wallingford ($25 and $35; call 203/265-1501; Caroline’s Spine opens), and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, Sunday night at the New Haven Coliseum (all tickets $25; call 860/525-4500 or 203/624-0033; Gang Starr and At The Drive-In) open.

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

Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks, c/o Bee Publishing Co., 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown 06470, or shannon@thebee.com. Include a phone number for confirmation, please. If you don’t have a stamp or a piece of paper or a writing utensil that works, give me a call! The phone number at the office is 426-3141. Shows listed on the calendar at club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

 

UPCOMING CONCERTS

DECEMBER 4 —MCJD (Mahoney-Coyne Jazz Duet) at Starbucks, Newtown; Queensryche at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, Caroline’s Spine opening; Steve Whiteman (formerly of Kixx) at City Limits, Waterbury, Funny Money opening (all ages); De La Soul at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, with Biz Markie and Pharoah Monch; The Brian Dolzani Band at Laszlo’s Arts Café, Monroe;

December 5 —Rage Against The Machine at New Haven Coliseum, Gang Starr and At The Drive-In opening; Sgt Scagnetti at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury, Mephiskapheles and Sifters opening (all ages);

December 7 —2nd Annual WXCI Can O’ Christmas Benefit Concert at Tuxedo Junction (performances by Tru Prophitz, Sgt Scagnetti, Fantastic Superheros, DJ B. Blair and DJ Spooky; canned food proceeds to Dorothy Day Hospitality House); Jars Of Clay at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages); Sebastian Bach at The Webster Theatre, Grey Cell Green and Groove Fiction Sex Ceremony opening;

December 8 —Sebastian Bach at Tuxedo Junction, Livesay and Rockarazzi opening;

December 9 —Velvet Roof at Laszlo’s Arts Café; Rick Springfield at the Oakdale Theatre; Leaf Jumpers at Toad’s Place (all ages), Dirty Sanchez and T. Moody Band opening;

December 10 —Peat Moss & The Fertilizers at Tuxedo Junction; Fantomas at Toad’s Place (all ages), Kid 606 opening; Who’s Insane at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

December 11 —Future Tense at Tuxedo Junction; Rose Coppola at Toad’s Place (featured performer for club’s “Band Together For Kids” fundraiser for CT Children’s Hospital; call club for details, 203/624-8623); Sevendust at The Webster Theatre, Static X, Dope and Chevelle opening; Outspoken, Point of View and The Limit at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

December 12 —Phish at Hartford Civic Center;

December 14 —2nd Annual Toad’s Place Christmas Party (call for details, 203/624-8623);

December 15 —Gregg Allman & Friends at The Palace, New Haven (no tickets yet); John Valby at Tuxedo Junction; Clutch at The Webster Theatre, Bakerton Group and Pleasure Crush opening;

December 16 —Marion Meadows’ Jazz Christmas Show at Toad’s Place;

December 17 —Gregg Allman & Friends at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard; Harvey & The Wallbangers at Tuxedo Junction;

December 18 —The Nerds at Tuxedo Junction; Leon Redbone at The Towne Crier Café, Pawling, N.Y.;

December 19 —Girls Rule The Yule at Toad’s Place (all ages), Sweeter Than Wine and Swivel Hips opening;

December 21 —Deep Banana Blackout at Toad’s Place (all ages);

December 23 —Sol Dog at Classic Rock Brew Pub, Danbury; Mighty Purple’s Christmas Show at Toad’s Place (all ages), Mollycoddle opening;

December 25 —Channeling Jim at Tuxedo Junction.

December 26 —Hubinger Street at Toad’s Place (all ages), Cubistic Jack opening.

JANUARY 1 —Post Y2K Party at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury;

January 7 —Darik & The Funbags at Toad’s Place, New Haven;

January 14 —Gargantua Soul at Toad’s Place;

January 21 —Shakedown at Toad’s Place (all ages);

January 28 — Simple Jim at Toad’s Place.

FEBRUARY 10 —The Moody Blues at the Oakdale, Wallingford.

APRIL 12 —Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Hartford Civic Center.

JULY 24 —The Slackers at The Webster Theatre, Hartford.