*The regular season at upper Fairfield County’s best-kept concert secret begins Saturday, July 8, with NATALIE MERCHANT. Tickets are still available for the former 10,000 Maniacs lead singer, who has built a strong following with her three solo albums (the studio releases Tigerlily and Ophelia, and the release from last fall, Natalie Merchant Live in Concert). Seats for this show are $35 and $50 in the reserved area, $25 on the lawn for adults, and $10 for ages 12 and under; there will also be a $3 surcharge at the gate for this show if you don’t have the tickets purchased or reserved in advance. Want to avoid the concert park surcharge? Pick up your tickets from the Ives Concert Park box office (also on the westside campus of Western CT State University in Danbury), call the box office at 837-9226, or visit any TicketMaster outlet before heading to the venue on Saturday.

*Newtown Youth Services and Newtown Parks and Recreation Department have teamed up to present a special concert event last this month. On Friday, July 21, “Music Under The Stars” will offer live music by two local bands, PLAYBACK and SCI-FI LULLABY. The event will be at Dickinson Park, on Elm Drive in Newtown, with the bands performing under the park’s pavilion. Gates will open at 7:30 and the music is scheduled for 8 to 10 pm. Admission is $5 per person, with proceeds to benefit the youth programs in town. Bring blankets or a lawn chair for seating; bring picnics, too, but please clean up after yourself (food will also be available at the park). In the event of bad weather, the Parks & Rec department will have a recording set up on its answering machine by late afternoon, so call 270-4335 if things look questionable.

*The roster has been announced for next weekend’s 28th Annual Rock n’ Skate Festival at Woodbury Ski Area. While the information sent in to the office this week does not indicate who will be playing which day or at what time (nor does the ski area’s Web site…), the following bands are at least locked in to perform during the July 15-16 event: FLIPSIDE (pop grunge, rock and ska), CATFISH HUNTER (funky hip-hop, rock & reggae), MOONSEED (“soulful alt-rock”), SHANGK (“psychotic grunge punk rock”), JIMMY’S SPEED RENCH (progressive rock & roll), SOLUTION (“rhythmic roots rock & reggae”), QUASI MOFFO (heavy alt-rock), INCISION (heavy metal) and SCARS HEEL (alt grunge rock).

Tickets are $15 per person. Parking is free, but if you plan to bring in your own cooler there is a $10 “clean-up fee.” The two-day event will host not only a lot of music, running both dates continuously from noon to 7 pm (with gates opening at 11), but also WSA’s Summer Fun Extreme Sports Contest, which will be open to amateurs and pros in skateboard, inline skating and biking — the street competition will take place Saturday, the vert competition on Sunday. Details on the concert or the contest, call 203/263-2203.

*The younger set has its own special event going on this weekend in New Milford. On Friday, July 7, The Maxx will be celebrating its grand reopening with the return of radio 104fest performers ADIOS PANTALONES. Doors at 94 Railroad Street will be opening at 7 pm, and admission is $5. Food specials and what the club is calling “one of the coolest juice bars to hit this side of Connecticut” will be available. Want more info? Call 860/354-0047 or 860/210-2165.

 The Maxx is a New Milford Youth Agency-sponsored operation.

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

JULY 7 — Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes at Summertime Festival of the Arts at CityCenter, Danbury (free outdoor concert, begins 7:30 pm; call 792-1711 after 3 pm if rain); Adios Pantalones at The Maxx, New Milford (New Milford Youth Agency event); Invaderz From Marz at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Earth, Wind & Fire at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford; George Clinton & Parliament at Toad’s Place, New Haven, Rearview opening; Zero Chance and Bakwash at Laszlo’s Arts Café, Monroe;

July 8 — Kiss at The Meadows, Skid Row and Ted Nugent opening; Natalie Merchant at Ives Concert Park, Danbury, Wilco and Carrie opening; Stone Groove and Electric Pimps at Laszlo’s Arts Café; Fubar at Tuxedo Junction;

July 9 — Steely Dan at The Meadows;

July 11 — Brian Setzer at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard; Kottonmouth Kings at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages);

July 13 — Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Oakdale; Culture at Toad’s Place, Crucial Massive opening (all ages);

July 14 — The Moody Blues at The Meadows Music Theatre; Mighty Purple at Toad’s Place (all ages), SiMent opening; The Beach Boys at the Oakdale Theatre, The Four Tops opening; Freestyle at Tuxedo Junction;

July 15 — The Moody Blues at Ives Concert Park, The Peter Spink Group opening; Amnesty Underground and Adva at Laszlo’s Arts Café; Zakk Wylde at City Limits; Screaming Broccoli at Tuxedo Junction;

July 15-16 — Alternative Rock n’ Skate Jam Fest at Woodbury Ski Area, performances by Flipside, Catfish hunter, Moonseed, Shangk, Jimmy’s Speedranch, Solution, Quasi moffo, Incision and Scars Heel;

July 17 — Robin Trower at Toad’s Place;

July 18 — The Neville Brothers at Toad’s Place;

July 19 — Less Than Jake at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

July 20 — Average White Band at City Limits;

July 21 — “Music Under The Stars” at Dickinson Park, Newtown, performances by Playback and Sci-Fi Lullaby; Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh & Friends at The Meadows; Roomful of Blues at Summertime Festival of the Arts at CityCenter, Danbury (free outdoor concert, begins 7:30 pm; call 792-1711 after 3 pm if rain); Jethro Tull at Foxwoods Casino; The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction;

July 22 — Yes and Kansas at The Meadows; Peter Frampton at Foxwoods Casino; King’s X at The Webster Theatre (all ages); The Benjamins at Tuxedo Junction;

July 23 — Good Rates/Rat Race Choir, Future Tense and Sapphire at Tuxedo Junction;

July 24 —The Slackers at The Webster Theatre, Hartford;

July 25 — Widespread Panic at Toad’s Place (all ages);

July 28 — Peat Moss & The Fertilizers at Tuxedo Junction;

July 29 — Jethro Tull at Ives Concert Park, XRC opening; Reggae Summer Splash Festival at The Meadows with Beres Hammond, Luciano, Cocoa Tea, et al; Shadablu and Syphter at Laszlo’s Arts Café; John Kay & Steppenwolf at City Limits; Big Orange Cone at Tuxedo Junction;

July 31 — Incubus at The Webster Theatre (all ages); George Thorogood & The Destroyers at Toad’s Place.

AUGUST 3 — Playback at Colorado Brewery, Danbury (CD release party, all ages); Burning Spear at Toad’s Place, New Haven, The Lightning opening (all ages);

August 4 — Tragically Hip at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages);

August 5 — Motley Crue at The Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford, Anthrax and Megadeth opening;

August 6 — Duran Duran at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford;

August 9 — Santana at The Meadows Music Theatre, Macy Gray opening;

August 10 — Kid Rock at The Meadows Music Theatre; King Diamond at City Limits, Waterbury;

August 11 — Fishbone at Toad’s Place (all ages), Slackjar and 6 Under Par opening;

August 12 — Dave Mason Band at Summertime Festival of the Arts at CityCenter, Danbury (free outdoor concert, begins 7:30 pm; call 792-1711 after 3 pm if rain)

August 12-13 — Chicago at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard;

August 22 — Little Feat at Toad’s Place;

August 23 — Live and Counting Crows at The Meadows;

August 23-24 — Eddie Money at Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville;

August 25-27 — Dave Matthews Band at The Meadows;

August 29 — The Saw Doctors at Toad’s Place.