*It’s that time of year already: Music has returned to McLaughlin Vineyard in Sandy Hook, and native musician Morgan Eve Swain will once again be performing with THE LIZ McNICHOLL BAND.

The Sandy Hook vineyard regularly hosts Garden Jazz and Garden Bluegrass concerts on Sundays from 1 to 4 pm. Admission is $12 for adults when purchased or reserved in advance or $15 the day of the event, and $6 for children; call 426-4533. Adult admission includes wine tastings and a souvenir glass. Picnics are welcome, and the music and some tables are set up under a tent. The vineyard is on Albert’s Hill Road. Visit McLaughlinVineyards.com for additional information.

The next concert in this series will be a Garden Jazz event on June 18, and then another Garden Bluegrass on June 25. Check the vineyard’s website for mentions of specific bands that are scheduled, or just take your change – the music is usually outstanding during these events.

*MARY J. BLIGE is the first of three concert announcements this week from Mohegan Sun Arena. Celebrating her latest release, The Breakthrough, Blige will bring her current tour to Connecticut for a show on Wednesday, July 19. Tickets, priced at $55 and $75, will be on sale Saturday, July 10, beginning at 10 am, through TicketMaster vendors. Any remaining tickets will be also put on sale through the arena’s box office in Uncasville on Sunday.

*Former teen idol turned pop music legend, NEIL SEDAKA will also be at Mohegan Sun this summer, although he will be playing in The Cabaret Theatre. Sedaka has five shows scheduled – from Wednesday, July 19, through Sunday, July 23 – and tickets for all of these shows are already available. All seats are $40, and tickets can be obtained directly from the box office at the casino or through TicketMaster.

*One of my favorite performers, JAMES TAYLOR, will be returning to Connecticut this summer. JT will be at Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday, August 23, and his tickets will be going on sale Monday morning at 10. Ticket prices have been set at $50, $65 and $85 for this show.

*Also this week concerning Mohegan Sun’s music calendar, a reminder that DELBERT McCLINTON will be performing in the casino’s Wolf Den on Friday and Saturday, June 9-10, and then SUEDE has the room on Sunday, June 11. Admission to Wolf Den shows is free, but patrons must be 21 or over.

*Mocha Music Update: Marc from Mocha Coffee House sent a note over this week with info on upcoming shows at the Glen Road gathering place. This weekend the music will continue with PUNCH THE GOAT on Friday night, and then the fourth and final JOHN VOKET Paint-The-Town PurpleFest event will happen on Saturday.

INFRASONIC returns on Saturday, June 17. In July, ALISON SCOLA will headline on Friday the 7th; INFRASONIC returns, this time with J.D. HILL, on July 15; and then JOHN VOKET has another show on July 22.

Speaking of John Voket and his Paint-The-Town PurpleFest efforts, the shows that he has been performing at Mocha for the last three months will culminate this weekend with the fourth and final show that is also a fundraiser for Newtown’s Relay For Life efforts. John has been matching donations that have come in during each of his previous three shows, earning $100 in March, $200 in April, and another $180 in May. Let’s let him go out with a bang this weekend, with lots of in-person support at the show and plenty of donations that he will then take with him after the Mocha show.

John will be started his performances on Saturday at the Sandy Hook Lobster Fest (where fellow Bee editor yours truly will be working as the Lobster Lady, putting down most of the lobsters on the trays of festivalgoers – so say Hello when you get to the end of the pick-up table and I hand you your lobster). John will be playing the first set of music on Saturday afternoon, from 3 to 5:30 in the music tent prior to the arrival of Keltic Kick, who will play the evening set.

Then JV will be at Mocha for a 7:30 to 9:30 show before finishing the night at Newtown High School for a midnight performance as part of the talent show at the 2006 Relay event. Show John – and all of the wonderful people who are participating in this great effort – your support by stopping by the high school any time between 7 pm Saturday and 7 am Sunday.

*Finally this week (phew!), two more shows were announced on Wednesday by the Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford.

EARTH, WIND & FIRE with CHRIS BOTTI will be in town on Sunday, August 6; tickets – $55, $65 and $75 – will be going on sale Friday, June 9, at 10 am.

And tickets for SANTANA, who will be here on Friday, September 22, go on sale Saturday at 10, priced at $55, $65 and $85.50.

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 SHOWS

JUNE 9 — Rakim at Toad’s Place, New Haven, DJ Kid Capri and Styles P opening (all ages); Delbert McClinton at Mohegan Sun Wolf Den, Uncasville (also June 10)

June 10 — John Voket at Mocha Coffee House, Sandy Hook; The Machine at Toad’s Place (all ages); Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers at The Acoustic Café, Bridgeport (Black Rock section), King For A Day opening; Delbert McClinton at Mohegan Sun Wolf Den (also June 9);

June 11 — The Liz McNicholl Band at McLaughlin Vineyard, Sandy Hook (afternoon show, 1 pm start); Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers at The Acoustic Café, Brightwings opening; Suede at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

June 12 — Bindlestiff Family Cirkus at Toad’s Place, Magic Hat Variety Show opening (all ages); Brain Littrell at The Webster Theater, Hartford;

June 15 — Rick Wakeman at Ridgefield Playhouse with guest vocalist Ashley Holt; Zen Tricksters at The Acoustic Café;

June 16 — Shawn Colvin at Toad’s Place (all ages); Grapes of Vaudevillian Fantasy at The Acoustic Café, Doug and LeAnn opening;

June 17 — The Breakfast at Toad’s Place (all ages, 1,000th show); Bomb Squad & Jen Durkin at The Webster Theater (all ages); Mike Falzone & Sean Fournier & Jimmy McDonald at The Acoustic Café;

June 20 — Nine Inch Nails at The Dodge Music Center, Hartford, with Bauhaus and special guest Peaches; Smokey Robinson at Mohegan Sun Arena;

June 21 — Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Doobie Brothers at Dodge Music Center;

June 22 — Rock 4 Food: A Benefit for CT Food Bank at Toad’s Place, featuring performances by Jibaro Funk, The Navels, Electric Mayhem and Violet Rein; PM Dawn at The Webster Underground, Hartford;

June 23 — Joe Soup, Jaryd Torff and Friends, Tom Crowley and King For A Day at The Acoustic Café;

June 24 — Keith Emerson at Toad’s Place;

June 25 — The New Cars and Blondie at Mohegan Sun Arena; (sold out) Madonna at Hartford Civic Center;

June 26 — Madonna at Hartford Civic Center; Shawn Mullins at Mohegan Sun’s Cabaret Theatre (acoustic show, also June 27);

June 27 — Shawn Mullins at Mohegan Sun’s Cabaret Theatre (acoustic show, also June 26); Echo & The Bunnymen at Toad’s Place, Boy Kill Boy opening;

June 28 — Def Leppard and Journey at Mohegan Sun Arena; Hot Tuna at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Hawthorne Heights at Toad’s Place, Anberlin, Halifax, et al opening (all ages);

June 29 — Jimmy Buffett at Mohegan Sun Arena; Buckcherry at The Webster Theater;

June 30 — Robin Trower at The Ridgefield Playhouse; King For A Day at The Acoustic Café.