*HAT CITY BLUES BAND will be making (I believe) its first appearance this month at The Spot in Bethel. The band will be at the 1 Front Street location on Saturday, September 17.

  *After nearly two decades of focusing on reggae music, Woodbury Ski Area will return to its bluegrass roots this month with a two-day Bluegrass Festival. The September 17 and 18 event will run from 10 am to 8 pm each day at the ski area on Route 47 in Woodbury.

  The ski area’s skate park will be open both days, and there will be a competition and an exhibition team performing on Saturday along with all the music. Performances are scheduled by DAVID DAVIS & THE WARRIOR RIVER, NORTHERN LIGHTS, DAN PAISLEY & THE SOUTHERN GRASS and DIGGER DAVID & THE TOMBSTONES, among others. The festival will also welcome arts and crafts and food vendors.

  Tickets are $40 for both days if purchased in advance, $25 for one day in advance, or $30 per day at the gate. Call 203-263-2203 for additional information.

  *The third annual Jamie Hulley Fund for the Arts benefit, “An Evening for the Arts,” featuring music by the national recording artists AZTEC TWO-STEP and dance by The Lee Lund Teen Company, will take place on Saturday, September 10, at the Quick Center at Fairfield University.

  All proceeds will benefit scholarships and arts educational programs in Fairfield and New Haven counties. Reception and silent auction begins at 6 pm, and the performance begins at 7:30.

  Tickets are $35. Call 203-891-8869 or send email to JamieArt@snet.net for tickets. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door.

  For more information visit www.JamieHulleyArtsFund.org.

*Rudy’s Gourmet is hosting live music on Saturday nights.

This weekend the restaurant and catering business at 68 Stony Hill Road in Bethel will host the jazz guitarist and composer CHRIS MORRISON, on Saturday, September 3, starting at 7 pm. For additional information call 743-4442. Dinner reservations are available, with seatings beginning at 5:30.

  *The Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford may not have the best acoustics for concert performances, from what I’ve heard, but promoters keep trying to get it right.

  MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, ALKALINE TRIO and REGGIE AND THE FULL EFFECT have been booked for an October 16 performance. Tickets are $19.99 and available from tickets.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 club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING SHOWS

SEPTEMBER 2 — Secret Smile CD release party at Toad’s Place, New Haven; Gandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus at Towne Crier Café, Pawling, N.Y.;

September 3 — Chris Morrison at Rudy’s Gourmet, Bethel; Dr Mudd at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; End of Summer Comedy Show at The Webster Theater, Hartford, featuring Nikki Carr, Gerald Kelly and Paul West;

September 9 — Green Day at Hartford Civic Center, Jimmy Eat World opening; B.B. King’s 80th Birthday Celebration Blues Festival Tour at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre featuring B.B. King, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa, et al; Kansas at Norwalk Oyster Festival, East Norwalk; Seth Tiven (formerly of Dump Truck) at The Acoustic Café; Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen at Towne Crier Café, also Professor Louie & The Crowmatix opening;

September 10 — In Pieces at The Webster Theater, Marigold opening (all ages, afternoon show); The Village People at Norwalk Oyster Festival; Aztec Two-Step at Fairfield Univeristy’s Quick Center (along with The Lee Lund Teen Company, for Third Annual Jamie Hulley Fund for the Arts Benefit);

September 11 — Mary Beth Sippin & Goldrush at Bethlehem Fair; Ted & Dean’s Excellent Adventure at The Georgetown Saloon; Little Feat at Norwalk Oyster Festival; Greg Brown with Bo Ramsey at Towne Crier Café, with special guest Pietra Brown;

September 13 — The Spin Doctors at Toad’s Place (all ages); Cold at The Webster Theater, Smile Empty Soul opening; Waking Ashland at The Webster Underground, Hartford, Jamison Parker, New Atlantic and An Angle opening (all ages).