*CYNDI LAUPER, who is receiving a lot of positive attention for her new album At Last, will be at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre on Saturday, February 28. Tickets for that show have been priced at $27.50 and $38.50 and they will be going on sale January 14. Call 800-200-2882 for advance details or after 10 am on Wednesday to purchase tickets.

Still available are tickets for the February 27 STYX concert at the same location. Those tickets are priced at $38.50 and $49.50.

*Newtown resident and musician J.D. HILL has finished some studies at UConn, is doing the working-for-a-living thing these days, and is currently doing a small acoustic tour with fellow UConn friend and musician Nathan Leigh. This comes on the heels of Hill having made time to release an album, 12 Steps To Killing The Past, featuring 12 songs written and performed by Hill.

Tonight is the last of a few shows set up for Winter Angst Tour 2004, taking place in local coffee house settings. Hill and Leigh will be at Molten Java, 102 Greenwood Avenue in Bethel. Showtime is 8 pm and there’s no cover charge.

*Fresh off its New Year’s Eve appearance at Ives Manor Ballroom, HAT CITY BLUES BAND continues a new year of performances with a show tonight at The Georgetown Saloon. Ron, Bill, Gary, Ed and Dave plan to be starting around 9:15.

Upcoming shows for the blues band include gigs on January 23 at Mario’s in Danbury (formerly Blues Alley, on Main Street), February 6 at Bohemian Pizza & Ditto Bar in Litchfield (cover charge will be $5 that night), and February 21 at Redding Roadhouse.

*Also performing tonight is CHARISMA, “a party band for everyone,” who promises new songs and old favorites for their January 9 show at Molly Darcy’s Pub & Grill. Showtime is 9:30. The restaurant is at 39-A Mill Plain Road in Danbury; call 794-0449 for details.

*Toad’s Place in New Haven will be closed for one more week for renovations. The historic nightclub took a break from business on January 4, and will be closed until January 15. The 300 York Street venue will reopen on January 16 with an all ages show by the Grateful Dead tribute band SHAKEDOWN. The following night the club will welcome the return of its Saturday Night Dance Party.

Beyond that, upcoming shows include GARGANTUA SOUL, all ages, on January 23; ANTI-FLAG, also all ages, on January 24; THE NERDS, January 30; THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND, all ages, on February 6; the rescheduled LIVING COLOUR show, open to all ages, on February 26 – tickets from the original date will of course be honored; BIG SHOT on February 27; DARK STAR ORCHESTRA, all ages, March 12; GREAT BIG SEA, all ages, April 4; and TOWER OF POWER, April 24.

*SLOAN WAINWRIGHT’s February 7 show at Acoustic Café in Bridgeport (the Black Rock section) has apparently been charged. The venue is now listing The Mary O’Hare Band for that evening, with no mention of a different date for Wainwright.

*If you have love the music of Elvis Presley and have the incentive to get up to Hartford tonight, Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café will be hosting a return of RAY GUILLEMETTE, JR, a/k/a “A Ray of Elvis.” Mr Guillemette is a three-time award-winning Elvis performer who performs some of The King’s most memorable songs.

The café – which (regular readers will already know this) has an amazing menu and kitchen staff, so it’s worth it to get up to Hartford for a later dinner if you can do that too – is at 350 Asylum Street in Hartford. Its website is www.BlackEyedSallys.com, but if you’re looking for into about A Ray of Elvis, I’d call the club for this one: 860-278-7427.

*SOL DOG has three shows remaining this month, including a benefit for children infected with AIDS.

Next weekend the band returns to The Avenue Café in Bridgeport (Friday, January 16) and the following weekend (January 23) it’s a return to Café 127 in Shelton. Then on Sunday, January 25, Rev, Ron, Mark and Curtiss will be headlining an annual benefit held at the simply-named bar, in the downtown area about a block from the green. This is an event that offers live music, pizza supplied by some of New Haven’s favorite pizzerias and plenty of award-winning home brewed beer.

The event runs from 1 to 5 pm, but get there early. The line to get into Bar was around the block when the doors opened at 1. The good news is, last year’s fundraiser welcomed nearly 800 people and raised over $15,000. I’ll post more information as I receive it.

*The Empress Ballroom will host HATEBREED for two all ages shows on Friday and Saturday, January 30-31. Tickets are on sale, selling quickly, and are available at the club (155 Main Street in Danbury) and Volt Records (Backus Avenue, also in Danbury, opposite Barnes & Noble/Danbury Square). The shows, like all shows at The Ballroom, are open to all ages.

*Country music fans, especially those of BRAD PAISLEY, will be happy to hear that the 31-year old has already unveiled a tour schedule for 2004 that leads right into the fall. Paisley’s new year begins with a show in Kansas City this weekend and his itinerary already has shows well into October. One of those shows includes a July 12 stop at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville. Even better, Paisley’s show will be in the casino’s Wolf Den, which means it’s a freebie.

 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 CONCERTS

JANUARY 9 — J.D. Hill and Nathan Leigh at Molten Java, Bethel; Hat City Blues Band at The Georgetown Saloon, Georgetown; The Radiators at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Girlyman and We’re About 9 at Acoustic Café, Bridgeport; Clickers, These Green Eyes and Lewd at The Empress Ballroom, Danbury (all ages); Rock For Human Rights at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, featuring Early Flight Home, Alkatraz, Eve Of Destruction, The Marty Isenburg Trio, Current Flow, Another Day Wasted, and others TBA; A Ray of Elvis at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café, Hartford;

January 9-10 — B.B. King at Foxwoods’ Fox Theatre, Ledyard; Clarence Clemons’ Temple of Soul at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, Uncasville;

January 10 — SideShow at The Thirsty Turtle, Stamford; George Boone Blues Band at Black-Eyed Sally’s; Hipnotic at Tuxedo Junction; Full Blown Chaos at The Empress Ballroom, et al (all ages);

January 11 — David Clayton-Thomas and Blood, Sweat & Tears at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

January 15 — Larry Wiley & The Blues Talkers at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

January 16 — Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes at The Webster Theatre (all ages); Off The Hook at The Redding Roadhouse, Redding; Gandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams at Acoustic Café, Bridgeport; Sol Dog at The Avenue Café, Bridgeport; Freebird and Cold Shot at Tuxedo Junction; Running From Dharmo and M-80 at The Empress Ballroom (all ages);

January 16-17 — John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den; The Lucky Peterson Organization at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

January 17 — SideShow at Stash’s, New London; The Kennedys at Acoustic Café; Parrotville at The Colorado Brewery, Danbury; Shattered Realms, The Killing and Forgetting Tomorrow at The Empress Ballroom (all ages);

January 18 — Tightrope, No Tomorrow, Strained Existence, et al at The Webster Theatre (all ages).