This Weekend: Blast from the Rather Recent Past

Friday Oct. 2: Skip Jennings @ Sully's Pub, Hartford

Saturday Oct. 3: Groovski (members) @ Cafe Nine, New Haven

We honestly don't remember a whole lot about what Soulwork may have sounded like, probably something to do with our probably inebriated state at the time, but we quite specifically remember charismatic frontman Skip Jennings, and the packed house the band drew back in the day several years ago or so. And appropriately enough, we can find no online evidence of his old band or his "Superband" he'll be playing with at Sully's this Friday, but we feel pretty comfortable recommending it anyway.

And yet we remember Groovski quite vividly, with their stilted punk rock, dueling male/female vocals, and strange, sometimes Polish-centric humor. The band fooled many a hippy into coming out for a show expecting some kind of jammy groove thang, but no - they're called Groovski because either a) they are Polish-Americans or b) the founding member grooves and he skis. Duh, obvs! Saturday night's show at Cafe Nine will not be a full reunion, but will feature original members Adam Malec and Bogdan Chudy. Malec currently performs as Human Pontiac, another strange moniker with a creatively absurd explanation.

lookin' coolski

Even if you didn't have a special lust in your heart for Groovski, Saturday night's headliner, Russia's Mumiy Troll sounds to be a force to be reckoned with and reason enough to leave the house.