New Haven Hipster Venue Drama

Friday, January 21: Treebeard, Gasoline Therapy and Murdervan* @ Elm Bar, New Haven

Over on Facebook we noticed that some of our sexy New Haven friends were attending "Elm Bar's First Show," prompting questions like "What is this Elm Bar?" and "Why weren't we invited?" Maybe we were invited... who wants to wade through all those terrible Facebook invites? Why do we have to keep clicking see all invites after we already clicked see all? Too annoying!

Well, Elm Bar is what sprouted up in the old Rudy's location. We expressed our enthusiasm for "New Rudy's" back when we heard about the proprietor of Old Rudy's getting rent-jacked out and planning to open in a new location with an extended menu of Belgian delights. We happened to drive past Future New Rudy's last night after 80s Skating with the Death Quads (which was totally awesome), and were tantalized all over again in anticipation of fries and burgers and waffles and shit promised by signs on the boarded-in-for-construction exterior. Indeed, we had enjoyed many a live gig at  Old Rudy's - starting "back in the day" with somewhat-famous friends-of-the-blog Alabama Thunderpussy, and into the Scenic era for shows by The Midnightmares and 420 Blackbirds. We felt some affection for the dingy Prancing Pony-esque atmosphere of the place, but we were mostly all about the bands and the Belgian fries, and we weren't about to cry over the loss of those icky bathrooms. 

So we thought it seemed a little douchey when we heard that "they" (the Chinese restaurant/new renters/can't-be-arsed) were just going to reopen the location as a Rudy's-esque bar. According to a recent story in the New Haven Advocate, it goes beyond Rudys-esque - tapping former bartending talent, etc. (We didn't ever go there often enough to get on a first-name basis with these peeps, so we cannot attest personally to their old school awesomeness.) This all sounds like too much sleazy scene drama from a scene that we're not really any part of for us to feel very strongly about. We'll probably check out this new venue if we like a band playing there, and we're still looking forward to the prospect of New Rudy's, and hope that it won't be like Hartford's Steve & Sully's which - after Steve got the boot/left/whatever-actually-happened a few loyalists followed to pursue alcoholism at other venues - went on to become a successful jam rock/reggae venue and drug den and Steve went on to open a failing business.

Can New Haven's hipster economy support TWO new businesses? Stay tuned to Scenic Envy.

*if bands can be bothered to have a website outside of social networking, we can't always be bothered to link them, sorry, get a blogspot, laziest thing in the world!

Butterfly Karaoke is No Joke!

The final scenic destination of this past Saturday night wound up being karaoke at Butterfly, that Chinese restaurant on Farmington Ave in West Hartford. We've already told you about (and showed you!) the joy of attention whoring in the form of serenading your friends and countless strangers in a bar. We also like to be karaoke spectators and take in the free entertainment. The thing about karaoke, is that even when its bad, its good. Be drunk. Be loud. Have fun! Just make sure you know the words, and we will probably enjoy you as much (if not more) than your more talented counterpart.














There's Little Laura Fitzscenic, subjecting the audience to her rendition of "Hungry Like the Wolf".

Butterfly's karaoke nights tend to stand out from the others we've been to for several reasons. First of all, where else can you dine while listening to live classical music of a baby grand piano, and then step into the bar, where people are getting trashed with a guy singing George Michael's "I Want Your Sex"?

Also, Butterfly crowd is known for having a more serious element thrown into the mix; in addition to your usual range of amateur singers, this place gets frequented by theater folks and those with serious aspirations of becoming American Idol contestants. The regulars include a guy who sings at least one Meatloaf song a night, so powerfully that he can be heard from the parking lot. Then there is this other guy who has been rumored to bring his own microphone. That's dedication!*

There is no shortage of attention whores in this place, so you need to get there early enough to put your song in if you expect to have a turn. The fun starts around 9:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, and usually goes until close.

A friend of the blog recently wrote this great article to help you avoid karaoke pitfalls, such as being the guy who performs "Don't Stop Believing" for the millionth time. So take notes, superstar, and we'll see you on stage!

*crazy!

It's that time again: Creative Cocktail Hour!

Thursday, January 20: Creative Cocktail Hour @ Real Art Ways, Hartford

We just love going to arty parties. There's something so sophisticated about getting drunk in a gallery instead of a bar. The next day when your mates at work ask you where you went out last night, they really missed you at Black Bear, and you're all "Oh, just this party at the premiere independent arts organization in Hartford," and then they all assume you're gay/deviant and you get passed over for promotion - nothing beats that! This month's Creative Cocktail Hour will feature a slide show (or "slam" as they like to call it - ooh, edgy) of work by various artists not obtuse or phallus-obsessed enough to be selected for an exhibition. YET! With practice and dedication, perhaps they too can one day hire professional stonemasons to build a wall in the gallery and say it's a comment about New England's heritage, in spite of looking nothing at all like a New England stone wall.

The New London Telegraph

Saturday, January 22, 7-10 p.m.: Fake Babies @ The Telegraph, New London

We've written before of our old-fashioned preference for physical record stores and hard-copy music. So we're pleased to know of another actual record store in CT - The Telegraph in New London. Not that we ever go to New London - but we're totally working on that! The Telegraph has music, vinyl, new and used. And books! Which is also exciting, because the Scenics feel them same way about our reading materials and do not prefer a Kindle.

This Saturday we could shop for books and records and check out an in-store performance by Fake Babies, who sound... interesting! They have a song called "Sophisticated Thighs," which we're pretty sure is about us. As in, they aren't fat, they're sophisticated.

80s Skating? Sure, why not.

Wednesday, January 19: 80s Roller Skating with the Death Quads @ Long Beach Skateland, Stratford

You know it's true: dressing 80s makes any social activity that much more fun, especially if, like 3/4 (OMG we have quarters!) of the Scenics, you are just a little too young and missed out on the hideous fashion the first time around. Well, we certainly weren't too young to enjoy roller skating in the 80s. And the Scenics have been on top of the currently burgeoning derby scene in CT. Wednesday night's participatory skate with the dudes of derby sounds like fun. Yes, that's right - they couldn't let chicks have this one thing. Next they're gonna want to be burlesque dancers. No really, that's nice, it sounds fun. Everything is better with hipsters and irony. Maybe we'll go! Can we get falafel in Stratford?

Let's all go to the movies!

Insomnia Theater, New Haven's almost-midnight-movie series at the Criterion, has been a source of scenic envy for years. A cheap, fun movie, preceded by cheap, awesome food at Mamoun's Falafel and cocktails at The Anchor have been enough of a draw for me to make the trip down from Hartford on many occasions. Some notable moviegoing experiences have included the nearly sold out screening of The Big Lebowski; John Waters' Pink Flamingos (you haven't lived until you've witnessed the "singing anus" on the silver screen!); Troma's Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (my alltime favorite musical/horror/comedy on the subject of Native American chicken zombies). Director Lloyd Kaufman himself was actually supposed to make an appearance for those last two, but for whatever reason, he was a no-show for both.



The good news: I no longer have to drive to New Haven for the movie portion of my favorite cheap date! Somewhat recently, the Bow Tie Cinema on New Park in Hartford started their own Insomnia Theater. A different cult classic is offered each weekend, starting at 11:30 on Friday and Saturdays. I see that January is the month for movies that scared the shit out of me as a child; The Shining, and The Dark Crystal.

While the New Haven theater is swanky enough to offer beer and wine at their concession stand, Hartford is BYOB (and by that I mean sneak in a flask).

Hartford Bow Tie has also started offering classic films on Sunday mornings, similar to the "Movies and Mimosas" series offered in New Haven. Again; you will have to figure out your own mimosa up this way.

Here is the schedule, which right now only includes the month of January.

Now we just need Mamoun's to open a Hartford location!

See ya Saturday @ Sully's

Saturday January 15: Matt Zeiner Band with special guest Laura Ganci, 9:30pm @ Sully's Pub 2071 Park St Hartford CT


The Matt Zeiner Band plays a southern tinged R&B/rock hybrid which draws from the golden age: One may hear traces of Leon Russell or Muscle Shoals. Robert Palmer circa 1974, when he was Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley. As it turns out Z's credentials are legit, but aspects of his resume have been covered elsewhere.
The band is a bit of an all-star affair, featuring guitar wizard Dennis Fancher and guerilla music retailer Ray Morant (I think he has guitar cables in his overcoat).

The evening will start off in a different mode, Laura Ganci, who was just featured on Urban Busk. In case you missed it:



Promises to be fun, I'll be at the bar sipping Jameson.

Hartford Artspace Action

Friday, January 14: Andre Balazs & Kate Callahan @ Artspace, Hartford

Saturday, January 15: [un-art] opening reception @ Artspace, Hartford

As our regular readers will know, our favorite events are those featuring friends-of-the-blog. Partly because our attention spans are too damaged to get fired up about new things, but also because we are total starfuckers, so our friends are some of the hottest talent around. So if by some miracle you're reading this but actually aren't one of our friends - by all means, check them out! We don't keep meh performers in the picture socially. It's just too awkward.

Well, it's going to be a friends-of-the-blog extravaganza at Artspace Hartford this weekend, starting Friday night with a concert by area songwriters Andre Balazs and Kate Callahan. We've riffed about Andre's good looks and "premature oldness" on the blog before, though the truth is that now we're all  kind of actually old, so maybe that joke just isn't funny anymore. But that's neither here nor there! He's this great keyboard and songwriting talent. Sometimes he goes to Bikram with us.

Saturday night there's an art opening. This particular show is a massive unjuried group thing (we are all about group things), which is just going to be all kinds of art all over the place by a million different peeps we probably know half of, along with a DJ and nearly-free boozing. So don't worry about "knowing anything about art" if you don't and just enjoy the arty party. 

Sentimental Value: Jesse Malin

Friday, January 14: Jesse Malin @ The Space, Hamden

Jesse Malin has enjoyed critical acclaim and an adoring following during his "second act" as a musician, albeit without anyone really remembering his first act, D Generation (I know I don't). He was brought to my attention by some fine publicist back in my professional journalism days. I was quite taken with his album The Heat, and I interviewed him and wrote flattering things about him for the newspaper at that time. My friends and I checked him out live, and were quite charmed by his performance. So was Northampton apparently, because he kept coming back to the Iron Horse and so did we for the next few years. Malin is a great between song banter artist and engaging storyteller (I've mentioned before that I would totally go for an all banter set by certain of music's sharper wits). Malin's onstage persona is all about nostalgia for New York city's grittier times and the heydays of punk and glam, and his lyrics often reflect a jadedness about the rock n roll life and rock n roll casualties. Malin's hipster cred includes being BFFs with my boyfriend Ryan Adams and past collabs with The Boss (who is inexplicably hipster credible in recent years... look I don't make the rules, I just observe. Let's just be glad indie rock got over that Eagles derivative business that was going around, I mean, WTF).

Check out one of my favorite Malin songs with a typically wordy introduction:

Gay Times and Happy Hours at Koji

Its a fact: downtown Hartford is not known for being a popular Scenic destination. We don't call it the douchestrict for nothing.

However, we have and will face difficult parking and the risk of encountering "bro" culture for a good cause. Our interests in film festivals, queer events, late night falafel, sexy bands and wacky parades have gotten us out there. The area also offers a variety of happy hours that range from tolerable to awesome.

One of my favorite happy hours is at Koji on Asylum Street. Koji fancies itself as a "Yakitori and Sake bar" that serves grilled veggies and meats on a stick for a dollar or two apiece, with a spicy orange mystery sauce (delicious), and carries an impressively large variety of top-shelf sake. I don't know anything about that expensive sake, but feel free to buy us a round if you see us!

Happy hour goes from 4-7, so you don't even need to rush out of work to take advantage of the half price appetizers and $5 saketinis. There is usually one flatscreen tv playing some sort of kitschy Japanese monster film, and one playing 80s music videos. On a few, smaller screens, there are photo slideshows of what appears to be a drunk Saturday night crowd, with an air of downtown douchiness. We will pass on that scene.

On Sundays, Koji hosts an "Alternative Night", which is like, some kind of weird code name for Gay Night. You can expect a Dj, sexy dancing, drink specials, and gaeity- you know, the usual. Dave the handsome bartender also clued us in to a girls night and gay karaoke being added to the mix, along with a Fag Hag Ball- fun!































Their postponed-due-to-snow-Christmas party (or XXXMas Party, as they call it) may be worth checking out this Sunday, especially for those of us don't have to work on Monday. There is no cover, but dropping $20 will get you open bar from 9-11. So, depending on how fast you can drink sake bombs and scorpion bowls, it may just work out.

Koji Alternative Night has a facebook page here.