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.

Also Artsy: The Addams Family Gathering

Friday: Opening reception @ MAC 650 Gallery, Middletown

Two of our favorite local artists and generally cool guys from around the way Joseph Dinunzio and Joseph Galluccio (Joe & Joe) present a group show with morbid fantasy flair. Considering the source, this Friday's opening reception (7-10 pm) is sure to be fun. Art will be on view through Oct. 25, but we recommend the party night.

First Thursday: Art After Hours

Are you missing out on the finer things in life because you live a dismal 9-5 existence? You can either start a club, or check out the Phoenix Art After Hours party. On the first Thursday of each month, the Wadsworth Atheneum opens its doors from 5-8pm for the Hartford socialites to mingle, drink and check out the latest exhibits. This month's party includes admission into Digging Deeper, a reinterpretation of works from the Amistad Center for Art & Culture by artists Willie Cole and Hank Willis Thomas. The evening also includes live music, a cash bar and a lecture by UHart alum Mark Dion, who creates works incorporating found objects from excavation sites. The evening's finale is a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, so don't forget to pack your leather chaps that day.

Admission is $5. The party starts at 5pm and the movie is at 8:30pm. The full schedule can be found here.

Happy Blog Day!

We've reached some important milestones here at CT Scenic, and we, for one, couldn't be more chuffed about it. First, we went to see our newest pretend boyfriend Jann Klose play at Sully's, and not only was he as charming and talented and European(ish) as we had hoped, he had actually read our blog post about himself! We're really out there, on the "web" - aren't we?

And then just hours or maybe moments after we put up a post about a douchey musical act, we got some anonymous anti-hater hate comment business. Fantastic! We *heart* anonymous! We may be barefoot (socks, actually), pajama-clad and all that, but we are movin' on up.

In any event, we aren't going "monetize" and beg our friends to please please please click on shite adverts you don't want to know about. We remain committed to our state and scene, and delivering pure, unadulterated personal whim.

Jann and Chris bask in the Satanic aura of Sully's

Scenic Farmington: Rogue Golf Cart Perhaps?

Farmington is approximately 50% golf courses and 50% traffic nightmare, a little of both in places.

What Not to Hear: Shwayze

Wednesday: Shwayze @ Toad's Place

We're not quite clear as to whether Shwayze is just the black dude or the collaborative black hole (get it? they SUCK!) that forms when that guy gets together with greasy rich douche Cisco Adler (embarrassing fameball son of Lou), but we know we wouldn't take money to go see them play, or perform, or whatever it is they do this Wednesday at Toad's Place and we've yet to make it all the way through any of their musical odes to drinking and girls and doing nothing for a living. You can try and hear them out, or better yet, just don't.

Great Opening Act: Jann Klose

Friday: Jann Klose @ Sully's Pub, Hartford

Singer-songwriter Jann Klose has an exotic back story: born in Germany, raised in Africa, high school educated in... Cleveland? Yes, Cleveland. After fulfilling his civic duties to Germany, he relocated to the U.S., eventually landing in New York City and finding success as a performer with a couple of Broadway national touring companies. He's handsome and probably has a charming accent - the "total package." And by the way, he also writes some really nice, sophisticated sounding songs, which he will perform at Sully's this Friday, as an opening act for the very unfortunately named local band Straddledaddy. We would never, ever advise supporting that band under normal circumstances, even though we've never actually heard them, so be sure and get there early, and leave early too!

Connecticut Confection: Munson's

We were en route to visit out-of-town friends when it occurred to us that in spite of our ample wit and personal charms, polite guests never arrive empty handed. Ideally those hands should be filled with some kind of booze or dessert. Because we don't wish to be enablers, and we happened to be driving past a Munson's, we elected to go with the latter. Munson's is a Connecticut original - a family run business for over 60 years and blah blah blah. They make delicious chocolate, super-rich and sweet and creamy.

And now we know they also do ice cream, but we're not talking cones and sundaes. Munson's offers a brick of vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream on a stick, freshly dipped in molten milk or dark chocolate, and a choice of toppings (like nuts and sprinkles). Or you can do it with a frozen banana - if you're really desperate! Ha! We couldn't stop giggling at the frozen banana, because we're incredibly immature. In our defense, we aren't the only ones to make that joke. We left laughing over a dipped strawberry brick and a banana, which were messy and amazing.

Phallic Artistry: Westfarms

Is it fair to call a piece of playground equipment "artistry," phallic or otherwise? Well, we suspect an artist was involved somewhere along the line - that dinosaur didn't design himself, after all!

We imagine something along the lines of the individual who famously hid a penis amongst the turrets of the Little Mermaid's castle (or didn't, as the case may be). We've driven past this rather appalling apparatus for years in the neighborhood of Westfarms Mall and been struck time and again by a certain shapeliness to his head and and neck. And bulging legs, now that we mention it. Judging by the amount of wear and tear this beast has weathered (he's basically split in half), we can tell he's been well loved by children, or perhaps abused by one too many outside gutter-minds before we came along.

Midweek Music: The Action Design

Wednesday: The Action Design @ The Space, Hamden

I used to write CD reviews for this magazine, and at first it was cool, because I was getting all published in a national publication, and oh! there's my name on the shelf at Borders. But big whoop, our target audience was apparently teenagers with questionable taste. The pay was terrible, and most of the music wasn't anything I'd want to hear a second time, so eventually it just wasn't worth it any more. Whatever satisfaction there is to be derived from writing mean-spirited snarky shit about someone's artistic effort is severely diminished when the crap artist in question is some no-name newcomer on an indie label, and not Taylor Swift or Creed or Velvet Revolver or anyone else insulated from insult by obscene wealth and success.

But once in a blue moon I'd actually get a CD that turned me on to my next favorite band, and it was, you know, and honor and a privilege to write thoughtful compliments about them and then get even linked on their website! I've got this one band (click that shit!) I even put on my iPod who appear to be sadly defunct already, and probably no one really got to know them, but they're in my rotation forever baby.

The Action Design are another hot band I got to review who were good for a good many spins. This female-fronted punkish pop band have the sound and sex appeal for bigger and better things (think No Doubt? Or Paramore, if you must) but you can see them this week at The Space, which is a kind of unfortunate venue choice for such an energetic band, but whatever, I'm sure they're gonna work it. The headliner is another all-lady band, Sick of Sarah, who also sound cool.