It was, in a word, "Jam-tastic"! I'm talking about Black Rock Rocks, an annual event in Black Rock, a small area nestled between Fairfield and Bridgeport. The Mardi Gras styled day was filled with good music, good people and it went really well. I had the pleasure of emceeing, so I had my schedule in hand for most of the night, to make sure I didn't miss my next stage announcement, raffle prize winners, tip your bartenders speech. I started at Neutral Ground (former Lady Luck), to introduce the Michael Cleary Band, or MCB (not to be confused with the Mike Cusato Band). It was early, but they rocked it. I headed across the street next to wrap up Iron Chicken Foot. They were playing in Marty's Brick Oven pizza. Small venue, with a big pepperoni smell. It was two dudes, one with a fiddle and the other with a banjo. They were pretty tight, sounded good. Next up, Acoustic Cafe to introduce King For a Day, a new and improved KFAD, if I may. Three guys with guitars and mics, sitting on stools, perfect for the stage at Acoustic Cafe. They were...AWESOME. Granted, I am biased. I know these fellas, I interviewed Benj, Dan and Randy last year for an article for the Fairfield Weekly when they released their rock CD. This time, they were broken down, minus a drummer (although I told them I am planning to take cajon lessons, and they told me to call them when I was ready to play with them. HA!). They really were fantastic. They rocked their harmonies, songs are a little different....good music. More and more people came in to listen...filled up the dance floor area, where there are usually small tables and chairs, right in front of the stage. The Acoustic Cafe is a great place to see shows. Intimate, comfortable, with cool paintings on the walls and nice bartenders. Bands of all genres play there, and there's a pretty diverse open mic scene on Tuesday nights, as well. I then popped back across the street to intro Otis and the Hurricanes. My friend Doug, who occasionally plays with my brother, is one of the sax players in this band--that was a nice surprise. They've been doing this a loooong time. And it shows. They got Neutral Ground rocking, quickly. Back over to the Acoustic Cafe to introduce my friend Renard Boissiere and his band Nardy Boy. You see, this is Renard's Christmas, Mardi Gras time. He is from New Orleans, and doesn't really need to play with anyone else, in that he can make all the horn sounds with his...mouth. But he does have a band and they were FANTASTIC! They made everyone move in song #1. A cool side note, the dude on drums Michael Paolucci, was ON BANJO in Iron Chicken Foot! Multi-talented. A lot of these guys/gals are. Many of them lend their talents to several bands, which means more musical goodness for us. Every time I went on stage, I'd say "I'm Kristen Cusato from News 8, but I'm really just a big groupie..." Tis true. And I like it when I get new bands to dig. The last one I intro'd at Neutral Ground is on my list. The Primate Fiasco is a band out of Massachusetts, they played The Gathering of the Vibes last year...and it's like the crazy members of my high school concert band...on steroids! Tuba? check. Clarinet? check. Trumpet? check. Banjo player? check. They started across the street at Acoustic Cafe and led a parade of folks over to the bar, where they paused to plug in...and let the tv girl say a few words. Think Squirrel Nut Zippers. They played themes from Star Wars, 2001 A Space Odyssey. And this is just a few hours after they played...a funeral. They look like college kids...they make adults dance around with no cares, they were very fun. You should check them out if you get a chance.
Thanks to Nicole and Angel and Juan and Darian and all the other folks who made it a great, smooth, musical night...twas most enjoyable. Thank you for including me. And proving, once again, that Black Rock, does indeed, Rock!!!
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