Submitted by The Buttonwood Tree
(April 25, 2024) — The following programs and events will take place at The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street in Middletown during the month of May, 2024. For information, visit www.Buttonwood.org or call (860) 347-4957 or email: TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com
Saturday, May 4, 2024 Rock, Jazz and Swing band The Modern Riffs. The show will start at 8:00 p.m.. Admission is $15.The Modern Riffs is a high energy musical mentoring group where talented high school musicians perform alongside experienced musicians. They were formed in 2008 by local saxophonist Bruce Phelps with the idea of providing an opportunity for young musicians to develop their musical skills, and gain confidence by performing in public. The older musicians in the group serve as mentors, and in turn are energized by the talent and enthusiasm the younger musicians. Performances highlight modern jazz, in combination with 70’s and 80’s classic rock and funk, along with contemporary pop. This high quality, high energy group features five horns (trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, and trombone), a female lead vocal, and a powerhouse rhythm section. Admission Link: https://bit.ly/3uCtcp3
Saturday, May 11, 2024 Bluegrass Group Sperry Creek. Concert begins at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20.
Sperry Creek brings fresh harmonies and instrumentation that hold true to the bluegrass genre. This five-piece band from Connecticut formed after some local pickers spent the height of the pandemic keeping each other sane through socially distant backyard jam sessions. It didn’t take the group long to realize that good sounds were happening. They soon adopted the name of a nearby creek, and the band was officially formed in the summer of 2020. Sperry Creek is made up of longtime musicians Scott Freemantle (bass); Marilyn Toback-Reveley (guitar); Bill Reveley (fiddle); Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe (mandolin) and Dan O’Keefe (banjo), who all share a passion for bluegrass music. Admission link: https://bit.ly/3vuZqm8
Saturday, May 18, 2024: New England-Based Singer-Songwriters Davey O and Shawn Taylor. Show begins at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $15. It’s no surprise that Buffalo, New York-born-and-raised songwriter Davey O. has been described by Buffalo News critic Jeff Miers as having “a journalist’s eye for detail and poet’s ear for the well-turned observation.” Embarking on a twenty year journey that has resulted in a collection of justly-earned, highly introspective songs, Davey crafts pure Americana that is not of the social and political consciousness, but drawn from the deep well of experience and human emotion – no hackneyed story lines, no insincere polish, just an unflinching poet’s look at life. The characters woven seamlessly into stories of which the song itself becomes the soundtrack for the movie playing inside the listener’s head.
Wandering roots troubadour Shawn Taylor weaves music from many colored threads of Americana. His fourth original CD, “Balance,” wanders from Appalachian to island groves, rock to pop, sparse folk ballads to finger-style time twisters and gut busting blues.
Taylor has won and placed in performing songwriter competitions up and down the east coast, including the Towne Crier in New York and Infinity Hall in Connecticut, and has also been awarded internationally for his short fiction. He’s played some of America’s most treasured listening rooms such as the Blue Bird Café in Nashville, Tennessee and Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia, and has shared the stage with legends and notables including Maria Muldaur, Peter Mulvey, Vance Gilbert, Pat Wictor, Scott Ainslie, Spuyten Duyvil, Garnet Rodgers and Sarah Potenza. He has released four solo CD’s and in 2017 produced a ‘pay it forward’ charity compilation CD ‘Songs For Hope,” in honor of the innocent lives lost at Sandy Hook School in Newtown where his wife Amy taught until recently.
Admission link: https://buttonwood.networkforgood.com/events/64863-davey-o-shawn-taylor
Friday, May 24, 2024: A Collection of Showcases from Connecticut-Based Folk Artists of Widely Varying genres. This show represents the first multi-act bill for our regular weekend showcase. Show starts at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $10.
Old Milk Mooney brings a classic, heartfelt folk experience to the stage that leaves a mark on anyone’s soul. His songs are expressions of his own self reflections and past battles, chosen to be shared with an audience that could stand to shed a tear and hug their neighbor. He has been releasing music online since 2021, and playing live music both as a solo artist and as a member of the band ‘Mother Juniper.’
Crashing into existence in late 2019, Captain Vampire is the project of Boston-based singer and instrumentalist Nick Paraggio. Beginning as a solo recording project, Captain Vampire is now known in the the Boston DIY scene for blistering performances, powerful vocals, and personal lyricism.
A tasteful combination of old-school sound with exciting new flair, Luke covers artists like Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters, Doc Watson, and Hot Tuna. He reaches down from the soul of the delta and is deeply inspired by the heart of the blues to influence numerous covers from Reggae to R&B with that far-out bluesy sound.
His last Album ’Ten and Two Blues,’ was released in April, 2022. His next collection of work, ‘The Theory of Hurricanes,” will be released in April, 2024.Admission link: https://buttonwood.networkforgood.com/events/71189-tal-naccarato-ft-better-than-bad
Friday, May 31, 2024: The Central City Stompers. CSS is a 10-piece band playing a vast variety of jazz styles. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20.
