Dec. 2004
It’s early December and this here’s a newsletter-like thing. Is it actually a newsletter? Is there news?
First and foremost, the Shrdlu Trio will already be back at the GW Tavern at 20 Bee Brook Road (Route 47) in
Washington Depot, Connecticut, from 9:30 PM till 1 AM tomorrow night, Friday, December 3rd. You know the story
there, good food, drink and ambiance, with a fireplace. Phone 860-868-6633. www.gwtavern.com.
The only other public gig so far this month is on Friday, the 17th, from 10 PM till 1 AM, at
59 Bank at 59 Bank
Street in New Milford, Connecticut. Same drill there….good food, drink, ambiance, no fireplace. Call them at 860-350-5995,
and visit www.59bank.com.
There is also the Open-mic every Wednesday. at 59 Bank, from 9:30 till 12ish. It’s a chance to spread your wings and
perform or watch others do so. Bring your talents. 860-350-5995
And as always, every Sunday I lead the The Open Door Band at the contemporary service at the
United Methodist
Church at 68 Danbury Road, in New Milford. The service starts at 11:25 AM Weird time, huh? Come as you are. This
month there’s also a Christmas Eve service at 5PM. 860-354-4596
There’s some new stuff on the un-official Shrdlu website at:
http://users.rcn.com/fido.javanet/shrdlu.html. The home page
is part of the cover of the menu at the Marbledale Pub and Widow Brown’s Café (Marbledale/Washington, CT). It’s a painting of a happening night in the 80’s
at the Pub, with my old band, Brother Jump playing in the upper right-hand corner. Recognize the harp player? It was painted by
my father,
Edd Ashe. Thanks to Mary Jane for constant updating.
I’ll be back with updates as needed.
Later,
Shrdlu
Dearest Shrdlubies,
Is it even remotely possible that a monthly newsletter could be later than this? Do I expect credibility with such lateness?
Well, yes. Is there a reason for the tardiness? Well, no, not a good one. Will do better next time!
Now that the month is so short I have to race this thing out of here, lest no one will know about the following gigs:
Tomorrow (!), Wednesday, November 24, the Shrdlu Band will be at a new emporium in Ridgefield, Connecticut….baby
sister restaurant to 59 Bank in New Milford. The new place is called 59 Bank Café and is located at 37 Ethan Allen Highway
(Route 7), Ridgefield, Connecticut. This is near the Branchville Railroad Station. They’ve imported the delicious menu from the
more northerly restaurant and it looks like some snazzy pizzas hazz been added. We play from 10 PM till 1 AM. The place is very
nice and can be reached by calling 203-544-0059. Check them at the website www.59bank.com. There will be no Open-mic that
night in New Milford, as we can’t be in two places at once.
Friday the 26th the Trio will be back at the GW Tavern at 20 Bee Brook Road (Route 47) in Washington Depot,
Connecticut, from 9:30 PM till 1 AM. Should be quite a scene on the night after Thanksgiving. The fireplace is back in action and
the livin’ is easy. 860-868-6633 and/or go to www.gwtavern.com. In the slight chance that I don’t get the December newsletter
out in a timely fashion, let it be known that we will be returning there on the following Friday, December 3.
The next night, Saturday the 27th, the full band returns to the Redding Roadhouse for our final 2004 appearance there.
This is another fine restaurant in Fairfield County and we will be holding forth from 9:30 PM till 1 AM. Location…406 Redding
Road, West Redding, Connecticut, at the junction of Routes 53 and 107. Dial 203-938-3388. Getchaself a nice meal and some
dancing.
On the Thursday of all this, have a nice Thanksgiving!
Peace,
Shrdlu
Hello Shrdluvites,
Cogito ergo sum, cogito. But then again, sum not really sure. Maybe I delayed writing my October newsletter so that I
could be enjoying the sun shining through multi-hued leaves, instead of last week’s green-only, as I type. Shore is gorgeous! The
air is crisp, the days are shortening. Lard is shortning. Electricity is shorting.
Briefly and to the point, all my public gigs for October are:
At roughly the time you are reading this, Saturday, October 9, from 10 AM till Noon, I’ll be fiddling at the Farmer’s
Market on the Green in New Milford, Connecticut for the last time this growing season. The farmers have an amazing variety
and quantity of produce at this time of year, all of it mouth-watering, and the ambiance is great. There’re also cut flowers to be
had as well as honey and the famous Goatboy Soaps. The market will continue for a few more weeks from 9-noon weekly for
as long as the weather and produce last, but I won’t be serenading, so getcha end-of-the-season fiddle jones satisfied.
The very night of October 9 the Shrdlu Band will be down the street rocking at 59 Bank at 59 Bank Street in New
Milford, Connecticut, from 10 PM till 1 AM. Reservations at 860-350-5995. Website at: www.59bank.com. If you haven’t
been there yet, why not? Excellent food, excellent prices.
The same can be said of the GW Tavern where the Shrdlu Trio will be holding forth the next night, Sunday, October
10th, from 9 PM till Midnight, for you early-birds. A Sunday night gig because Monday is the day we celebrate (?) the holiday
(?), which is actually Tuesday, that commemorates Columbus’ discovery (?) of a land which was already populated by homo
sapiens. Oh, well, any excuse for a party! The GW is located at 20 Bee Brook Road (Route 47) in Washington Depot,
Connecticut. Their website is: http://www.gwtavern.com, and their phone number is 860-868-6633.
As always, I host the Acoustic Open-Mic every Wednesday at the aforementioned 59 Bank of the vital statistics
listed above, and the entertainment ranges from the banal to the extraordinaire! Starts at 9:30.
Annnnd, I’m glad and fortunate to be supported by my local establishments and my friends and fans. I get the opportunity
to ply my craft and you get the chance to enjoy my music. In that regard, I will be returning to both the GW and 59 Bank this
month. On Friday, October 22nd the full band will return to 59 Bank starting at 10 PM and ending at 1 AM and on the 30th
the trio is back at the GW for the 2nd Annual Halloween Costume Party Extravaganza. This starts at 9:30 and goes till 1
AM. There are cash prizes for the best costumes in different categories and various giveaways. Last year it was a magnificent
time and this year I wouldn’t expect less. I differed in my choices of “best” last year, but who’s quibbling? Put together a terrific
costume and come vie for the prizes, dance and get down!
Every Sunday morning I still lead the Open Door Band at the Contemporary service at the Methodist Church at 68
Danbury Road (Route 7) in New Milford Connecticut. Starts at a new time:11:25 AM. 860-354-6495.
And more important than all of this is the Presidential election on November 2. I just listened to the second debate
between Bush and Kerry and I can’t for the life of me understand how anyone could be undecided about who(m) to vote for.
Tonight’s event was kind of redundant….all the same arguments/catch phrases as last week. Bush sounded less defensive than
last week, and every bit as implausibly denying as ever, so would you want him to return for four more years, with arch-villain
Cheney at his side? Not I. But whatever your choice, be sure to vote! And be sure to continue to check out
http://www.workingforchange.com to guide you in your decision to vote Democrat.
And also visit the “unofficial” Shrdlu website at "http://users.rcn.com/fido.javanet/shrdlu.html" for recent pics by Wally
Kolek and a brief video of me, created by www.exit4music.com, playing “Voodoo Love”. Thanks to Mary Jane Fast for running
the website, Doug Branson at exit 4 for the video and Wally Kolek at http://wallykolek.com for the photos.
I hope to see ya’ll soon. Don’t forget, vote early and often.
Shrdlu
Hello,
This is the prelude to the forthcoming October Shrdlu newsletter. Serial news. Tonight, Friday, October 1, the Shrdlu Trio at the
GW Tavern at 20 Bee Brook Road (Route 47) in Washington Depot, Connecticut. 9:30 til 1. 860-868-6633.
www.gwtavern.com.
Vivaciousness on parade.
September greetings Shrdluvites,
8-ball. Here I am. That is to say, behind it. Somehow I rarely seem to ever get a newsletter out by the 1st of any month,
try as I may. What’s my problem? Already, the New Milford Farmer’s Market and the GW Tavern gigs have come and gone.
September has been one of my favorite months (blue is one of my favorite colors) for the last few years, as my trio has been at
the Hopkins Vineyard, and my sextet at the
Merryall Center for the Art , in September. Never start and end a sentence with the
same word, never.
This weekend is a busy one for me, starting Friday, September 10 with the Shrdlu Band playing at the Redding
Roadhouse. I have far too few (fart oof ew) full-band gigs these days, so it’s a real pleasure to get to rock with the guys. The
Roadhouse, which is located at 406 Redding Road, West Redding, Connecticut, at the junction of Routes 53 and 107, is a
really fun place to play. People come to party, the food is great and you make your own dance floor. Their website is
www.reddingroadhouse.com and the phone number is 203-938-3388. We’ll start at 9:30 PM and play till 1 AM. Come on
down (up)….it’s our only Fairfield County gig.
I have two gigs Saturday evening, the 11th. I’ll be solo back up at Panini in downtown Kent, Connecticut, in front of
Backcountry Outfitters. This is the cool little sandwich shop that serves cool little sandwiches and soups and Gellato (Gelatto?)
and has the cool little phone number 860-927-5083. Our portion of the hurricane should be over by then I hope, because I play
outside if it don’t rain, not at all if it do. I play from
5 PM till 7 PM. All the other times I’ve played there I did an extra hour, as people were there and I had nothing else to do, no
reason to stop. This night I have to zip on down to play at……
59 Bank at 59 Bank Street in New Milford, Connecticut, again with the 4-piece band. Regular readers of this
broadsheet know that this is my main lair, where I play with the band once a month. The food is excellent with great prices, and
the people do get down. We’ll play from 10 PM till 1 AM. Their website is www.59bank.com and the phone number is
860-350-5995.
I also host the Acoustic Open-Mic at 59 Bank every Wednesday night from 9:30 PM till 12 Midnight. It’s a good
opportunity for all you musicians, singers (who are, of course, musicians), songwriters, comedians, etcetera, to share your stuff,
hone your skills and whatnot. And for everyone else to support you and enjoy.
And now for my favorite gig of the year! On Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19 come to the
Hopkins Vineyard Harvest Celebration and celebrate the year’s harvest in the lovely setting by a small pond overlooking the
vineyard. It’s a wine-tasting with delicious hors d’eouevres and an opportunity to purchase a bottle to consume on the spot and to
buy some for the future. There are case-sale discounts and you can join the Vineyard’s club and get constant discounts on their
award-winning wines. The event goes from Noon till 5 PM each day and constant music will be provided by the Shrdlu Trio,
featuring Marc Sichel and Pete Bennett. The vineyard is located at 25 Hopkins Road, overlooking Lake Waramaug, in New
Preston, CT. Admission is $10 and includes a complimentary wine glass, and children under 12 are admitted free. Un-alcoholic
beverages are provided, too. For directions, the phone number is 860-868-7954 and you can find them online at:
www.hopkinsvineyard.com.
The following Saturday, September 25, I will be at the Merryall Center for the Arts, in the Merryall section of New
Milford, Connecticut, posing as Shrdlu and Friends. Last year we were a sextet and this year we’re at least a quintet, maybe
a sextet…it’s still too early to tell! The group will consist of Larry Deming on violin and mandolin and maybe piano, Gino Zenobia
on percussion, Pete Bennett on bass and guitar, Jim Lynch on guitar and banjo, and me on a bunch of other stuff. If you were at
our Merryall show last year, you know kind of what to expect. If you weren’t, let me just say that it’s really different from what
you normally hear me/my band/trio play. Very cool, interesting stuff. Yous should be there! The place is small, the price is $15.00
(US), and I would advise calling 203-354-7264 for reservations. Check out their website at www.merryall.org for directions and
more info.
Every Sunday morning I still lead the Open Door Band at the Contemporary service at the
Methodist
Church at 68 Danbury Road (Route 7) in New Milford Connecticut. Starts at a new time: 11:25 AM. 860-354-6495.
Don’t forget to check out the
unofficial Shrdlu website constructed and maintained by Mary Jane Fast at
http://users.rcn.com/fido.javanet/shrdlu.html.
And now, at the risk of getting a few “please remove me from your mailing list” responses I want to talk politics and
mention a progressive/left website for good political commentary and cartoons. Since most of the media are letting the presidential
campaign be side-tracked by false Swiftboat ads while letting the lies about the “success” of our current wars go unchallenged,
it’s important for people to see other viewpoints. Go to
http://www.workingforchange.com for a taste of Molly Ivins, Jim Hightower, This Modern World and other voices of reason.
My opinion is that the Administration is and has always been out of control and with Cheney now implying that votes for Kerry
will lead us into more terrorist attacks on our soil, it daily becomes more important to oust the Republicans. We are definitely not
safer, no matter how many times Bush says we are. If you haven’t seen Farenheit 911 and it’s still available to see somewhere,
get on it. No, Kerry’s not perfect, but he’s our only hope for sanity and saving some of our disappearing civil liberties. Vote, get
your friends to vote. There, I sound like a rambling liberal, I guess.
So, that’s it for September. I hope to see you at some gigs.
Shrdlu
Hello,
Okay, so like one day at a time, n'est pas? As I still can't seem to get a newsletter out in a timely fashion, here's the
latest.....tomorrow.......drop your labors, drop everything, because it's Labor Day, Sunday, September 5....... GW Tavern.....20 Bee
Brook Road (Route 47), Washington Depot, Connecticut......9PM till Midnight, later if you all promise to leave by 1 AM .......860-868-6633....www.gwtavern.com.
Tonight, Saturday, I just got a last minute call from guitarist Marc Huberman, who is in the hospital, to replace him at a
Mexican restaurant in Danbury, Connecticut, called Desert Moon Cafe. It's located at the plaza at Exit 2 off Route 84, home of
Trader Joe's and Starbucks. I play from 7 till 10 PM. If you're in the area or in the mood for Mexican, or both, come on by. It's a
perfect night for a taco and a Margharita, comprende? Phone # is 203-207-0325.
Annnnnd, I'll send the newsletter this week, really.
See ya,
Shrdlu
Hello sweltering Shrdluites,
Beastly muggy it’s been in these here parts for much of the month so far, with a few
hot/not hazy days thrown in for good measure. Real August weather! Heat-seeking-insects
comb the woods searching for those of us finding respite in the cool sun-dappled shade. Fawns
are everywhere! Dragonflies dance across the fields. Thunder threatens.
As the month is flying by, out of my control, half of my public gigs have passed
already, with just the brief last minute notice I sent last week. In that the other half of my
public gigs are this weekend I’m going to be just as brief and as last minute.
This Friday, August 13 (Friday the 13th), the 4-piece Shrdlu Band will be
appearing at 59 Bank at 59 Bank Street in New Milford, Connecticut from 10 PM till 1
AM. Dancing galore, delicious eats, good drinks and camaraderie. Be there. Dinner
reservations are a good idea, at 860-350-5995 www.59bank.com
The next night, Saturday, August 14, I’ll be returning to Panini in Kent Center,
next to Backcountry Outfitters, Kent, Connecticut. 860-927-5083 is their number. It’s
outside in a little courtyard so I play from 5 PM till 7 PM, but only if it’s not raining. If it does
rain you can still get their delicious little sandwiches, but there’s no room for me!
Tonight and every Wednesday night I host the Acoustic Open-Mic at the
afore-mentioned 59 Bank in New Milford. Grab your acoustic or lightly amplified
instrument/s and come on down. We start at 9:30 and go till midnight or later as necessary.
Some great talent passes through the place.
Every Sunday morning I still lead the Open Door Band at the Contemporary
service at the Methodist Church at 68 Danbury Road (Route 7) in New Milford
Connecticut. Starts at 11:15 AM, a civilized hour. 860-354-6495. No reservations needed.
That’s it for this month. See you there?
Shrdlu
Hello Shrdluvites,
I can't seem to get the newsletter out, but here's what's up. Tonight, Friday, August 6th, the Shrdlu Trio will be performing at
the GW Tavern at 20 Bee Brook Road (Route 47) in Washington Depot Connecticut, starting at 9:30. 860-868-6633.
Tomorrow, Saturday the 7th, I'll be performing outside, provided that it doesn't rain, at the little sandwich shop, Panini, in Kent,
Connecticut, opposite Backcountry outfitters. That will be from 5 PM till 7 PM. Delicious panini.
860-927-5083.
Is that short enough notice for ya'? See ya' there.
Shrdlu
JULY NEWS
Greetings Traveller,
Here’s the wholesome news from Shrdluvia, where it’s July and it’s hot, hot, hot. Beautiful summer days are here, with cool evenings, occasional thunderstorms. There’s one now.
I have more private events in July than public. There are parties, dinner dances, Bar Mitzvahs and such at which
I’ll see some of my friends and fans, but the rest of you will have to come to the usual haunts for the fun.
And that starts tomorrow night, Friday, July 2, when the Shrdlu Trio returns to the
G.W. Tavern at 20 Bee
Brook Road (Route 47) in Washington Depot, Connecticut. We play from 9:30 PM till 1 AM, and we do get down! As
you’ve read here before, it’s a cool place with great ambiance and excellent food. Now that it’s warm out, you can eat and
hang outdoors on the porches and on the patio and still enjoy the music. You used to have to go out there to get away from the
cigarette smoke. Now that’s where you’ll find it. Dinner reservations are suggested and the number to call is 860-868-6633.
Having gotten down on Friday, I have to get up on Saturday morning and go fiddle at the
Farmer’s Market on
the Green in beautiful downtown New Milford, Connecticut. I’ll be playing from 10 AM till Noon, at which hour I
scramble outta there to play at a Bar Mitzvah party. The market has some great produce and plants, naturally-raised (whatever
that means) meats, and frolicking live goats advertising Goatboy soap, in addition to rollicking fiddle tunes. Why does rollick
have 2 l’s and a k and frolic has 1 l and no k? Tell me that!
The following Saturday, July 10, I’ll be playing solo at a new sandwich shop called
Panini , in Kent,
Connecticut, from 5 PM till 7 PM. I think the name Panini is Italian for “little bread(s)”. Pan = bread, nini = little. Or
else nini comes from ninny and it means “stupid little sandwiches.” Whichever, I had the roast beef version with
horseradish sauce last week, and it was deelicious. Outrageous soups, too. It’s located near (and owned by)
Backcountry Outfitters behind Main Street. I play outside in a little nook and it’s like playing on a village green or park -very pretty. However, if it rains, I don’t play at all, as there’s no cover (as in awning), and the actual shop is tiny. But they’ll still be serving
until 8. Bring a blanket, have a stupid little sandwich for dinner. Call Backcountry Outfitters for the phone number, it’s cheaper
than Information.
Wednesday, July 14, I will be transformed into a Medieval minstrel for a kid’s Medieval event at the
Danbury
Public Library on Main Street in Danbury, Connecticut. It’s from 6 PM till 7:30 PM. It’s said to be a jam-packed
madhouse. What am I going to wear?
The next Friday, July 16, the 4-piece Shrdlu Band will be appearing at
59 Bank at 59 Bank Street in New
Milford, Connecticut, from 10 PM till 1 AM. The usual fabulous food will be appearing also. It’s New Milford’s hot-spot.
Come dance up a storm! 860-350-5995.
Every Wednesday at
59 Bank, I host the happening Acoustic Open-mic, from 9ish PM till 12ish AM. Except
the 21st, when I’ll be elsewhere, but the Open-mic will still be happening. Come check-out/be some of the outstanding local
talent.
And, of course, I still lead the Open Door Band at the contemporary worship service at the
New Milford United Methodist Church at 68 Danbury Road (Route 7) in New Milford, Connecticut. That’s every Sunday at 11:15
AM. 860-354-4596.
And that, my friend, is what’s happening in July. Have a good month, enjoy the fireworks, and come out and see
me sometime.
Shrdlu