The Hub Kings
Live Music/CD Release Party
The Hub Kings call their sound Mondo Lounge. It's mondo alright, and it's loungey, but it's also very Memphis soul-y thanks to Hub King Jonathan Tristram's percolating Hammond organ. Throw in some bop jazz and groove happy funk and you're getting close. Huffing behind a bank of old-school keyboards, The Hub Kings plow into their songs with abandon, slapping and whacking their keys with inspired malice. Jimmy Smith, the reigning B3 player of all time, was instrumental in ushering in the soul-jazz genre, and the Kings pay him tribute,replicating what he called "the slow blues stroll" and covering Jimmy greats like "The Sermon" and "Back at the Chicken Shack." In addition to a slew of originals, they'll also cover Robert Walter gems like "Don't Hate, Congratulate," and the hard (sleigh)driving version of "Winter Wonderland" from Robbie's Christmas classic, In a Holiday Groove. FREE! Comp wine.8 PM, Fri. Dec 19
The Holiday Hootenanny
Steve Kaplan/Guitar & Paul Caluori/Violin
Live Music/Party
400 years of music: from Gustav Holst's "In a Bleak Midwinter" to Coltrane's groovy "Greensleaves" to classic Zep (Led, that is), with detours into Celtic folk and Victorian dance hall. Steve Kaplan and Paul Caluori bring their love of traditional folk, classical music and acoustic jazz into sharp focus by using truly acoustic instruments to perform, exploring sonic possibilities without the "clutter" of other instrumentation. Their approach to the music is deceptively simple: wring out as much emotion as possible without losing the essential structure of the pieces they're playing.
Expect a variety of spiked nogs, puissant punches, and a withering concoction called Yukon Cornelius, along with a range of baked, roasted and boiled dishes (capon anyone?), marinated tench, and an edible lifelike scene sculpted in colored marzipan. Plus Cream Wafers, Date Drops, Honey-Filled Biscuits, Cinnamon Stars, Zucker Hutchen, Fattigmands Bakkels, Drumkake, and Buttery Nut Rounds. FREE!8 PM, Tues. Dec 23
The Roadside Graves
Live Music
Their sweet-tempered country-rock is far more slippery than it might first appear and often conjures images of a roadhouse Bad Seeds. “I've drank enough to know that I've drank enough," announces front man Gleason on the world-weary “Live Slow,” the one song that comes closest to encapsulating the enduring spirit of The Graves. Performed with an uncommonly deft touch and subtle grace, their songs concern themselves primarily with the pause for breath that comes after reaching original destinations, and the long, careful glance at the atlas that comes before deciding where to go next. Joining Gleason & gang is Austin singer/songwriter Jonathan Terrill, who shared a Graves bill on their last tour and is up from Texas selling Frasier Firs on the streets of Brooklyn. Expect some rowdy Christmas covers, including "Fairytale of New York" (otherwise known as "Christmas Eve in the Drunk Tank") by the Pogues. FREE!
