In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Stone Temple Pilots‘ debut album, “Core,” the San Diego grunge quartet (above) will embark on a cross-country tour that takes them to Foxwoods Resort Casino on Saturday, Aug. 25.
Tickets, which cost $65-45, are on sale Friday, June 1 via Foxwoods.
In a May interview with Rolling Stone, STP frontman Scott Weiland said the band plans to play “Core” in its entirety. Certified eight times platinum, the 1992 album drove the band to popularity and spawned the singles “Creep,” “Sex Type Thing,” “Wicked Garden” and “Plush.”
STP broke up in 2002 before reforming six years later for a reunion tour. In 2010, the band released their self-titled album, their first since 2001′s “Shangri-La Dee Da.”
Matthew Silverman, a senior at Weston High School, is spending several weeks this spring in the Advocate newsroom in Stamford as part of an internship program. He has been working with a number of different departments, including the features staff. The following is his first posting to Culture Cache:
Teen filmmakers from across the state and the world will walk the red carpet on June 2 at the ninth annual Westport Youth Film Festival (WYFF). The event is led by local high school students, and features youth film submissions (see trailer above).
WYFF 2012, which will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., will take place at the Bijou Theatre in downtown Bridgeport, a change in scenery from last year’s festival, which was held at the Fairfield Community Theatre, in downtown Fairfield. The festival will feature local submissions, as well as films from as far away as England, Denmark and Israel. There will be three film blocks throughout the day, the last of which is appropriate for mature audiences only (not suggested for children under the age of 13 without parental guidance).
A lineup of industry experts will judge the 75 films to be screened at the festival. These judges include producer Missy Papageorge-Sonnenfield (Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland) and VH1 President Tom Caldarone.
Festival attendees have the option to participate in various film workshops held at the WYFF Lab and the WYFF Pop-Up Shop (see website link below for full map). Workshops include 16 mm film painting, direct filmmaking, which involves bleaching and coloring old recycled film footage, human stop-motion puppets and screen printing.
Industry professionals will speak on a number of panels throughout the day as well. In “The Startup Film Generation,” festival founders Chris Casey and David Burnstein will join Brean Cunningham for a talk about their experiences starting their own production companies. Producer, author and WYFF Judge Jay Miles will address the changing landscape of film technology in “It’s Never ‘Whatever.’” The Civic Life Project, an organization that promotes civic participation through the production of teen documentaries, has teamed with WYFF 2012 this year and will host a special screening during the festival.
Adult festival passes cost $25; youth passes are $10. For more information about the festival or tickets, visit the festival website.
Stamford singer/songwriter Jennifer Harper will perform at Long Ridge Tavern on Wednesday, May 30 in support of her new music project.
“All The Love in the World,” her upcoming second album, is being funded through Kickstarter, a crowd funding website for creative projects. To donate to the project by pre-ordering the new album, visit her Kickstarter page.
Grammy nominated producers Haim Cotton and Tal Bergman are set to work with Harper on the new LP, which will be recorded at Tal’s Studio in Los Angeles.
Harper has previously performed at the Bitter End and the Cutting Room in New York City. Her debut album, “Angel in the Gallery,” was released in 2007.
Paul Simon (above) and Dave Matthews (right) performed in Greenwich Saturday at an annual celebration that brought thousands of people to Roger Sherman Baldwin Park and boaters to nearby Greenwich Harbor.
Grammy-winning Simon capped a star-studded field that included a surprise appearance from Matthews, and performances by Greenwich Musical Festival Soprano Alyson Cambridge, The Trummytones, Bob Button Big Band, Roy & The Munsons, The Bramblemen, School of Rock, Caroline Jones, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Kirk Franklin, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals and The Wailers.
All 5,000 tickets for the Town Party sold out four days after they went on sale March 15.
The first Greenwich Town Party, also held the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, featured performances by Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Buddy Guy and The Temptations.
For the full story by Greenwich Time reporter David Hennessey, click here.
Above: The African Children’s Choir, which this year features 17 children from Uganda, sings at the Palace Theatre in Stamford Saturday, May 26, 2012. Photo: Contributed photo
This weekend, Stamford is the stop for a special group of singers, who will be bringing their high-energy spirit to the Palace Theatre. The African Children’s Choir, which has been providing a positive outlet for hundreds of children affected by war, poverty and disease, will perform on Saturday, May 26. Launched by the Music for Life Institute, the group features 17 singers age 8 to 10 who live in Uganda when not on the road.
It is one of many musical acts scheduled to appear at venues throughout our area.
This also would be the weekend to welcome a white alligator to the area. “Bones” will be making his home at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk from the Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Over at the Beardsley Zoo, it will be celebrating its 90th birthday with special activities. These include an exhibit featuring an Aldabra giant tortoise and a Galapagos giant tortoise. At Mystic Seaport, lobsters of the cooked variety will be featured during its annual Lobster Days celebrated throughout the weekend. In Newtown, one can find a whole lot of plastic ducks.
Meanwhile, the Ridgefield Playhouse is planning a screening of “God is the Bigger Elvis,” about the story of Mother Dolores Hart, who also will be on hand for a question-and-answer session. (You can see the trailer of the documentary below.)
And, thanks to the Memorial Day holiday, the weekend lasts right into Monday for most people. Many towns and cities throughout Fairfield County will be marking the holiday with special events, such as parades and festivals. You can look for the list in the May 24 “Go” section, in the “Goings On” listings under “holiday events.”
Above: Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone star in “Donnie Darko,” which will be screened Aug. 30 as part of Avon Theatre’s Cult Classics series.
This summer, a motley cast of characters will dominate the big screen at Avon Theatre: an androgynous goblin king, a Los Angeles slacker, a suburban teen with Doomsday visions, a cunning and adventurous archaeologist and a a band of pre-teens who embark on a journey to unearth the long-lost fortune of a legendary pirate.
The appearances are all part of the Avon Theatre’s Cult Classics series. The summer line-up features “Labyrinth” (June 28, with a raffle off a prize from Imaginations Smoke Shop), “The Big Lebowski” (July 26, with pre-show costume contest), “The Goonies” (July 26), “Donnie Darko” (Aug. 30) and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (Sept. 27).
Tickets to the films are $11, $8 for students/seniors and $6 for members. For more information, call 203-967-3660 or visit Avon Theatre online.
Country star Carrie Underwood (above) will sweep through Connecticut when her Blown Away Tour comes to Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport on Saturday, Sept. 15 and the XL Center in Hartford on Saturday, Nov. 10.
Tickets for both shows go on sale Thursday, May 24 via Ticketmaster. Hunter Hayes is the opener.
“I can’t wait to get back out on the road and perform new music from my new album for my fans,” Underwood is quoted on the tour’s official site. “We have a lot of exciting things planned!”
The site notes that Underwood is donating $1 from each ticket sold on the North American leg of the tour to support Red Cross disaster relief.
Underwood’s two previous headline tours, 2008’s Carnival Ride Tour and 2010’s Play On Tour, performed for a combined total of nearly 250 shows with 2.2 million fans, according to the site, and she wrapped both years as the top-ranked female country touring artist.
It may be called “Darien’s Got Talent,” but an upcoming production by Darien Arts Center is actually casting it’s net a bit farther.
Anyone who can “sing, dance, do magic tricks, play an instrument or perform just about any other talent,” according to show organizers, are invited to audition for one of 15 finalist slots for the “Darien’s Got Talent,” show on Saturday, June 30.
Darien Arts Center executive director Amy Allen put it more simply in a recent news release:
This is no time to be shy. Get your act together for all to see.
The first round of auditions will be Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Darien Town Hall auditorium, 2 Renshaw Road, Darien. Judges include actor Matt Porretta, who has appeared on television, in films and on the stage; Ted Yudain, who serves on the state’s Culture and Tourism Advisory Council;and professional singer and actress Mary Dunn.
Judges for the finals on June 30 will be Sony executive John Doelp, professional dancer Barbara Goldsmith, Broadway performer Dan Micciche and Broadway producer Ed Schloss. The top three contestants will receive cash prizes.
The contest is open to those who are 10 and older. Stage-bound hopefuls must register by Friday, May 25, and there is a $20 registration fee. Auditions should last no longer than three minutes. Performers who are under 18 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. With the exception of dance, only live music will be permitted. And, contestants must bring the sheet music in their key.
You can find out more about the contest and eligibility requirements by calling 203-655-8683.
The June 30 performance will serve as a fundraising event for the Darien Arts Center, which is a nonprofit organization.
