A loud, timeless echo
What’s that creepy reek? Why, it’s only the catacombsian exhalations of the Reaper as he draweth nigh!
Yes, the process of Aging — also called “Holy hell! Time’s running out!” — has a peculiar but understandable effect on folks, particularly those of us who once celebrated youth as rock ‘n’ rollers. This is the sentiment at the heart of a concert Saturday in New London’s Hygienic Art Park. Called “Towers of New London — Bands of the El ‘n’ Gee,” the multiple-act bill presents reunion sets from some of the finest bands from a golden slice of time that was anchored at the long-gone El ‘n’ Gee Club.
As chronicled by two nationally resonant compilation albums, “Towers of New London, Vol. 1” and “Towers of New London, Vol. 2,” the scene will be honored with a showcase featuring New Johnny 5, a band whose popularity and “close to making it” status were exceeded only by The Reducers. All six members of the NJ5 will be on hand Saturday, and a modern take on their infectious material should be pretty rewarding.
Other much-loved acts from those days will also play, including The Cartoons, Live Nude Girls, The Whales, Vacant CONTRIBUTED Towers of New London — Bands of the El ‘n’ Gee, 6-11 p.m. Saturday, Hygienic Art Park, 79 Bank St., New London; $15 advance, $20 gate; hygienic.org.
Lot and DOT. Too, DJs will spin vinyl with a focus on the sound that made tiny New London a
nationally known music scene.
For print and video features on New Johnny 5, and more
info on the event, see Saturday’s Daybreak section.
David Sedaris
David Sedaris’ trademark wit is still here, but in “Calypso,” his latest collection of essays, things get a little darker and more personal. Many of the essays deal with his family — funny stories that are nonetheless flecked with melancholy, about aging and loss. (The chapter about his sister Tiffany, who committed suicide, is heartbreaking.) I realize he was just here, at the Garde Arts Center in April, but diving into a Sedaris book just makes me hope that he comes back to the region for another reading and talk soon. Coconut Crisp cookie
Tate’s Bake Shop
Until recently, all I knew about the wealthy sections of Long Island is A) what I’ve seen on “Royal Pains,” the fine TV series about a concierge doctor who guides Rich Persons back to health; B) that “Barefoot Contessa” cook, who hopefully wears shoes whilst padding around the kitchen making exotic dishes; C) that, like Jay Gatsby, we all beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past; and D) there’s a company out of Southampton called Tate’s Bake Shop that makes a truly wondrous cookie called the Coconut Crisp. It’s a thin, brittle-bite bit of alchemy involving a glorious mixture relying on butter, sugar and coconut — and I want to eat them forever. Locally, you can by them individually at Thames River Greenery in New London (50 cents each!) or in various bulk sizes by accessing tatesbakeshop.com.