Friday's Jive 01-18-13

Here in Middletown at The Buttonwood Tree tonight The Kenn Morr Band returns for a night of authentic Americana rock and roll. Saturday morning’s at 8:30 Terri Johnson instructs Free community Yoga at The Buttonwood Tree followed by Annaita Ghandi’s “Aligned with Source” Workshop for Empowerment at 10:30am. Saturday afternoon at 2pm the Larry Gareau Trio comes in for afternoon jazz. At 8pm Saturday night, Charter Oak Bluegrass takes the stage. You’re invited to help Food Not Bombs prepare their vegetarian meal at the First Church on Court Street at 11:30am on Sunday prior to the meal being served in front of The Buttonwood Tree at 1pm. Visit www.buttonwood.orgfor more of their offerings.

Sunday afternoon at 2pm Free Poets Collective Presents an Artist Gala to Benefit Newtown, CT Tragedy Victims at The Buttonwood Tree.   Artists from all over the world have contributed original artwork to be sold to benefit victims of the Newtown, CT tragedy. This event features visual arts, music, poetry, sculpture, and more. 10% of all proceeds and all ticket sales will be donated to a charity representative on hand.  This is followed by the Monthly Poetry potluck event at The Buttonwood Tree.

In Hartford at Blackeyed Sally’s tonight the eight piece Soul of a Man band (complete with booming horn section) takes the stage for an evening of soul music. Saturday night Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers play their retro early electric blues sound at Sally’s. More online at www.blackeyedsallys.com

In New Haven at Toads Place tonight the annual Opus Birthday Bash comes in for a night of loud rock and roll.  Saturday brings another night of loud music in Big Jim’s “Screw Winter” Bash. Sunday the annual MLK Jr Funk Fest features Rearview, Greg Sherwood, Terryl Lee and Funkinachea on the Toads Place main stage while The New Haven Battle of the Bands takes over the Lily Pad Stage. More can be found at toadsplace.com

Tonight at 7:30pm you are invited to an evening of improvised comedy here in Middletown. Hartford’s Sea Tea Improv, Middletown’s Great Make-Believe Society and East Hampton’s The Sticks Improv take to the stage without a script and create scenes based on audience suggestions at Oddfellows Playhouse on Washington St. For info email topher@thediversion.com

Higher Grounds, on Main Street, East Hampton host their weekly open mic night tonight. Show starts at 8pm. Every Saturday night is live local music, and The Rusted Keys, an acoustic duet, play on the third Sunday morning of every month- beginning at 10:00 a.m.- at Higher Grounds, on Main Street, East Hampton (860-467-6643).

Now here’s a rundown of cinema off the beaten path here in Central Connecticut:

At Real Art Ways in Hartford through Sunday you can catch “Central Park Five,” for a look at the events leading to the wrongful arrest and conviction of five black and Latino teenagers, accused in 1989 of brutally attacking and raping a Central Park jogger in what became a notorious case. In Chasing Ice, running through the weekend, National Geographic photographer James Balog discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. More weekend films and information are at www.realartways.org.

Tonight, Cinestudio, Trinity College’s cinema in Hartford, presents: The Sessions, which tells the story of childhood polio survivor Mark O’Brian who wrote an article about hiring a sex therapist to help him lose his virginity. And Sunday, Holy Motors begins a short run at Cinestudio. Where to begin in describing the plot of Leos Carax’s new film? Better let Cinestudio answer that. Visit cinestudio.org to find out more.