Best Video Performance Space

THIS *** FRIDAY *** NIGHT !!!

The Mark Kaplan Jazz Quintet plays Best Video Performance Space this Fri., June 12. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

When this group played Best Video last December, the room was packed and everyone agreed they'd just seen a night of incredible jazz!

The Mark Kaplan Jazz Quartet is one of New England’s premier jazz ensembles! They are dedicated to the preservation of the classic bebop and post-bop genres, lovingly referred to as “Straight Ahead.” Each member is an established luminary on the local and regional jazz scene. They are: Mark Kaplan, tenor saxophone; Martin Carter, piano; Adam Anderson, bass; and John Rispoli, drums. For this evening, they will also be joined by Peter Alexander on vibes, expanding to a quintet.

THIS *** SATURDAY *** NIGHT !!!

Jellyshirts get the audience dancing in the aisles when they play Best Video. They return to Best Video Performance Space this Sat., June 6. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10. This is a not-to-be-missed rock show!

Looking for a frame of reference for Jellyshirts’ music? Try the Velvet Underground and the Byrds. But—and this may throw you off—they also get jam band fans dancing to their music as though it was the Fillmore West in 1970. The band–led by guitarist/vocalist Bret Logan for over 30 years, ably joined by drummer Scott McDonald and bass player Nick Appleby–has a sound determinedly their own.

From the band’s press packet: “Letting the wash of live sound influence each song, without anybody thinking ‘jazz’ or ‘improvisation.’ Never doing covers of our songs. Trying to get you to levitate about one-and-a-half feet off your chair (willingly, of course).”

The short version: They’re loud (but not crazy loud) and they play bars with a mystical need to reach the audience.

From a 2009 Shoreline Times article by late musician and WPLR Local Bands radio show host James Velvet: “The band has been held in awe by its fans over the years for its sometimes soaring, sometimes droning sound, always played with intensity and skill. A good example is the current lead tune on their MySpace page, a recent live recording of a song they first performed 15 years ago, ‘Disinclined.’ Ten minutes of dynamic live jamming. ‘Pick and soar’ is how their longtime champion Gary Vollono of IndepenDisc.com describes the sound. To which I would add, ‘…and feedback sometimes.’”

JAZZ *** ORGAN *** TRIO *** TONIGHT !!!

The Paradox Organ Alliance plays a jazz show at Best Video Performance Space tonight Sat., May 30. The show starts 7 PM and the cover is $10.

The Paradox Organ Alliance is dedicated to preserving and continuing the great 70-plus-year tradition of Hammond organ, guitar and drum set trios. From blues to bebop, latin, funky boogaloo to the Great American Songbook, each Alliance set explores a musical journey through time. Whenever possible, guest soloists are featured.

The founding members, Dr. Gary Grippo, Dr. Gary Novick and John McGuire, have performed together for several years. Dr. Grippo has been a well-known member of the Connecticut and New Haven jazz scene for over 20 years. A music major at Rutgers, he has studied with Bucky Pizzarelli and Harry Leahey, among others. While at Rutgers, he performed with jazz legends Gerry Mulligan, Louie Bellson, and Clark Terry. He currently host a weekly jazz radio show on WNHU.

Dr. Novick, a newcomer to the Connecticut jazz scene, has studied with Noah Baerman and Ben Patterson. A life-long keyboardist, he is now dedicating himself to digging deeply into the Hammond idiom, channeling the techniques of the masters of the B-3.

John McGuire has been performing in various musical idioms for over 40 years. He has studied privately with Ed Soph, Gary Chaffee and the great Joe Morello and has performed with such Jazz stalwarts as Lew Soloff, Joe Roccisano, Archie Shepp and Shelton Lester.

TONIGHT !!!

Faculty Lounge and The Sandy Clams share the bill at Best Video Performance Space tonight Fri., May 29. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

Faculty Lounge is a fun, high-energy punk, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll band from New Haven, CT, featuring Rob Irwin (vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar), John Holland (guitar), Dustin Kreidler (guitar), Lisa Tonner (drums), and Joe Freer (bass). The band has played at Cafe Nine, The Cellar, Best Video, the Stratford Apple Festival, breweries, and at private parties. Faculty Lounge is available as a cover band (with a list of danceable rock, punk, and blues songs) or as an all original band. Their first EP “Ghost Word” will be released in May.

The Sandy Clams are a noise-punk trio from Hartford, making noise by the seat of their pants since 2020.

FAREWELL CONCERT *** THIS *** SATURDAY *** NIGHT !!!

Isabella Mendes & Flávio Lira play Best Video Performance Space this Sat., May 23. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $15.

This is a farewell concert—Isabella and Flávio are moving to Florida.

Singer, songwriter, composer, pianist, and educator Isabella Mendes is quickly becoming one of New Haven and Hartford County’s top Brazilian and Jazz entertainers in the industry and has earned an impressive list of accomplishments well beyond her years.

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Isabella started to study music at age four and hasn't stopped since. She has been studying with Grammy Winner pianist Fabio Torres and Emmy Winner vocalist Michal Towber. Isabella is also a leader in education, studying at Carnegie Hall as part of the Music Educators program. She is the founder and teacher of IMMusic Studio, a private music school, where she teaches piano and voice. She is an advocate for women and diversity in the arts, and is leading workshops bringing diversity through music in schools and community events.

Brazilian native bassist, Flávio Lira is very active and eclectic, musical styles have never been a restriction for him, and since the beginning, he has performed with groups ranging from Popular Samba to Classical Chamber Music. Now in New York, Flávio Lira is able to fully employ his versatility as a musician, collaborating with different artists and performing in prestigious venues, such as Birdland and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

TONIGHT *** AT *** BEST *** VIDEO !!!

Kath Bloom and David Shapiro share a fantastic Saturday night bill at Best Video Performance Space with Mountain Movers tonight, May 16. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

Kath Bloom is some kind of legend. She comes from a special place where country, blues and folk are made beautifully translucent and emotive. Highly regarded but a bit of a mystery. The Connecticut based singer/songwriter has a special gift - her almost supernaturally beautiful, wavering soprano is one that has to be heard, she has a clear transparent moonlight tone combined with an earthly raw quality that can silence a room.

Kath made some very very limited edition albums in the 70’s and 80’s with the amazing (and equally dreamlike) guitarist Loren Mazzacane Connors, full of songs that float and melt into the ether. Impossibly beautiful. However, music was put on the back burner as life changed and she raised a family, trained ‘problem horses’ and taught special music programs to kids. Just as she was starting to write and release CDs again, Richard Linklater decided to use her song ‘Come Here’ in his 1995 film ‘Before Sunrise’. Life altered - not much - but the public consciousness was rightfully tweaked. Slowly her old recordings and new material have been seeping back into the world. This includes a special tribute album by artists such as Josephine Foster, Bill Callahan, Devendra Banhart, Meg Baird and Scout Nibblet. Since 2017 she has been recording and performing with New Haven, CT based guitarist David Shapiro.

The current lineup of New Haven’s long running Mountain Movers (guitarist/vocalist Dan Greene, bassist Rick Omonte, guitarist Kryssi Battalene, & drummer Ross Menze) have been playing together for over a decade now, making their recorded debut on a slew of singles released from 2011-2013, but it wasn’t until 2015’s “Death Magic” (released on New Haven label Safety Meeting) that the potential of that iteration of the group became clear; Mountain Movers are a force of nature.

The camaraderie & sensitivity to each others playing has only grown over time, crystallizing on the group’s trio of albums for Trouble In Mind; 2015’s eponymous “Mountain Movers” served as a reintroduction of the group to a larger audience, while 2018’s “Pink Skies” raged like a group confident in its strengths, and 2020’s prescient “World What World”, written & recorded before the world shut down slightly shifted focus away from the jams & back toward the weight of guitarist/songwriter Dan Greene’s poetic tales of magical realism. The band’s ninth album “Walking After Dark” finds a happy medium between both aspects of the band’s strengths; Greene’s lyrical compositions and the group’s long-form improvised jams.

THIS *** FRIDAY *** NIGHT !!!

Alexander (aka David Shapiro) and Ian St. George share the bill at Best Video Performance Space on Fri., May 15. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

Alexander is the solo project of guitarist and multi-instrumentalist David Shapiro (Kath Bloom, Josephine Foster, Center). Under the Alexander moniker he plays fingerstyle acoustic guitar and banjo music. Drawing from a wide variety of guitar traditions, Shapiro has arrived at a style and vocabulary of his own. His albums have drawn comparisons to John Fahey and Robbie Basho who he cites as influences on his playing. Elizabeth Cotten, Frantz Casseus, and Frank Proffitt are other major influences. As Alexander he has toured extensively across the U.S. and abroad. He has shared bills with Mdou Moctar, Loren Connors, Susan Alcorn, and many more. His self-titled LP is distributed by Forced Exposure and he has additional releases on C/Site Recordings.

Guitarist Ian St. George has played his brand of punk rock. He's played free improvised psychedelic guitar. And he's also conversant in the American Primitive genre of solo acoustic guitar as championed in the past by such luminaries as John Fahey. St. George will be playing in this style at Best Video.

THIS *** FRIDAY *** NIGHT !!!

The Brian Larney Band (Brian Larney Music) and The Shellye Valauskas Experience share a pop melody-filled bill at Best Video Performance Space this Fri., May 8. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $10.

The Brian Larney Band is a hook-driven rock/pop outfit built around the songs of songwriter Brian Larney. Haunted by hooks and good old-fashioned songcraft, the band channels the melodic punch and heart of 70s and 80s guitar pop—big choruses, ringing guitars and the kind of songs that stay with you long after the last note fades. Larney (vocals, guitar, keys) is joined by Dean Falcone (lead guitar, vocals), Bob Hibson (bass), and Jim Balga (drums), a lineup that brings both muscle and nuance to the material.

Larney’s songs have earned placements in film and television and he has shared stages with artists like Cheap Trick, Big Head Todd & the Monsters and Ellis Paul. In this full band setting, those melodic instincts expand into a full-throttle live show-tight, energetic and built around the simple idea that great songs and players still matter. Equal parts power-pop shimmer and Brill Building–inspired songcraft, The Brian Larney Band delivers timeless, melody-first rock made for anyone who still believes in the power of a great chorus.

Based in the New Haven area, Shellye Valauskas & Dean Falcone lead The Shellye Valauskas Experience and write meticulously crafted power pop songs, with an emphasis on “power.” The songs hearken back to the finer moments of the 1970’s and 1980’s and are filled with sparkling melodies powered by sharp and often jangly electric guitars; think Big Star, The Raspberries and Aimee Mann. The latest release, History of Panic, is a collection of catchy choruses, swirly guitars and melodies that instantly draw you in and satisfy on every level.

THIS *** SATURDAY *** NIGHT !!!!

Pop-punk ravers My Own Gr***de plays Best Video Performance Space Sat., April. 25. The show starts at 7 PM with New Haven's great Ramones tribute band The Hymans - New Haven opening. The cover is $10.

My Own Gr***de is a hard rock/punk band. Formed in 1996, Tim Rooney (vocals), Mike Reid (guitar/vocals), Chris Siano (bass) and Buddy Oberheim (drums) are dedicated to writing, recording and performing original songs. Musical influences include a wide variety of artists and bands such as The Clash, The Cure, Descendents and Blink-182.

In the late 90’s, My Own Gr***de was voted the #2 punk band in the New Haven area, playing live at venues such as Toad’s Place, The Webster Theater and NYC clubs. The band's debut album “Randal’s Last Stand” remains a favorite with their dedicated fan base. Quit your day job and follow My Own Gr***de in living the rock-n-roll lifestyle you've always dreamed of!

Gabba Gabba (New)HEY(van)! Formed in 2005, The Hymans are the Elm City’s first Ramones tribute band. Taking their pseudonyms from Joey’s real name (Jeff Hyman), these bruddahs get into character…way into character. Leather jackets, knee hole pants, this ain’t no high school dance.They walk, talk, and look like the original boys from Queens.

The Hymans are Ramones fanatics who play all the stuff...and more. Songs from the early days to “Adios Amigos” are incorporated into their ear-splitting, foot- shuffling set. Just like the real Ramones, The Hymans sometimes rotate their line-up. Unlike the real Ramones, they only play for very special occasions.

THIS *** FRIDAY *** NIGHT !!!

Friday, April 17
Hugh Birdsall, Frank Critelli, Steve Elci, Ben Parent
"Songs of Love & Resistance"
Best Video, Hamden, CT
7 PM - $10 cover

Four seasoned CT-based songwriters (and mutual admirers of each other's work) are coming together to present their most recent topical songs in a mutual show of hope and solidarity. Will it be a one-off performance or an ongoing affair? Time will tell... Either way, join us for this not-to-miss inaugural gathering at Best Video!