"Paintings you can listen to": That's the way Robyn Hitchcock describes his songs.
One of England's most enduring contemporary singer/songwriters and live performers will grace the stage of Verso Studios at The Westport Library on Sunday, April 28. Doors open at 3 pm, and Hitchcock hitting the stage at 4 pm. Tickets are $30 and on sale now.
The concert is presented in partnership with Fernando Pinto Presents / East Rock Concert Series, a legendary, independent promoter who for 40 years has brought the likes of Nirvana, Alex Chilton, Bo Diddley, and many other foundational artists to Connecticut stages.
Verso Studios, a media resource and cultural center housed in a five-star library, is quite the fitting venue for rock 'n' roll's foremost literary gadfly. A surrealist poet, talented guitarist, cult artist, and musician's musician, Hitchcock is among alternative rock's father figures and is the closest thing the genre has to a Bob Dylan (not coincidentally his biggest musical inspiration). Since founding the art-rock band The Soft Boys in 1976, Hitchcock has recorded more than 20 albums as well as starred in Storefront Hitchcock, an in-concert film recorded in New York and directed by Jonathan Demme.
Hitchcock's most recent album is self-titled and marks his 21st release as a solo artist. He describes it as an "ecstatic work of negativity with nary a dreary groove."
Robyn Hitchcock has received rave reviews from UNCUT, Rolling Stone, Paste, Tidal, and more.
"A gifted melodist, Hitchcock nests engaging lyrics in some of the most bracing, rainbow-hued pop this side of Revolver. He wrests inspiration not from ordinary life but from extraordinary imaginings..." - Rolling Stone
"These 10 gems slither, rock, roll, glide and shapeshift, coalescing around Hitchcock’s typically anxious, strained but striking and immediately identifiable vocals." - American Songwriter
"Beloved of everyone from Led Zeppelin to REM, Hitchcock has only enhanced his status with this wonderful outing." - Hot Press
"Witty, moving and seriously catchy, Robyn Hitchcock is a glorious return for a man who wasn’t really gone in the first place." - Paste
The Westport Library will soon be adding a new language program, with the English Conversation Group holding its first meeting on Monday, January 29.
The group will meet weekly on Mondays after that, from 11 am to 12 pm, in the Board Room (Room 210) on the Library’s upper level. The group is offering the opportunity to practice your English language conversation skills with others. It will be informal conversation and is open to both non-native and native speakers.
With its inception, the English Conversation Group joins a host of language conversation groups offered at the Library, including French, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.
The Library’s language conversation groups are for those interested in practicing speaking in another language. The groups are open to all levels of experience and are self-directed. If you are interested in starting a group in a language not offered, contact Jennifer Keller at [email protected].
Those interested in the English Conversation Group should reach out to Youn Su Chao at [email protected].
Moderator Craig Melvin (left) and Dr. Clarence B. Jones in conversation during the 18th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at the Library on January 14.
More than 600 people congregated at The Westport Library’s Trefz Forum on Sunday, January 14, to be part of history at the 18th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.
The afternoon’s guest of honor, Dr. Clarence B. Jones, a former advisor and speechwriter for Dr. King, recalled his time working with King in a conversation that was heartfelt, funny, and emotional — and always memorable.
It was a star-studded affair that included NBC News anchor Craig Melvin, who moderated the discussion with Dr. Jones; award-winning author and playwright Trey Ellis, who introduced Dr. Jones; and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, who provided opening remarks, and New York Representative Ritchie Torres, who joined Melvin and Dr. Jones for the latter part of their conversation.
Violinist Kersten Stevens opened the event, and guest singer Christian Servance performed at its close, both to soaring receptions from the capacity crowd.
Photo credits: Olivier Kpognon @ O & Co. Media
Additional speakers included Harold Bailey, chair of TEAM Westport; Lisa Weitzman, who works alongside Dr. Jones at the Spill the Honey Foundation; and Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer.
The 18th annual celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, and the Westport Country Playhouse, as well as the Westport/Weston Interfaith Clergy and Council, the two groups that hosted the inaugural celebration in 2006.
The full recording of the event is available on the Library’s YouTube channel.
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L to R: The Pinwheel Galaxy from The Westport Astronomical Society, from Lucy Krupenye's exhibit in the South Gallery, and from Awakenings by Terry Tannen
The Westport Astronomical Society, Lucy Krupenye, and Terry Tannen are the first featured artists of 2024 at The Westport Library, with new exhibits being installed in January and running through mid-March.
How Beautiful, the Universe: Astrophotography by members of The Westport Astronomical Society debuts January 11 in the Sheffer Gallery, with an artist reception and lecture scheduled for January 17. That is followed by an exhibit from local sculptor Lucy Krupenye, whose Zen Meditations will be featured in the South Gallery on January 12 (artist reception and talk on January 31); and Awakenings, a series of photographs from Terry Tannen, which will also be installed on January 12 (artist reception on February 12).
“Our three new exhibits encourage the viewer to reflect on and explore the beauty and the mystery of the universe around us — and are a fitting way to kick off the new year,” said Carole Erger-Fass, The Westport Library’s exhibits curator.
How Beautiful, the Universe features more than 25 captivating works by members of the Westport Astronomical Society, who invite fellow community members to “embark on a cosmic journey from the comfort of Westport and witness the breathtaking beauty of our universe through the lens of dedicated astrophotographers.”
The Westport Astronomical Society, a not-for-profit scientific campus built within a former Cold War radar station, is home to the Westport Observatory and the KWAS Ham Radio Club. As part of its commitment to education, the Society offers a free monthly lecture series through webinars and live, in-person talks. Additionally, the campus features a National Geologic Survey seismography station, reflecting the Society's diverse scientific pursuits.
Krupenye is an award-winning sculptor who creates hanging assemblages out of found objects such as stone, wood, metal, and bone. Her sculptures are organic and Zen in feeling, inspired by nature, music, and the world around her. She uses a lot of “recycled” material in her work, creating treasures of what many consider flotsam, jetsam, or garbage.
In her career, Krupenye has exhibited extensively in in New York City and around the Northeast, including solo exhibitions at The Hammond Museum, The Stamford Museum, The Silvermine Arts Center, The Carriage Barn Arts Center, The Simon Gallery in Martha’s Vineyard, The Ridgefield Playhouse, and others. She has been the featured artist on Channel 12 News, at the Katonah Museum of Art, in Westport Magazine, in Fairfield County Lifestyle, and in many newspapers, books, magazines. In addition, her sculptures have graced the covers of jazz and rock CDs and albums, and she has curated several major museum and gallery exhibitions.
“My artwork is something that I see, not from the outside, but from within,” said Krupenye. “It is something that I feel. I rarely draw a piece before I make it. As I work with the elements the piece is just born — in essence, it creates itself. It is, in part, a reflection of my inner being and thus is extremely personal. If one looks closely into my artwork, one might see a part of my soul.”
Tannen was born and raised in Connecticut. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, she pursued a career in corporate design and branding working for iconic graphic designer Herb Lubalin, NBC TV, and co-founding her own firm G&K Design Group.
Capturing the beauty and natural design of nature has always been what inspires her creative work — whether it be through design, photography, painting, or sculpture.
“This collection of sunrise photos is from a series taken over Mill Pond Beach in Westport,” said Tannen, whose work has been exhibited in New York City, Westport, and Southampton, N.Y. “It is a tribute to the last year of my beloved husband Charles Tannen's life. Chuck was an avid lover of nature, photography, and adventure. As his fight with Parkinson's progressed, our goal became finding the beauty in what was in our present moment, in gratitude. Thus, Awakenings.”
For more on the Library’s exhibits, visit the Art at the Library page.
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Pictured above (clockwise from top left): Lucy Krupenye, The Westport Astronomical Society, and Terry Tannen
Clockwise from top left: Kersten Stevens, Clarence B. Jones, Craig Melvin, Ritchie Torres, Trey Ellis, and Richard Blumenthal
A trio of award-winners and a pair of statesmen will be joining guest of honor Dr. Clarence B. Jones for the 18th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, held January 14 at The Westport Library.
NBC News anchor and co-host of the 3rd Hour of TODAY Craig Melvin will be serving as the moderator for the discussion, with violin virtuoso Kersten Stevens performing, and acclaimed novelist, playwright, and filmmaker Trey Ellis introducing Dr. Jones. In addition, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) and U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (New York) will be providing remarks.
“I couldn’t envision a more incredible lineup for what promises to be a memorable afternoon,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “The appearances by Craig Melvin, Kersten Stevens, Trey Ellis, Senator Blumenthal, and Congressman Torres speak to the remarkable life and accomplishments of Dr. Clarence B. Jones and the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
The 18th annual celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, and the Westport Country Playhouse, as well as the Westport/Weston Interfaith Clergy and Council, the two groups that hosted the inaugural celebration in 2006.
The celebration is free to attend — registration is highly encouraged — and there will be a livestream of the event available on the Library’s YouTube channel.
The day’s guest of honor, Dr. Jones, served as legal counsel, strategic advisor, and draft speechwriter to Dr. King from 1960 until King’s assassination in 1968. He is credited with writing the first seven paragraphs of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most iconic and enduring addresses in American history.
The event kicks off at 3 pm with a performance by Stevens, the six-time winner of the historic Amateur Night and Showtime at The Apollo. All About Jazz has lauded “Stevens’ immense creativity and elegant flair” and she has received plaudits from a host of publications and performers including The Black Gospel Blog and renowned jazz violinist Regina Carter.
A native of Stratford, Connecticut, Stevens graduated from Yale University before establishing herself as the “queen of the violin.” She has performed with music greats Carter, Kim Burrell, and international jazz bassist Christian McBride, and she has performed for President Barack Obama, Ray Charles, and Denzel Washington, among others.
Dr. Jones will be welcomed by Ellis, the American Book Award-winning novelist, two-time Emmy- and Peabody-winning filmmaker, NAACP Image award-winning playwright and essayist, and professor of professional practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. His lauded first novel, Platitudes, was reissued by Northeastern University Press along with his influential essay, “The New Black Aesthetic.”
Ellis also served as executive producer of King in the Wilderness, a 2018 HBO documentary on the last three days of King’s life. King in the Wilderness won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Documentary.
Melvin, the longtime anchor and Westport resident, will moderate the discussion with Dr. Jones from the Trefz Forum stage. In addition to his duties as co-host of 3rd Hour of TODAY, Melvin serves as news anchor on TODAY and a host of syndicated Dateline NBC broadcasts. He has reported on a wide range of news events in his decorated career, including several Republican and Democratic National Conventions and three Presidential Inaugurations. His coverage of politics has included interviews with former President Bill Clinton, then-Vice President Joe Biden, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Secretaries of State John Kerry, Mike Pompeo, and Condoleezza Rice. In addition, he has covered four Olympic Games and six Super Bowls.
Prior to joining NBC News and MSNBC in 2011, Melvin was a weekend anchor for WRC, NBC’s station in Washington, D.C. Before that, he earned acclaim as an evening news anchor at WIS in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.
Blumenthal has been a longtime supporter of the Library, appearing in the Trefz Forum just last year to celebrate the release of Verso Records, Volume One. The five-term Connecticut attorney general (1991-2011) was elected as U.S. senator in November 2010, seated in January 2011, and is currently serving his third term in the chamber.
In 2013, at the age of 25, Torres became New York City’s youngest elected official and the first openly LGBTQ person elected to office in the Bronx. He has served in the U.S. House of Representative, representing the Bronx, since January 2021.
The Brubeck Brothers Quartet is coming to The Westport Library for a special fundraising event on Saturday, March 9, with proceeds going to support and maintain the Library’s vast array of free programs and offerings.
There will be two types of tickets sold for the evening: a general admission ticket for $75 and a VIP ticket for $125 that includes an exclusive pre-event reception with the Brubeck family and special gifts, including a vinyl LP exclusive pressing of Time OutTakes featuring previously unreleased takes from the original Brubeck masterpiece Time Out.
Click here to buy tickets to this can’t-miss event.
“This event isn't just a tribute — it’s an ode to the genius of Dave and Iola Brubeck,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “Through captivating visuals and masterful storytelling, the evening will unveil the extraordinary life of Dave Brubeck, drawing you into his genius, innovation, and spirit. Don't miss this unforgettable musical and cultural journey.”
The Brubeck Brothers Quartet is led by brothers Chris and Dan Brubeck, sons of the jazz legend. The two — Chris on bass and trombone and Dan on drums — have been making music together their whole lives, having put out their first record in 1966. Over the last decade, their recordings have consistently landed in the Top 10 of jazz radio charts. Rounding out the quartet is guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb. Together, the group has performed at concert series, colleges, and jazz festivals across North America and Europe, including Newport, Detroit, Montreal, The Hollywood Bowl, and Monterey Jazz festivals.
“The Brubeck Brothers Quartet attains that rarefied level where music is both relaxed and expressive, and their joy in its creation is contagious,” All About Jazz said of the group. “There’s really nothing out there that comes close to their unique brand of inventiveness.”
Dave Brubeck is one of the leading lights in jazz history, a pianist and composer who gained international fame and acclaim in the 1950s and 60s. Time Out was the first jazz album to sell one million copies, and the hit song Take Five is to this day one of the most recognizable jazz singles of all time.
In his decorated career, Brubeck received the Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian Medal, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, among many others. He lived in Fairfield County for most of his adult life, passing away in 2012 one day before his 92nd birthday.
“Every once in a while, jazz is blessed by one of those great figures who can do it all,” jazz historian Ted Gioia told The Washington Post at the time of Brubeck’s passing. “They give us a body of work that is full of musical riches ... but the music also can appeal to the average listener. Dave Brubeck is one of those figures.”
Each year, The Westport Library hosts more than 1,000 free programs, bringing together a remarkable 85,000-plus individuals — three times Westport's population — and offers a multitude of offerings for patrons of all ages. Westport provides 79% of the Library’s funding. That leaves 21% that the Library must fund itself, through a mix of generous donations, individual contributions, and fundraisers like this one.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a town that values what the Library is able to deliver and that supports our diverse collection of offerings,” said Westport Library Development Director Agata Slattery. “For March 9, we’re thrilled to bring the Brubeck Brothers Quartet to our unparalleled Trefz Forum for an evening that will be entertainment of the highest order, all while helping us continue to provide the yearlong programming that we love to host and deliver to — and for — our community.”
“This is the greatest concert film ever, can we give it up please?! I’m going on record,” Spike Lee raved to the buzzing sold out Toronto International Film Festival crowd and IMAX audiences all over the world.
A24’s remixed, remastered, 4K, 40th anniversary rerelease of Jonathan Demme’s 1984 tour-de-force film, Stop Making Sense, has ignited a lovefest among original Talking Heads members David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, and Westport’s own Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. The publicity tour extended from TIFF to reunited screenings in New York and Los Angeles, with everyone from Late Night’s Stephen Colbert to Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon to Khruangbin’s Laura Lee paying reverence and tribute.
Now it's coming to Westport.
On Friday, February 9, A24’s rerelease of Stop Making Sense lands in the hometown library and venue of Frantz and Weymouth, at The Westport Library and Verso Studios.
This event is a benefit for both VersoFest 2024 and beloved freeform community radio station WPKN, where Frantz hosts his monthly radio show, The Talking Head. Tickets are $20, with larger donations to these grassroots organizations encouraged and welcomed. The night includes a cash bar with beer provided by nearby BBQ restaurant, Walrus Alley, plus wine.
Doors open at 6:30 pm with WPKN’s ReHumanize Yourself Radio host Herman Olivera and assorted WPKN DJs spinning vinyl sets before and after the film. Stop Making Sense begins promptly at 7 pm, followed by a question-and-answer session with Frantz and Weymouth, moderated by Verso Studios Marketing Manager Brendan Toller, who is an accomplished filmmaker (Danny Says, I Need That Record!), musician (Dust Hat, Hilton Valentine Band), and DJ (Shake ‘N’ Vibrate).
Stop Making Sense is the landmark film capturing the Talking Heads over three nights at Pantages Theater in Los Angeles in December of 1983. The extended touring edition of the band included Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry and Edna Holt for an electrifying, performative document that has enraptured generations of audiences in fervent screenings and parties.
Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth at VersoFest 2023. Photo by Chad Anderson.
VersoFest is the Library's annual music and media conference and festival linking local and global artists in performances, panels, and workshops. Taking place Wednesday, April 3, through Sunday April 7, the 2024 edition welcomes legendary music producer Tony Visconti and rising power pop rockers the Lemon Twigs, with a host of acts and names yet to be announced.
Frantz and Weymouth have been glowing supporters of VersoFest since its inception in 2022. In previous years, Frantz has moderated discussions with acclaimed music producer Steve Lillywhite and Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler. The inaugural VersoFest featured Frantz in discussion on his best-selling memoir Remain in Love with WPKN General Manager Steve di Constanzo.
Celebrating 60 years of listener-supported, freeform, community radio, Bridgeport’s WPKN 89.5 FM (online at wpkn.org) is cited by The New Yorker as “the greatest radio station in the world.” Approximately 130 multi-generational volunteers support 24/7 non-commercial radio programming spanning rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, blues, hip hop, avant garde, world music, news, environmental reporting, and more.
Verso Studios is an ideal film forum, equipped with an 18 x 10-foot Digital Projection Radiance LED 1080 screen and concert hall grade d&b soundsystem. In recent years, Verso Studios has screened Connecticut premieres of Todd Haynes Velvet Underground documentary and Larry Locke’s Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy Deville, as well as innovative screenings with Psychedelic Cinema and documentary trailblazer Sam Green's 32 Sounds.
With Frantz consecrating The Westport Library as “the hippest library in the whole damn country,” there will surely be dancing in the aisles.
Dr. Clarence B. Jones, the longtime speechwriter and confidant of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will be the guest of honor at Westport’s 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, to be held Sunday, January 14, 2024, at 3 pm at The Westport Library.
The keynote conversation is free of charge; registration is highly encouraged. The event also will be livestreamed.
Dr. Jones served as legal counsel, strategic advisor, and draft speechwriter to Dr. King from 1960 until King’s assassination in 1968. He is credited with writing the first seven paragraphs of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most iconic and enduring addresses in American history.
The annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, and the Westport Country Playhouse, as well as the Westport/Weston Interfaith Clergy and Council, the two groups that hosted the inaugural celebration in 2006.
“Years ago, Westport was like a second home to me,” Dr. Jones said. “Fond memories of time spent there with my family. Now this later generation of extended family, Lisa Weitzman and Howard Edelstein, make my return and appearance at The Westport Library, after so many years, more poignant and beautiful.”
“We are privileged to welcome Dr. Jones to commemorate the life of Dr. King,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “His profound influence on American history is indelible, and his life story an inspiration and a celebration of the American dream about which he so eloquently articulated. We eagerly anticipate the participation of the Westport community and beyond for this extraordinary afternoon.”
Dr. Jones was an integral member of the Civil Rights movement, one of the few privy to King’s decision-making processes and who shared in his political struggles. According to Jones’ official bio, Vanity Fair called him the man who kept King’s secrets. In addition, Jones engaged with many of the leaders of the Black liberation movement, serving as a liaison between King and Malcolm X, James Baldwin, and Robert F. Kennedy, among others.
Across the decades, Dr. Jones has worked to carry on King’s legacy. As a lawyer, civil rights leader, and business executive, he has maintained close personal friendships and collaborative working relationships with influential 20th century artists, writers, athletes, and social justice activists, including Muhammed Ali, James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee, and Lorraine Hansberry. In 1974, Jones negotiated the historic “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match in Kinshasa, Zaire, between Ali and George Foreman.
“We are exceedingly honored and privileged to have Clarence Jones featured as this year’s MLK speaker,” said Harold Bailey, chair of TEAM Westport. “The width, breadth, and depth of his connection to Dr. King’s life, movement, and legacy are encyclopedic. His perspectives should provide our community a unique opportunity for insight and reflection.”
Dr. Jones currently serves as the chairman of the Spill the Honey Foundation, that utilizes the transformative power of the arts and brings together the historic and contemporary voices of the Black-Jewish alliance to achieve social justice non-violently. He also founded the Dr. Clarence B. Jones Institute for Social Advocacy, serves as the founding director emeritus of the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco, and has served on the boards of cultural organizations, including The Impact Repertory Theater & Dance Company, The Theatre Development Fund NYC, and the Roosevelt Institute.
Among the notable elements of his remarkable biography: Because of his relationship with King and his associates, Jones was the target of illegal wiretaps initiated by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover from July 1963 until King’s assassination.
Dr. Jones was awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of San Francisco and honored at events at Columbia University, where he was an undergraduate, and the Julliard School of Performing Arts, where he studied music. He graduated from Boston University Law School, where he was honored as the recipient of the Silver Shingle Award for his public service.
In 2021, Dr. Jones received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association, the highest recognition given by the ABA, awarded in a ceremony featuring a keynote address from President Barack Obama.
For many years, Dr. Jones served as a scholar in residence at Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute and as a diversity professor at the University of San Francisco. A popular course he developed and taught at the school (“From Slavery to Obama: Renewing the Promise of Reconstruction”) is now provided online in many historically black colleges.
Dr. Jones has authored two acclaimed books, What Would Martin Say? and Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation, and countless articles and essays for The Huffington Post and many other publications. His newest book, Last of the Lions, was released in August 2023 by Red Hawk Publications/UNC Press.
Past Martin Luther King Jr. celebration keynote speakers include National Book Award winner and MacArthur Fellow Ibram X. Kendi, Pulitzer Prize winner James Forman Jr., New York Times best-selling authors Heather McGhee and Layla Saad, Guggenheim Scholar Carol Anderson, American Book Award winner Tricia Rose, Quinnipiac Law School founder Marilyn Ford, and last year’s guest: author, artist, filmmaker, and multi-dimensional performance artist Junauda Petrus.
“They’re so out of left field in their songs. They don’t have any rules in their songs and that’s sometimes the way it should be. … Hey guys, I’m dying to meet you, keep making great music.”
-Elton John, on The Lemon Twigs
The indie rock/pop band the Lemon Twigs will lead the VersoFest 2024 kickoff concert on Thursday, April 4, in the Library’s Trefz Forum. Tickets are on sale now for $20. Doors open at 6:30 pm with WFMU and WHUS favorite DJ HYSTERICA spinning her all-vinyl oeuvre of power pop, punk, greasy soul, and yé-yé. The show begins at 7:30 pm with a forthcoming local opener.
The Lemon Twigs pull from a wide range of multigenerational inspirations, darting from twee chamber pop balladry to full-on glam punk, mixing plaintive singer-songwriter confessionals with an almost Syd Barrett sense of outré pop. Their sound has said to harken back to the vocal melody of Art Garfunkel and chamber pop of Brian Wilson, and they cite among their influences Moondog and Arthur Russell.
The New York-based group is led by the brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario and is currently touring behind its fourth full-length studio release, Everything Harmony. That follows their 2016 debut, Do Hollywood, and their follow-ups Go to School (2018) and Songs for the General Public (2020).
The Lemon Twigs are longtime friends and tourmates of Sunflower Bean, which headlined the Thursday night VersoFest 2023 slot. This past October, Local WPKN DJ Alec Cumming of Snap Crackle POP! (father of Julia Cumming from Sunflower Bean) produced a radio documentary of the Lemon Twigs, weaving songs and an exclusive interview with the D’Addario brothers.
The VersoFest 2024 kickoff concert date is preceded by 2023 California winter dates with legendary dB’s singer-songwriter/producer Chris Stamey. From VersoFest, the Lemon Twigs are slated to perform at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024, one of the world’s premier pop/rock/underground electronic and dance music festivals, alongside Pulp, PJ Harvey, the National, Lana Del Ray, and Amyl and the Sniffers.
Recently playing numerous tracks from Everything Harmony on his BBC6 Iggy Confidential radio show, proto-punk icon Iggy Pop exclaimed, “Lemon Twigs, they’re over-talented, that’s all I can say about the Lemon Twigs. Wow! These guys can do a whole lot of things, and they do. They leave me scratchin’ my head always, but it’s always super fine.”
The Lemon Twigs have appeared on recent albums by Weyes Blood and Todd Rundgren, who said that the band has “a built-in appreciation for music that is of a couple of generations before theirs. I think they were bored by the music of their own generation, and since you can’t fast forward to the music of the future, you just start going backwards to music that was made before you were born.”
All VersoFest 2024 concerts are co-produced with the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce.
Lynda Bluestein in the Children's Library in November 2023
For Lynda Shannon Bluestein, leaving a legacy has a different type of urgency. Bluestein has terminal fallopian tube cancer. She knows she may not have much longer. Determined to make the most of that time, she has become an advocate — suing Vermont over its aid-in-dying residency requirement — and a surrogate — fighting to create connection between loved ones and those they’ve lost.
And now she is giving back to the people of Westport.
Bluestein is donating two wind phones to the Library, one to be housed in the Children’s Library and one in the Library of Things.
To celebrate Bluestein's gift, there will be a special dedication ceremony for family, friends, supporters, and media held Wednesday, December 13, at 10 am in the Sheffer Gallery on the Library’s main level.
Wind phones, which originated in Japan, are unconnected phones — that is, they are not hooked up to a landline or connected to an active phone line — and are meant for those still living to pick up and “talk” to those who have passed away. As it says affixed to the wind phone that Bluestein donated in Ridgefield, the first such phone in Fairfield County, “This phone will never ring. It is connected by love to nowhere and everywhere. It is for those who have an empty place in their heart left by a loved one. Say hello, say goodbye. Talk of the past, the present, the future. The wind phone will carry your message.”
Wind phones have traditionally been located in nature — areas such as parks, fields, and gardens, open to anyone who needs them. The wind phones being donated by Bluestein and her family, however, will live in the Library, open to all for use and for checkout.
These are the first documented wind phones located in a library and are expected to be set up and available in early 2024.
“I chose The Westport Library because it feels like the heart of a community my husband and I have been part of for 30 years. When we moved to Connecticut from California, we gravitated here,” said Bluestein, 76, who currently lives in Bridgeport. “But mostly, I was interested in doing something that has never been tried before anywhere in the world: a wind phone to check out from The Library of Things.”
In addition to the groundbreaking nature of its placement, the solitude and accessibility of the library setting was one of the draws for Bluestein.
“So many wind phones in the U.S. are in parks or on hiking trails in remote and often inaccessible areas,” she said. “When people lose someone they love and have loved for decades, it feels strange to go out alone — except to a library, where that feels completely normal.”
The Library’s wind phones will be accompanied by recommended reading for both children and adults as well as a dedicated resource guide. The wind phones in both the Library of Things and the Children's Library will be available for checkout with a Westport Library card, much as one would check out a book or any other Library item.
“It’s important that these wind phones be available and accessible to the community,” said Agata Slattery, Westport Library development director, who worked with Bluestein on the donation. “We want these to be a source of comfort and solace, and of course a lasting testament to Lynda’s generosity and bravery.”
David Bowie, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy — titans of rock ‘n’ roll music, all connected by the iconic touches of legendary producer, arranger, and VersoFest 2024 keynote subject Tony Visconti.
Visconti will be in conversation with WFUV's Paul Cavalconte for The Westport Library's third annual music and media festival on Saturday, April 6 at 1 pm, discussing his art and career as one of pop music’s longest working and most influential producers. This event is free and requires registration, tickets are available now via this link.
Beyond music, Visconti has created moments blooming into cultural movements (glam rock), art linked to collective memory in T. Rex’s “Get It On (Bang A Gong),” “Cosmic Dancer,” and “20th Century Boy” and Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World,” “Rebel Rebel,” and “Heroes.” Lifetime achievements, GRAMMY Awards, film and TV soundtracks, and many other honors celebrate Visconti’s production and arrangement vision, which also includes collaborations with Paul McCartney & Wings (for their famed Band on the Run album), U2, Bert Jansch, Angelique Kidjo, Luscious Jackson, Alejandro Escovedo, the Strawbs, Fall Out Boy, Gentle Giant, Mercury Rev, Sparks, Badfinger, The Moody Blues, The Alarm, Kristeen Young, and D-Generation. In addition, Visconti recently arranged the strings on New Haven musician and former Verso Studios Connecticut Music Oral History Podcast guest Kelly Reilly’s “Happiness Lasts.”
“Now in its third year, VersoFest 2024 is shaping up to be another impressive and inspiring weekend for creators and fans alike. Announcing the legendary Tony Visconti, who has been at the helm of countless cultural touchstones is a tremendous launch for our 2024 program,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer.
VersoFest 2024 is a four-day music festival and conference happening Thursday, April 4, through Sunday, April 7. VersoFest includes panels where experts share their perspective and vision. Intimate workshops provide creators the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft. Performances entertain and inspire.
Previous years have featured a diverse and eclectic mix of performers and subjects including the Smithereens, Sunflower Bean, Grand Wizzard Theodore (inventor of scratch DJing), producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Talking Heads, Dave Matthews Band), Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs), Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper), Miriam Linna (Norton Records, Kicks Books, Kicksville Radio), actor/producer Michael Jai White, Little Steven’s TeachRock Foundation, Connecticut Public, and many more.
Visconti is currently touring the globe celebrating the release of the new 77-track box set Produced by Tony Visconti. Visconti told popular music blog Super Deluxe Edition, “This boxset covers five-and-a-half decades of my efforts in the art of making iconic recordings. Some of it is familiar and some will have a eureka moment, ‘I didn’t know Visconti produced that one!’”
Mark your calendar for The Westport Library Big Fall Book Sale, to be held Friday, December 1, through Monday, December 4, on the Library’s main level.
Once again this fall, the Book Sale offers something for everyone, with thousands of gently used books for children and adults in more than 50 categories of nonfiction and fiction, as well as noteworthy, vintage children’s and antiquarian books, vintage vinyl records, music CDs, and movie and television series DVDs, as well as a limited selection of ephemera and artwork.
The book sale hours, with free admission, are as follows:
Friday, December 1: 12-6 pm
Saturday, December 2: 9 am – 5 pm
Sunday, December 3: 11 am – 5 pm (almost everything half-price)
Monday, December 4: 9 am – 5 pm (“Bag Day” — shoppers can fill our logo bag for $10 per bag, or their own equivalent-sized bag for $8, or buy individual books at half-price)
On Friday morning, December 1, from 8:55 am to 12 pm, the Book Sale will be open only to patrons who purchase an Early Access ticket. Early Access tickets must be purchased in advance and are available online, through eventbrite.com. Click here to purchase early access tickets.
Of special interest for this sale:
Also, back by popular demand is the Fiction for $1 Room — an entire conference room filled with hardcover fiction, mystery, science fiction and fantasy books, and young adult fiction, plus paperback novels, all offered at just $1 each. (Please note: The books in this room will remain priced at $1 each on Sunday’s half-price day.)
To volunteer at this sale, please send an email to Judi Lake at [email protected].
If you can’t make the sale, you can still visit the Westport Book Shop at 23 Jesup Road, across Jesup Green from the Library, or shop any time 24/7 on the Book Sale’s online store or its eBay store.
The Westport Library Book Sale is operated by Westport Book Sale Ventures, a nonprofit enterprise with a dual social mission: raise funds to support The Westport Library while providing meaningful employment for adults with disabilities.
