O Venue, Where art Thou?

New London Day Thursday, November 14th, 2002

By Dan Pearson

Even if you only go away on vacation for a week, you always come home to find that things have changed. There's always some new construction. Or maybe you get back to find that the gas prices are up a penny or that the neighbors finally took down their creche. No big deal.

Well, now imagine that you're the Can Kickers, the hillbilly punk band who perform Saturday at Station 58. The Can Kickers have just returned from a 45 day tour. They drove 15,000 miles to perform 35 shows. They made $100 busking outside a Tennessee Titans football game and played at a burrito restaurant in Huntsville, Ala. You'd think the band would be happy to see familiar confines. But when they arrive at Station 58, they will be surprised to find the upstairs of the club transformed into a full-scale, multi-media art installation. The Art Thugs, a local arts collective, will unveil their Feng Shui Graffiti Installation with a reception and performance beginning at 7 PM Saturday. The work, which includes video installations, is meant to transfer an urban aesthetic to an interior space. A viewing will be held from 7-9 PM. The Can Kickers, Dogbite, and Low Beam will perform from 9 PM to 1 AM. Low Beam's "Fashionable Driving Songs" has recently received airplay on commercial and independent radio. Dogbite features Hugh Birdsall, guitarist of The Reducers. The concert and opening are both free. Station 58 is at 58 Brainard Street, New London. Call 443-5858.