PUTNAM — The Putnam Business Association and First Fridays Committee announced the live entertainment lineup for the 2015 season.

For six evenings spanning May through October, downtown Putnam will be filled with live music from a variety of musical genres. 

May 1 the Extraordinary Rendition Band will be back by popular demand. With a set that wowed patrons at the October 2014 First Fridays event, ERB will return to Putnam for a one-of-a-kind performance. Hailing from Providence, ERB is a street band of brass, reeds and percussion that plays guerrilla style and in the streets while trying to uplift everyone within earshot. They celebrate the heritage and joy of marching/roving band shows and their rich, diverse history by playing songs that celebrate those histories, while having a great time playing together and with our audiences.

June 5 First Fridays will feature The Moldy Suitcases. Coming to the event from the Bristol County area of Massachusetts, The Moldy Suitcases is a tribute to the underground style of the 1920s. Over the past year, the group has developed their own quirky originals, even their own instruments, in hopes of recapturing that long forgotten style. With a stage that looks very much like a yard sale – full of interesting odds and ends – The Moldy Suitcases have entertained audiences throughout New England.

July 3 the KC Moaners take the First Fridays stage. The Moaners have been entertaining folks around Southern New England with music that has a solidly authentic feel and a fresh and light-hearted approach that together provide a rollicking good time every time out. Drawing on old-time blues, jazz and folk sources, the band’s blend of traditional and nontraditional instrumentation lends a free-wheeling, good time feel that gets toes tapping and hands clapping every time.

A local favorite, The Great Garage Band Reunion will headline at the Aug. 7 First Fridays. The GGBR is a 14-piece show group that features the music of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The band includes six horns and six featured vocalists and performs R&B, Rock ‘n Roll, and Blues hits from such legends as Etta James, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Ray Charles to name a few.

The Sept. 4 event will feature the fun and energy of the band, synerGy. A five-piece rock band from 

Killingly, synerGy features two Guitarists, three-part harmonies, keyboards and an unhealthy obsession with capitalizing the letter “G”. Their eclectic set list covers music from the ‘70s through today and their high-energy show will have you on the dance floor all night long. 

Oct. 2 the sixth and final evening of the festival will showcase a truly innovative duo: VulGarrity. Performing music with a modern twist, VulGarrity is a highly skilled rock band from Providence consisting of siblings Shawn and Tracy Garrity. Their approach to live performance is a unique one; Tracy and Shawn play every instrument themselves – at the same time. The use of loop pedals allows the dynamic duo to play drums, guitar, bass and keys, all while executing tight vocal harmonies. That’s not all; they switch instruments, too – usually several times during a show, sometimes within the same song, without missing a beat.

Along with live music, First Fridays will feature an eclectic mix of art vendors, interactive community art projects, family-friendly performances, and pop up Art Attacks. All First Fridays events start at 6 p.m. and are free. For more information, visit www.discoverputnam.com. 

 

 

Then

This is the bridge on Providence Street in Putnam in 1947. Putnam Town Crier file photos.

 

& Now

This is the same area today. Belding is on the left.

 

caption:

 

 

Award

The Putnam Bank Foundation recently awarded a $2,500 grant to  The Performing Arts of Northeast Connecticut. Left to right: Lynn K Bourque, Lindsay B Paul, Paula K Schimmel and Thomas A Borner. Courtesy photo.

 

PUTNAM — It's’s a sure sign that spring has arrived in northeastern Connecticut with the return of the Children’s Educational Opera and Symphony Programs sponsored by Performing Arts of Northeast Connecticut. Thomas A. Borner, president and CEO of Putnam Bank and president of the Putnam Bank Foundation, along with Lynn Bourque, SVP and Branch Administrator, recently presented a $2,500 grant to Lindsay B. Paul, chairman, of the Performing Arts of Northeast Connecticut and Paula K. Schimmel, vice chairman. Borner said, “We are pleased to support this organization and program which enriches and inspires young minds as part of our mission and responsibility as a community bank.”

The grant will help to fund upcoming children’s educational programs. This seasons programs include local 3rd graders who will participate in the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Red White and Brubeck, and 5th graders who will engage in the educational opera program of Mozart’s’ The Magical Flute. Additionally, a new music and literacy program targeted at kindergartners will be launched in collaboration with the New Haven Symphony, called Creating Musical Readers.  Over 154,000 children have participated in the programs through the Performing Arts 41-year history.