Tuesday, November 17, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Quizz Night: Open to all players, solo or teams up to six members.  $2.00 admission to play.   Film trivia sponsored by the Middlebury College Film Club. Don’t forget the rules.

Wednesday, November 18, 8:00 – 10:00 pm

Ben Goldstein (Piano): Jazz, pop, and original music. Ben is a Junior Feb (’11.5) majoring in Music and Computer Science at Middlebury. He was born and raised in Memphis, TN and spent his Febmester studying French and Art in Paris. On campus, he sings/writes/keyboards for the band Fat Bab, is a member of the Mamajamas (a cappella group), and the pianist for Middlebrow (improv comedy).

Thursday, November 19, 7:30 – 9:00 pm

MCAB Pub Night

Friday, November 20, 8:30 – 11:30

PossumHaw brings energized, original, authentic bluegrass/folk to the stage, guided by the captivating vocals and songwriting of Colby Creham. “This is definitely a cse of a band that sounds like its name; the music of Burlington foursome PossumHaw is a slice of Appalachia on the shores of Lake Champlain.” – Burlington Free Press. Be sure to check out PossumHaw’s website.

Saturday, November 21

6:30 – 8:30 pm

Stuck in the Middle (SIM) is Middlebury College’s freshest, cleanest, newest, all-male a cappella group. Their size and musical variety are considerable, large, and in charge, and they relish in providing the full, pleasurable aural experience to audiences of all shapes and sizes. Can’t wait for Saturday’s show? Indulge in the glory that is SIM’s website.

9:00 pm – 12:00 am

We Are the Financial Crisis: Dustin Carlson’s Music blends influences of thickly textured fingerstyle guitar with wildly distorted noise rock rants.  His group performs with the dynamicism of a chamber group, rollicking through layered improvisations and delectably composed material.” Don’t miss Dustin’s MySpace.

Quizz Night, Tuesday, November 10, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Open to all players, solo or teams up to five members. $2.00 admission to play. Film trivia sponsored by the Middlebury College Film Club. Don’t forget the rules.

Cash is King, Wednesday, November 11, 8:00 – 10:30 pm

Country avant-garde pop music.

Arabic Poetry Reading, Thursday, November 12, 7:30 – 9:00 pm

Huda Fakhreddine presents Arabic poetry.

Verbal Onslaught, Thursday, November 12, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

Drawing from our Middlebury community of faculty, staff, students, local community members and other special guests, Verbal Onslaught adds dynamic poetic and cultural diversity to our vibrant town nestled between the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks. Shy and Outspoken Poets, Storytellers, Writers, Artists, and Listeners are more than welcome.

Middlebury Arts Walk featuring Carolyn Barnwell, Friday, November 13, 5:00 – 7:00

This collection of photographs is a small sample from 10,000 images spanning nine countries, 23 islands, and 76 different beds (or floors!) slept on over more than a year of experiential research.  The most congruous theme running through this nomadic journey was that Carolyn received generous hospitality from others and found beauty each and every day.  This has inspired her to share portraits of some of the families and children she spent time with, and moments of striking natural beauty from remote locations in Asia, the Pacific, and Southern Africa. Read more about 51 Main’s Artist of the Month.

Scrambled Legs, Friday, November 13, 5:00 – 7:30 pm

Scrambled Legs plays a blend of jazz standards, improvisations and funkifications.  Comprised of Charlie Freundlich on bass, Eamon Fogarty on guitar, Dan Sheron on alto saxophone and Matthew Vaughan on drums, the group can be found wherever Carlo Rossi is served.  Whatever the occasion, a Scrambled Legs show delivers smooth licks and danceable grooves for the whole family.

Fat Baby, Friday, November 13, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

After toiling away for years in the depths of the service building at Middlebury College, Fat Baby exploded onto the live music scene in 2008 with their energized performances and funk-filled dance parties. The band’s upcoming album, Sloppy Transitions, weaves Taylor Smith’s stunning vocal work with Aaron Krivitzky’s stadium-ready guitar licks to create a record full of rock songs in their purest form. With Charlie Whistler joining the ranks on the electric bass, Fat Baby will prove to be unstoppable force to move feet moving all across Vermont.

Gregory Douglass, Saturday, November 14, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

Douglass’s evocative, alternative sound has been compared to Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright. His numerous accolades include being a finalist for both the 2005 International Songwriting Competition and the 2004 Independent Music Awards; he was the winner of the 2003 GrammyFest Awards in New York City, as well as the inaugural performer on the American Red Cross “Save A Life Tour” in 2003. Douglass actively appears at listening rooms, clubs, festivals, and campuses throughout the United States and has shared the stage with artists like They Might Be Giants, Melissa Ferrick, Jason Mraz, Regina Spektor, Third Eye Blind and Margaret Cho. Douglass’ music video for “Hang Around” charted for six consecutive months on LOGO TV’s “Click List” Top 10 Video Countdown in 2008, following similar success on LOGO TV with his video for “I Wanted To Run” in 2007. Read more about Gregory Douglas here. Sponsored by the Middlebury Open Queer Alliance, the Office of the Dean of the College, and 51 Main.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, Quizz Night

Open to all players, solo or teams up to six members.  $2.00 admission to play.  Pot goes to the winning team. Check out the official rules.

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 8:30 – 11 pm, Mischords

The Mischords are an all female a cappella group founded in 1962. They perform a vast repertoire, providing entertainment to the campus and surrounding community.

Friday, November 6, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am, Robert Wuagnuex

Dr. Robert Wuagnuex is an amazing local musician.  Wuagnuex has traveled around the world performing around Europe and the Balkans.  This singer song writer has a soulful jazz, blues, pop style leaving nothing to be desired.

Saturday, November 7, 8:30 pm – 12:00 am, Charismatic Megafauna

Charismatic. Mega. Fauna. The name says it all. With Eamona Fogarty on guitar and vocals, Charlie Freundilick on upright bass, John Glouchevitch on banjo, mandolin, guitar, and vocals, Kelly Stewart on drums and vocals, and maybe-possibly-not-entirely-sure Peter Coccoma on guitar, vocals, and assorted noisemaking, this is a show not to be missed. Original songs written by Eamon Fogarty.

Home, Redefined:

360 Degrees of Beauty and Generosity

This collection of photographs is a small sample from 10,000 images spanning nine countries, 23 islands, and 76 different beds (or floors!) slept on over more than a year of experiential research.  The most congruous theme running through this nomadic journey was that Carolyn received generous hospitality from others and found beauty each and every day.  This has inspired her to share portraits of some of the families and children she spent time with, and moments of striking natural beauty from remote locations in Asia, the Pacific, and Southern Africa.

While a student at Middlebury College, Carolyn received fellowships to study in Asia in 2005-’06 and to do worldwide research in 2007-’08.  She tried to look beyond literature about development and climate change to how human lives are affected.  If she has learned one overarching lesson in her international studies, it is that you can never do holistic research projects without going to your study sites in person to experience all the complexities for yourself.  She dove into this by always choosing to live with local families rather than in hostels or dorms.  There is no substitute for cultural participation— lack of privacy, unfamiliar expectations, shocking food, family tensions, and all.

Through these images, Carolyn hopes to emphasize the rewards of communal life.  She specifically remembers crossing a mental threshold where she no longer felt like she was traveling, but just living… and finding home in the present.  Oftentimes this was through shared gestures and understanding that defy language barriers.  There were always interesting everyday interactions to appreciate and photograph leisurely because she was included and safe.  The most memorable moments were irreducible to a camera shot: the vast turquoise ocean enveloping her small fishing boat; an entire village sitting in a circle passing around a bowl of kava and laughing by firelight; having a church choir surround and sing to her while she lay on the floor waiting for an ambulance…

She hopes the color and the life in these images serve as a celebration of joy and awe.  She’d like to dedicate this exhibit to all of her hosts and friends around the world who made her feel at home and offered countless graces.

Carolyn’s photographs will be on display for the entire month of November. Carolyn will host a special opening event on Friday, November 13, during the Middlebury Arts Walk. Local bands Scrambled Legs and Fat Baby will provide music for your enjoyment. Please see the events calendar for more information.

Quizz Night is Backk! Tuesday, October 27, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Open to all players, solo or teams up to six members.  $2.00 admission to play.  Pot goes to the winning team. Check out the official rules.

MCAB Pub Night featuring Ava and the Gardeners. Thursday, October 29, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

A new act based in Vermont fronted by one of the most extraordinary voices we’ve heard in a while, Ava Kerr, who also plays piano for the group.  With her sweet and rounded, utterly luscious vocals, reminiscent of Zooey Deschanel, Regina Spektor, (and dare we say Judy Garland??), she’s a voice that could take these guys far.  With Peter Coccoma on guitar (and the occasional mandolin) and Sam Wyer on drums, the trio writes all their own stuff; with each song, they craft three or so minutes of poetry, lush and stuffed with rich imagery.

Anthony Santor Jazz Group, Friday, October 30, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

Considered by many to be the hottest and freshest jazz in town The Anthony Santor Jazz Group has become very popular at 51 Main at the Bridge.  With a line up of Anthony Santor (double bass), Nicholas Cassarino (guitar), Gaza Carr (drums) and Brian MacNamera (alto sax) playing bass-driven free jazz.

Dirtminers with Ray and Russ, Saturday, October 31, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

Raph Worrick plays guitars and sings, and makes the stuff up. Most of the time Ron Rost is abusing the organ and related instruments, but sometimes Wayne Reiss beats the piano, hard. Matt Rogalsky plays bass and all kinds of other stuff. Karen Ferguson Laundon wails on fiddle and accordion, and sings real nice too. Jeff Labossiere keeps everything together from behind the drum set; unless of course Pete Bowers or Russ Lawton is sitting back there. Plus the odd surprise visitor now and then…. The Dirtminers play a bunch of barely functional old junk exclusively.

Reports are coming in from Tuesday’s Quizz Night (sponsored by the Middlebury College Film Club) and the general consensus is: it was fun!

Now, we are looking for Quizz Masters who will run the games each week. Responsibilities will include finding the questions, grading the answers, MC-ing the game, and–most importantly–making it fun for everyone. If you think you are up to the task, email Barbara Doyle-Wilch: bdoylewi [at] middlebury [dot] edu. Okie doke?

Oh, and for everyone’s future reference, here are the Official Quizz Night Rules. Yeah. We gotta have rules, people!

1.     Teams may be comprised of no more than six physically present individuals. No other people besides the team members can be at your table.

2.     No outside help for questions, and no inanimate team members. Please don’t call people on your cell phones, download web pages on your PDAs or sneak in volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica in your shorts.

3.     The quizmaster is the final arbiter of truth, beauty, fashion, justice and all questions and other matters of Pub Trivia policy. Even if the results appear unfair, inaccurate, rude or obscenely biological, don’t argue. It won’t help.

4.     Any rule not included herein may be created on the spot by the quizmaster and enforced with brutal abandon.

5.     The game is composed of two rounds of fifteen questions each. At the end of the first round, you’ll turn in your answers, we’ll grade them, and then make fun of your scores. After that, we’ll give a plate of tapas to the winning team.

6.     In the event of a tie, the tied teams shall be asked a tie-breaker question. The team with the correct (or closest to correct) answer will win the round. In the unlikely event that more than one team puts down the same winning answer, the round will go to the team that gets me their winning answer first.

7.     At the end of the evening, we’ll total up the scores and the team with the most points will win the pot.