Welcome to Westville

 Doors 7pm Showtime 8pm Tickets: $10.

Mike Marlin has a biography to startle the horses. Blinded in one eye at 4, he was a teenage prodigy at Oxford before dropping out; he later invented stock market computer technology. On paper, this 51-year-old’s new career suggest mid-life crisis in excelsis, but on record, he’s deliciously persuasive. Songs about serial killers, sex and death feel like lost late ‘70s classics, the guitars either sharpened up post-punkishly (War To Begin) or given room to brood in dimly-lit bars (Amazing). Romantic lyrics about blue eyes and a girl in “that dress” somehow sidestep cliché too, because the voice behind them yanks you in. Innocence be damned – it’s time to enjoy experience

 

“The Brilliant growling new rock voice, full of the perviness of Leonard Cohen, the bite of Luke Haines, and the chops of The Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler” Q Magazine – 4 Stars

 

Ian Biggs

 

Ian Biggs is a singer/songwriter from New Haven, Connecticut, who denies the label of a “genre.” The musical journey of his latest collection of material will take you from the quiet depths of a weathered soul to the heart-pounding, rug-cutting thrill of being alive.

 

After years of fronting the rock band All in Blind, Ian began working with producer Jeff Gitelman (The Stepkids, Chance The Rapper, Alicia Keys) and longtime friend Robbie Chemical on his new project. After his second European tour, Ian returned home in August of 2014 and signed with Niveo Records. Entering 2015, Ian has continued his collaborations, working with Frostbite Entertainment and producer Tim Cappezone of Rise or Decay.

 

Ian has worked as a session guitarist/vocalist for many acts as well as a toured with Jesse McCartney (808 Records), Katy Tiz (Atlantic Records), Edisun (EMI), Nicole Frechette, Marjorie Lee, and was an instrumental member in the indie rock band Lion’s Teeth. Ian has also had the good fortune of sharing the stage with several other notable acts including Neon Trees, Capital Cities, Betty Who, Aaron Carter, Kat Dahlia, Marcy Playground and Everlast to name a few.

 

Western Estates

westernestatesband.com.

 

“Presently writing and recording in Southern Connecticut, Western Estates is an embryonic combination of new and old friends playing tuneful rock sparkling with creativity and a dash of prog for good measure. Featuring a stunningly sweet female vocalist and 3 guys trying to change the number of the beast to 203, Western Estates invites you to their universe.

 

This four-piece band proves the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Laura Klein (MZT), Glenn Furst (various local projects), Matt Cranmer (Codename Ella), and Jarrod Ruby (x-Thirdborder, AM, Proton Proton, Doug Gillard [Guided By Voices]) came together last fall to challenge themselves to create a sound grounded in rock yet constantly reaching towards an eclectic variety of influences.

 

Each member has a unique musical background and multiple musical talents, which you can hear in the songwriting. Their songs range from romantic duets about carnival rides to stoner-rock odes to murder and mayhem, revenge-ballads to wistfully temporal love songs, all while maintaining their roots in Garage Rock.

 

Their music is accessible without ever quite fitting a formula. It is catchy without being repetitive, melodic without being generic, and surprising without being off-putting.

 

Western Estates is constantly developing new music and incorporating different instruments to their oeuvre.