120 Minutes of College Radio: A Tribute to the 1980s Underground

Cafe Nine, 250 State St, New Haven, CT

Some of Connecticut’s best original bands and songwriters pay tribute to the golden age of college radio and the underground scene that launched bands like the Replacements, the Cure, REM, the Pixies, Miracle Legion, and the Smiths.

In 1991 Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” shot to number one on the charts and went platinum. Almost immediately, there were grunge fashion spreads in magazines, and commercial modern rock stations sprouting up all across America. "Alternative music” was suddenly a commercially viable trend. But in the 1980s, this wasn’t the case; you had to work a lot harder to find new and inspiring bands, tuning into lower wattage college stations on the “left of the dial,” scouring the CMJ charts for new bands, or staying up very late on Sunday nights to watch MTV’s groundbreaking “120 Minutes.”

Performers include: Frank Critelli, Chris Bousquet (American Elm), Lys Guillorn, The Sawtelles, The Shellye Valauskas Experience (Duo), Dave Schneider (the Zambonis, the Levees), Bruce and LoraLee Crowder, Steve Bunovski (The Naomi Star, Hannah Cranna), Pigeon English, Anne Castellano, Hugh Birdsall (The Reducers, Dogbite), Jeff Cedrone (Floating Lanterns, Light Upon Blight)