Starting in 2015, The Conniption Fits have created themes for their New Year’s Eve parties. That first year, it was a 1980s prom, which was a fit, so to speak, for the band’s choice of music, which leans toward the era of big hair, taffeta gowns and tuxes with color-matching cummerbunds.
The proposed dress code for the exit into 2020 the Fits are throwing Tuesday night is a bit more flexible.
“This year the theme is ‘Time-Travelers Ball,’ ” band founder Stevens Blanchard said last week. “You could be from the future. You could be from the ’80s. You could be from the 1800s. As long as it’s formal.”
Much else remains the same. Since Dec. 31, 2015, when the venerable party band made formal its format for revelers attire, the Fireside Inn in West Lebanon has been the Fits’ venue of choice. It helps the band to distinguish its party from the many other live-entertainment New Year’s options in the Upper Valley.
“People just loved it,” Blanchard said. “We used to do New Year’s Eve at a lot of bars: the Salt hills, a place in Manchester, a place up in Chelsea. We were looking for something more fun than band-plays-show, having everybody be part of the entertainment.
“What really works for us is that we get to do something that’s a little more unique.”
For the Fits — Blanchard, eighth-year bassist Jamie Hosley and second-year drummer Jeff Samarato — unique means, in addition to the costume drama, giving celebrants the option of going straight from the ballroom to their room at the Fireside, rather than risk driving home.
“If they want to indulge a little, they’re not endangering themselves or anyone else,” Blanchard said. “It cuts down on the likelihood of problems finding a designated driver.”
Blanchard said that for this New Year’s Eve, the Fits are preparing to play a number of songs outside their usual repertoire of pop and rock hits from the 1980s. Without giving too much of the set list away, the selections include the Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 hit Iris — “One of our first-ever slow songs, with a full string section,” Blanchard said — and the Black Keys’ 2011 classic Gold in the Ceiling.
“Most gigs we make up playlists as we go,” Blanchard said. “You have to read the crowd, anticipate what songs they’re going to like or not like. Sometimes, the ‘80s aren’t working at all.”
Blanchard, a Fairlee native who founded the band in 2003 after touring nationwide with the rock group Motorplant for more than a decade, stays up on recent musical tastes at Great Eastern Radio in West Lebanon, where his duties include DJ’ing the morning show for The River, at 93.9 FM.
“We don’t want to get stale,” Blanchard said. “The built-in formula is, choose a hit from eight years ago. If you’re 25, I need to know that song you loved when you were 17 or 18.
“It doesn’t hurt, paying attention to the charts: what’s a hit, what’s not a hit.”
The Conniption Fits apply that formula to about 120 shows a year, mostly around New England, for those times when Blanchard isn’t spinning records, Samarato’s not teaching drums and Hosley isn’t working at Crossroad Farm. They venture farthest and longest in summer, with Thursday-through-Sunday gigs, some on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.
“When the Fits started, I expected we’d play more originals,” Blanchard said. “Then as time went on we morphed into a party band, and I’m fine with that.”
Just don’t yell out to Blanchard and his partners to play “bro-country,” the glossy, overproduced, corporate songs that are a far cry from the roots-grounded music that Ken Burns celebrated in his recent PBS documentary series. Free Bird, maybe, but otherwise, they might pitch a, well, you know …
“We’ve been asked to add some of that here and there, but we never did it,” Blanchard said. “We never felt the need.
“I’m always looking to change things up when it makes sense, but if something’s working, you like to roll with it.”
The Conniption Fits set the mood for dancing away the last night of 2019 during their “Time Travelers Ball” at 7:30 Tuesday night at the Fireside Inn in West Lebanon. Admission of $85 includes dinner; overnight packages available for $249. For tickets, call 603-298-5900.
Enfield-native singer-songwriter Brooks Hubbard leads his Nashville-based roots-rock band into The Engine Room in White River Junction, for a celebration starting Tuesday afternoon at 3 and ending around 8. Admission costs $20 in advance (visit engineroomvt.com) and $30 at the door.
■Hartford-native roots musician Jes Raymond will lead a New Year’s Eve karaoke party at The Skinny Pancake in Hanover on Tuesday from 6 to 10.
■Singer-songwriter Kevin Atkinson performs 6:30 to 9:30 on Tuesday, during the New Year’s Eve dinner at The Public House Pub in Quechee.
Court Street Arts hosts its annual Knight of Queens New Year’s Eve party, featuring drag performers, on Tuesday at 8 at Alumni Hall in Haverhill. For tickets ($20 to $32) and more information, visit courtstreetarts.org or call 603-989-5500.
■The Salt hill Pubs bid farewell to 2019 with New Year’s Eve Bashes, each running from 9 to midnight. Performers include Off the List in Lebanon and Tirade in Newport. Admission $10 to $15 each. Regular weekly pub-trivia contests scheduled in Hanover and at The Shanty in Newbury, N.H.
■Jack in the Pulpit opens Windsor Station’s New Year’s Eve party at 9, and Maiden Voyage plays dance music until 2 a.m. Cover charge $5.
The World Under Wonder Playhouse in Ascutney stages six performances of Scrooge: The Musical! between Thursday night and Jan. 4. For tickets ($10) and more information, visit worldunderwonder.org or call 603-381-3344.
■The Suicide Six ski area in South Pomfret hosts a “Festivus Rail Jam,” with a live DJ spinning tunes to ski and snowboard by, on Saturday afternoon between 2 and 7. Admission by donation to Vermont Adaptive Sports.
■Upper Valley-native singer-songwriters Alison “AliT” Turner and Chris Powers join voices at The Engine Room in White River Junction on Saturday night at 7:30, to celebrate the recent releases of their new albums. Admission $15.
The Sound of Music, performances through Jan. 5 at Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction. Matinees only at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, and Wednesday, New Year’s Day. Tickets $17.75 to $57.75.
Mad Hazard Band, jazz, bossa nova and blues, Thursday night at 5:30 at the Quechee Club’s Davidson’s Restaurant.
■Enfield-native singer-songwriter Brooks Hubbard, Thursday night at 6 at Peyton Place restaurant in Orford.
■Singer-songwriter Jason Cann, 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Harpoon Brewery in Windsor.
■John Lackard Duo, danceable blues, Friday afternoon at 6 at Big Fatty’s BBQ in White River Junction, and Friday night at 8 at Salt hill Pub in West Lebanon.
■Dr. Tom’s Band, roots rock, Friday night at 8 at Skunk Hollow Tavern in Hartland Four Corners.
■Singer-guitarist Wayne Canney, Friday night at 9 at Salt hill Pub in Hanover; Never Too Late, folk trio, Saturday night at 9.
■Turner Round, rock quartet, Friday night at 9 at Salt hill Pub in Lebanon; acoustic rocker Richie Hackett, Saturday night at 9.
■Rich Thomas and Logan Flewelling, rockabilly, Friday night at 9 at Salt hill Pub in Newport.
■SIRSY, rock duo, Saturday afternoon at 4 at Salt hill Pub in West Lebanon.
■Singer-songwriter Jim Yeager, Monday night at 6:30 at 506 on the River in Woodstock.
■Singer-songwriter Alison “AliT” Turner, next Thursday night at 6 at Crown Point Country Club in Springfield, Vt.
Alec Currier’s weekly open-mic at Salt hill Pub in Lebanon, Thursday night at 8.
■Peter Meijer’s open mic, Wednesday nights at 8.
■Tom Masterson’s Tuesday-night open mic resumes on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. at Colatina Exit in Bradford, Vt.
Comedy Club Night, featuring Upper Valley and Twin State stand-up artists, 7 p.m. next Thursday at The Engine Room in White River Junction. Admission $5 to $10. For ages 21 and up.
David Corriveau can be reached at dcorriveau@vnews.com or 603-727-3304. Send entertainment news to highlights@vnews.com.