Ninja Monkey are the longstanding Southern Vermont champs of original rootsy rock and funky blues. Local heroes Ezra Veitch, Josh Maiocco, Michael Lenox, Garth Tichy, and John Janiszyn will be playing an all-Monkey, all-ages, everybody-dance show on Saturday night, August 24 at Stage 33 Live; door at 6:00, show at 7:00, $5 suggested donation.Ninja Monkey has been around for more than ten years and have hit their stride with just the right balance of both tight and loose, blending quality musicianship and high-spirited fun. It’s somehow meaningful that they almost called themselves “Frikin’ Chicken and the Plastic Quesadilla Band.”This won’t be a listening-room event; this will be loud good-time Southern-Vermont Rock. The floor will be open for dancing.All ages. Suggested donation $5 at the door, more if you can. Door at 6, band at 7. Saturday, August 24. Stage 33 Live at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont.The performance will be recorded and filmed. 

And the Saturday after that:Concert & Performance Fundraiser for Rockingham Free Public LibraryBELLOWS FALLS VT (August 31, 2019) — A concert and performance event featuring David Rosane & The Zookeepers, Chard diNiord, Owen Nied, Verandah Porche, Patty Carpenter, and World Under Wonder Playhouse cast members will raise funds for the Rockingham Free Public Library.The event caps off the annual library tour by David Rosane & The Zookeepers. Tickets are available now at the Rockingham library, or online at stage33live.com — suggested minimum donation per ticket is $20, every cent goes to the library. Saturday, August 31; door at 6:00 PM, show at 7:00 sharp. 

This summer, libraries across the country are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and America's achievements in space research. Library professionals chose the slogan "A Universe of Stories" for their summer reading programs to inspire people of all ages to dream big, believe in themselves, and create their own story.Also this summer, David Rosane & the Zookeepers (whose latest album, "Book of ZOO", won the 2019 Tammie Award for best Vermont rock album), has been touring in support of rural libraries. A self-described 'fringe' band known for delivering humor, intellectualism, and drama in equal doses, The Zookeepers have dubbed the tour "Across the ZOO-niverse: a 2019 Library-Space Odyssey and Benefit Tour, Rockin' Vermont for Literacy, Democracy and Free Speech."The band's frontman, David Rosane, said, "What started out last year as a grassroots effort led by a trio of crazed bookworms has blossomed. We now have the full-fledged support of the Vermont Department of Libraries, lots of media attention, a recent appearance at the Vermont State Legislature, a bunch of local business sponsors, and towns inviting us to play for them!”The band's first library-fundraising tour received considerable media coverage — from VPR to WCAX and Seven Days and many local papers — which helped shine a light on the issues facing libraries as these legendary institutions see their revenue decrease across the country at a time when they are becoming increasingly crucial to the public interest. The tour caught the eye of the Vermont Department of Libraries, which is now helping the band to reiterate and expand their efforts.The concert in Bellows Falls will be the last stop on the Zookeepers' 2019 Library Benefit Tour. This year's tour, featuring Don Sinclair on bass and guitar, and Jennifer Grossi on vocals, synthesizer, and percussion, also includes Burlington, Cabot, Enosburg, Rochester, Peacham, Bradford, Derby Line, Barre, Middletown Springs, Weston, Groton, Marshfield, Hardwick, Chelsea, and East Fairfield."All donations raised at the door of each show go to the local library and their programs and needs”, said Rosane. "In addition to fundraising, we really want to draw attention to the role that libraries play in our towns and villages. They aren't just a place for books — they're community centers, an open space for public events and life-long learning. Or people can just hang and socialize... a cool place for the lonely, the elderly, and special populations."Band member Jennifer Grossi adds, "The collective awareness on how vital libraries are to our lives and liberty is growing. In many communities in Vermont, libraries are the only places some people can access the internet — imagine how crucial that factor can be in making voting decisions, for example, or even getting inspired to vote."Vermont has the highest number of libraries per capita in the United States, and all of them are pillars of the common good; a place to gather and network, access ideas and resources.In raising funds for libraries, the Zookeepers help answer needs ranging from the purchase of new computers, facility improvement, financing kid's programs involving health awareness and event-based citizen science, to the purchase of environmentally friendly materials. As frontman Rosane says, "A little help can go a long way."