In fact, the band performs almost exclusively outdoors all summer (by design), thanks to a series of return shows to the absolutely gorgeous Chelo’s on the Waterfront in Warwick, RI; first-time performances at the Windsor Locks Fire Carnival and Parade and the Windsor (CT) Summer Concert Series; and a 4th of July blowout at the best beach bar in New England, the Pavilion Beach Club, on the sands of Soundview Beach, in Old Lyme, CT.

In addition to monthly double-night stands at Margaritaville and visits to City Side at River Falls in Woonsocket, RI and the legendary Windjammer on Misquamicut Beach, RI; the band will also be playing a number of private events, including the weddings of some long-time KICK fans as well as the not-so-private Gundelfest 2012 in Warrensburg, NY. If you know what that means, you’re probably already going. If you don’t, well, keep your ears open.

It is possible that additional dates at select prime venues will be scheduled as well, although any such additions may prove to be countered by the reality that there are only so many days in summer. Check KICKband.com frequently for the first word on any scheduling updates or changes, especially at outdoor venues where weather may be a factor.

Hear the radio commercial

The parade  begins at 11:00 a.m. sharp at Capitol Avenue by the State Capitol Building, takes a left on Main Street, a left on Asylum, a left on Ford Street, and then ends by the Memorial Arch. The parade will be held rain or shine, and will also be broadcast live by 104.1 WMRQ (Radio 104 – listen for a chance to win a spot on the float!), Red Wolf Radio, and WTIC-TV FOX 61.

Please note, there will be some road closures along the parade route before the parade. Parking is available in various lots and garages near the XL Center area and Convention Center. For additional information and route map, visit the links in the Calendar section of KICKband.com.

As always, dates will continue to be added in the weeks to come and throughout the year. But a preliminary glance at the forthcoming year reveals a fourth year of residency at the eminently fabulous  Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino, bimonthly returns to several favorites, scattered fan-recommended debuts, and a growing number of special private events.

Notably, 2K12 begins with the first of a series of monthly Friday/Saturday doubleheaders at Margaritaville Mohegan Sun during Sun Winefest ’12, the biggest wine and food expo in New England. January also marks the long-anticipated debuts at The Blackboard Cafe in Windsor Locks, CT and T’s Place in Torrington, CT.

The band’s long history of civic involvement continues with a February performance at Maneely’s Banquet Hall in Vernon, CT to benefit research of Parkinson’s Disease (on the 16th anniversary of the group’s formation, which took place that same evening roughly four miles to the west). Copious additional details about that fundraiser and a few others will be posted to KICKband.com in the weeks to come.

Of course, the band looks forward to returns to Geraldine’s in West Springfield, MA; City Side at River Falls in Woonsocket, RI; City Sports Grille at Spare Time Lanes in Vernon, CT; and a new fave, the HydeAway in Platsville, CT.

KICK expects to announce the first wave of select beach and resort dates as part of the Endless SummerTour 2K12 shortly after the new year.

The band says they are more inspired than ever to bring their adrenaline-fueld, high-octane, ultimate tribute to everything as close to their fans’ homes (or in them for that matter). Friends and fans of the band are encouraged to submit club recommendations through the Kick Tunes page on Facebook or directly to rhythm guitarist/bookng maven Brian at brian@kickband.com.

You want to talk about free entertainment? Get this (and do this): In honor of Mohegan Sun’s 15th anniversary, on Friday, October 21, we will be hanging with Ronnie, Sammi and Deena of Jersey Shore at 7, watching rock legend Steven Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Buffalo Springfield at the Wolf Den at 8, and then playing Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at 10. All free.

Saturday the 22nd, we’ll be chowing with Bobby Flay before the show by country superstar Dierks Bentley at the Wolf Den at 8, after which we return with a whole new shebang to Margaritaville at 10. Again, everything I mentioned here can be done without touching your wallet. (Although you’ll be around blackjack tables, so knowing you, you probably will.)

All the while, the 2nd largest casino resort in the world is marking its 15th anniversary with a celeb-studded weekend featuring Jennifer Lopez (who is playing the Arena if you can score tix) and Regis Philbin, who is being feted by a who’s who of entertainment. So bring your camera and come party like (and with) a rockstar!

The race, one of the nation’s premier events of its type, was called “the greenest marathon in America,” and attracts thousands of competitors from around the world.

This year’s event begins at 8:00 a.m. with the team relay and 5K races. KICK will perform a full show from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the Bushnell Park Stage at mile marker 26.2, at the park in downtown Hartford. Runners who complete the race will have passed 35 other bands along the route, which winds throughout and along the scenic Connecticut Riverlands.

Road closures begin early. Attendees and supporters are encouraged to arrive early. Complete details and course maps can be found at hartfordmarathon.com.

The band reportedly breathed a collective sigh when they learned their return engagement would buy them at least one more year to put their marathon dreams on hold.

Great summers have often bred equally awesome falls, and Autumn 2K11 has a number of true gems, including a couple debuts, a bunch of overdue encore performances, and a few more chances to catch the band outdoors and bask in the crispness and foliage of a New England fall.

Perhaps the best chance to catch a nice, Indian summer KICK show will be the band’s 5:00 p.m. performance at the Berlin Fair, September 30 (if you can’t make it, just head 10 miles north and catch us afterward for a bonus late-night show at Black Bear Saloon in downtown Hartford, CT). 

The following weekend, the band pays a way-overdue checkin with friends in Fall River, MA with a show at Playoffs. From there, KICK returns for its 4th Annual return to the ING Hartford Marathon for an afternon show on the Bushnell Park Stage, right there at the finish line. (All are welcome, you certainly don’t need to run.)

The boys set up shop in East Vegas for a doubleheader/residency at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino October 21 and 22 in Uncasville, CT; followed by a visit to The Hugry Tiger in Manchester, CT (where the band returns for a special holiday show Christmas weekend) and a first-ever performance at The Stadium in Waterbury, CT.

This list is hardly comprehensive, it’s really just a smattering to tease you into checking out the Calendar section of KICKband.com. The band will (of course) be checking into throughout the fall with an assortment of dates at Geraldine’s in West Springfield, MA; Murphy & Scarletti’s in Farmington, CT; City Side at River Falls in Woonsocket, RI; and City Sports Grille in Vernon, CT.

Thank you all, on behalf of the band, for making it so enjoyable for us to do this. We look forward to seeing you, meeting you, and spending some great times together this fall and into 2012. And if it turns out that the Mayans were wrong and the world doesn’t end then, even longer.

For starters, following a going away/hometown throwdown at Black Bear Hartford on May 14, the band launches the tour in earnest with a shoreline stint beginning with a Thursday night show at the Gold Club in Groton, CT (seriously, dude, we couldn’t believe it either) and continuing on to a Saturday night indoor beach party at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino. From there, we kick off Memorial Day weekend with a rage at Rookies in Cromwell, CT and then set sail for a dizzying itinerary of debauchery and mayhem, the likes of which would debilitate most lesser bands. Of course, having outlasted the careers of the Beatles, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and Nirvana combined, we have picked up a few tricks over the years about durability, perseverance, triumph in the face of adversity, and copious consumption of caffeine. Because the show must go on, and you don’t become the hardest working band in show business by taking a break.

(Of course, getting to rock out with the greatest fans and friends in the history of the world certainly helps encourage longevity.)

Next, we bid a temporary adieu to our friends at Murphy & Scarletti’s before hitting the beaches of Newport, RI for back-to-back weekends at the Rhino Bar and Newport Blues, respectively. The debuts (and outdoor patios) continue with a stop at the all-new Zen Bar in Plainville, CT; yet another doubleheader weekend in Margaritaville Mohegan Sun; and a sure-to-be steamy trek to Geraldine’s in Springfield, MA.

Conveniently, July is peppered with debuts throughout the Ocean State, starting at Chelo’s on the Waterfront in Warwick and Clam Jammers in Point Judith, RI (right next to the Block Island ferry launch) to kick off 4^th of July weekend. From there, we swing back up through City Side at River Falls in Woonsocket, RI; soak up some sun at Pavilion Beach Club on Soundview Beach in Old Lyme, CT; and debut at Windjammer on Misquamicut Beach in Westerly, RI. We’re also looking forward to seeing Gillary’s in the summer (in Bristol, RI – the other Newport) and to an all-ages family show at the Rocky Hill at Veteran’s Memorial Amphitheater at Elm Ridge Park. Oh, and of course, we’ll be checking in to Jimmy Buffett’s for a cheeseburger in paradise every few weeks throughout summer and the rest of the year, par usual.

August begins with a return to Chelo’s and Newport; a caravan to Lake George, NY; and another jam at the Clam (Jammers, that is) before wrapping up Labor Day weekend in Newport.

Long story short, it’s shaping up to be a summer like no other (didn’t I tell you?) But it won’t be anywhere near as much fun if we don’t get to spend some quality R&R time together. Dates continue to be added, so check the Calendar section of KICKband.com often, jump on the KICK Army mailing list, and/or, if you haven’t already, friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (in both cases under “Kick Tunes.”) Our goal is to make 2K11 our best summer yet (so we can try to top it next year!)

965 TIC’s 2nd Chance Prom: The Little Black Dress Affair is taking place Friday April 1st at The Hilton Hartford – but let us say right up front this night’s NOT about reliving the past, and this is NOT your parent’s prom!  What could be better than an elegant, sexy night out in your best Little Black Dress?  How about a LIVE performance by Duran Duran!  That’s right, Duran Duran will be headlining this year’s 2nd Chance Prom, and obviously, the only question on your mind now is… how do you get on the list for Prom Night? The event is sponsored by Coors Light.

Keep listening to 965 TIC or visit 965tic.radio.com for your chance to win tickets to the Prom!

Read more: 965 TIC’s 2nd Chance Prom: The Little Black Dress Affair With Duran Duran http://965tic.radio.com/2011/03/03/965-tics-2nd-chance-prom-featuring-duran-duran/#ixzz1GdDqMUSF

It wouldn’t be Prom Night all over again without a few rules, right?  Well, we’re limiting it to three rules for ours:

• All Winners must bring a valid ID for check-in for you and your guest.
• Proper attire is required. suits, tuxes, dresses or gowns are a must – no jeans allowed.
• All guests must be 21 or older. No exceptions.

We’re also hooking you up with some great deals for your new Prom Night!

Tux rentals – check out Formals By Antonio and you can get a great deal – only $96.50 for a tux rental for the night! ($96.50 Tuxedo Rental special is only available for April 1st for winners attending the 2nd Chance Prom.)

Hotel rooms – Need a place to stay after the Prom? The Hilton Hartford Hotel is having a special offer – only $96.50 for a room, only for 2nd Chance Prom attendees.