Tag Archives: Billie Eilish

Roundup: Bubble Tea, Brrrrr, Billie Eilish …

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Since opening earlier this winter in Compo Shopping center near CVS and Planet Pizza, The Whale Tea has quietly earned a loyal following for its bubble tea.

“Series” include fresh milk, whale crystal, crème brûlée, classic milk and tea, fresh fruit milk tea, milk foam, slush and oolong tea.

There’s a wide range of bubble tea add-ons, and options to control the levels of ice, sugar and boba.

Whale Tea is part of a small chain. Other locations are in Fairfield, Stamford, New Haven, Storrs and (why not?) Boise, Idaho.

Reader Bonnie Dubson writes: “I am a (former) New Yorker who really misses Chinatown and the international vibe of bubble tea places. I’m tickled to have one in town. My daughter, husband and I used to pilgrimage to the city for bubble tea. Now we have it right here. We are so excited!”

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It’s mid-February. For most of us, it’s a time to ski, escape to sunny resorts, or count the days until spring.

For these three, it’s a chance to zip up the wet suits and head to Compo.

Plus, there’s plenty of parking.

(Photo/Pam Kesselman)

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On Friday, Billie Eilish played to a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.

Longtime Westporter Larry Perlstein was one of the lucky ones there.

What makes that “06880”-worthy is that the pop idol is the daughter of Patrick O’Connell, a 1975 Staples High School graduate.

Perlstein is a ’75 grad too. Which means he had a bit more of a claim to her fame than most of the rest of the MSG audience.

Billie Eilish sold out Madison Square Garden. (Photo/Larry Perlstein)

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo shows an intriguing view of the Saugatuck River, as seen from the Kings Highway North bridge.

(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)

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And finally … 2 famous works premiered on this date.

In 1816, it was Rossini’s opera “The Barber of Seville” at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.

Sixty-one years later, Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake” debuted at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

Grammy Awards: The Westport Connections

When Billie Eilish swept the top honors at last night’s Grammy Awards, Westporters — at least, those who are close readers of “06880” — felt a bit of pride.

As reported here in October, the entertainer — whose full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell — lives in LA, with her brother Finneas, and her parents.

But she has local ties. Her father. Patrick O’Connell, grew up at the top of Compo Hill. A 1975 Staples High School graduate, he was an active member of Staples Players.

Billie Eilish and her father, Patrick O’Connell.

Billie won Grammys for Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and was named Best New Artist. She was nominated for — but did not win — Best Pop Solo Performance.

Finneas earned a Grammy as Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. He worked on 10 albums, including his sister’s “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”

They’re not the only winners with a Westport connection. Ranky Tanky — who celebrate the Gullah slave culture that still lives in South Carolina, combining spirituals, poems, children’s songs and lullabies with fresh, jazz-inflected music — won Best Regional Roots Music Album. for “Good Time.”

Ranky Tanky were among the first artists signed by Steve Ruchefsky and Rondi Charleston’s Resilience Music Alliance. Based in Westport, the label empowers musicians who explore, challenge and celebrate the human condition of (you guessed it) resilience.

In 2018, Ranky Tanky played to a packed audience at the Levitt Pavilion.

At the Spoleto Music Festival, Steve Ruchefsky and Rondi Charleston presented Ranky Tanky with plaques commemorating the #1 performance of the first release on the Westporters’ label, Resilience Music Alliance.

In addition there were 2 Westport-ish nominees for Best Children’s Album, though neither won. Daniel Tashian (“I Love Rainy Days”) is the son of Barry and Holly Tashian. He fronted the legendary rock band the Remains; she was a noted singer herself. The couple now live, record and write in Nashville, where Daniel grew up.

Kaitlin McGaw (“The Love”) is part of Alphabet Rockers, which “empowers kids with hip-hop.” Her grandparents are Westporters Ed and Kay See.

Interestingly, the O’Connell, Tashian and See families families all lived on Compo Hill. There must be something in the (Old Mill) water.

Here’s one more local connection to the Grammys — though it’s a stretch.

“Oklahoma!” was nominated for Best Musical Theater Album. The composer lived for many years on Hulls Farm Road in Fairfield, just over the line from Westport’s Long Lots Road.

His name: Richard Rodgers.

I’m sure I missed at least one other Westport tie to last night’s Grammys.

Click here for the full list. If you find someone in any category — jazz, blues, bluegrass, folk, reggae, Christian music, whatever — let us know in the “Comments” below.

Billie Eilish: The “06880” Connection

You may not have heard of Billie Eilish.

But your teen or tween certainly has.

The 18-year-old is a pop sensation. In 2017 her first EP, “Don’t Smile At Me,” hit the Top 15 in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. This year’s album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” contined Billboard Top 40 singles, including the #1 “Bad Guy.” She is the first — and so far only — artist born in the 2000s to record an American #1 single. Billie already has 8 gold and 4 platinum singles.

She lives in LA with her brother Finneas — a frequent collaborator — and her mother and father.

So why is the entertainer — whose full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell “0688o”-worthy?

Because “O’Connell” comes from her father. Patrick O’Connell — who grew up at the top of Compo Hill — is a 1975 Staples High School graduate. He was an active member of Staples Players, best known for his role of John in “The Crucible.”

Billie Eilish and her father, Patrick O’Connell.

Patrick went on to Juilliard, and a career as an actor. He’s appeared in “Iron Man,” “The West Wing” and “Baskets.”

So even though you have not heard of the teen sensation until this moment, casually tell your kid, “You know Billie Eilish’s dad is from Westport, right?”

Your cool factor will rise exponentially.

(Hat tip: David Roth)