The Baseball Project plays the Hygienic

Leave it to Hygienic Art's booking impressario Rich Martin to snag a show featuring a rock supergroup most recently profiled in ? Sports Illustrated?!

Indeed: The Baseball Project, a band featuring Dream Syndicate's Steve Wynn, Scott MacCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows and REM's Peter Buck, that performs original songs exclusively about, well, baseball. The group will play the Hygienic Art Park on Aug. 26. And, yes, SI devoted prime space to the band and their inspired batch of horsehide-y songs in their July 4 issue.

That they're coming to town has to be one of the most inspired recent bookings in a city fairly bursting with wild ideas and creative shows.

This "thinking outside the (batter's?) box" approach is nothing new coming from Martin - or coming to New London's Hygienic Art Park. After all, since the Park started hosting shows as part of the Summer Nights in the District concert series six years ago, a remarkably varied roster of regional artists, not to mention such gems as Mose Allison, Terrence Simeon, Eileen Ivers and Duke Robillard, have performed there.

By chance or convoluting routing or whatever, August is typically the big month for the Hygienic's Summer Nights offerings. Four of the series' six shows take place this month, and Saturday's show features the annual August performance by immortal NL pub rockers The Reducers. In a great twist, Mystic's recently rejuvenated 17 Relics will appear in support.

"I'm particularly jazzed about this show," Martin says. "The two bands haven't shared a stage together in nearly two decades. The Reducers are the Reducers, and the Relics stole the show at the recent Depot memorial gigs."

To enhance the summery-ness, show sponsor Captain Scott's Lobster Dock will be on hand with chowder and lobster rolls for sale.

Also happening in August: two Americana all-stars, the Hoolios and the Paul Brockett Roadshow Band headline on Aug. 20. On the 27th, a Punky Reggae Party comes to town starring Red Stripe Beer Artist of the Year Mystic Bowie, fresh off stages with the Tom Tom Club and the B-52s.

"We think it's a nice mix of local and national acts and provides a perfect soundtrack for summer in the downtown district," Martins says.

But Martin admits this hasn't been an easy year given a brutal economic climate.

"Man, it's been a tough year for booking. But that's everywhere," he says. "I think we try to provide an opportunity for people to go out and enjoy themselves with affordable entertainment that hightlights the great artistry of our region's musical community and exposes them to nationally relevant artists. It's clear people are hurting out there, and all of the wrangling in our local and federal governments doesn't make it any easier on folks."

At the same time, there's always the thought that New London is so stocked with bands and entertainment options that, maybe, there's too much to do and not enough people to attend and financially support so much. Or not enough coordination between various organizations.

"Yeah, there's a lot of opportunity for people to come and experience what we have to offer in New London," Martin says. "It certainly could be said that too many cooks might spoil the broth, and there is certainly an opportunity for a more cohesive vision of how downtown events are organized - in order to work off one another instead of against.

"But this is a music loving community. We've always demonstrated strong support where artists and arts events are concerned."