Hello everyone!
We had a busy August at The Meetinghouse! As we look forward to September, with a special focus on acoustic music to introduce the fall, here’s a quick recap on the past month.
On August 11th, we welcomed the return of open mic nights to The Meetinghouse. This event took place in Shield’s Hall and featured a wide variety of independent artists, with performances ranging from poetry, to acapella, to acoustic guitar, to experimental hip hop! With about 15 performers, we filled up a full 2 hours of sharing eclectic art together. Thank you for attending, and look forward to the next one on September 14th!
On August 14th, we welcomed two new bands for their first Meetinghouse concert, Mildly Allergic and Bush Ranger, headlined by The Meetinghouse regulars Lootbug from Danbury! Mildly Allergic is a band from Eastern CT featuring classic rock & roll riffs and emotional-alternative songs. I had the opportunity to fill in on bass guitar for this set. Bush Ranger, also from Eastern CT, brought some real hardcore punk to The Meetinghouse, beloved by our more energetic concert-goers. Lootbug finished their set by inviting all the audience members on “stage” for a super cool blend of performance and dancing.
On August 25th, we hosted our very first Queer Crafts Night. Our host, Max, brought a plethora of art supplies, which we spread out on multiple tables and stations in Shield’s Hall. We welcomed new and old faces to The Meetinghouse for a quiet evening of personal arts and crafts, blended with conversation and making new friends.
On August 29th, we welcomed Frogs and Muzzle, two rock bands from Boston, for their second to last date of tour. They had been on the road for two weeks, traveling all the way to Nashville, Athens, Philadelphia, and more. I’m so proud of our concert community for showing up with high energy to celebrate their travels and welcome them to Ridgefield, and for showing them the spirit and joy behind independent music in CT. Newfare from Danbury opened the night, and Mr Beast Death 2030 closed.
Finally, The Meetinghouse garden has reached some huge milestones! The volunteers and I have successfully filled in the walk-ways with wood chips as well as all the garden beds with fresh compost from Hardscrabble Supply in North Salem. We’re getting pretty close to its completion. The next steps include putting up the fence and finally, getting some plants in the ground! See the progress in these pictures:
If you are interested in helping out in any way, whether through getting your hands in the dirt or helping as we collect tools and infrastructure, please reach out to me at james@meetinghouse.life !
Looking ahead, stay tuned for the following events:
- September 12th – 6pm. Rock show at the Meetinghouse! Featuring XUR, Propolis & Room De Dark.
- September 14th – 5pm. Open mic night at the Meetinghouse! Join us for our September open mic night – Sign up begins at 5pm!
- September 25th – 5pm. Cal’s birthday show at the Meetinghouse! An acoustic night featuring Whale Fall, Mikey Die, Chris Daly, and Intac
- October 2nd – 4pm. Audio engineering workshop followed by an alternative show at the Meetinghouse!
Stop by the Meetinghouse before the show to learn the ins and outs of audio engineering for a live concert! Followed by an alternative show. More details on this coming soon!
And more to be announced! Thank you!
James Hooker
Catalyst for Community Events
