Starting at the beginning, back to the simpler times where this love affair began, it was eighth grade and as an old chapter of my life was closing a brand new era was unfolding before me. High school was going to be a new experience but that was negligible compared to what I found in the joys of the Connecticut music scene that practically fell into my lap. One day in French class when Pam asked our table if anybody would be interested in buying one of her brother’s band’s cds I figured “Why not?” The following day I brought in ten dollars in exchange for a new life.
Although The Incognitos were indeed not anything spectacular by any stretch of the imagination their Hold On Amigos will always hold a special place in my cd booklet and more closely, in my heart. After countless study sessions with it playing on repeat, the cd is now smudged and scratched but it still seems to find itself in my cd player on a somewhat regular basis. Now more than ever as I prepare for graduation, summer, and college the lyrics mean more and more to me. Songs about going to ska shows, being sick at school and growing up in general are so relevant to the present circumstances of my life. As I look back and become sappy and nostalgic Toys R Us Kids (Jeff’s Cowbell Song) plays in my head, “I wanna go back into my youth where everything I knew, it was the truth. And I had no place I had to be, no worries, responsibility. And I knew I could count on my friends, I didn’t follow the latest trends. But that is over, changed today, the fun is done, my parents say ‘Playtime’s up, act grown up!’ and I said ‘No, no, no…’”
But I guess I have grown up, at least I suppose I would like to think so. I went to my first show August 22nd 1998, the summer before my freshmen year: the day after The Incognitos’ last show. I was not able to see them until December 29th 2001 in what amounted to be a huge reunion show for the Connecticut scene. Not only did The Incognitos come together to play again but also The Everlasting Fruit Brothers and local legend BiG MiSTAKE reunited that night in the little IPC Hall that is all of five minutes from my house and played with current local bands Grover Dill and Slackjaw. Now it seems that times have changed as Slackjaw prepares to disband and I can only hope to see them again at a reunion show in the future.
Freshmen year there was hardly a weekend in Connecticut without a decent show to go to. There were certain staple bands that you could catch whenever you wanted. The GlueSeaSpiders, who served as openers for what seemed like any ska act at the Webster, even managed to play a show in Windsor five minutes away from my house in the opposite direction. I fidgeted through all the other bands that played before them in anticipation of seeing this band that I had heard so much about and even randomly met by chance at Riverside that summer. I remember growing frustrated with a certain Kyle’s band, Neoteric, who were merely standing between me and my ska. After all but about ten kids left GlueSeaSpiders took to the stage. Their drummer looked over at me as I left to get a drink and told me not to go; I laughed and assured him I’d be back.
In these past 4 years I have gone from ska, to punk, to emo and back again, I have mooched rides to countless shows and even driven to a few myself in the minivan that took me to my first show, I have made numerous friends, spent far too much money on cds, and most importantly, I have so many wonderful memories that have served as landmarks along the way.
But this relationship couldn’t just be take, take, take. Determined to give something back to the scene I have been in many failed attempts at starting bands beginning as early as freshmen year. It was not until this year that I finally came to terms with the fact that I will probably never be in a band so it’s more fun just to pretend. In the wee hours of the morning in AP English class, possibly still half asleep, Myopic Brenda was formed: Kyna in the un-rhythmic section, Denise on oboe, Margaret strumming the violin like an acoustic guitar, myself working the vocals on the microphone and of course, Mr. Scheer in the background with his patented “MYOPIC BRENDA!” (Although this is the first time he’s heard anything about it.) Even though we never actually “existed” it was still a good time.
Despite abundant failures at attempted contribution, senior year brought about a new way for me to give back to the local scene. I vaguely remember volunteering at the end of junior year and then, more clearly, being held to my word and thrust into it mid-senior year: the battle of the bands. Being one of the kids in National Honors Society that had some sort of connection to the local music scene, meaning that I listened to it and did occasionally talk to some bands, I was apparently the obvious choice for the task of organizing this event.
After a month of chaos, confusion and somewhat last minute planning, the first, and hopefully annual, Windsor High School National Honor Society Battle Of The Bands was held on the windy Friday of May 3rd 2002. What started off as a small project where we hoped to be able to find even five bands willing to play ended up a huge, five hour long, nineteen band, two staged, outdoor music festival. In the weeks of planning over forty local bands expressed interest in playing this show in response to an email I sent out to many of the bands in the scene. I was overwhelmed and touched by the tremendous outpouring to play a show on a high school football field and probably not even get paid for it. After narrowing the bands down and making sure to include the Windsor High School bands we were left with twenty bands and all sorts of worries. After several attempts by the administration to cancel the event, last minute band changes, cancellations, and time adjustments, sleepless nights and countless pessimistic remarks from friends, the show went off essentially without a hitch. Bands that played include (in order of appearance) Faunahead, West Beverly, A Chase Worthwhile, Life In Your Way, Suburban Heroes, Endless Mike, Surrender, Everyday Heroes, Salvation Over Struggle, Switch Stance, Faulter, Sugarfist, Into The Unknown, Elvis McMan, The Drunkin’ Beernuts, Slackjaw, Outside Vegas, Sometimes She Burns, and Adult Swim. Upwards of three hundred people showed up to listen to the bands, many of whom I have never met before and who probably had never even heard of the town of Windsor prior to that.
The night was so amazingly rewarding for me: after all the years I had spent going to shows I finally put one on. I got to meet all the bands and talk to them. I got to see some of my favorite bands play all together, on the very same football field I have had gym classes on (meanwhile using the old Neoteric cashbox to collect money in courtesy of that certain Kyle that made we wait around all those years ago). For me it really was a culminating event not only in my high school career but also in my life in general. It struck me as so odd that many of the bands thanked me for letting them play the show when I was the one who was showering them with thanks and praises for agreeing to play. The love I felt was all encompassing and I was left awe-stricken with the simple beauty of it all. That night was a living definition of what the Connecticut scene is all about: playing music out of love for music itself as well as the kids who listen to it; it is like a family, dysfunctional as it may be, but still like a family.
Since that night I seem to have become known as “that girl from the Windsor show” and I find that pretty cool that people and bands recognize me, just an added emphasis on the family vibe. The banners with each band’s name on it that Kyna and I made for the Battle of the Bands have made several appearances at various local shows that I have attended which of course made me nothing short of ecstatic. Getting comments like, “Hey I know you! You’re Katie!” make me feel like such a part of the scene that I have grown up in. On my way to Southington to see Endless Mike play their official last show they passed me on the highway in their van. They waved to me, curious as to whether I was just driving that way by chance or if I was going to the show. After following them the whole way there I hopped out of the van and walked over to them, “Who needs directions when you can just follow Endless Mike to the show?!” The scene gives such a sense of community in the shared common bond found in the music.
Now it seems that the scene, as well as my involvement in it have come full circle. As I prepare to leave Connecticut to venture out to Southern California for school, there will be a Connecticut music scene shaped hole in my heart. I expect to find much joy in returning home on breaks to go to some good ol’ fashion Connecticut shows and meeting up with old friends that I have made through the music. The underground Connecticut music scene has helped to shape me into the person that I am today and I am so thankful for it. I will be sad to leave it behind me and I will never forget it; I only wish I could have fully returned the favor that it has done for me. It has touched me in ways that I still cannot fathom. I can’t seem to talk about it without getting all choked up and misty eyed with gooey nostalgia. Hey guys, I think it’s time for Myopic Brenda to write a song about this one.
