The Marty Heiser Show: Building Downtown Danbury into a Music City: July 26, 2007 Broadcast.

Building Downtown Danbury into a Music City: July 26, 2007 Broadcast.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Host: Andrea Gartner Jabara Manager of CityCenter Danbury.
As manager of CityCenter Danbury, Andrea's job is to institute the principles of organization, design, promotion, and business devlopment according to the National Main Street Revitalization Program for Main Streets USA. With a renewed energy to bring arts and culture to the central business district, CityCenter is committed to downtown's vibrancy and sustainability. For more information on what's going on downtown visit http://www.citycenterdanbury.com/.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Names and Backgrounds of the Show Guests:

Richard Matthews
President of Matthews Communications Media - an integrated marketing and public relations firm with offices in Connecticut and California.
Richard has extensive experience with some of the country’s best known music festivals including South by Southwest in Austin, TX and Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, CT.

Antonio Raimundo
Co-Founder of Black Hawk Productions - a promotion company based in Danbury, CT. Antonio is working very closely with the Danbury Ice Arena, the Danbury Police, and others to establish the ice arena as a premier venue that will hold 1500-2000 seats tight in downtown. Antonio is originally from Brazil and has been based in Danbury for over twenty years.

Pete Wahlrath
Editor of Hat City Entertainment- a monthly newspaper that highlights the music events in the Greater Danbury area.
Pete continues to evolve his paper as the source for what’s going on in the area’s music scene. He is also a talented musician with ties to the music community and true advocate of Danbury and downtown living. Pete is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University.

Anthony Yacobellis
Booker and promoter, Cousin Larry's Cafe.
Since November of 2005. Tony has been doing all the booking and promotion for Cousin Larry’s on Kennedy Avenue in downtown Danbury. Tony started his subrosa concert series as a vehicle to bring in musicians from outside the Danbury area. Tony has worked hard to establish a solid and consistent rock music scene at Cousin Larry’s. Open mic nights on Monday and a welcoming atmosphere have made the club a stop for indie, rock and alternative banks passing through the region. More NYC musicians play at Cousion Larry's than anywhere else in the area.

Update:
Click here to read the article The NewsTimes wrote on Danbury becoming a music city.

posted by Ivon, 5:15 PM

47 Comments:

Great show! Danbury is a great city.

commented by

Anonymous, 11:10 PM

Cousin Larry's and the SubRosa parties have brought rock back to Danbury. Unfortunately, the Ives St music venues have chosen dollar signs as opposed to quality and have put a black mark on the Danbury music scene. Danbury used to be a major stop for upcoming bands touring on the East Coast and though Cousin Larry's may lack in size and ambiance, it is the only spot in town to find decent out of town bands. Kudos to Tony, SubRosa and Cousin Larry's for supporting not only local bands, but for bringing such a valued asset into town.

commented by

Anonymous, 12:06 PM

We're a couple of rockers from upstate New York, and we always look forward to our next show with Tony in Danbury. His positive attitude, generous nature, and all around great cred have helped to make Cousin Larry's one of the most welcoming and exciting places to play that we've come across.

commented by

Anonymous, 12:14 PM

I am a local musician birthed from the mother city of Danbury. Playing out at the local clubs such as Cousin Larry's Cafe and Hat City Ale House has really helped our band get noticed and has been a wonderful release from the mundane routine life can be at times. There is so much talent not only travelling through by means of SubRosa but also from the area. Hat City Entertainment does provide an efficient way for myself to keep updated on those playing next and for our own self promotion. Thanks to everyone involved for bringing Danbury back to life.

commented by

Anonymous, 12:41 PM

what a great friggin place to play. people here are so receptive and welcoming.

oi!

commented by

Anonymous, 12:43 PM

Tony has booked us three times by now with Sub Rosa at Cousin Larry's, and we've had a great time every time. The thing is, Sub Rosa is really all about the music and books bands regardless of how many people they will draw to the venue. This is exactly what new music needs to get out to listeners. As a band who only really draws fans from eastern NY, shows are very hard to book in CT. Sub Rosa is absolutely dedicated to the introduction of new music and even further more, spreading the word. We look forward to playing shows for Sub Rosa in the future.

commented by

Unknown, 12:47 PM

my band, morning theft, used to regularly head up to danbury to play cousin larry's for the subrosa party. while we didn't walk away with a ton of money, the scene was always really fun. plus, tony took really good care of us, offering to run our merch booth for us so we could relax, plus he even took a few extra CDs to sell for us at later shows.

commented by

Unknown, 1:19 PM

Tony is doing exactly what a local rock promoter should be doing...PROMOTING rock shows in an all-inclusive manner. No motives, no BS. Just someone looking to hook up traveling bands as well as the domestics. I don't know if there's a "local scene", but if there is, Sub Rosa Party is definitely where it's at.

commented by

Anonymous, 1:54 PM

I've been to Cousin Larry's a couple times and have met Tony quite a few times, usually when he's singing for his band Sneakthief. He's a friendly guy, and always thanks me for coming to see great bands play. But if the bands weren't great, I wouldn't go see them. I trust Tony to put together a great bill, and he's never disappointed.

Cousin Larry's is also a great place. Friendly staff, a nice outside seating area where you can go catch some fresh air while the next band is setting up. And last but not least, they hosted a benfit to buy kids with cancer music players loaded with music so that they can have something to take their minds off the pain. Sure it's not the same as curing the cancer, but it's great to see people finding ways to put their own talents to use in helping out those who need help.

Thanks to Cousin Larry's and Tony for making the world not only sound better, but be a better place!

commented by

Anonymous, 2:54 PM

My NYC based band Pistola has played Cousin Larry's in Danbury on two occasions so far. We always enjoy playing there because we know Tony is 100% committed to making sure the bands have a great experience as well as the people coming to the shows.We tour many cities each year and even though Cousin Larry's is not very big it has more heart and enthusiasm than many of the places we've seen in our travels. That's why we will always be excited to play there as long as these people, Tony and his cohorts are involved in it. It's also a real "homegrown" scene that is also very welcoming to original artists and musicians from all over. Kudos to Tony and everyone at Cousin Larry's for putting the music first!!!

commented by

Unknown, 3:24 PM

Tony Yacobellis and his newly founded promotional organization, Sub Rosa Party, provide a vital service to the artistic community and should be considered an integral part of the Danbury music scene.

It is too rare these days to find an organization so thoroughly committed to creating an alternative space for unfettered musical expression. In an industry almost completely dominated by profit-driven record labels and homogenized corporate radio programming, Sub Rosa has all the right ingredients to empower artists disseminate their music and practice their craft. It has turned Cousin Larry's into a vibrant, welcoming, and accessible venue, while it's partnership with WXCI enables local bands to obtain much needed exposure.

As an independent rock band from Brooklyn, we've performed under Sub Rosa's banner twice before, and will be doing so for a third time on August 15th. In all our experience touring this great nation, there are few promoters that we've come across who could hope to rival Tony's generosity towards traveling musicians.

Our band, the Danbury music scene, and the entire indy musical community owe a great debt to Tony and Sub Rosa Party.

Thank you Sub Rosa!
- the Dynamite Plan

commented by

Unknown, 4:21 PM

i've wandered from music scene to music scene for years, and recently discovering what goes on at larry's in danbury has made me happier than i've been in a long time. it's not only a jubilant experience to play on their stage; the atmosphere that tony & subrosa have fostered generates and inspires some really talent performers. every time i walk in there's invariably something that tickles my eardrums. awesome.

commented by

Anonymous, 6:54 PM

Tony and SubRosa work very hard to bring great bands to the area. I have discovered a lot of great new music I would have never seen or heard just from going to shows. It's a thankless job most of the time and I just want to say thank you to Tony and SubRosa for all you do.

commented by

Anonymous, 7:33 PM

i have had the extreme pleasure of working with Tony and Cousin Larry's for some time now and have never met people in this business who are as friendly and professional. they are doing so much for the danbury music scene which because of them it's definately on the rise. 667 Entertainment looks forward to a long and happy relationship with both Tony and Cousin Larry's

commented by

sherri, 7:59 PM

Tony and Cousin larry's is the best bar around for local original music. Most of the clubs/bars these days want cover bands and don't support the artists that pour their hearts into each song. I love Tony for coming up with the Sub Rosa parties and bringing in bands from all over the area. Cousin Larry's treats all the bands with respect. After you do a show at Larry's you want to come back the next night and do it all over again. Larry's should be the template for all the other clubs in town.

commented by

Anonymous, 8:58 PM

I've known Tony for a long time and used to play music with him back in the day. He's always had a great work ethic and has a great respect for other bands and the people in them. The best thing about Tony is he's a fan of music and does what he does out of love not for the money. That's where a lot of the bars around here seem to go wrong. They want to make a quick buck every Saturday night rather then trying to grow downtown into something special.If they took a page out of Larry's playbook they would all be better off in the long run. Larry (the man) is one of the nicest if not the nicest bar owners I have ever met. Hopefully all of downtown will someday feel as welcoming as Cousin Larry's does.

commented by

Anonymous, 9:14 PM

Oh, how I miss the days of Punk Rock Sundays at TKs (the Bunny Brains show on Easter was a treat) but I'm glad that the music scene is still alive and well in Danbury.

commented by

ctblogger, 9:20 PM

I have to say Tony has done a lot for the music Scene in Danbury. Being there from the very beginning and seeing how much the Sub Rosa Party has grown, there is no stopping the potiental of this town.

Mike
NF

commented by

Anonymous, 9:24 PM

I have both played and witnessed shows promoted by Tony and I have always found them to be well run and well promoted. It's nice to see somebody in this town doing the job right.

commented by

Anonymous, 9:25 PM

When booking our most recent 9 week long U.S. tour in the fall of 2006, we needed a show somewhere between Boston and NYC. Our good friends in the band Planeside recommended us to talk with this guy named 'Tony'. I called, and during the 'hell' of booking the last tour, we never had an easier time booking a show with a more accommodating person helping us out with our rigorous tour schedule. We had the show booked very quickly and he was very approachable and was very helpful with any questions or needs we had. The show was a total blast, and he even took some of our cd's to keep and sell for us at the club (which is SO rare at any of our past touring experiences at other venues). We've kept in touch and have been welcomed back by him and the staff at Cousin Larry's, which we look forward to doing soon enough!!

Tony, thanks for making your Canadian friends feel exceptionally welcomed in Danbury & at Cousin Larry's!!

Richard c/o

BROOMFILLER

http://www.broomfiller.com

http://www.myspace.com/broomfiller

commented by

BROOMFILLER, 2:16 AM

I just came back from seeing 3 great bands at Larry's. The Velocet from Brooklyn, NY were absolutely incredible! Who says there is nothing going on in Danbury?

commented by

Anonymous, 2:21 AM

SubRosa has done it right. No BS just a friendly rock enviornment. Danbury has always had a great rock presence but SubRosa helps bring it out. Good work

commented by

Gavin, 9:41 AM

We used to, as a rule, never do 21+ shows, because our core fans wouldn't be able to come out. The exception was always Danbury CT, and more specifically and more recently, Cousin Larry's, because the shows always have a good turnout no matter what age restrictions are placed on the kids!

Always good stuff Tony!

-Jared
Kiss Kiss

commented by

Unknown, 10:57 AM

Sub Rosa was a great experience for me. Really the only scene actively cultivating QUALITY, original music in CT. I played on a bill with Earl Greyhound and the now defunct, but formerly great Silver Spiders. That's a rare and beautiful combo and Tony's entusiasm and motivation permeated the whole scene. Good stuff.

commented by

Anonymous, 12:44 PM

I can''t say enough good things about Tony and Sub Rosa and the Cousin Larry's venue. First and foremost they 100% committed to the people and the bands FIRST! In a sea of promoters who are selfish and lazy Tony has stood above the rest with a positive demeanor and effort to please everybody. KUDO'S TO TONY AND SUB ROSA 4EVA!

commented by

dr. hourai, 1:37 PM

I cannot say enough good things about Tony and Sub Rosa. They are miles above the rest in a sea of selfish and lazy promoters. Most of all they put the bands and the people FIRST!!
KUDOS TO TONY AND SUB ROSA!!

commented by

dr. hourai, 1:39 PM

larry stramiello, THE cousin, is no doubt one of the most important players in the exciting scene that's been sprouting up from danbury.

the combination of the easy going yet serious and open nature of larry himself (you've gotta meet him and get onto the other side of an issue, any issue, to see 1st hand the natural constitution of the man) and the dedication, organizational skills, diplomacy, creative energy and hard work of tony y., not to mention all the staff and volunteers, who, through their actions, define the term "grassroots" and who are comprised largely of musicians, visual artists and spoken word performers (quick shout out to nantambu, open mic jeff, the legend joe roberto, the multifoliate jon chapman, cousin D, Six7, bruceama bin wingate.... man, i could just go on and on...) all these persons and personalities, and many more who im not mentioning, who, through talent and want for a diverse, ecclectic, intelligent, artistic, open-source local culture have blossomed larry's into what it is and what it is helping the greater danbury area (if not beyond) to become, while the establishment itself, which is gritty yet welcoming, acts like the clay pot that holds that clump of fertile sod which binds together and nurishes all the roots.

in case its not obvious, i'm at this venue constantly. through tony inparticular, but also several of the other persons i've mentioned, i've gotten to work hands-on with hundreds of bands. literally, hundreds... several hundreds.

so... yeah. lemme just end this by saying thanks to everyone involved in what happens at larry's. perhaps most importantly, thanks to all those bands, instate or not, in country or not (yes, we do get overseas bands too, not just u.s. based) for taking a chance on larry's and giving so many memorable performances. i'm raising my glass to y'all and saying, "here's to so many more".

commented by

Anonymous, 2:09 PM

VIVA SUB ROSA!

commented by

Anonymous, 2:15 PM

oh yeah, let's not forget about all the other studio arts that will need to be shown local support.

i know this show focused on just the audio arts, but we are also home to many visual artists in both traditional and video forms.

there are professional painters, directors/cinematographers, writers, engineers, dancers, actors, etc... all living in the greater danbury area.

there's also the university, where many of these pro's, who are still located here, were given the chance to find their individual voices and where the new and future creators will be given chances to discover and grow.

Futher, if we invest in the downtown area on all cultural/artistic fronts, many more of the professionals we are producing already will actually be retained. sadly, for as many pro's as we still have here, many many more have relocated to areas that are better suited to support them and their arts.

where are our galleries? ever since the artist co-op Gallery 13 closed its shop on library place we've had no permanent local visual artist venue. we have lost many artists to other cities, in part, because of this.

where is our co-op building? not here yet.

where are our affordable living spaces? again, not here yet. we should take a lesson from the folks pushing for the loft spaces in black rock.

if we only address the audio arts, we aren't doing much.

if we address a rich palette of arts we will bring together everything.
obviously, coupling this with the CSU system would open us up to both the practical and theoretical. the arts and sciences would flourish and bring greater danbury, on personal, social, and economic levels along for the ride.

and as an aside. the skate park is a brilliant idea. we should do that and get "hatchet wound", a label that supports some local professional skaters (shout out to rushka), on board. they already have some sweet resources in place.

commented by

Anonymous, 4:37 PM

Tony and Big Top Low was the first band I ever opened for and it was so wonderful to finally feel like a part of something. Like I found a family that I never knew I could have. It's amazing how everyone in the Danbury music scene helps each other and supports each other so strongly. I think everything about the SubRosa parties have made the Danbury music scene stay alive. We have all seen musicians, bands come and go but even if they leave they seem to come back home and recreate that feeling of support and comfort that I long for. I thank Tony for keeping everything alive at Cousin Larry's and keeping my fellow musicians and dear friends around to admire, respect and support.-Kim

commented by

Kim Leaman, 9:47 PM

MATHEMATICIANS LIKE TONY AND SUB ROSA! HE IS A REAL DUDE WHO LIKES MUSIC AND SHOWS! WE LIKE HIM! WE ALSO LIKE DR. HOURAI! ALBANY FELLAS, WE REMEMBER, WE KNOW YOU HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN! FOR REAL THOUGH. IT IS GREAT THAT TONY AND SUB ROSA PARTY ARE BEING PROACTIVE IN THEIR TOWN TO BRING SOME RAD HAPPENINGS TOGETHER. VIVE LA REVOLUTION!

commented by

Anonymous, 12:59 AM

All the best elements of artistic creative can be seen in a typical week at Cousin Larry's. It's very rare to see a venue that is open to all genre's of music. You can catch an indy hip hop show on a friday night followed by a line up of punk rock on a saturday and then come and chill with many local artists and musicians during the week. On top of all this Larry, Tony and Danielle regularly host charity events to support the local community. Keep up the good work and let's do everything we can to develop the Danbury music scene even further!!

...the other Jeff (S.O.S / A.P.P)

commented by

Anonymous, 10:51 AM

cousin larry's is where its at!!! the best bands, the best crowd! ives st sucks, larry's RULES!

commented by

Anonymous, 12:11 PM

My band, The Shapes, always looks forward to playing at Cousin Larry's in Danbury. Tony and Danielle are great people!

rock,
mark
the shapes

commented by

Unknown, 12:47 PM

its about time cousin larrys gets some recognition. ive seen some incredible bands in that place!

commented by

Anonymous, 3:03 PM

SubRosa Party has created a much needed scene that has developed very good vibes. You can feel it in the air as soon as you go in into either one of their events especially at Cousin Larry's. I've performed there along with Millsted and we've always had a great crowd with very positive vibes. I definitely will want to continue to be a part of SubRosa Party's developing community. You all should definitely start and/or continue to support SubRosa Party and if they're too far from you, your local music scenes, but you still should definitely stop by to see what they have going on.

commented by

Anonymous, 4:10 PM

I listen to the Sub Rosa show on WXCI on Mondays. They are always playing great new bands. I'll be popping into Cousin Larry's a little more regularly now!

commented by

Anonymous, 4:54 PM

We love playing Cousin Larry's and SubRosa. Tony does a fantastic job with the whole music scene in Danbury. There is alot of talent floating around and Tony happens to get most of them to come thru Danbury and play Cousin Larry's and the SubRosa Party. This is what Danbury needed.... Hats off to you Tony.
Homcidal Maniac!!!!

commented by

chris, 9:53 PM

Cousin Larry's is a shining jewel in Danbury's rusted crown. it's a place where you can always find somebody cool to talk to, catch a great band on any night of th week, & smoke w/ a beer in yr hand (@ least during th balmier months... don't underestimate this, folks!). as a musician, i prefer Larry's because it has a fantastic staff: Al's always spot on w/ th sound, Tony's got great taste & a smile for everyone, & Jeff has got a killer head of hair. it's a place that will bring out th regular (ah'm a regular!!!) in you, but there ain't nothin' regular about it. Cousin Larry's is for lovers AND fighters!

commented by

Unknown, 11:04 PM

Community involvement is absolutely critical to successfully establish Danbury as a "music city." When Tony approached me about bringing bands into WXCI to perform live, I couldn't turn down the idea. This brings Sub Rosa to an audience that may not have ever realized it existed. It also acts as an added benefit for the bands that come through town; not only will they be playing a show, but they will be broadcasted to a quarter of the entire state of Connecticut.

Sub Rosa and Hat City Free Press are fantastic starts in spreading the word through the surrounding towns that Danbury is full of talent and should never be overlooked. Further involvement within the community can help these two entities grow, and hopefully spawn other venues to see the possibilities Danbury can potentially offer.

commented by

Unknown, 11:10 PM

Danbury got SOUL - Cousin Larry's is damn near center. That joint was rockin'! It left us thirsty, and we can't wait to cum back and quench it.

-Russ! a.k.a. Lil' Magic wit da BIG CITY SOUND - guitar/loudmouth from BIG Attack!

commented by

Anonymous, 3:13 AM

As a Brooklynite, I don't have the direct, one-on-one involvement with the Danbury "scene" to make a quantitative/qualitative statement about it. However, I can assert with full confidence that what Tony has put together with Sub Rosa is of a rare breed altogether.

Let me get this straight... A promoter/booking-agent who assembles musically cohesive bills? A venue that doesn't take a cut from the artists? An event that's more concerned about exposing great music to new fans than turning over a crowd every 45 minutes?

Maybe I'm just a little jaded after 15 years of performing on the club scene, but all of these facts are an incredible breath of fresh air. Such things are virtually unheard of here in NYC, not to mention most other markets i've played in across the country.

Tony - who cares about the music itself, the musicians and, most importantly, the fans - should be nominated for some form of cannonization; and Sub Rosa, the pearl within the oyster, should be act as an example for all other promoters.

Provide a supportive environment for musicians and a reliable venue for outstanding music and people will line up around the block, whether its to take the stage or stand in the crowd.

Thanks for all the great times, Sub Rosa! I will gladly come back and play any day of the week.

commented by

Anonymous, 10:49 AM

First of all Tony is the shit! Just wanted to clear that up be4 we got started. I am TheProtege of Phenetiks, a hip hop group from Waterbury. We played our fiorst show ever at Cousin larry's apart of the Subrosa concert series. We are now currently signed with Rawkus Records and regarded as one the most influential up and coming acts in hip hop period.Cousin larry's was very important for our development as artists and they provided us a place to polish our live act. Most importantly they accept all genres of music and there is no bias. We also have been apart of "Enter The Cypher" which is held by the AFA every third Friday of the month.
Danbury needs Cousin Larry's if the music scene is going to grow, because there is no doubt thats where it begins.

Cop the new Album on Rawkus Records (Rawkus 50)
"Revolutionary Non-Pollutionary Mechanical Wonder"

http://my.rawkus.com/profile/phenetiks

commented by

Anonymous, 8:40 PM

FIXER rocked at Cousin Larry's. Tony is one of the best promoters and easiest people to work with. We've played all across this great nation and the Sub Rosa Party is one of the best. We're looking forward to getting back to CT with Sub Rosa as well as back on the air with Tony for some crazy shenannigans eh? ROKK!
Evan
www.myspace.com/fixermusic
www.fixermusic.com

commented by

ERS, 8:06 AM

Sub Rosa is an example of things done right. So is Cousin Larry's. Tony does his best to make sure the bill makes sense, and works hard to promote the show. The atmosphere at Cousin Larry's, especially during Sub Rosa Party, is great because it's so receptive. People come and they really enjoy the music. There is some money to be made, as well as soul to be shared, when good independent music meets quality booking / hard-working dudes like Tony.

commented by

John Michael, 12:22 AM

Sub Rosa Party and Cousin Larry's:
My thoughts if they matter, is that I have with out a doubt, never had a bad time @ one of their events. I travel 2 hours from Staten Island, New York to witness local bands/artist and what Cousin Larry's may lack in size, they make it up with great venues. To see such great acts such as Sneakthief,G'NU FUZ, Joe Roberto, Rahlo just to name a few...
...the people that perform are so receptive and welcoming. I will continue to travel and enjoy the atmosphere that Tony & Sub Rosa Party have inspired...
...and catch some really talent performers.

-Nuff Said
Thank you Danbury,Conn. for excepting this New Yawker into your great scene.

Peace Always,
Frank Fury

commented by

Frank Fury, 6:03 PM

commented by

Frank Fury, 6:04 PM

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