There is a good chance you have heard (or visited) Connecticut. If you enjoy watching television programs, you may have heard of Connecticut from the popular show Gilmore Girls, which is set in Stars Hollow. Unfortunately for fans of the show, Star Hollow is not a real town in Connecticut, though it has the charm of many small towns within the state. Perhaps it was not Gilmore Girls that taught you about Connecticut, but rather your grandmother’s favorite Hallmark movies, such as Mystic Christmas, Where Are You Christmas?, Holiday for Heroes, or Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. There is nothing like spending your holiday in Connecticut. Mustard appreciates Hallmark making that a staple statement within their holiday collection.
Connecticut is an understated state. Even though it may lack the tourist attractions that its neighbours, New York and Massachusetts, offer, it has a magnificent music scene. Mustard was first introduced to the Connecticut music scene while they were an undergraduate. Since then, they have made an effort to highlight (and check out) artists within the scene.
Below you will find some artists they recommend checking out from the Constitution State. Connecticut is more than just the home of the first-ever hamburger, which can be found at Louis’s Lunch in New Haven. The state also features some of the most passionate and genre-bending music you will hear.
You can listen to the artists featured below as you travel to Louis’s Lunch, Harry’s Place in Colchester, or the famous Frank Pepe, whose New Haven-style pizza has been called the best by many. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you check out some of the best music that Connecticut has to offer.
Cheem
One of the best independent bands on the scene right now is Cheem. Cheem is unlike anything you are probably listening to right now. They make “nu pop,” which effortlessly blends early 2000s pop, metal, post-hardcore, and more. It is hard to fuse all these genres together, but Cheem makes it look easy. You can hear their influences, but they are not their influences. Cheem has crafted a style unique to them that will catch the attention of your human ears. Mustard can describe them all day, but they believe the best way to truly appreciate them is just to listen to them.
Cheem is a part of Lonely Ghost Records, which has an absolutely stacked roster that also provides listeners with great variety. Lonely Ghost Records continues to push the boundaries of what music can be through its genre-bending catalog.
Recommended listening:
Perennial
Perennial describe themselves as an art project. With each release, you can find the band experimenting with the likes of modernist punk, 60s soul, post-hardcore, and ambient electronic music. They are a band that simply kicks a whole lot of ass. If Scott Pilgrim versus The World were ever to be rebooted, this is a band that deserves to be recognized and featured on its soundtrack.
Listening to Perennial will inspire you to kick down the door and thrash in your breakroom. When your supervisor tells you that you are not allowed to thrash on shift, you will disobey and continue to do so anyway.
There is a good chance that, much like Dr. Martino (who is mentioned later on), Perennial is probably your favorite band’s favorite band.
Recommended listening:
Cinema Stare
Cinema Stare is Connecticut’s stinkiest band. Mustard has not determined the level of the band’s body odor, but they will take their word. While they may be stinky (their marketing, not Mustard’s), their music is anything but. Cinema Stare came across Mustard’s aisle a few years back when they interviewed them. Since then, their debut album “The Things I Don’t Need” is a record they listen to consistently. Cinema Stare’s brand of confessional pop punk will have you wanting to open up both a pit and your feelings.
Recommended listening:
Dr. Martino
When Mustard was first introduced to the independent Connecticut music scene, a band they kept hearing about was Dr. Martino. Dr. Martino is your favorite band and for good reason. Even if you are nowhere near an ocean, their brand of surf rock will have you feeling groovy. It is impossible to listen to Dr. Martino and not have a good time. Dr. Martino are living legends and a staple within the Connecticut music scene.
Recommended listening:
So Sorry
So Sorry is a band that Mustard was friends with while in college. When they could, Mustard would attend their shows and hype them up as much as they could. Even though they are defunct, Mustard believes that their music is still worth checking out. So Sorry is a band that will capture your attention from the first song of theirs that you hear. The band’s socially conscious progressive rock will have you rocking out while also thinking about your local community. What makes So Sorry special as well is that they are deeply Willimantic. Willimantic is a culturally rich town where Mustard (and the band) went to college together. It is a town that Mustard misses every day and genuinely learned so much from. Through So Sorry’s music, you will get an opportunity to learn more about Thread City.
Recommended listening:
The Human Fund
The Human Fund is “Connecticut’s #1 pseudo-political three-piece neo-psychedelia indie garage punk orchestra” as per their Bandcamp biography. Not only do they have an incredible band name, they have some of the best song titles you will ever see, such as:
- Everyone is a Poser Except for Larry The Cucumber
- Richard Nixon Sextape
- I Hate You and Your Music Sucks
- Screenshot The NFTs
- Pig Empire
These songs and more can be found on their Bandcamp profile. The Human Fund makes garage punk that will annoy the absolute hell out of your conservative neighbor. They will file a noise complaint, which you will ignore. Instead of appeasing them, you will play harder and faster until you find them at your merch table. Your neighbor will passively aggressively apologize for filing the noise complaints while letting you know they are going to tell their grandson about your music.
Recommended listening:
Sgt. Scat
Sgt. Scat is a band you may recognize if you have been a member of the ska/punk scene these past few decades. The band has been a fixture of the Northeast ska/punk scene since the late 1990s. Even though the band had taken an 18-year break, they recently returned in 2023 with one of Mustard’s favorite records from that year: At Least More Than Halfway Dead.
At Least More Than Halfway Dead welcomes the band back to the current ska and punk scene that has been thriving with no sign of losing any momentum. It is a super fun and spooky record that can be enjoyed in Summer, Spring, and Winter.
Recommended listening:
Thorne Malik.
Most of Mustard’s recommendations have fallen within the punk/rock genre. They would like to break that up by recommending Thorne Malik. Malik is an introspective, independent hip hop artist who released one of Mustard’s favorite records of 2021: now wha(t)?! It is an album that they will continue to recommend for as long as they are a part of the independent music community.
Malik provides listeners with honest and soulful lyrics that will capture your human heart. Their talent is undeniable and worth your attention.
Recommended listening:
Ceschi
Much like Thorne Malik. Ceschi is another artist who is completely transparent. Their lyrics are raw, unfiltered, and completely honest. Ceschi has crafted their own version of progressive hip hop, which features elements such as folk and indie folk. Even though he could be classified as a hip hop artist, they are undeniably a singer-songwriter at heart.
Many years back, Mustard had the pleasure of seeing Ceschi, Sage Francis, and B. Dolan in concert. The performance that stuck out to them most that night was Ceschi. Ceschi’s music is passionate and raw in the best way possible. It is genuine and without any restraint. Even if folk hop may not be your favorite genre, Ceschi is an artist who requires your attention.
Recommended listening:
Written by JustSomeMustard
