The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
13 BANDS, VENDORS, RIDES LIGHT UP FUSE FEST
TORRINGTON >> Fuessenich Park was the place to hear local up-and-coming musical acts on Sunday from late morning to evening. The baseball field at the end of Coe Place downtown was the setting for the first annual Fuse Fest, which brought together 13 musical acts during a daylong festival.
Food and jewelry vendor tents and amusement park rides inhabited the parking lot, and a stage in the north corner featured acoustic acts. The main stage on the lower-level baseball field featured more rock-oriented performers.
About 500 people had come by 2 p.m. in the sunny, 88-degree weather. A total of about 1,000 visitors were expected by the end of the day, said festival organizer Tracy Walton. The event was organized by the Torrington Parks and Recreation Department, On Deck Studio, The Performance Hub and George’s Music Center.
Following performances by Nancy Tucker and Frank Critelli, The Royal Din from the Waterbury area made a splashy debut on the main stage at noon, performing raucous alternative rock. Charismatic lead singer Lee-Ann Lovelace purred and growled over husband Dave’s keyboards, causing nearby vendors to comment on her vocal talents. Drummer Tommy Nagy and bassist Nick DeFala provided a strong rhythm section during the set.
Walton, a local musician and producer, said, “There is great weather, and it’s a great family day. We are drawing out a lot of Torrington people today and exposing them to great musicians.”
Parks-Rec Superintendent Brett Simmons said, “There have been other festivals in the past, but this is the first of this particular type of music festival.” He said Walton had proposed the idea for Fuse Fest last year. The timing wasn’t right due to departmental scheduling conflicts. This year, Simmons added, “Everything is aligned for a great event. The buzz is definitely out there for the musicians from different parts of the state. They are bringing their own followers.”
Simmons said the event received a city budget of $10,000, which was defrayed by sponsors’ contributions, vendors’ proceeds as well as the festival’s suggested donation of $5 per person.
Walton said he hopes to make Fuse Fest into a yearly event that will draw people from all around the region.
On the acoustic stage, Hartford alt-country singersongwriter Jeff Przech took the audience on a compelling musical journey via his original songs “Wasting Time” and “Angry All the Time.”
Afterward in the hot sun, Eddie Seville and his band took to the main stage with a vengeance, their harmonica-infused original retrorock songs getting audience members dancing and tapping their feet. Toward the end of their set, they covered Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?”
Near the main stage, vendor Sarah Murphy of Shelton’s Bring the Hoopla sold hula hoops and gave demonstration of the fitness classes she teaches in using multiple hula hoops. “I’m having a great time,” Murphy said, swiveling three hoops on her body. “The music is great!”
Sherry Grech and Gary Failla of Harwinton enjoyed the food and the music. “It’s a good time,” Grech said.
On the acoustic stage, Belle of the Fall’s Julia Autumn Ford and Tracy Walton played their brand of folk with an edge. While playing the upright bass, Walton sang the lyrics “It’s a crazy, mixed-up world,” trading off vocals with Ford. The duo sang some jaunty, swing-time original numbers and did a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.”
Nearby Hector Avila, owner of Noujaim’s and Avila Bistro of Torrington, manned a tent that served braised lamb shank and chimichurri-infused steak to hungry concertgoers. “We make everything from scratch,” said Avila. “I think people respond to that.”
Other vendors sold pulled pork dishes, Jamaican beef patties and jerk chicken. Kids jumped on the large inflatable bounce house and rode on the amusement park rides. Some brave older kids participated in the bungee-jumping ride.
Hardcore Sweet Cupcakes of Oakville sold exotic flavors from a mobile “caboose.” For sale among the vendor’s 150 offerings were the “Jimmy Buffet,” a pineapple-and-coconut cupcake with rum frosting.
Stephanie Gueretto, 31, of Torrington, who worked the station, said, “It’s a pretty good day to try some good local foods and hear great music.”
Fuse Fest volunteer Devyn Bartosiewicz, 17, of Torrington added, “In Torrington, the heart of the arts is local performers sharing their material.”
Melissa Huntley of Burlington brought to the festival her young sons Grayson, 3, and Hayden, 5. “It’s a good event for a family,” Huntley said.
Peter Mella of Torrington attended the event with his son Anthony, 12. “I am a musician and we have to support each other,” said Mella, who plays in the local classic-rock cover band Say Uncle.
Anthony added, “The festival is pretty cool. The weather’s beautiful.”
Sue DiCara of Winsted brought her friend Scott McGivney, 50, of Torrington to the concert. “We get together two times every week to participate in some activity,” DiCara said. “We take in concerts and activities at Coe Park, too.”
McGivney said he was particularly interested in Fuse Fest because he plays the guitar himself. “I’m interested in new bands playing in Torrington,” he said.
Fuessenich Park is used by the Torrington Titans of the Future Collegiate Baseball League. It was formerly home to the Torrington Twisters of the New England Collegiate Baseball League between 1997 and 2008, hosting two All-Star Games in 1998 and 2008. The park was also used by the Torrington Braves during the 1950 season of the Colonial League, which was a mid-level minor baseball league that existed from 1947 to 1950.