New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Vomitorium returns to Cafe Nine for 26th Thanksgiving Eve
NEW HAVEN — Dean Falcone’s annual Vomitorium began nearly 30 years ago as a way for Falcone to get together with friends coming home for the holidays and play music that they all love but don’t get to play all that often, while keeping things loose and not taking themselves too seriously.
Now in its 26th consecutive year, that will pretty much still be the drill when they take the stage Wednesday night for a Thanksgiving Eve show at Cafe Nine, 250 State St.
Showtime is 9 p.m., with doors opening at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, available in advance at www.cafenine.com or at the door.
The evening will feature a 1960s theme and a well-supplemented core band that includes Ed Valauskas, Jim Balga, Rich Dart, Dean Falcone and Rick Mealey, joined by numerous special guests over the course of the evening.
This year’s guests include Shellye Valauskas, Jay Russell, Brendan Toller, Brian Ember, Joey Wit, Brian Larney, Jen D’Angora, Brian Stevens, Ben Stevens, Bruce Crowder, Loralee Geil, Hank Hoffman, Fran Fried, Kristin Bradshaw, Chris Barrett, Kelly Reilly, Dave Schneider, Steve Atwood, Caitlyn Sheridan, Rebecca Scotka, Elaine DiMasi, Barbara Shepard, Kyle Summer, Dustin Kreidler, Greg DiCrosta and Cary Pollick
The show, which began as a Christmas show at the Black Seal in Essex, where Falcone had a standing gig at the time, then moved to Rudy’s in New Haven before finding its current home at Cafe Nine, also will feature a best-dressed 60s attire contest.
Why do it every year?
“If I can play on a holiday and I’ve got friends in town, that’s the gig,” Falcone said.
By having a specific theme every year, “it forces us to break out of “the habit of simply playing “the songs in our back pockets,” he said.
This year’s roster of 1960s songs “runs the gamut from really cheesy to psychedelic,” Falcone said. As a reflection of the event’s longevity, “one of the guys that play with us, Brian Stevens, his son is going to play with us on some songs,” Falcone said. This year’s lineup also will feature at least one performer, Brian Larney, who has never played at a Vomitorium before, he said.
Falcone loves the event “because I get to play with people I never get to play with — people I never get to see ... especially friends that moved away,” he said. In many cases, “They’re home for the holidays for a few days. “
The Vomitorium — where attendees get to “overcook perfectly good songs and violate them!” as Falcone describes it — is at this point the granddaddy of Greater New Haven holiday celebrations.
Falcone, who composed the music and was one of three producers of the 2019 New Haven apizza documentary, “Pizza: A Love Story,” has played over the years in any number of bands, including The Manchurians and The Shellye Valauskas Experience, Dean and the Dragsters, One Hundred Faces and The Excerpts.
Generally speaking, his friends tend to be pretty good musicians, making the show a pretty safe bet for folks looking to get out of the house on the night before Thanksgiving.