Bennington resident Patrick DuGrenier is calling local musicians of any genre to play Saturday night gigs, or just to come and jam in his decked-out garage.
Musical acts aren’t getting a lot of gigs during the pandemic, and artists without second jobs aren’t making money, DuGrenier said. “This is a place you can come [and] play a 40-minute set,” he said. He’s been trying to find an act to livestream on Facebook every Saturday night. “People will watch – we’re not American Bandstand by any stretch, but we’re growing,” he said. “I want to meet new people, and I want to give people the opportunity to get their name out, and maybe make some money.” Livestreamed acts are paid, he said.
DuGrenier had been selling records, music memorabilia and vintage toys and ephemera out of his garage prior to the pandemic, and was toying with the idea of starting a music venue. “This is the kind of stuff that I love,” he said, referring to the vintage pop culture and music memorabilia covering the walls of the garage, surrounding a drum set and sound equipment. “I already had a bunch of guitars and drums,” he said. DuGrenier himself is a drummer. “I mess around with guitar and I sing,” he said, and has enjoyed jamming with people who have come in to peruse something for sale.
The livestreamed musical performances started a couple months ago, after DuGrenier quit his manufacturing job of 23 years. He’s featured Antrim native Colin Isotti, who played classical guitar in addition to country and rock and roll, as well as artists from Milford and Peterborough. “Here, we are open to anything that is musical and has a rhythm,” he said, and masks are worn. Although the garage is situated squarely in downtown Bennington, the sound of water pouring over the adjacent dam drowns out a lot of the noise from nighttime musical acts, DuGrenier said, and he is yet to receive a complaint. “It’s the perfect spot,” he said.