Live Music Review // Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts / Lee Totten / The 860, @ West End Porch Fest, West Hartford CT, September 15th 2024
Additional photos can be found on Facebook here :::
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1567070767356472&type=3
One thing I feel like I hear a lot about is a "Porchfest" which I've seen before in Bridgeport but didn't really want to go that far for it. So when I saw this one in West Hartford I decided it'd be worth the trip to see what it's all about and it's just so much fun but also possibly more for the locals. Now, I say that maybe if you're from West Hartford you would've been able to navigate this better, but if there was a Porchfest in Meriden I would almost certainly be using a map still.
We started the day off by going to a specific street which I knew had at least two of the main artists I wanted to see on it. There were actually three different houses on this same street which were hosting performances and so based upon their numbers were parked in the middle one, which also happened to be the one where Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts would be playing. We didn't plan on ending after that set, but that's how it worked out.
The first stop on this tour was to see a band called The 860 who played a variety of covers. It was particularly fun to hear their cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". While we were at the end of the street- out near Farmington Ave- we could hear the music already, so to just use it as a guide to get to where we needed to be was great. A lot of people were already set up for this show, and the way that the crowd looked made this sort of U shape around the left side facing the shade because of the sun.
Now, I couldn't see a lot of the porch from where I was because of the trees, but like most of the people there we were at least in the shade. I wandered over to the sunshine part of the lawn where no one really was to make a short video of The 860 but staying in the sun proved to be too much. I really liked what I heard from The 860 though and would really enjoy seeing them again, possibly inside.
Quentin and I walked about seventy houses down to the next set which was Lee Totten solo. This host had couches out so it felt more comfortable to sit but there was also direct sunlight coming down on us no matter where we were for this one. A few houses down, someone was watering their lawn so it was fun to see people walking by, staying for a song or two and then cooling off in the sprinklers.
Lee Totten played the songs I feel like I've come to know the words to now just by hearing them live. The way that Lee Totten can not only sing and play the guitar for these songs but also the way that the stories are told often times during the song just feels so engaging. Musically it is compelling and there is also that idea of sticking around and experiencing the entire set because you want to know what happens next.
After this we made our way down to where Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts were playing and it was about forty houses back to where we started. While most of these performanes were done where the porch was facing the road so that cars driving by could see, for this particular set we were still on a porch but also we were behind the house, as chalk instructions said to come on back. This whole experience was such a vibe, as this part with Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts felt like something out of CBGB's only outside.
You can go online and see photos of this, but photos aren't going to do it justice. You just had to be there. Refreshments were out, as well as chalk for the kids to color. There was a place where kids could play with water and ice to keep cool. Just everything about this was what made this experience so special and it felt like Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts were having a party where you would invite family and friends but instead they invited whoever wanted to come hear their music.
This was my second time experiencing Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts but it was my first time seeing that they had merch. I had to buy a shirt, so I left some cash in their tin, as it all was Venmo or on the honor system that way. I didn't have change either so I just picked up some stickers and guitar picks. The music combined the blues with rock n roll and everyone that was there was completely into it. This was just that type of party vibe I'd love to be a part of every weekend.
As I watched all these people move around, socialize, genuinely appreciate the music and just seem to be living the moment as it was, I thought about what the end game was for Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts. Is it to make the CT music scene bigger and better? Is it to have enough of a fan base to tour the country? Is it world domination? Whatever it is, based upon this entire experience right here, I would not bet against Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts doing exactly what they set out to do.
The clock changed from being in the 3pm hour to 4pm. Quentin and I had plans to go to a different porch but then I thought maybe we should drive over to the hub and see what they had going on. But once we got in the car, we made the decision to call it day partly because we were all sweaty and sticky (and it just seemed to be getting hotter out there) and partly because, quite honestly, any musical performance we saw after that just wasn't going to compare with Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts.
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