Rock star dreams are alive and well in Fairfield County—and the proof is right here, in five local bands who prioritize their music along with their hectic careers and busy lives as parents.
TEACUP SALLIE
As a management consultant who was always on the road, Tyler Cloherty wanted to start a band but didn't have consistent time to commit. During COVID, he took the leap and joined the School of Rock adult shows where he met Scott, Dave, and Jon. They recruited Ashleigh and Matt, and Teacup Sallie was born. Each member brings a unique musical perspective to the table, resulting in a wide range of influences including 90/00s rock, funk, elements of country, and indie.
COOL PARENT CRED: Tyler jokes, “Since I'm a management consultant and no one understands what that means, my kids often frame that I'm in a band as my real job. It creates some fun questions at parent-teacher night!”
THEIR MUSIC: Tyler tries to write about songs that are authentic to their experience, like "Something's Wrong in Suburbia," about the pressure of a high school student who can’t keep up with their competitive peers.
CATCH THEM LIVE: The Weston Memorial Day Fair on May 25th and Aquila’s Nest Vineyard in Newtown on August 3rd and October 5th.
teacupsallieband.com; @teacupsallie_band
THE ALTERNATE ROUTES
The Alternate Routes was formed by Tim Warren and Eric Donnelly in 2002 while students at Fairfield University—they’ve been touring and performing around the U.S., Canada, and Europe ever since—with appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and NPR’s Mountain Stage.
MAKING THE BAND: The name came from a sign that Tim found that read “Road Closed. Seek Alternate Route.” It resonated with Tim because he’d just stopped making and performing music with a family member—but still wanted to keep going. They describe their sound as a blend of indie rock, and Americana, with a pinch of pop.
LOCAL STARS: They don’t get recognized that often while out locally—sometimes they bump into fans while at Whole Foods or the bank. But Tim remembers being in Home Depot and hearing their song “Time Is a Runway” play over the loudspeaker. “I was there with my son, and he thought I was playing it on my phone and didn’t realize the whole store could hear it—he asked me to turn it down!”
CATCH THEM LIVE: Annually at the Fairfield Theatre Company in December, a featured act on a music festival cruise called The Rock Boat.
thealternateroutes.com; @thealternateroutes
MORNINGSIDE
The five members of Morningside—Matt, Bobby, Ian, Sean, and Nick— (named after Morningside Drive—the street they head down to get to most practices) are all local dads who call their sound “punk folk” with influences like The Lumineers, The Killers and Noah Kahan.
THEIR MUSIC: Every song on their upcoming album, due this fall, is an autobiographical or storytelling moment. “We’re really excited about the final product,” says Bobby, the lead singer. “We’ve spent many full days and nights in the studio, and we thank all our wives dearly for this extended time away.”
THEIR BIGGEST FANS: Bassist Matt's kids are one, three and five—and all love music. “I consider it a win when they actively listen to an entire recording without telling me to put on Taylor Swift,” he says. And Bobby credits his five-year-old son as his biggest supporter. “I actually overheard him singing one of the choruses the other day in his room!” he says.
CATCH THEM LIVE: Recurring shows every other month at Black Duck.
@wearemorningside
TRASHING VIOLET
Up until lead vocalist Marisa Bloom was 8 months pregnant with her first child, she played and toured in original bands. By the time her second was born in 2014, she was sticking to the occasional acoustic open mic nights. A few years later, Marisa connected with Anna V. on Bandmix – a matchmaking site for musicians – and they started jamming out on their electric guitars once a week around Fairfield County. They found Doug on Craigslist, Nick on Facebook and the rest is history.
ROCK ROOTS: “Our songs [like their new single, Chase That Feeling] draw from the different strains of what I would call ‘alternative’ or ‘rock,’” says Doug. “Some of our songs are bluesy, some more ska, mixed with a good amount of punk and grunge attitude.” The name Trashing Violet came from their shared love of the ‘90s—and that their first cover was the Hole song “Violet.”
BIG BREAK: The night Trashing Violet opened for Tiffany, in April 2023, tops their list of memorable moments, sharing it was surreal when the pop star stopped by to say hello. Marisa remembers squealing at the top of her lungs when they got the gig—and then getting a reality check. “My younger son looked up and was like, ‘Who’s Tiffany?’”
CATCH THEM LIVE: Trashing Violet performs throughout Connecticut and New York City, about once every 4-6 weeks.
trashingviolet.com; @trashingviolet
GOOD GODFREY
Good Godfrey is made up of Weston-based dads Garrett, Jesse, Tom, Greg, Jon, and Jon, who came together during their girls’ soccer game. They discovered they’d all played in college bands and missed the creative outlet. They booked their first public gig, a friend’s backyard BBQ, in 2023. Then, Good Godfrey signed up for a battle of the bands competition in Danbury and won the grand prize.
MADE IN THE ‘80s: Garrett, who plays drums, describes their sound and influences as if “Tom Petty, Mellencamp and the Doobie Brothers had an illegitimate child in 1983 in the back of an IROC-Z while listening to the Dead and the Doors cover Tommy Tutone.”
NEXT GENERATION: A supportive family—especially a supportive spouse —"With the patience and appreciation for our nutty passion is perhaps the most important ingredient to making all this work," says Garrett. And the best part of their band? All of their kids are friends and often benefit from either big playdates at gigs or pizza parties and movie nights when they play out late.
CATCH THEM LIVE: The ROUTE 57 WEST FEST at the Weston Memorial Day Fair, a stint at Lachat Farm in August.
@goodgodfreyband
“We’ve spent many days and nights in the studio, and we thank all our wives for this time away.”
"My kids often frame that I'm in a band as my real job. It creates some fun questions at parent-teacher night!”