The Space exists to build a safe, positive community for people of all ages through music and the arts. Physically, we are a listening room venue located in an unlikely industrial park in a sleepy suburb of a major city in Connecticut. So we definitely have that whole mystery thing going for us.

We're somewhat small in venue size, but we house a whole lot of love and a whole lot of decorations. You can spend a few months mentally cataloguing all the weird random things hanging from our walls and ceilings. (You can see some of these things on our monthly postcards. And we even sell some of it in our Vintage Boutique (The Attic) upstairs.

The Space is basically halfway between an underground arts collective and a sticky floor rock venue. There's carpet, a staff of awesome volunteers, couches galore, and over 100 kinds of tea. There's also rock and roll, folk, acoustic orchestras, independent film, funk, computer games, indie shows, and more happening on our stage.


A Short History Of The Space, Riddled With Typos & Incorrect Grammar:

Many many years ago and very very underground there existed a practice space for the rock band Mighty Purple. Steve Rodgers, lead singer of the group and owner of The Space, was living in that building, located further down Treadwell St. under a bridge that used to arch over railroad tracks that have long since been buried. (Living over train tracks has affected Steve in some notable ways, but that's beside the point). Anyway, sometimes Steve would have friends come over and jam. Eventually others in the local music scene came around to do the same and this grew to the point where an open mic was formed to keep things in order.

Over the course of two or three years, the open mic became an underground phenomenon that became a real presence in the region's own music scene. The Space grew into a real listening room with a comfortable, creative atmosphere. What more, it was non-alcoholic, allowing for gatherings of musicians of all-ages.

Eventually it all came to an unavoidable point: We had to get an official place. So we did. And it took a while. And we had some massive support from the community. Then we were shut down the day before our grand opening (May 9th, 2003) by this one dude. But we were back on our feet a month later (June 2003). And we're still going. And even that one dude doesn't mind us now. And we put on great shows (show pic). And sometimes we put on real stinkers. And we've learned a lot. And we're still learning. (Mostly we're rocking).


How To Deal With The Absence of Alcohol:

Southern Connecticut and New Haven in particular has a jumpin', bumpin' music and arts scene. City folk, colleges, high schools...there's a lot of creativity flying around just within a 20 mile radius, and we want to be a comfortable, safe environment for it all. We're not teetotalers ourselves - having a drink with your favorite band can be a great way to spend an evening - but if that's ALL there is then that can get frustrating. Sometimes folks just want to listen and relax. In turn, most performers want nothing more than for people to be paying attention to what they have to say. Our weekly open mic began with the notion of a supportive sanctuary, and luckily it still remains that way.

Furthermore, no alcohol also means we can remain all-ages, be a safe comfortable hangout for the kids in the area, and an alternative for college students who don't feel like going to the neighborhood bar for the third night in a row.

And yes, we could sell alcohol and probably make a lot of money, but that's not the purpose of The Space. (Actually, if we wanted to make money we wouldn't be in music at ALL.)


They Don’t Get Paid Enough To Deal With This – Our Volunteers:

The Space is volunteer run, and includes people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. They are here because they love music and people alike. Our volunteers care about building positive community situations and are also devoted to keeping this a safe place for the younger set. If you are interested in becoming a Space volunteer, call us up at 203-288-6400.