the low darts
It’s Friday, 4 pm, and the all too familiar sound of video chat rings through as the sun sets. The past year has been defined by distance, technology, and hope. 2020 ushered in the distinct social climate that has birthed the Low Darts, a Fairfield CT band formed to bring happiness, hope, and music to everyone around them.
Rewind just a few months earlier when COVID-19 began shutting down schools and businesses everywhere. Colman Connolly is asked to perform at a small party and decides he doesn’t want to play solo. So, he recruits some friends from the Warde High School Jazz band. When the teens needed a musical outlet, school activities like band had been put on pause. They were all in.
Soon, Colman Connolly, Sydney Foote, Sebastian Rodriguez, Jonas Brown, Luke Foote, and Sean Byington all sat down in the practice room at the Connolly’s Fairfield home. They began throwing out names and shooting them down one by one. According to Connolly, “Some were really bad.” In fact, they soon learned after settling on one name in particular that it meant something “quite inappropriate,” said Connolly. Although there are many stories of how it came to be, the next name stuck. The group racked their collective brain to try to remember their origin story. Toy dartboard? Random name generator? Joe Dart? No. We just kind of came up with it.
Photo Cred: Paola Benedetto
When the band isn’t practicing together or playing a local gig, they’re your average teenagers. They love living in the New York metro area, equally for its pizza and the broad opportunities to play music for people. Citing diversity, and so much art, music, and culture to be influenced by, as a few of the top reasons they are proud to call Fairfield home. Connolly and Brown cite, “how good the music education system is here,” as another major perk to living in Fairfield. When asked what their favorite places to grab a bite to eat in town, the answer was a bit complex. “That’s controversial,” said Connolly. Among the favorites mentioned, which may have been every establishment in town, came a wise statement from Brown, who seemed wise beyond his years, “We’re lucky to have an affluent and diverse community with so many great foods and cultures.”
The silver lining this year has been sewn with so many good intentions to do what we can for others. The Low Darts have provided one another, their families, and Fairfield with happiness, laughter, and joy through their personalities and musical talents. Brown claimed, “We’re lucky to live in this area. Colman has a studio and can produce. It’s really a fortuitous time, despite distance learning.”
After the interview, a funky jam commenced with an organ cascading over a tight drum and bass groove. Each member improvising fills and holding together an upbeat tune—trading solos through clear unspoken communication between glances, chord voicings, and dynamic improvisation. Seeing them play on a video chat was enough to sell me on seeing them live in person. Each group member was energetic, happy, bright, and articulate aside from being great musicians.
Check them out at https://www.youtube.com/c/TheLowDarts, where they upload videos for all to enjoy weekly.