For Mitchell, At Toad’s

Mitchell Dubey was a punk rocker. It was in his honor, and for the benefit of his family, that fellow musician Carly Comando took the stage at Toad’s Place Sunday night.

“I thought this was going to be just too hard, that what happened was just too horrible,” she told a cheering, packed house on York Street, pausing between passionate ballads. ​“But now that I’m here, I realize how wonderful it is that we can all be together.”

Comando performed as half of the Brooklyn-based group Slingshot Dakota, one of four bands in the line-up for a benefit honoring Dubey, the beloved 23-year-old bike mechanic shot and killed in March during an attempted robbery in a Bassett Street home.

Doors opened at 6 p.m. By 8 p.m. organizers from Manic Productions said they’d sold 700 of the 750 available tickets, and were sure to sell out shortly. The event was on track to raise as much as $20,000.

Between sets, flocks of 20-somethings gathered outside of Toad’s, smoking cigarettes and talking about music. And of course, about Mitchell.

And all that money? Straight to the Dubey family for funeral expenses.

Standing outside the club with a few friends, 20-year-old Julie Manginelli said she didn’t know Dubey personally, but she’d been to a show at his house a few weeks prior to his death. ​“We’re just here to support the cause,” she said.

“It’s just mind-boggling that this happened.”

Dubey and his house were a central part of New Haven’s ​“straight-edge” punk culture — which was on display at Toad’s Sunday night.

“This is the biggest place we could find to do this,” said Ben Levesque (at right in photo), who works for Manic Productions and helped put the benefit together. He was standing at the door, checking people’s wristbands.

“He was just such a generous person,” he said. ​“It was really trashy what happened to him.”

Toad’s donated the space and kept the bars closed in the main room to make it an alcohol-free, all-ages evening. (Dubey didn’t drink, eat meat, or do drugs.) The four bands donated their time and talent, as well as their merchandise.

“They’re selling their stuff to benefit the family too,” said Levesque. 

Josh Carlson designed a t‑shirt for the event, selling them for $15. Black and white, they feature a now-famous image of Dubey (taken by Alan Huck) and read ​“RIP Mitchell Dubey.” Others were selling baked goods from vegan cupcakes to cookies. (“Sweet treats for a sweet guy,” the sign read.) Dubey’s own mix-tapes and records were on sale as well.

Josiah Lamerson, manning the Flaming Tsunamis merchandise table with two others, met Dubey in January when his band — World’s Strongest Man — played at his house on Bassett Street. He flew up from West Palm Beach, Florida, with a friend to help with the benefit.

“I met Mitch on tour and I just fell in love with the guy,” he said. ​“He was one of the most positive, amazing guys. I was sick when I found out.”

On stage, Slingshot Dakota belted out a song called ​“I‑78” before drummer Tom Patterson said a few words to the audience.

“This is for Mitchell, and for all the punk kids who gather in basements to hear music,” he said. ​“We’re still here.”

“Up punk!” he yelled to a cheering crowd.

PayPal donations can be sent to the family via .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).