Blues N’ Brisket N’ Best Friends At The State House

“Do you know any places where I can listen to the blues?” my best friend Deborah Ranilla asked me a few weeks back.

Funny you should ask, I told her, because I had stopped by The State House just a couple of weeks before on a Sunday to check out their monthly blues show, but I had only caught the tail end of it and wanted to return.

Deb and I have been best friends since our childhood in East Haven, and we have had our share of late nights out in the New Haven (most of them would be considered off the record), but times and lives change, and we had not been to a show here just the two of us in many many years. We made plans to go to the next State House blues show, which happened to be last night. I told her to come hungry because not only would there be music, but there would also be food.

Since December 2018 The State House has dedicated every first Sunday to Blues N’ Brisket, an event that runs from 4 – 7 PM. Guitarist and singer Pete Greco told me he had always wanted to do a show where people could sit at a table, eat, and listen to music. ​“It feels more like a community” he said, ​“And the same people keep coming back.” Greco on guitar and vocals, drummer Austin Morrison, and bassist Max Spinelli form the trio that plays each month. ​“My friends come down sometimes and perform too” said Greco. Some of his friends that have performed in the past include Paul Bryant Hudson, Stout, Stephen Gritz King, Finn Henry, and Dylan McDonnell. ​“People roll through. It’s been a lot of fun” he said with a smile.

The other aspect of the event that has been bringing people back and making them smile is the food. Josh Wyrtzen of Nexas BBQ has been providing brisket and a rotating menu of sides and other meats since the beginning. Originally from Texas, Wyrtzen said ​“this is what people do there, at house parties and church potlucks. Brisket is the thing.” His style is a combination of styles from around his home state and ​“mad hatter stuff that made it my own”. Today’s menu included mixed veggies and a street corn casserole, but in previous months he has also had pulled pork as well as jerk chicken that he smokes but is prepped by Nesta Allen. And then there’s that brisket. ​“People come back for the brisket” said Wyrtzen. ​“It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun.”

This month the event added The Town Tart, Valerie McKee’s pie business that will soon be operating out of a storefront/restaurant in Hamden. McKee brought three different kinds of pie made in a hand held form that she thought ​“would be easier to serve than slices of pie”. The choices were mint julep, lemon meringue, and a gluten free rhubarb blueberry with or without whipped cream.

Deb and I shared the two brisket taco plate with a side of veggies. It was more than enough for both of us. She said the brisket was ​“delicious”, and then changed her mind: ​“This is beyond delicious. It melts in your mouth.” Indeed it did. You have to experience it to believe it. The vegetables — the mix including peppers, onjons, mushrooms, asparagus and okra to name a few — were just as smoky and delicious. There was not a crumb left between us.
Later on for dessert I had the rhubarb blueberry crumble and she had the lemon meringue. Both were a perfect balance of tart and sweet, complementing the barbeque well and the ideal size to not leave you feeling overstuffed.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the music.

The trio played three sets that included such guitar heavy blues classics as The Thrill is Gone and Sweet Little Thing by Stevie Ray Vaughn as well as bluesy takes on Superstitious by Stevie Wonder and Come Together by the Beatles. The music was tight but playful, sweet but sexy, and could be described as smoky and delicious as well. It made everyone in the room move and groove whether they were sitting in their seat eating or standing in the back near the bar,

Friends did indeed show up to sit in, one for each set. The first set included Mark Zaretsky on vocals and harmonica, adding a grittier sound to the proceedings. Zaretsky announced that he and his band, Cobalt Rhythm Kings, would be playing the next show on Sunday July 7th as Greco would be away. The second set saw Tim Kane come to the stage with his trumpet, adding searing solos that got the crowd cheering and screaming ​“yes” afterwards. The crowd seemed to grow as soon as the music began, or was it the smell of that smoky barbeque that lured them in? ​“It’s a little tough to focus with that smell” Greco joked from the stage, And yes, there is no denying that it was tantalizing, but the music was just as seductive and satisfying. My friend agreed. Spinelli took over vocals for the classic Mustang Sally, one of her favorites, causing her to exclaim ​“this makes me want to grab a tambourine and jump onstage (she didn’t).” I mentioned to her how I thought there might be more people jumping up to dance. No sooner did I say it and it happened, courtesy of Paul Byrant Hudson joining the band for their final song. Four people began dancing right up in front of the stage. I would have jumped up myself but I was recording a video. I’ll dance next time too, friends. Promise.

From large groups of friends to couples with kids this show left everyone smiling, including me and my friend. We had a blast. I asked Deb what she thought of New Haven circa 2019. ​“This place is great. I would definitely come back again, maybe with a group of people or my daughter. The music was amazing, and the brisket too.”

Blues N’ Brisket happens the first Sunday of every month at The State House from 4 – 7 PM. For more information please visit The State House website.