A masked Pete Kaufman leaned into the microphone as David Sasso tuned his instrument at the start of their second set at Best Video.
“It’s such a nice night,” he said. “Not going to have too many more nights like this. What’s better than being outside?”
Brian Slattery Photos
An audience of about 20 seemed to agree, as they congregated — distanced and masked — on the deck in front of Best Video Film and Cultural Center to take in one of the first of the nonprofit’s outdoor shows. For Hank Hoffman, Best Video’s executive director, the return of live music to the venue was just part of Best Video’s way of fulfilling the community-building mission it has always had.
“This pandemic struck right at the heart of our nonprofit model,” Hoffman said. The cultural center’ activities, from its coffee shop to its film screenings to its live music schedule, were predicated on people being able to get together in person.
Hoffmann had cancelled shows hesitantly at the beginning of the pandemic. “When it first started happening, I only cancelled two weeks of shows, and then two weeks more,” he said. Within the first month, though, it then became clear that the cultural center’s stage was going to be “done for a while.”
But Best Video wanted to continue finding ways to get people together safely, and had the outdoor space to do it. It reopened its coffee shop as a takeout window, and allowed people to continue renting videos by calling ahead. “Once it was clear this was going to be long-term, we didn’t want people just sitting in a parking lot,” Hoffman said. And “we had a such a successful Great Give,” Hoffman said; during the fundraiser in the spring, Best Video raised double the amount it had in previous years. “It meant we had some money to invest, to serve our public that was supporting us.”
Construction on the deck in the parking lot started in July and was finished in early August. Best Video furnished it with chairs, tables, and umbrellas, and regulars began enjoying their coffee there in the morning. “The feedback we’ve gotten has been really supportive and positive,” said Hoffman.
As the first group to play the deck (the previous night’s show with Glenn Roth was rained out and rescheduled for later in the month), Sasso and Kaufman broke it in nicely. Switching instruments — Kaufman from guitar to banjo and Sasso across a variety of instruments in the mandolin family — and splitting vocal duties, the duo led the audience through a series of instrumental tunes, sung bluegrass standards, and a few originals. Even with traffic on Whitney Avenue sometimes demanding a moment’s attention thanks to a gunned engine, the music created a small bubble of calm and good cheer. The audience was completely silent for every number, until the last note of each song brought a quick round of applause.
Best Video has already booked duos and trios for more live music through the end of September. (Visit the cultural center’s website for details.) In addition to live music, Best Video is also rolling out a Black Film Mini-Series and Discussion, in partnership with Hamden Department of Arts and Culture, Ignite the Light’s Sha McAllister, Spring Glen Church, Emalie Mayo, Siobhan Carter-David, and William Foster. The screenings will happen on the lawn of Spring Glen Church, across Whitney Avenue from Best Video — “a way to squeeze in some socially distanced, safe film screening,” Hoffman said. On Sept. 17, the series will show 42; Sept. 25 will feature Brown Sugar and Oct. 3 will feature Do the Right Thing. Discussions of each of the films will follow.
Hoffman is already looking toward the colder months ahead and what that will mean. “We’re not going to be able to do inside for a while,” he said. But he has been considering setting up the video and audio capabilities to do quality livestreaming of shows. If they keep the deck through next summer, Hoffman is looking into the possibility of a more robust outdoor summer music series.
But for now, there are the shows he has lined up for the next few weeks. “While we still have the weather on our side,” he said, Best Video can “give musicians an opportunity to play” — and for people to hear them, in person.
“To have a video store around in 2020 is to say the least against the odds,” Hoffman said. “Best Video is only here because we’ve been able to improvise and be creative.” And, of course, because of “the community.”
