Musician Robert Messore sat in front of the camera, surrounded by cozy blankets and colorful Christmas lights. It was already an hour into the latest installment of Live From the Blanket Fort, with Sunday turning into Monday. Eager listeners filled the chat box in his livestream as he did a sweet rendition of “Dream A Little Dream of Me,” then a straight-faced, low-register take on “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” After chatting with listeners about everything from the bridge in the Aretha Franklin song to Star Trek to television writer Joss Whedon, he unfurled a delicious version of Jerry Douglas’s and Russ Barenberg’s “Hymn of Ordinary Motion.”
As he moved it was as though, for a moment, the internet was actually quiet.
Then he made a joke about failing to get his guitar quite in tune during the song — not that it was noticeable.
“Sometimes you’re the windshield,” he said, “sometimes you’re the bug.” Fixing the tuning issue, he then moved into another guitar piece — his own, called “Carolina Conversations” — that was, if anything, more exquisite. He posted a link to a recording of it for anyone who wanted it, and someone did, immediately. “THANK YOU,” they wrote.
Messore has been a fixture of the New Haven folk music scene for decades, as a solo performer, sideman, teacher, and organizer. Over the years he worked with CT Folk, with St. John’s Episcopal Church in East Rock as a concert promoter, and with the Space when it was under Steve Rodgers’s ownership. He plays with The Chrissy Gardner Band, with Wry Bred on the contradance circuit, and, since 2003, he has run Toddler Tunes out of St. John’s.
During the Covid-19 pandemic and its related shutdowns, Messore continued Toddler Tunes virtually and — when the weather was warmer — outdoors. He also kept teaching private lessons. But, like every other musician, in March he watched as his performing opportunities vanished. One late April evening, on a whim, he decided to try a livestreaming concert from a closet in his apartment.
“I improvised a blanket fort with whatever was there. I was probably invisible and the blankets were falling down on me.” But “I got an immediate response.”
Why a blanket fort? “It’s code for ‘OK, I’m going to hide from the world for a while. I’m going to be a kid, hiding in my blanket fort.” The next Sunday night, he set up another fort in his apartment. And the next Sunday, and the next. People kept showing up to listen. He set up a good microphone to improve the sound He started paying attention to blanket weight, switched a blanket for a sheet for the ceiling to make it brighter inside while still keeping it cozy. Now he sets it up pretty much the same way every Sunday, and starts his set at 11 p.m.
“It was specifically to be at a time when nothing else was going on,” Messore said. “I’m always up late at night.” And, he said, “there are people who enjoy that.” Being livestreamed means crossing time zones anyway, and Messore has listeners on the West Coast, as well as China and India.
In a way, the series has brought Messore full circle. As a musician, he spent his late teens, 20s, and early 30s playing solo material. “Then I almost entirely lost interest in that,” he said. He dove into performing with others. “This year,” he said, “I’m surprisingly happy sitting home…. I know there’s a lot of people struggling with not being with folks in front of them. I’m not one of those people. I have solo guitar time again, and I like it. I’m thinking of putting out a record of solo stuff for the first time in 15 years.”
Performing from his apartment also means providing his own banter. “I have come into my own!” he said with a laugh. “It’s a return to being myself, and luckily there are people who share in that,” he said. “It’s become this lovely Sunday night ritual with people tuning in.” Any given night — which starts at 11 p.m. and goes for between an hour and two hours — draws about 25 people. “There’s been a real nice sense of community with it.”
One listener pointed out that Messore’s series shared some similarities with Nighttime Noodles, a similar set of livestreamed events from Austin, Tex.-based musician Katie Marie, who plays solo music with a hopeful vibe. “I don’t usually think of myself who wants to sing hopeful songs,” Messore said, but at this time, he added, “I couldn’t not do hopeful songs.” Maybe it’s what some need right now. His sets range across original material and improvised pieces to Mama Cass to The Five Stairsteps and a hundred points in between — including the Ramones and Monty Python.
“A lot of times when you’re an artist or a creative type, the way you bring things together seems obvious to you,” Messore said. “I really believe in using music to serve people. I’m trying to be silly because it amuses me. Being by myself means I’m babbling and losing my place. If you’re hanging out with me, that’s what it’s like. Sorry,” he said with self-deprecation. “But people are still showing up. And all we can all do is try to be our best selves.”
So Messore keeps playing late on Sunday night, and teaching lessons, and doing virtual sessions of Toddler Tunes. The Fabulous Guitar Night — a concert of guitar music usually held in East Rock in early December, and now in its 18th year — was livestreamed on Saturday, with each of the musicians playing remotely. He’s also helping hosting a series of discussions at St John’s in New Haven with Black musicians presenting their music and talking about their experiences with racism. The next one, which will be held on Zoom, is on Dec. 18 (write Messore at robert.t.messore@gmail.com for details).
“I want to connect with people, and hopefully make their days better,” Messore said.