New Milford musician, who lost everything in fire, to open concert
BETHEL — Connecticut creatives have come to the aid of one of their own.
Musician and singersongwriter Dean Snellback, of New Milford, lost nearly everything in a Railroad Street apartment fire on the night of Sept. 1, prompting his community to rally around him. One man even insisted on lending him a $4,000 guitar, he said.
On Tuesday, WorkspaceCT, a “collaborative space” in Bethel, announced Snellback will open for Connecticut singer-songwriter Jim Allen on Oct. 8 at the debut of Allen’s new album. The event will be hosted by New Milford nonprofit arts organization Love Art Play.
Doors open at 5 p.m. Allen, a Newtown resident, will perform songs from the album, accompanied by Niles Spaulding on acoustic bass and Howard Carlough on violin.
Organizers said Allen had a hand in selecting Snellback, a onetime Newtown resident, for the opening act. Allen appeared in season 21 of NBC’s hit singing competition show “The Voice” as half of the father-son duo Jim and Sasha Allen. The pair placed among the top eight finalists. Their first EP, “16 Borders,” came out on Sept. 23.
When the fire started in his music office around 9 p.m. on Sept. 1, Snellback, the lead guitarist and singer of the BluesyLand Band, was out watching a friend perform. He had moved into the Railroad Street apartment in July.
Snellback estimated about $20,000 worth of instruments, recording equipment, PA systems and amplifiers was destroyed in the blaze. Since “music is how he makes a living,” as his daughter Leigh Gocklin wrote in a GoFundMe page, their loss represented a massive financial setback. Snellback was a hearing specialist in Danbury and Southbury before retiring to focus on music full-time.
Benefit concerts were held in his honor, and Gocklin’s GoFundMe page had raised more than $21,000 as of Sept. 27, more than $16,000 of which was donated in the first three days after the fire.
“The people in New Milford, the outpouring, the community, the town, have just been amazing,” he said. “I’ve just been putting one foot in front of the other, just trying to get through the reality of it.”
Donations to Snellback will be accepted at the Oct. 8 event. Tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for students.