Creativity Connects Newtown: Meet Singer/Songwriter, Griffin Anthony

Creativity Connects Newtown

What fuels a vibrant, connected, and creative community? What makes people feel good about living in Newtown?

When locals share the creativity that they uncover in the nooks and crannies of their community it brings about connectivity and makes us all feel good. Believe it or not, you discover creativity every day as you walk, shop, work, and play in Newtown. 

Creativity connects us.

Meet Griffin Anthony, award-winning musician.

How does creativity connect you to Newtown?  

As a professional musician, you really get to know a place without even having to live there. From collaborating with event organizers, grabbing pre-soundcheck bites at local restaurants, mid-show crowd interaction, to late-night post-show conversations over beers, you get a great honest snapshot of a town and its character. It’s kind of like being a professional tourist without the R&R. You become a codebreaker or interpreter for what draws people to certain places and why they continue to stay there. Understated and without a shred of pretentiousness, Newtown exudes an unflappable sense of community with a deep appreciation for the Arts.

If Newtown was a songwriter, I’d wanna listen to its songs. Year after year, the more I’d work here, the more I’d find myself granted with genuine and lasting friendships. I used to think that being “comfortable” was the worst thing for a songwriter’s creativity- and it may be true for some, but I’ve discovered that “comfort” puts me in a headspace to be able focus on creating. After years of touring and bouncing from one rental to the next with my girlfriend Sarah, Newtown was an easy decision to finally buy a place and settle down.

Any place in town where you go for inspiration and creativity?

I go on a daily three-and-half mile run around Taunton Lake. I’m sure that helps the creative juices a little, but I joke sometimes and say inspiration magically strikes every day at 9am when my alarm goes off and dries up around 5pm when I start thinking about dinner (haha). It’s more about showing up to work day in, day out with a pen in hand and a guitar in my arms than it is about finding an inspirational place.

Finish this sentence: when I think of creativity in town I think of …

… I think of Edmond Town Hall. The history of that place is very special and it’s held countless legendary performances over the years, largely thanks to my buddy, Hayden Bates (founder of Live at Edmond Town Hall). Amidst this world-wide pandemic we find ourselves, Edmond Town Hall has gotten creative themselves by presenting pop-up drive-in movies for the community. Their outside-the-box thinking spawned a rare silver lining of COVID. When it comes to creativity, The Flagpole Barn Concert Series also comes to mind. A few years back Mike and Jen Guman got the idea of transforming their old 19th century post-and-beam wooden carriage barn into an intimate and cozy performance space, providing Newtown residents a chance to see nationally touring bands at no ticket charge. I look forward to a day when “intimate and cozy” can once again be a part of a concert going environment. 

Creativity Connects Newtown is made possible by LIFEWTR.

If you have local creativity to share and would like to be featured in this series, feel free to email CreativityConnects@HamletHub.com 

The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of HamletHub or LIFEWTR. 

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Submitted by Newtown, CT

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