By Robert Brune
STAMFORD — On a rainy August afternoon, the heart of downtown Stamford beat to the rhythm of stories, songs, and soul at the Catskills Junction Function Hall, where Grammy-nominated songwriter and performer Terry Radigan transported an attentive crowd through time, memory, and melody. Originally slated for an outdoor concert in the village square, the show was moved inside due to heavy rain, but the atmosphere proved no less electric in the rustic, acoustically tuned venue.
Radigan, a Brooklyn native with roots now in the Catskills, is no stranger to storytelling. Her songwriting is as much narrative as it is melody, and in this setting, surrounded by wooden beams and warm lighting, she turned a simple concert into a living, breathing memoir.
“I want to sing you into Brooklyn,” Radigan told the crowd before diving into a spoken-word prelude that read like a prose poem. She conjured childhood summers in vivid detail: Italian ices, hydrant water fights, the gentle chaos of adolescence. It wasn’t just music, it was memory set to rhythm. “She doesn’t just perform,” one audience member whispered. “She transports.”
Opening with Joe’s Boots, a poignant ballad about a quiet neighbor she came to know only after his death, Radigan immediately revealed her knack for turning small, personal details into universal reflections. Each song was introduced with a story, not filler, but narrative threads that stitched the music together like a novel in chapters.
Between songs, Radigan shared insights into her latest work. “I’ve got a new one called I Like You. I’m excited about it,” she said with a quiet grin. “I wasn’t sure I had a theme at first, but now it’s starting to feel like these songs belong together.” Fans may be glad to hear a new release is likely on the horizon.
In one particularly moving section of the show, Radigan introduced ‘The Invisible’, a song born of her work with the organization Songwriters With Soldiers. The initiative pairs musicians with veterans to co-create music directly from their stories.
“These aren’t songs written about someone,” she explained. “They’re written with them. Every word you hear came from the person sitting across from me.” One such veteran, JR, inspired The Invisible, a haunting reflection on isolation, memory, and the quiet aftermath of service.
The venue itself, Junction Function Hall, proved to be the perfect shelter from the storm. Once a recycling center, the hall has been lovingly renovated into a log cabin-esque space by owners Donna and Robert Kennedy (better known in the music scene as Bobby Curious). With acoustic baffles and a warm aesthetic, it’s fast becoming a new cultural hub in Stamford.
“Three events just this weekend,” said Jim Kopp, co-organizer of the village's live music series. “It’s catching on, this place is an incredible addition to Stamford.”
Kopp, who along with Bobby Curious co-leads the delightfully named Board of Musication, has worked tirelessly to bring free live music to Stamford all summer, organizing weekly performances in the village square and occasional indoor shows like this one. “It’s about community,” he said simply. “Good music brings people together.”
And bring them together it did. Radigan's performance was not just entertainment, it was a masterclass in intimacy, empathy, and the power of a well-told story. With each song, she built a bridge from her life to ours, inviting the audience to walk across with her.
As the rain poured outside, it only deepened the sense that something special was happening indoors, a temporary, musical shelter built of lyrics, laughter, and the kind of honest connection that stays with you long after the final chord fades.
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