We Are More/Old Tom & The Lookouts
Windsor Art Center
40 Mechanic St.
Windsor
May 30, 2026
An uncharacteristically frigid day had me happy to reach the doors of the Windsor Art Center, nestled in a converted train station so unassuming you’d be forgiven for missing it. I was there for a performance by Old Tom & The Lookouts, but when I stepped inside I was greeted by an array of colors that were a welcome reprieve from the gray clouds outside.
In addition to the concert, the Windsor Art Center was hosting an exhibit called We Are More, featuring the work of artist Jacqueline Decker. Her exhibit was a twofer in and of itself, split between her abstract paintings inspired by her great-grandmother’s handmade quilts and digital prints from the collection of children’s books she's written.
Decker’s paintings are bursting with color, and her use of dark lines and geometric shapes gives her work a fractal quality. Her paintings aren’t shackled by that style; in Theresa, the organized and rigid patterns of the left side of the quilt expand into a more curved, free flowing eruption of life. The purples and reds of the piece give it depth, offering an almost tactile quality.
Decker is also an accomplished author and illustrator of children’s literature, and some examples of that work were included in a small room off from the main exhibit. Upon entering, I met the characters from Foxtails, a series of books that follows a family of foxes, each of whom embodies the spirit of an historical figure, as they pursue their own unique interests.
Her children’s work is full of small details that infuse her drawings with whimsey and meaning.
Where her paintings rely on stark lines, her children’s illustrations are soft and inviting.
Her characters receive inspiration from a diverse range of heroes such as pioneering African American aviator Bessie Coleman.
Of course, I can’t forget the reason I had ventured out that blustery afternoon. Old Tom and The Lookouts are a folk-rock band out of the Boston area. The main draw of Old Tom and his Lookouts is their great musicality and affable nature. Band leader Alex Calabrese and guitarist Troy Fannin took the trip down to our neck of the woods, complimenting us on our train stations and coffee. High praise from the land of Dunkin' Donuts.
Alex and Troy played the acoustic and electric guitars respectively, and their set consisted primarily of their original music. Their guitar play was immaculate, and showed a real understanding of the strengths of each instrument. The two weaved their sounds together, using the high-pitched wails that only the electric guitar could produce as embellishment on the grounded, steady rhythms of the acoustic. I enjoyed listening to them play.
Look, there’s no nice way to say this, so let’s just do it: the biggest weakness of Old Tom and The Lookouts is their limited vocal range. There’s a range in the middle to lower octaves that works perfectly for them. Their voices blend in nicely in the unique aural space that exists between the electric and acoustic guitar, and the whole is a pleasing and complete sound.
However, Troy and Alex often venture beyond this range with appreciable earnestness. However, the result often sounds like yelling, and overpowers the delicate interplay between the two guitars. The songs where the vocal range was more focused were my favorites.
It was an afternoon of art that gave me multiple experiences I wasn’t expecting. Definitely worth leaving the house on a cold day.
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Jamil heads to an R&B kickback.
