Perennial, meanspirit, truther
Best Video
Hamden
Dec. 12, 2025
When you hear the word “perennial,” you think of “enduring,” “unfailing,” and “eternal.” You might also think of those words when listening to the band Perennial, and, especially so, seeing them perform live.
This past Friday night saw the locally based perpetually touring band land at Best Video to headline a three-band bill along with friends and self-described fans in two other Connecticut- based bands, meanspirit and truther. All three were a welcomed gift to receive at the end of a very long week at the end of a very long year.
Speaking of gifts, it is time for some full disclosure: This reporter considered the covering of this show sort of a Christmas gift to herself. This month is the ninth anniversary of my freelance reporting on arts and culture for the Indy. In that time I have seen Perennial both as a reporter covering their show and as a fan several times (with an interview back in 2022 thrown in for good measure). It is never not a blast, never. They always live up to their name and give everyone in attendance a raucous and real electric jolt of joy to the soul. Friday was no exception.
The show began with the band meanspirit, a duo hailing from Willimantic. Bassist Glenden began the band’s sound check with a guttural scream that felt like one for the team. We all needed that, and we all needed this: a six-song set of deep, dark beats built up, broken down, and busted out. Along with Jordan on vocals and synth, the two got the crowd warmed up right for it all, even covering the classic “Blue Monday” by New Order that got the crowd moving along. Glenden called Perennial “the best band in Connecticut.” From the responses they got from the crowd it seemed everyone was in agreement.
Jules Michaels, vocalist and guitarist for truther, called Perennial “legendary” and mentioned that they had played their very first show with them back in the beginning of 2025. This trio, consisting of Michaels, bassist T.J. Croke, and Jeremy Fruedler on drums, added a fun set that saw each song build upon the one before it, their sound getting fuller as they went along with wavy dreamy guitar and thick delicious back beats. Michaels let out a few screams too. Their final song was their most recent release, “FAKE SMOKE,” which they told everyone was now available to stream. The crowd ate it all up.
Chad Jewett, guitarist and vocalist for Perennial, said the band had “been in the kitchen” and had new music for everyone. Their tight seven-song set saw them diving into their most recent releases, Art History and Perennial ’65, but also saw them giving the fans some longtime favorites. When this band performs, you are not thinking about what was or will be. You are only in the now and into the performance, the music. Jewett, Chelsey Hahn on keys and vocals, and Ceej Wolf on drums exploded into each an every song, from the first – “Art History” – to the last – “Perennial Meets The Wolfman.” They sang, thrashed, danced, and through it all smiled and made everyone in the space smile along with them.
“Are you ready to move? Are you ready to shake?” asked Hahn before “Food for Hornets,” less than two minutes of frenetic energy with some of the hardest and holiest licks and beats you will ever hear. At one point the band made their way through the venue, through the crowd, and played part of one song amongst them (and you can see Jewett doing that during another song “Action Painting” in the video below as well).
One can get a sense of what Jewett called “The Perennial Sound” in that video. While I will definitely recommend listening to all of their records, I also cannot recommend enough seeing them live. While their influences shine through – with Jewett even adding a little Smokey Robinson intro to “Perennial in a Haunted House” – they have indeed created a unique sound and with that brought its performance to a level that winds you up and makes you wish it would go on and on. This is not a show where you see people on their phones and/or chatting with their friends. Everyone was fully in the moment.
Jewett expressed his gratitude for the other bands and asked everyone else to do that as well. He also expressed gratitude for the space calling Best Video “one of our absolute most favorite venues in the world” early in the set and then later adding that it was “incredible.”
“There are so few spaces dedicated to the arts,” he added. “It’s a beautiful wonderful space. Let’s keep it going.”
As we head towards 2026, I can whole heartedly agree. Let’s keep shows like this going: local bands with a dedication to lifting each other, their fans, and these venues up, adding to the art history of it all, and giving us their gifts again and again.
