CTGB Night at FTC CLOSES OUT 2025 with NYC Punk Nostalgia
By Marisa Torrieri Bloom
CTGB Night capped off 2025 on the last Sunday of December with a nostalgic punk-rock tribute show that brought hundreds to The Warehouse at FTC. The annual event, created and hosted by Dave Schneider of The Zambonis, brought together established musicians and emerging players, including Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads) and special guest Ryan Miller of Guster, for an evening of laughs, rock n’ roll nostalgia, and rock n’ roll escapism.
Schneider kicked off the night with a couple of jokes, a song, and an appearance by his charming 92 year-old dad, setting the stage for jovial, high-energy set. Fairfield dad Matt Smith brought his grit to a cover of Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer,” followed by Trashing Violet’s lead vocalist and guitarist Marisa Bloom, taking on The Pretenders’ “Message of Love.” (Full disclosure: that’s me, and I had a blast).
Other performances included NYC musician/journalist Rob Tannenbaum (Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime”), and sisters Evalyn Ryan (Drums) and Ryan Ryan (Bass/Vocals), roaring through a cover of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation.”
Their performances, and most of the others that followed, were accompanied by guitarists John Pioli and Chris Cavaliere, drummer Kenny Owens, and bassist Alex Swift, aka, the CTGB Allstars.
Guster’s Miller proved his vocal chops could handle Elvis Costello’s mid-tempo rock jam “Watching The Detectives,” while vocal powerhouses Hazel Foley and Liz Ashkins belted out classics by Blondie and Patti Smith with searing convictions.
A bluegrass ensemble gave the CTGB band a break, while an appearance by Franz and Weymouth at the halfwaypoint got the audience revved up for another round of collaborations between Schneider, Miller, and several others.
The night closed out with guest vocalists taking the stage with the CTGB house band for a rousing cover The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated,” one of the ‘80s most iconic punk rock anthems.
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