By Helen Porskova
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Veronica Toone, a host at High Hopes, faced me with an easy grin in the very same backyard where people gather in between sets every Sunday night, chattering amongst themselves with instruments and props in tow. “Bring your souls, bring your hearts,” Toone said at the end of our talk. “I’m always excited to see new people in my garage.”

Sitting there and glancing ahead at the rows of empty chairs, it was hard to believe that this is where young artists gather from all over Long Island to perform beneath the warm glow of the stage lights as the garage sits silent save for the occasional chirp of a cricket.

An average post war home with a white façade, High Hopes transforms into a venue run by Gillian Pitzer, Veronica Toone, Quin Asselin and many others for its popular Sunday open mic nights and occasional acoustic shows. Originally organized by Hofstra alumni Heather Levinsky and Zach Johnson, it has served as a creative scene for DIY music for the past year and a half.

“We get all sorts of performances,” said Asselin, a host alongside Toone. “Music, stand-up, performance art, improv sets … we just get all sorts of people coming through five minutes of what they want.”

So what about this garage inspires so many to gather and share their artistic endeavors? The house serves as an escape from the stress of every student’s day-to-day life as artists channel their innermost fears or express the sheer euphoria they harbor within themselves before a crowd of new or familiar faces. The type of material doesn’t matter, only that High Hopes can provide an area free of collegiate oversight which allows for boundless performance opportunities.

For Toone, this garage was the setting of her first show and first album debut. High Hopes teems with memories for her and serves as a place that has helped shape her music career. “I feel like I’ve established myself here, maybe because I live here or I’m a host or I’ve known these people for two years,” she said. However, she said the open atmosphere of these open mics is welcoming for anyone to come perform or join the audience. “I feel like if I didn’t know anyone and just showed up, I’d still feel the same way,” she said.

While the audience seemed to be dominated by Hofstra students, Asselin said he was surprised when he began attending and realized there was a healthy mix of Hofstra students as well as Long Island locals coming from Nassau Community College or simply attending because it’s their kind of scene. “It’s a cool place for these communities to meet,” Asselin said, as people with no affiliation to the school might come onstage and bare their heart.

High Hopes holds artistic potential for anyone and all are free to come experience this unique Long Island venue with its mixture of locals and Hofstra students. Many attribute this space to their artistic growth, but, as Toone said, “A space is only so much as the people that put love into it.”