Larry Bees Music Is Hitting All the Right Notes
By Jennifer Russo
Whether you are a music enthusiast, aspiring musician, instrument collector, or all three, there is a little place in town that is calling your name. Bellingham’s Larry Bees Music has been a fixture for over 50 years, teaching music to those who have a passion to learn it professionally or as a hobby and was known for selling instruments and records at the height of the 60’s and 70’s rock music revival. If you’ve lived in or passed through Bellingham, you are likely already familiar with it.
What you may not know, is that though the location on Pulaski Boulevard was built in 1993, a few very talented and passionate local musicians took up the call to manage the store in 2020 after founder, Larry Brodeur, sadly passed on after bravely battling illness. Kevin Lombard, the primary owner, reached out to a longtime friend, Alec Antobenedetto, to see if he would like to step in to help bring Larry Bees into a new era, and it all happened from there.
Alec, who is now a partner at the store as well as its drum instructor, has been playing drums since 1978, went on to Berklee College of Music and has studied drums under world-renowned drummer Gary Chaffee. He presently plays in 9 different bands, so he knows well the ins and outs of recording, booking, and performing for different types of live audiences.
Jay Tullio, who is a part-owner and the store manager, is known well in the area for his amazing guitar work in two local bands. He has been playing guitar since 1971 and has been working in music retail since 1983. He is a guitar repair expert – so, if you need something fixed, you can trust it is in great hands.
Part-owner Mike Rossacci has been involved with the music industry since he was in his teens and a musician in bands for over 30 years. Right now, in addition to helping to run the store, he has moved his focus to his singer/songwriter interests.
The three have all worked together in some capacity since 1987, whether it be playing in bands together or through other common connections, so they kid that they are like “three little old ladies arguing about whose blueberry muffins are better because it’s the Italian thing to do.”
The old-school music shop has been renovated – it is brighter and more modern, now sporting dozens of shiny guitars and accessories, drum sets, keyboards, amps, and several lesson rooms. They have a robust social media presence, over one hundred students, and have great plans for the future.
“I think we stand apart as a smaller music store, because it’s a more personal experience that our customers will get here,” says Alec. “It’s a family-element, we get to know the kids and their parents, and people can just come in here and play something instead of having to check something out online and guess if it’s right for them.”
“The vibe in here is comfortable, when people come in here to take lessons, we talk to them and check in,” says Mike. “We have all played, and we can see things from both sides. We can do a quick adjustment for them if they need it, run a new string on a guitar last minute before someone’s show…things we are happy to provide because we care about the people that come in.”
You may be asking yourself why the name hasn’t changed with the complete facelift the store received, and really…the short answer is, community.
“It was important to keep the name – the spelling changed just slightly, and we added a new logo that Mike’s son came up with, but Larry built the community for this, and we really wanted to honor that – it didn’t make sense to change it,” says Jay.
Larry Bees teaches guitar, bass, piano, ukulele, harmonica, mandolin, and drums to children and adults and are hoping to hire a vocal instructor soon. The lessons they provide are very competitively priced, with highly trained instructors. Lessons are coordinated by employee Andrew Barry, who the trio says they could never run the business without.
Additionally, they want to add more Master Classes to the schedule - they recently had a successful one with award-winning drummer and actor Rich Redmond. Looking toward the future, they hope the business will grow into adding another location that is more of an interactive music center with a lesson side and a playing side and in-house recording, among other ideas.
“Though we sell instruments and lessons, it’s never just about selling here,” Mike shares. “It’s more about helping people make good decisions and finding what works best for them – we do have great, high-quality instruments for beginners and professionals and our lessons are taught by some of the best in the industry – it all speaks for itself. We just want people to love what they get.”
The store welcomes would-be musicians and those who are actively playing to stop in and take some time to just casually speak with them about music. A music store years ago was a place to go and hang out and share a love of music, and the owners and team really feel that is what it SHOULD be about. With decades of industry knowledge and a super cool vibe, it’s a welcoming, real person interaction that can’t be found just anywhere.
Larry Bees is located at 425 Pulaski Blvd. in Bellingham. Learn more about Larry Bees on their website at LarryBeesMusic.com or on their Facebook page at Larry Bees Music. You can also reach them at (508) 883-5150. Be sure to take advantage of their amazing deal by bringing in the coupon in their Bulletin ad this month.
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