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Food: Margaritas *
FEATURED FOOD - * COVER STORY *
Margaritas
The Makings of a Quintessential Summer Drink
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photos
Whether you’re on vacation or wishing you were, few things feel more like summer than sitting outside on a sunny day sipping an ice cold margarita.
The margarita’s reputation as a refreshing, summertime drink may be attributed to its origins in Mexico, where the weather is warm, limes grow in abundance and tequila is produced from the native blue agave plant.
“Its Mexican heritage makes people think of vacations and the sun and the South,” said Rachael Jones, manager and bartender at Firefly American Bistro & Bar in Manchester. “It makes you feel like you want to be sitting on a beach somewhere, or at least on a deck or patio or backyard — anywhere in the sun.”
With just three ingredients — tequila, lime juice and orange-flavored liqueur — a margarita has the ability to transport, especially for those living in New England, where warm weather is a commodity for most of the year.
“A lot of it is definitely nostalgic,” said Brandon Laws, co-owner and bartender of In the MIX Beverage Catering, based in Nashua. “It’s a vacation drink. People may have tried a margarita while they were on vacation, and while they can’t bring their vacation and that weather back with them to New Hampshire, they can at least have the drink that reminds them of it.”
Fun with Flavors
A true margarita is made with a tequila base, lime juice and a splash of triple sec or other orange-flavored liqueur, but the simplicity of the recipe leaves room for all kinds of variations using different types of tequila, flavored liqueurs and fruit juices.
Some restaurants, like Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant (which has locations in Concord, Dover, Exeter, Keene, Lebanon, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth and Salem), feature whole menus of flavored margaritas.
“The variety is pretty expansive,” said Margarita’s Director of Training Jill Kuntz, who also manages Margarita’s beverage program. “Going a little extreme with different flavors and fresh fruits and herbs has become really trendy, and many [restaurants] have been getting more adventurous with their libations. Being called Margarita’s, we’re really at the forefront of that with our creative and unique margaritas.”
Along with its Original Margarita, the restaurant features margaritas with a variety of added flavors such as strawberry, raspberry, ginger-peach, melon, pomegranate, coconut, pineapple, mango and acai; and margaritas made with flavored tequilas, such as The Naked Jalapeno, made with jalapeno tequila, and The Naked Coconut, made with coconut tequila. It also has specialty margaritas like the Pepino, made with muddled mint, cucumber and lime; the Heavens to Margatroid, made with an exclusive blend of seven liqueurs; the Prickly Cactus, made with prickly pear and habanero lime; and the popular Russelrita, made with cream tequila and raspberry and strawberry flavors.
“There is a margarita for everyone, from the really unique ones you’d never think to try like the Prickly Cactus, to spicy ones like the Naked Jalapeno, to the Russelrita, which is like an adult smoothie for people who don’t really like the flavor of tequila,” Kuntz said.
To achieve a simple flavored tequila, fruit juices or flavored liqueurs can be added in with the standard three ingredients or, most commonly, used in lieu of the orange liqueur.
“Fundamentally, if you want it to remain a margarita, you have to have the tequila and lime juice,” Laws said. “The triple sec is usually the thing that you can swap out because it’s the ingredient with the lowest quantity. It’s just a splash.”
Firefly also has a wide selection of margaritas, including the cucumber-jalapeno, made with cucumber puree, fresh jalapenos and agave nectar; the blood orange, made with blood orange liqueur and blood orange juice; the Harvest Margarita, made with elderflower liqueur, apple cider, lemon juice and cinnamon; and the ginger-pear, made with ginger liqueur, key lime juice, pear nectar and Sprite. It has also featured margarita specials like Aztec chocolate, peach habanero, pina colada and even a margarita with maple syrup.
“Lime is ubiquitous in cocktails because it’s so blendable, and tequila itself has a sweet, earthy flavor and is pretty fruit-friendly and mixable with almost anything, so that means margaritas can be really versatile,” Jones said. “It’s fun to take liberties with it. We like to play around and push the limits with our margaritas.”
A World of Tequila
Flavored liqueurs and juices aren’t the only ways to switch up a margarita. The type of tequila used can also play a big part in the drink’s flavor.
According to Kuntz, there are four main types of tequilas used in margaritas. Blanco, or silver, tequila is aged for less than 60 days, usually in steel barrels, and has a “clean-tasting” authentic tequila flavor. Blanco tequila is often used for light, fruity margaritas. Reposado tequila is aged in oak barrels for at least 60 days, sometimes up to a year, and brings a slightly stronger, more full-bodied flavor to the margarita. Añejo tequila, aged for one to three years, and extra añejo tequila, aged for more than three years, are often distilled in whiskey barrels and give the margarita a “smoky, heavy bourbon flavor.” The añejos are generally used in spicy and savory margarita variations.
Some restaurants, like Hermanos Cocina Mexicana in Concord, make tequila styles and brands the focus of their margaritas rather than added flavors. Hermanos’ margarita list highlights a variety of tequilas including Cuervo Gold Especial, El Charro Reposado, Patron Silver and Platinum, 1800 and Sauza Extra Gold, Conmemorativo and Hornitos; which are paired with several different kinds of orange liqueurs and amaretto, raspberry and elderflower liqueurs.
“If I had to give a rough estimate, I’d say only 20 percent of our customers come in to get a flavored margarita,” Hermanos General Manager Melissa Thompson said. “We have about 30 types of tequila, so most people are looking at margaritas with different kinds of tequila, and if they don’t know what kind of tequila they want, they go with a staff recommendation.”
Go Infused
A growing number of restaurants are also introducing margaritas with infused tequilas, such as the Strawberry Señorita at Firefly, made with house-infused strawberry blanco tequila and served on the rocks with a chili sugar rim. Fresh strawberries are left to sit in the tequila for a couple days before they are drained out and the tequila is ready to serve.
“It leaves a light pink color and a natural fruit flavor that isn’t that syrupy kind of sweet but has a real fresh strawberry taste to it. It’s been very popular,” Jones said, adding that tequila could be infused with a variety of fruits including pineapple, raspberry, blueberry and watermelon.
Bar One in Milford also offers house infused-tequila drinks like the San Diego Summer, featuring a jalapeno- and blackberry- infused silver tequila, and its signature drink, the smoked blackberry sage margarita, made with blackberry- and sage-infused mezcal (a liquor similar to tequila). The restaurant has also offered seasonal margaritas like the apple cinnamon margarita, featured last fall, which was made with apple cider and tequila infused with cinnamon.
More Than Tequila
Though not as common as margaritas with a tequila base, there are some variations that blend another kind of hard liquor, such as vodka or rum, with the tequila, or replace the tequila with another liquor entirely.
Hermanos has margaritas like this on its menu, including the Citrata and the Aligarita, both made with Skyy Citrus Vodka; the Limonrita, made with Bacardi Limon Rum; and the Key Lime margarita, made with Stoli Vanil Vodka.
“Tequila has a very specific flavor to it, and a lot of people don’t love it, but you can play on the basic margarita recipe and usually achieve a similar product with a neutral spirit like vodka,” Jones said. “It’s not really a margarita anymore at that point, but it’s like an homage to a margarita.”
Blending the tequila with wine or beer has been a growing trend in the margarita world. For example, Margarita’s features a Coronarita, an original margarita topped with a Corona beer; and a Proseccorita, a margarita mixed with Prosecco sparkling wine, available in coconut, mango and raspberry flavors.
“I’ve been seeing more of those around recently,” Kuntz said. “I’ve seen people do it with sangrias, too.”
Serve it Up
A margarita can be served with ice, also known as “on the rocks;” frozen, meaning it was put in a blender with ice; or “straight up,” in which the margarita was chilled and shaken with ice but is served with no ice.
With the margarita being by nature a refreshing, warm-weather drink, it’s no wonder that having it frozen is a popular choice.
“It’s a huge thing,” Laws said. “People like having a frozen drink because it’s like having a milkshake or a snow cone or ice cream cone, but for adults.”
While there are glasses designed specifically for margaritas, the type of glassware used does not affect the margarita’s taste, aroma or practicality as it does for many non-mixed drinks like wine or whiskey.
“The traditional way to drink it is in the heavy top margarita glass, but that can be really awkward to drink out of,” said Jillian Bernat, a bartender at Bar One. “It’s really your preference. You can drink it out of a pint glass if you want. It can be a casual drink or a fancy drink or whatever you feel.”
Margaritas can be served with or without coarse salt or sugar on the rim — usually sugar for the sweeter, fruity margaritas and salt for the more sour or bitter ones — and a garnish, which could be a lime for a standard margarita or another kind of fruit to complement a flavored margarita.
“[The rim] is certainly not necessary. In fact, a lot of people prefer it without, or they’ll get it but only have it on the first sip, then they keep sipping from that same spot,” Laws said. “I think many times it’s more of a tactile thing. People just like to see it and feel it, and it acts more as a garnish.”
Margarita Eats
Since margaritas come in all kinds of flavors, they can also be paired with a variety of foods. The natural tendency is to pair them with Mexican cuisine, which also spans a wide range of flavors, making for endless margarita-food pairing possibilities.
“There are a lot of bold, vibrant flavors in Mexican [cuisine], which is why [margaritas and Mexican cuisine] go so well together,” Kuntz said. “It gives you a nice balance on your taste buds.”
When it comes to pairing food to the type of tequila used in the margarita, Kuntz said blanco tequila should be paired with lighter fare, such as a summer salad, fish tacos or a chicken dish, and the full-bodied, smoky añejo tequila should be paired with a richer food, like a dessert.
Jones said a traditional margarita can go with just about anything, but for flavored margaritas the key is to contrast flavors.
“If you’re changing the formula of the margarita to something sweeter or spicier, you need to balance that out. You don’t want to have a spicy margarita with spicy food,” she said.
“If you’re having a sweet margarita, pair it with something salty or a spicy Mexican dish. If it’s a spicy margarita, pair it with something sweet and light.”
Make it Yourself
There are a few things to keep in mind when making your own margaritas at home.
First, choose a tequila that suits your taste, not necessarily based on the cost. An aged tequila will almost always be more expensive than a blanco, but you may not want that full-bodied smoky flavor in your margarita. As for quality, you may taste a difference between bottom-shelf and mid-range tequilas, but you probably won’t taste a difference between mid-range and top-shelf, at least when it’s mixed into a margarita.
“You don’t have to get a top-notch tequila to make a good margarita,” Bernat said. “Tequila is one of those things where it’s possible to get a good one while still staying within your budget.”
Same goes for the orange liqueur, she said.
Most bartenders agree that if you’re going to splurge on any ingredient, it should be the lime juice or sour mix, and that the buckets of powdered sour mix you can find at the grocery store are a big no-no if you want to make a quality margarita. Lime juice in a bottle will taste better than a cheap mix, but for the best possible taste, you should squeeze the fresh lime juice by hand, or get a mix that has freshly squeezed juice.
Restaurants like Hermanos and Margarita’s have their own signature margarita mixes made with fresh lime juice, lemon juice and sugar, which you can buy for making margaritas at home.
“It’s definitely worth your time to squeeze the fruit or to get a mix that you know has been freshly squeezed,” Thompson said. “You can taste the difference between a mix like ours, which is homemade and has everything fresh, and the pre-made mixes in a bucket. That powdered mix is just gross.”
No matter what kind of tequila, liqueur and juice you use for your margaritas, the most important thing, Jones said, is to put some thought into the ingredients and get creative.
“For a while, when you thought of a margarita you thought of this big bowl of lime green slushy, but we’re headed back into this craft cocktail age where there’s a lot more focus on ingredients and how they’re all put together,” she said. “When it comes to a simple drink like a margarita, you can really showcase those ingredients.”
Both Jones and Thompson agree that the key to a good margarita is that the ingredients are blended properly. Since the lime and tequila each have a strong, distinct flavor, it doesn’t take much to make the margarita too strong, too sweet or too sour.
“You really want a nice balance between the flavor of the mix and the flavor of the tequila,” Thompson said. “You want it to be strong enough so that you know there’s alcohol in it, but you don’t want to be wincing with every sip.”
That’s why it’s also crucial to mix the ingredients thoroughly before serving. Pouring the ingredients into a glass and stirring does not cut it; the only way to ensure that the drink is completely mixed is to pour the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
“Shaking it is really important,” Laws said. “I shake a margarita more than I shake any other drink.”
Finally, don’t expect to get a margarita perfect the first time. It may be a trial-and-error process, Laws said, but the nice thing about making drinks is that you can add more of a certain ingredient to balance it out and make it taste better. Worst-case scenario, you still get a drink out of the deal, and you can always try again for the next round.
“If you’ve ever wondered how to make a margarita, find an excuse to make one and do it,” he said. “It’s supposed to be something that’s fun and social, so just have fun making it and enjoy it.”
Breakfast Margarita
Courtesy of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 3 ounces Cabrito reposado tequila
- 1.5 ounces triple sec or Cointreau
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice and serve on the rocks with an orange peel garnish.
Hermanos Razborita
Courtesy of Hermanos Cocina Mexicana
- 1 shot Sauza Gold Tequila
- ½ shot Chambord raspberry liqueur
- 1 shot Hermanos original margarita mix ($4.99 for 16 ounces, makes approximately six drinks)
- Shake with ice and serve.
Margarita’s Original Margarita
Courtesy of Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant
(Makes approximately 13 drinks)
- 1 liter of your favorite tequila
- ½ liter of triple sec
- 2 jars (64 ounces) of Margarita’s fresh Squeeze mix (available at any Margarita’s location for $8.99; comes in traditional lime, coconut, strawberry, raspberry, blood orange, mango, ginger and peach)
- Fill a pitcher with ice. Pour tequila, triple sec and Squeeze over the ice and stir vigorously.
- Pour into salt-rimmed serving glasses and serve.
Strawberry Senorita
Courtesy of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 3 ounces strawberry-infused Sauza blanco tequila*
- 1.5 ounces triple sec or Cointreau
- 1 ounce fresh key lime juice
- Shake all ingredients with ice and serve on the rocks in a glass rimmed with a mixture of dark chile powder and granulated sugar.
* For the strawberry-infused tequila, simply hull one pint of strawberries per 750-mL bottle of silver tequila, and combine tequila and berries in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Let berries infuse for 24 to 72 hours, tasting intermittently to check the infusion’s progress. Strain the berries out when you like what you taste, and you’ll be left with a pale pink tequila with bright strawberry flavor.
Blood Orange Margarita
Courtesy of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 3 ounces Milagro reposado tequila
- 1 ounce Solerno blood orange liqueur
- 1 ounce triple sec or Cointreau
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce blood orange juice
- Shake all ingredients with ice, and serve on the rocks in a glass with a salted rim.
Basic Margarita
Courtesy of Bar One
- 2 ounces tequila
- .75 ounce orange liqueur
- 1.5 ounces fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- Shake, rim a glass with salt, pour and serve.
Blueberry Margarita
Courtesy of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 3 ounces blanco tequila
- 1 ounce triple sec or Cointreau
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 2 ounces blueberry juice
- Add all ingredients to shaker with ice, shake thoroughly, serve straight up or strain over ice.
- Coarse sea salt for the rim and fresh blueberries for garnish.
Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita
Courtesy of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 3 ounces silver tequila
- 1.5 ounces triple sec or Cointreau
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- .5 ounce agave nectar
- 1 ounce fresh cucumber puree
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh jalapeños, seeds removed
- Shake all ingredients with ice and serve on the rocks.
Aztec Chocolate Margarita
Courtesy of Firefly American Bistro & Bar
- 3 ounces Tres Agaves anejo tequila
- 1 ounce Ancho Reyes chile liqueur
- 1 ounce vanilla bean syrup
- 5 dashes chocolate bitters
- Stir all ingredients together, and serve on ice in a glass rimmed with chile salt.
News: Focusing On STEM
FEATURED NEWS
Focusing On STEM
SNHU to Open New Tech College
Written By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Southern New Hampshire University is creating a STEM-focused college using programs, students and staff from Daniel Webster College as a starting point.
The College of Engineering, Technology and Aeronautics, or CETA, will be fully up and running by 2020, according to SNHU President Paul LeBlanc. There will be a new building on campus that’s estimated to cost about $40 million to construct plus another $7 million to refit a former C.B. Sullivan building acquired from a recent purchase of property adjacent to the campus.
The C.B. Sullivan building will serve as an ancillary building to the college and house a new Challenger Learning Center for local K-12 students to expose youngsters to the useful sciences in fun and engaging ways. The learning center will be created by the Challenger Center for Space Education, which was founded by family members of those who died in the Challenger space shuttle disaster.
“They wanted something that would inspire kids the way their family members had been inspired to do STEM,” LeBlanc said.
All of this is made possible by SNHU’s deal to “teach-out” students at Daniel Webster College that allows current students to finish the 2016-2017 school year amid the closure of ITT Educational Services campuses nationwide. ITT bought DWC in 2009.
“They were hoping to treat Daniel Webster College differently,” LeBlanc said. “They saw Daniel Webster as sort of a good player, trying to do good work, had been a not-for-profit, was acquired by ITT, and asked if we would be interested in helping out.”
Now, as they near graduation, LeBlanc said SNHU will absorb an estimated 200 students from DWC, as well as 17 faculty and staff and about five key programs such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering and more.
Three Phases
LeBlanc characterizes the teach-out as “Phase 1” of CETA’s creation. Post-graduation, as students and teachers pivot to continue their studies at the SNHU campus, the school enters Phase 2.
Ultimately, Phase 3 will be the full buildout in 2020. In addition to the physical construction, SNHU is currently making hires to lead the college and will figure out ways to alter the programs with some of the modern twists SNHU is known for.
“We hope, in September of 2020, to launch the same programs but in new sort of innovative models, models that use much more project-based learning that have much more direct links to industry, much more extensive use of workplace learning, online components, competency-based education, etc.,” LeBlanc said.
Right now, the school is looking into ways to incorporate augmented reality for online engineering courses as well as a program that allows students to remotely control physical lab equipment.
The construction will be paid for partly by the enrollment of existing and incoming students in the CETA programs, SNHU’s financial reserves and loans, according to LeBlanc.
Access Mission
LeBlanc has long wanted to offer engineering programs at SNHU. Daniel Webster has proven his way into that and aeronautical sciences as well. LeBlanc said he’s currently in talks to try to keep a portion of the DWC campus, which has an airfield, hangar and airplane used for studies.
It’s his hope that CETA will expand on the the Daniel Webster programs to include things like robotics and drones.
“We’re looking at the world of unmanned aviation, obviously with both the mechanical engineering program and the aeronautical engineering program,” LeBlanc said.
Central to this move is an effort to bolster the workforce pipeline in the much-needed STEM fields and also to ensure more access to women and minorities, who currently are underrepresented. According to LeBlanc, 13 percent of all engineering degrees are awarded to women and 25 percent to minorities. Meanwhile, there are more than 1,200 engineering jobs open in New Hampshire alone, according to Engineerjobs.com.
And to make sure more low-income folks have access, LeBlanc said, they’re thinking about offering more than just bachelor’s degrees. He’s planning to offer associate programs well as micro-credentials that people can earn with little expense. The thinking goes that with those micro-credentials, they can then obtain a better-paying job and afford a higher level of education.
Arts: Cultural Destination
FEATURED ARTS
Cultural Destination
Concord Works On Rebranding Itself with Capital Arts Fest
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
When Concord’s Main Street Project was officially completed in November, the city celebrated with small festivities, like street music, speeches and a reception at the Capitol Center for the Arts.
But CCA Executive Director Nicolette Clarke felt it was a little underwhelming, especially when you look at what the new streetscape means for the capital city. Mostly, the mood wasn’t right; the weather was cold, the days were short. People were more concerned with the upcoming holiday season.
“I felt that the refurbishing of Main Street here in Concord was a major undertaking,” Clarke said via phone. “I thought we should invite everybody back in town in the spring, when the flowers would be blooming.”
Clarke brought the idea to Creative Concord, a standing committee in the Concord Chamber of Commerce focused on advancing the creative economy, which is made up of community leaders and cultural organization representatives. Everyone liked the idea.
In January, they hatched the idea of the Capital Arts Fest, which occurs this Saturday, May 6.
Almost every cultural organization in Concord is participating — including the Community Players of Concord (who presents Other Desert Cities at the Audi), McGowan Fine Art (who hosts the opening reception for “Color Play” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Hatbox Theatre (who hosts a performance lab and show later that night, The Truth Will Spring Yuh), the New Hampshire Historical Society (who hosts guided tours from 2 to 5 p.m.), the Concord Chorale (who sings Brahms’ Requiem at 7 p.m.), and others.
Clarke said the Cap Center is offering tours and helped hire Squonk Opera to perform “Cycle Sonic” on the Statehouse plaza (which is basically a concert played on stages powered by bicycles in the street). Later that night, it produces a comedy show featuring Juston McKinney.
Some organizations were already planning concerts or art receptions that day. Others messed with their calendars in order to participate, like the Concord Community Music School, which celebrates Capital Arts Fest with a performathon and instrument petting zoo.
“We scheduled our performance to coincide with it on purpose because it seemed so appropriate. Being a community music school, we’re so integrated with the community, it’s hard to imagine not being part of this festival, which I hope continues from year to year,” said Kathryn Southworth, dean of students and faculty at the Concord Community Music School; she estimated that, of the 1,000-plus students, 100 are performing.
It’s not the kind of festival where streets are lined with booths, Clarke said; the goal is for people to walk the new sidewalks, and to see local shops, shows and concerts.
“I think what was really gratifying was the way all these different organizations came together and, enthusiastically, said, ‘Yeah, we’ll be a part of this!’” Sink said. “We are branding Concord as a cultural destination, and the only way that’s going to happen is if all these cultural organizations work together to that end. If we achieve that, everyone benefits, not just the cultural organizations, but the community at large.”
Capital Arts Fest
Music: Alt Al Fresco
FEATURED MUSIC
Alt Al Fresco
Nu Muse Festival Brings Cutting Edge to Nashua
Written By Michael Witthaus (music@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
The main stage at the first of three outdoor music events scheduled for downtown Nashua this year has an eclectic array of talent ranging from kinetic to frenetic. The Nu Muse Festival has an alternative focus; jazz fusion trio Consider the Source will close out the day, following regional favorites Slambovian Circus of Dreams. The lineup includes Bella’s Bartok, Arc Iris, Billy Wylder, I/O and Mammal Dap.
A second stage offers contemporary rock from Them Clones, Buster, Towns, Kooked Out, The Trichomes, Voyagers and Frank Alcaraz, while the gazebo in Railroad Square has an afternoon slate featuring Fain Music Studio, Brandon O’Grady, DoubleNecks Guitar Duo and New Englanders. Riverwalk Cafe owner Ben Ruddock is curating the NuMuse stage; many of the acts are veterans of the Depot Street restaurant and bar that’s become a hub for original music since it opened three years ago. Ruddock got involved when Paul Shea of Great American Downtown reached out expanding on the Holiday Stroll, which Shea runs every year. Ruddock readily agreed.
“Riverwalk is intimate with 85 seats, and we bumped up against the capacity of that space a lot,” he said. “So I had a desire to do larger events for a long time.”
“It was slapdash … we had like two weeks to plan it,” he said. “This will be the same event, but with a proper amount of planning and thought going into it.”
Riverwalk Cafe has grown from a small coffee shop with weekly original open mike nights and infrequent shows into a magnet for regional talent. Festival promotion seems a logical step for Ruddock.
“Primarily, I’m most excited about having outdoor art happening in Nashua again,” he said. “I think that there has been a little bit of a die-off in this type of event. ... Lately, it’s just been the Holiday Stroll, which is a fantastic event, but I’m hoping this will be the impetus for a lot more stuff like this. I certainly don’t want to be the only team doing it.”
As to the success of Riverwalk, Ruddock said, “It feels fantastic. ... It kind of started as a passion project to hear bands I wanted to hear, and it’s cool to see other folks that want to hear those bands. It’s an immensely gratifying project, and we couldn’t do it without our amazing audience. We have twenty-plus regulars that I see at shows twice a week. They follow the calendar and come out to see as much music as they can.”
In a challenging market for original talent, Riverwalk books everything from esoteric jazz to readings from storyteller Odds Bodkins. Against the odds, it’s worked. “I tried to poke holes in the whole thing ... trying to figure out the actual formula for all this,” Ruddock said. “The conclusion I have come to is that it’s a lot of luck and circumstance.”
If there’s a specific element, it’s constant refinement, always striving. “I never say good enough, and unfortunately that is where a lot of live production has gone,” Ruddock said.
“The acts have really responded to that, and it’s allowed me to build up relationships with these bands. Frankly, I’ve been able to pull down some bands that don’t really make a lot of sense for an 85 seat room, mostly that is where a lot of live production has gone,” Ruddock said. “The acts have really responded to that, and it’s allowed me to build up relationships with these bands. Frankly, I’ve been able to pull down some bands that don’t really make a lot of sense for an 85 seat room, mostly because of what we are doing in there.”
Nu Muse Festival
Where: Downtown Nashua
When: Saturday, May 6, noon
More: bit.ly/2pb3bZA
Nu Muse Stage
1 p.m. Mammal Dap
2 p.m. I/O
3:15 p.m. Billy Wylder
4:30 p.m. Arc Iris
5:50 p.m. Bella’s Bartok
7:10 p.m. Slambovian Circus of Dreams
8:45 p.m. Consider the Source
All day: Nashua Community Music School
River Rock Stage
2 p.m. Frank Alcaraz
3 p.m. Voyagers
4 p.m. The Trichomes
5 p.m. Kooked Out
6 p.m. Towns
7 p.m. Buster
8 p.m. Them Clones
Railroad Square Gazebo
Noon Fain Music Studio (Kid-friendly fun)
1 p.m. Brandon O’Grady
3 p.m. Mike Loce Music Doubleneck Guitar Duo
5 p.m. New Englanders
Film: The Circle
FEATURED FILM
Film Review
The Circle (PG-13)
Written By Amy Diaz (adiaz@hippopress.com)
Images: Movie Screenshot
The internet is evil and social media is a mechanism for oppression in The Circle.
Specifically, I would probably throw my ID badge and run during the conversation in which two employees upbeatedly scold her for not attending “non-mandatory” fun weekend events (“pieces of flair” by another name) and show a creepy amount of knowledge about her dad’s health problems.
But the company also helps her dad (Bill Paxton) by setting him and her mom (Glenne Headly) up on the Circle’s health care plan. Perhaps her gratitude is why Mae doesn’t question SeeChange, a new tiny-camera-thing that The Circle is selling and gluing everywhere. After a SeeChange ball stuck to a buoy leads Mae to be rescued during an ill-fated (and comically ill-timed) kayaking trip, she agrees to the idea of company heads Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks, perfect as a mild-mannered villain) and Tom Stenton (Patton Oswalt) to live totally “transparent.” That is, she agrees to wear a small camera and broadcast everything she does (with only occasional three-minute bathroom breaks), including her entire work day, phone calls to her parents and brushing her teeth.
Mae’s high-profile stunt brings her into the founders’ inner circle, where she learns about new crowd-sourced surveillance applications and a push to get the government to use them for a mandatory voting program. And, since the Circle’s corporate logo is in red, that will make it easier for them to issue red handmaid robes and white bonnets when they give up the pretense of being a company and just become a full-on theocracy with some bullnonsense about “connectivity” as their god.
Perhaps because Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is much buzzed about lately, I found myself thinking a lot about that and other dystopian stories while watching this movie. (With catchphrases like “secrets are lies” and the observation that an undocumented private experience is stealing from the knowledge of humanity, this movie also 1984s all over the place.) This movie actually solves one of my general problems with dystopia films, which is that they usually involve people getting weird outfits (the sad shlumpy knits of Abnegation, the glam-rock clown costumes of the Capitol) and agreeing not to read books from “before” and a bunch of other lockstep behaviors. Here, people choose the Circle because it offers simplicity and cool-looking electronics. This feels like a more likely and thus more terrifying kind of dystopia, one where a single company is within sight of controlling the government because it’s easier than thinking up another password.
In much the same way that I enjoyed the ridiculous nature of the recent Unforgettable, a thriller about a woman fending off her fiance’s lunatic ex, I kind of enjoyed the over-the-top anti-social media hysteria of The Circle. Tom Hanks with his innate decency is great as the jeans-wearing head of The Circle, giving dippy, jargon-filled, slightly con-artist-y talks to an auditorium full of his rapturous employees every Friday.
Also nice touches: Mercer (Ellar Coltrane, the boy of Boyhood fame) is Mae’s tech-eschewing friend who gets internet-hectored after she posts a picture of the deer-antler chandeliers he makes. There are so many Silicon Valley-like moments that seem played for menace here where they are usually played for laughs on that HBO show. I’m not sure if it’s purposefully supposed to be funny, but there’s something daffy in how Mae’s friend Annie (Karen Gillan), a fellow Circle employee, is suffering a slow-motion nervous breakdown essentially because she doesn’t go home to sleep.
Like that lightly lined windbreaker that is really only useful for about three weeks a year, The Circle is silly and lightweight but it fills its purpose until summer comes along.
Grade: C
Pop: Comics For All
FEATURED POP
Comics For All
Free Comic Book Day is May 6
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Last year, the first person in line for the Double Midnight Comics Free Comic Book Day spectacular began waiting at noon the day before — which isn’t out of the ordinary for FCBD, particularly in the Queen City. People drive from all over to attend.
“The first two people in line drove up from Virginia. They’ve been doing that for the past three years,” said Chris Proulx, co-owner of Double Midnight Comics, who describes their event as a “comic book convention in a parking lot.” “We get people from all over the place.”
The national event, which occurs Saturday, May 6, turns 16 this year. It’s organized by the North American comic book industry. The goal is to bring new readers to indie comic book stores by offering free, one-day-only merchandise. New Hampshire boasts a variety of different participating shops; visitors can stop at each during a self-guided tour or camp out at the state’s biggest parties. (If you get lost, look for the cosplayers, who will be dressed as superheroes and pop culture icons.)
In addition to free comics, the DMC event will house 16 visiting artists, including three headliners — Sara Richard (My Little Pony, Jem), Babs Tarr (Motor Crush, Batgirl) and Joe Quinones (Howard the Duck, America).
Its FCBD is very popular because of the scope of the party and prizes; best costume awards include $200 cash and $100 in store gift certificates, plus weekend passes to New England comic conventions.
It also offers runner-up cash awards and prizes you can win by being one of the first 100 in line or just being present at the Manchester store. (The Concord location’s party will be smaller, but it also happens in the midst of the Capital Arts Fest.) At the end of the day, there’s an enormous costume contest photo shoot at 3 p.m., followed by an after party at Spare Time at 7:30 p.m.
In Rochester, Jetpack Comics has made FCBD a city-wide event. The storefront is the epicenter, and on this day it will hold 60,000 free comics to give away (a mixture of new and old titles). Eighteen businesses will also hold titles in the comic scavenger hunt. Visitors can catch live music at The Garage at the Governor’s Inn all day long, and inside the inn is a comic book convention comprising 50 tables filled by guest artists and vendors. At this costume contest, the grand prize is $250.
“In the past, we’ve only had [music] in the evening at our after party, but I figured we’d bring all the local bands we could,” the store’s owner, Ralph DiBernardo, said via phone.
According to him, the only Rochester event seeing more visitors is the Rochester Fair. Residents get excited to participate, with some business owners emailing him as early as January, inquiring about the spring extravaganza. Revolution Taproom & Grill gets so into it, its wait staff dresses in costume to celebrate.
“The city is completely on board for it. It’s such a family-friendly event,” DiBernardo said.
It’s a lot of work putting it all together, and all the comic book stores pay for the comics themselves. But they keep at it because they love comics, and they love seeing how happy it makes customers.
“It’s our signature event of the year. It’s always a big party. We love putting it on and seeing people come to the shop. It’s a lot of work, and a lot of money, but we just love doing it. As long as people keep showing up, we’ll keep throwing the party,” Proulx said.
MORE HEADLINES
Eggs Named Before They Hatch
Eggs Named Before They Hatch
Fourth-Grade Class Weaves Falcon Family into Lesson Plan
Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
A new peregrine falcon family has taken up residence in the nest on the Brady Sullivan Tower in Manchester, where high-def webcams provide audio and video of the couple as they await the hatching of their eggs.
A fourth-grade class at Hooksett Memorial School became so enamored of the falcons, their teacher and others following the birds online conspired to work them into the kids’ lesson plan.
Teacher Donna Amato knew the class was invested in the falcons when they watched as the eggs were being laid.
“First there was one egg and then there were two eggs. Actually, the day she laid her third egg, we saw it live. It was so cute because they all stood up and started clapping, applauding,” Amato said.
With the help of Anne Pardo, an administrative assitant at a local law firm, and Wendy Langelier, a special educator at Campbell High School in Litchfield, Amato came up with a way to involve her students in the current lessons about rivers, erosion and dams by devising a naming scheme for the baby falcons, called eyasses. Both Pardo and Langelier are active members of a Manchester falcon fan club on Facebook and chatters on the YouTube video feed.
First they came up with 11 rivers that had names that could be shortened into nicknames; Baboo for Baboosic or Andi for Androscoggin and so on.
Then, the 22 students paired off with the names and rivers to which they were assigned.
“The time was so short, but it was amazing to see what they pulled together,” Amato said. “They made up a slogan, and then they did research on the river. Some of them included research on the falcons.”
Some of the slogans included “You should vote for Penny, that’s our two cents,” and “Sensible Swifty would be so nifty!”
Amato said the principal came to watch the presentations. One team wrote and performed a song and interpretive dance as part of their celebration. Some made clever rhymes and others took their presentation very seriously.
“[One girl] took this job so seriously that she dressed up like a little business woman that day to the point where she insisted on wearing these wedge shoes,” Amato said.
After each team presented, the students voted on which names they liked best. The top four winners were Amos for Amoskeag, Penny for Penacook, Sunny for Suncook and Winni for Winnipesaukee. The plan is for the eyasses to be given those names alphabetically in the order of their birth.
If the firstborn is female, they’ll tweak Amos to be more feminine, like Amosa.
Lessons Learned
Amato said the project had the desired effect. The students were so excited about the idea of picking names that they absorbed much of what they were being taught at the time.
“They learned — well, most of them did — where the river starts, where the river ends, how long the river is, what it runs through, what it connects to,” Amato said.
The students were able to touch on a bunch of different skills all at once.
“Part of Common Core is they have to do persuasive arguments,” Langelier said. “They’re learning about New Hampshire, they’re learning how to do a presentation, they’re learning about research.”
Langelier said students could also learn how to have empathy for animals and a greater appreciation and interest in nature.
“Once the babies have fledged, [the students] will probably have their eyes to the sky a lot more,” Langelier said.
Amato said it was so successful she thinks other classrooms might be interested in doing something similar in future springs.
“It was a great experience and hopefully other classes and kids will want to participate,” Amato said.
Background
According to the New Hampshire Audubon, the falcon couple living in the Brady Sullivan Tower nest is not the same couple that was seen there last year.
Audubon biologist Chris Martin said in an email that both birds are around 4 years old. The male arrived in the area in 2014 and the female came one year later. They are both unbanded so they are not among the many young falcons to have fledged at that nest. Each eyas hatched there (47 over the past 16 seasons) is tagged by the Audubon.
Martin said the first egg is due to hatch on or around May 4.
The live feed on YouTube can be found under the name “Single Digits Live Peregrine Falcon Feed 1.”
The (Rug) Hooker of Loudon
The (Rug) Hooker of Loudon
Pam Bartlett & 82 Others Participate in Spring NH Open Doors
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Pam Bartlett opened The Woolen Pear & Red Horse Rugs three years ago because the studio above her garage kept shrinking — her words — and she needed more room to hook, dye wool and teach rug hooking, which she’s been practicing 30 years.
Bartlett’s specialty shop is a rug hooker’s dream. Hand-dyed wool sits neatly in shelves, arranged by hue and shade, and hangs on racks throughout the middle of the store. Her own rugs decorate the walls. When the door jingles and a customer steps inside, she greets them.
“I’m the hooker!” she said during a recent visit, laughing before cutting up a green swatch of wool for one of her students. (“Hey, it gets people’s attention!” she said afterward.)
Bartlett, who was juried into the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen about 15 years ago, is readying to open her doors to a bigger crowd this weekend during Spring NH Open Doors Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7.
The event, organized by League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, is a self-led tour to local art studios, galleries, farmsteads and retail shops, which all feature locally made goods and artwork. In addition to selling recently made merchandise, many venues feature demonstrations, food samplings, live music and special sales.
League Interim Executive Director Miriam Carter said this spring sees more than 80 participants, who are listed at nhopendoors.com (where you can also find addresses and tour options). It’s a great chance for visitors to see where artists work and their latest ventures. It’s also great for artists, who otherwise typically have to lug their stuff to fairs and expos in order to sell it.
“Instead of going out to the people, people come to you,” said Carter, a fiber artist of 30 years. “It’s within the nature of most artists to create new products and develop new processes. That’s part of being a creative spirit.”
Bartlett’s goal in participating in NH Open Doors is to sell work and get more people interested in rug hooking, which isn’t practiced a great deal in New Hampshire. She first learned it in the early ’80s via a magazine, and while she was intrigued, she wasn’t sure how to get started.
During a 1982 vacation in Nova Scotia, where rug hooking is a prominent craft, she became re-inspired, and when she returned home, she sought a teacher in earnest — only to find that one of the best in the country, Hallie Hall, lived a few towns over in Contoocook.
Rug hooking is relaxing, meditative and steeped in tradition, according to Bartlett. She uses wool, sliced into varying sizes to create depth in each piece, though it used to be that crafters used whatever they could get their hands on — old clothes cut into strips and burlap from grain bags.
“They didn’t waste anything,” Bartlett said, as she began a new project — a rug with a flower design pattern. “They made things out of everything. When it was done with one life, it went on to another.”
Rug hooking is kind of like painting, incorporating drawing, colors and shading, but it’s more forgiving — any mistake, and you can pull the thread out. You can make anything, from wall hangings to coasters.
Bartlett’s developed a small following in this new spot, located a couple miles from her home. She’s seen crafters spend hours looking through her baskets of wool. Customers also include quilters and braiders, who buy her rainbow bundles for their rich colors, which seem to “vibrate” more when you dye them yourself.
“I like the challenge of it,” she said. “Some people find it frustrating because they expect perfection. It took me a long time to just relax and let it go. When you let it go, it flows.”
NH Open Doors
Steer The Way
Steer The Way
Shaker Village Kicks Off Season with Opening Day Festivities
Written By Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
The beginning of May means the reopening of the Canterbury Shaker Village and the return of several special events and workshops to celebrate its history.
The historic community site will hold its annual Heifer Parade on Saturday, May 6, at 11 a.m., with other Opening Day festivities to be held on the grounds from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission to the village will be free for the day, and guided tours of the exhibits will be available for $10 at hourly intervals.
Nicole Laurin, special events and adult programs manager for the Village, said the first parade was in 2013 following a partnership development with the nearby Brookford Farm.
“It’s a great way of welcoming spring to the village,” she said. “[The farm] takes the cows out to their first spring grass usually around the end of April.”
Festivities will include fiddlers, crafts, lawn games and more. The village is also participating in this year’s NH Open Doors, happening the same weekend.
“People will be able to make flower wreaths, cards and other things like that,” she said, “and we’ll also have Maypole dancing and old-fashioned butter-churning demonstrations. … Hopefully it will be a great day to be outside, because there will be a lot going on and all the buildings will be open to the public as well, so you’ll be able to walk around both inside and out for free.”
The parade is the first of several new and returning events and workshops happening at the village now through mid-December, when the buildings will close for the season. The 10th annual cross-country 5K will be held on the grounds on May 13, at 8:30 a.m. Registration is $25 and free for kids 10 and under, and all proceeds will benefit educational programs at the Village.
The annual plant sale will be held the following weekend, on May 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also planned is the annual dinner and auction on June 21, at 5 p.m.
A new event will be held on Aug. 5 that Laurin said is a reworking of a previous Shaker-themed dance performance held last year.
“It’s going to be a much larger day of performances rather than just having the exhibition component,” she said. “There will be some dance performances and some music lectures about Shaker music as well.”
Other returning events to the village include the Canterbury Artisan Festival on Sept. 16, the vintage car show on Oct. 14, the “Ghost Encounters” Halloween-themed event for families on Oct. 28, and the annual “Christmas at Canterbury” event for two days on Dec. 9 and Dec. 16.
For workshops, Laurin said, the village is bringing back Shaker chair-making demonstrations for the first year since 2011, with dates scattered throughout the next several months.
The first workshops will be June 3 and June 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will be led by woodworker and museum interpreter Dick Bennett.
In January, the Village announced Susan Bennett as its interim executive director.
“Susan is actually not from New Hampshire, but she’s been getting out and meeting new people and learning about their relationships with the village,” Laurin said. “We’re always trying to connect more with our community and [see] what ideas can come from Canterbury itself and also the Concord area, so we’re looking forward to this year.”
Opening Day
Menus For Moms
Menus For Moms
Where to Go for Mother’s Day Eats
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
Give mom a break from the cooking and celebrate her special day at one of these local restaurants serving brunch buffets, prix fixe meals and special menus. Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 14, so make your reservations now.
Dandy Dishes
Dandy Dishes
Learn About Harvesting & Cooking with Dandelion
Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Many people think of dandelions as a pesky weed, but Beaver Brook Association instructor Rivka Schwartz and Education Director Celeste Barr are hoping to change that with their first Dandelion Delights workshop, happening Thursday, May 11, at the Beaver Brook Nature Center in Hollis. Participants will learn how to harvest dandelions and how to use them in a variety of drinks and food dishes.
“A lot of people pull [dandelions] out or put pesticides on their lawn to get rid of them, and they aren’t aware that they can actually eat them,” Schwartz said. “They’re usually surprised and a little wary when they hear that, but once they try a dandelion sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic, they really like it.”
The workshop will begin with a brief introduction about how to identify dandelions outside and how to harvest their roots, leaves and blossoms. Then, the group will head out to the grassy areas around the nature center to practice what they learned and pick some dandelions to cook with.
Anyone can harvest dandelions growing in their yard, so long as the yard hasn’t been treated with pesticides, and there’s even a growing number of grocery stores carrying dandelions in their produce sections.
The best time of year to get them is early spring. If you’re harvesting them on your own, simply collect the parts you want to use and keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to cook with them.
After harvesting, workshop participants will bring their dandelions to the Beaver Brook kitchen, where Schwartz and Barr will walk them through how to make different drinks and food dishes utilizing dandelion parts. The blossoms can be used to make soda or wine, or they can be battered and fried to enjoy like a snack or appetizer.
“They’re really good as a fried food,” Schwartz said. “It’s not too chewy because the petals are very light, and it’s not too strong of a taste. It kind of tastes like if you were to batter and fry mushrooms.”
The dandelion roots can be chopped up, dried and roasted to create a “dandy blend” coffee alternative. The leaves can be sauteed in a stir fry-style dish, or used in a tea, pesto, frittata or salad.
“Dandelions work really well with a vinaigrette dressing,” Schwartz said. “They have a bitter taste to it, like arugula and those kinds of bitter greens. … The leaves become progressively more bitter the older they are.”
After making a few dandelion recipes, there will be time for participants to sit down and enjoy the finished products. They’ll also be given some recipes to take home.
Finally, the workshop will also cover information about the nutritional and medicinal benefits of dandelions; Schwartz said dandelions are high in vitamins and minerals and help to detoxify the body, promote healthy digestion and support the liver.
“They’re very nutritious and good for you,” she said. “Something that you’d normally [weed] out of your garden actually has more nutrition than a lot of the things you’re trying to grow.”
Dandelion Soda
Courtesy of Rivka Schwartz
- 1 cup of dandelion blossoms
- ½ cup of organic sugar
- Juice from one lemon
- ¼ cup of whey
- Non-chlorinated water
Pick dandelion blossoms by removing it from the stem (don’t worry about the green part directly under the blossom).
In a quart measuring cup, add the dandelions blossoms, sugar and lemon juice.
Pour in boiling water up to the 4-cups mark. Give it a good stir.
Let steep for one to two hours. Strain.
Add whey into a plastic liter bottle (you can reuse a regular soda bottle for this). Then, add the strained liquid.
Fill with filtered or other non-chlorinated water up to the neck of the bottle. Cap tightly.
Let ferment at room temperature until the bottle hardens. It should have the hardness of a soda bottle when squeezed, but should not be rock hard.
Refrigerate for two days.
Open outside slowly in case of over-carbonation and drink.
Making A Pitstop
Making A Pitstop
Gale Motor Co. Opens Second Location in Litchfield
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
One year after opening in downtown Manchester, tapas restaurant Gale Motor Co. Eatery celebrated the opening of its second location, the Gale Motor Co. Pitstop, in Litchfield last month.
The new restaurant is located inside Mel’s Funway Park, a family-friendly fun park with activities like minigolf, laser tag, batting cages and arcade games. The space had been vacant for some time and has a history of fleeting businesses, but Stacey Murphy, who owns the restaurants with her husband David Spagnuolo, said she believes the Pitstop will change that trend.
“So far, so good,” she said. “It’s been really busy with the locals. Before, there was nowhere to take your family to get good food in that area. Now, people have a place to go without having to drive for miles. It’s nice for them to have that.”
The Pitstop has adopted the original Gale Motor Co.’s “culinary fusion” concept, drawing from a variety of cuisine styles, primarily in the form of small plates.
Much of the menu is the same, but the new location features expanded options for elevated fair-style foods including burgers and sliders, pizza, tacos, fried potatoes and various snacks. Hot dog sliders, a sweet and spicy burger, Sriracha garlic fried potatoes and a pulled pork pizza are a few of the things you’ll find on the menu.
“We’ve taken our brand and made it more family-friendly, but still adult-worthy,” Murphy said. “It’s fun food, and ‘culinary fusion’ means we can play with cool flavors and do new, unique twists on old things.”
The drink menu has the same kind of craft cocktails, wine and draft beer as the Manchester restaurant, plus the addition of bottled beers. The Pitstop is also in the process of building a tiki bar, which Murphy expects to be up and running later this month.
“That way, it’s an experience for the whole family, and there’s something to entertain everyone,” she said. “Parents can come enjoy an afternoon [at the tiki bar] and have a good time for themselves, too, instead of just watching their kids run through the park.”
Murphy said it’s always been the plan to open more Gale Motor Co. restaurants — ideally, as many as five — and that the space at Mel’s “just fit” what she and Spagnuolo envisioned for their second location. Their plan, she said, is to open a third restaurant by next year, but for now, they’re focused on settling in at the Pitstop.
There are no set hours of operation as of yet; you can call and ask or check the Gale Motor Co. Eatery Facebook page for the current hours. This summer, once the park is open full-time and the Pitstop has had some time to get established, the restaurant will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week.
Gale Motor Co. Pitstop
Weekly Music Review
Weekly Review
Black Lips & More
Written By Eric Saeger (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Album Artwork
Black Lips, Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art? (Vice Records)
As you know, this Atlanta garage-rock juggernaut totally rules, not just because they barf and get naked on stage like New Hampshire’s own dear departed punk god GG Allin (whom they idolize), or because they’re on Vice Records (yes, the same Vice organization that operates the best news show on TV) but because they know the responsibility a band takes on when they call themselves a garage band. They don’t rip off the Rolling Stones from the get-go the way they did on their last record, 2014’s Underneath The Rainbow, but they do rip off Screaming Lord Sutch (“Occidental Front”), The Association (“Can’t Hold On”), JayZ (the munchkin voices on the otherwise shagadelic “Crystal Night”) and Flaming Lips (look at the album cover, come on, it’s worse than ever). All of this is delivered with Sledge-o-matic levels of distortion and un-pro-ness, off-key interludes, the usual. They have achieved perfection at last. Again.
Grade: A+
Dishwalla, Juniper Road (self-released)
The reason today’s kids make fun of ’90s grunge bands the way Aughts kids made fun of ’80s hair-metal band is that they’re essentially the same thing. If you had to pick your poison, would it be lyrics pandering to girls and beating up stuff (the ’80s) or word-salads revolving around girls and half-baked existentialism (the ’90s)? This Santa Barbara five-piece band singlehandedly typefied the grunge-pop zeitgeist with one 1996 hit that had it all. It sounded like a po-faced, dead-bang cross between Live and Pearl Jam, and there was the counterfeit monotheistic indulgence, but more importantly its title was “Counting Blue Cars” even though everyone on Earth figured it was called “Tell Me All Your Thoughts on God,” since that was the hook line. 1990s bands loved that trick, making people walk around saying “But I thought the title was such-and-so” — it was the only real punk thing about grunge. And thus, catching up with these guys now, 10 years after their last proper full-length LP and with a new singer aboard, they’re a DIY thing, which has actually done them some good. Opener “Sirens” combines woozy mud-rock and early Cult into a stoner-rock joint evoking a commercial-minded Trail of Dead; “Give Me a Sign” is a workable, pretty nice ballad that gives the drummer some exercise. Good on these guys for not trying to revive an expired idea.