The Hippo: December 1, 2016

FEATURED  HEADLINES

Food: Beer & Good Cheer

FEATURED FOOD 

Beer & Good Cheer

Anheuser-Busch Hosts New Holiday Experience

Written by Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)

Images: Stock Photo

 

 

Beer enthusiasts and anyone looking for some holiday cheer can celebrate with a new seasonal experience at the Anheuser-Busch Tour Center and Biergarten in Merrimack. The Brewery Lights, a series of ongoing festivities held at the brewery from mid-November through December, has been a yearly tradition at the Anheuser-Busch locations in Fort Collins, Colorado, and St. Louis, Missouri, but this year will be the first that the Merrimack brewery hosts the celebration.

“Some of our other locations have had [Brewery Lights], so we decided to expand it here,” Carla Reardon, assistant tour supervisor, said. “They have been [popular], and it’s a fun way to share the holiday spirit with people in the area.”
 
The experience features food and drink specials at the brewery’s newest space, The Biergarten, as well as family-friendly activities, entertainment, special events and more. The festivities take place among  thousands of holiday lights, decorations and displays which adorn the brewery, grounds and Budweiser Clydesdale stables.
 

Courtesy Photo

Visitors can enjoy flights and pairings with a variety of beers available at The Biergarten’s 14 brew taps, which rotate weekly. Holiday Happy Hours featuring special menu offerings and deals on drinks and selections from The Biergarten’s new expanded food menu will be held on Wednesdays, from 3 to 5 p.m., and Thursdays, from 5 to 8 p.m., with different specials each week, which will be posted on the brewery’s website. The menu includes plates like Bavarian pretzel pieces layered with cheese, bacon and garlic butter drizzle; spinach and artichoke dip served with warm tortilla chips; cream cheese-filled jalapeno poppers with a raspberry aioli dipping sauce; and meatball sliders with marinara and mozzarella cheese. There will also be s’mores kits for parties of four available for purchase ($10 each), which people can enjoy at one of the four fire pits located in The Biergarten’s outdoor space.
 
An Ugly Sweater Party featuring live music by the Project Mess Band will take place on Friday, Dec. 16, from 6 to 10 p.m. Updates about other Brewery Lights events including paint nights, trivia nights, karaoke nights and live music shows will be posted on the brewery’s website.
 
Finally, there will be photo opportunities with a Budweiser Clydesdale on Thursdays, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m., during which free cocoa and popcorn may be served.
Though the beer and nightlife events are geared toward adults, Reardon said families and kids of all ages are welcome to grab lunch or make s’mores at The Biergarten, visit with the Clydesdales or check out the holiday displays.
 
“Families can come see the lights and walk down to the stables. … It looks beautiful, and we always have the Clydesdales here,” she said. “We’re definitely excited for the opportunity to showcase our property.”

Brewery Lights

Where: Anheuser-Busch Tour Center and Biergarten, 221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack
When: Thursday through Saturday, 4:30 to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 4:30 to 6 p.m., now through Friday, Dec. 30
Cost: Admission and parking are free
Visit: brewerylights.com and budweisertours.com

News: Love Your Workspace *

FEATURED NEWS  -  * COVER STORY *

Love Your Workspace

7 Steps to Boost Your 9-5 Life

Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)

Images: Stock Photo

 

 

There’s only so much coffee can do to perk up your office job.

That’s evident to anyone who’s experienced the dreaded 3 p.m. slump, and it’s even worse in the winter, when getting fresh air requires bundling up and braving the cold — and the dark, if you can’t manage to get out before 4 p.m.
 
But there are little things you can do to boost your energy physically and mentally throughout your day. Update your work wardrobe. Give your desk a makeover. Fill your lunch box with power foods. Or, get moving — create a deskercise routine, go for a walk or just stand up!
 
We talked with people of various expertise about these easy fixes, with the goal of helping you improve your 9-to-5 life by increasing productivity, focus, energy and overall happiness in the office — no caffeine necessary.
 

 

Step 1: Dress For Success

If you dress like you’re really good at your job, then people (including you) will get the message.
 
But it’s an easy step to overlook, particularly if you’re not client-facing or your workplace offers a casual dress code.
 
“You obviously need to be very skilled in what you do to be successful. A lot of people will go to school to really fine-tune their skills, but if they lack packaging, it’s harder for other people to buy into it,” Susan Osborne, a New Hampshire image consultant, said via phone. “When your message and your look match, that’s the most successful form of communication.”
 
Ideal attire varies from job to job. Lawyers and bankers probably need to wear suits, while tech professionals probably don’t. Osborne said it comes down to one important question.
 
“I ask clients, what do you want to express? How do you want to be perceived? How do you want others to see you? That’s really the starting point,” she said.
If your office environment is more casual, then maybe less formal clothes are OK — just make certain they fit well, which Osborne said will always make someone appear more polished.
 
“Men specifically ask me, should I have a beard? Facial hair is perfectly fine, but you just need to offset it. Maybe your hair is cut clean and short. Everything comes down to balance,” Osborne said.
 
There are some no-nos regardless of industry. Stained, ripped or wrinkled clothes will always look sloppy and lazy.
 
Some of her clients feel it’s important to dress the part even at home.
 
“I’ve had clients who have home businesses, and they feel really strongly about showing up for themselves — about getting up in the morning, taking a shower, getting decent-looking clothes on and not wearing [their] pajamas. There’s proof that when you look professional, you’re going to act more professionally,” Osborne said.
 
 

Step 2: Create An Office Haven

If you indulge in your workspace, it will make you feel more comfortable and theoretically more productive, said Hollis-based interior designer Meredith Bohn.
She advised starting with color. What hues help you get stuff done — calming, neutral tones or bright ones that are full of energy? Place those in your workspace, along with photos of things you like — family, friends, pets, the outdoors.

Courtesy Photo

“Photos of your family are certainly important, because a lot of the time they’re why you’re working,” Bohn said.
 
Clear plastic boxes might add order to chaos, but they can also be boring. Bohn uses bright leather boxes from The Container Store to organize papers and beautiful calendars and wipe boards to keep her on track and remind her of her goals.
 
Also take into account, what do you do? What do you need? What would be your most efficient setup, and how much space do you have?

“Most people want a sense of order in their work space,” Bohn said. “That doesn’t mean you need to get a bunch of new furniture. It just means it needs to be well thought-out.”
 
For example, Bohn’s office contains a work table and desk because her job requires her to spread out. Clutter is typically distracting, but professional organizer Gretchen Poehlman said it’s sometimes necessary to keep tools at the ready.
 
“Some people need all their tools out and visible, and so it can be cluttered,” Poehlman said. “For me, if it’s out of sight, then it’s out of mind, and I can’t function. … I have certain piling systems. That works for me. It’s not wrong. If it works for you, then it’s organized.”
 
If you have limited space and want to keep things in sight, perhaps keep papers in a three-ring binder in front of you, or stacked in some sort of wall organizing system so they’re “away” but still visible. Or, Poehlman said, maybe there’s a drawer in your desk you can leave open.
 
If you’re working at home, designating a specific workspace is key.
 
“I think it’s important that, when you work from home, you go to work — you go to a special, designated spot that you work at. Psychologically, I think that’s super important, as opposed to randomly floating around your house,” Bohn said.
 

Step 3: Organize Your Day Effectively

What are your goals today? Tomorrow? What takes priority?
 
This will help you design your most efficient and effective day, no matter your job, Poehlman said. So will sticking to one thing at a time.
 
“A lot of people think you want to be a good multi-tasker. But there’s no such thing as a good multi-tasker. You can’t be doing three things really well at a time,” Poehlman said. “You want to be focused on something, and to be the most efficient at it, you really want to concentrate on it.”
 
Poehlman likes to color-code her calendar in terms of tasks. Business items, the most important, are green (because they’ll earn her money), while things out of the office, like grocery shopping, might be orange. She suggested blocking off chunks of time to do things in the same way you might a dentist appointment.
 
“I take one morning a week to do all my paperwork or advertising,” Poehlman said. “That way, I’m able to maximize my week to make money versus spend it on filing. … I find that, for a lot of people, that’s not necessarily a no-brainer, especially if you’re working from home. … You end up zig-zagging all over your day, and you haven’t accomplished much because you haven’t given anything a dedicated focus.”
 
The same idea can be incorporated in holding meetings.
 
“If you’re hosting a meeting, have an agenda! That works!” Poehlman said. “Maybe email people beforehand and say, ‘Can we stick to these three to four items?’ And agree to focus on this. I know a lot of times meetings end up being an hour longer than they’re supposed to be. You need to communicate about what is going to be accomplished.”
 
Obviously, things come up. The doorbell rings. Someone needs you ASAP. So your system needs to be flexible. But at the same time, Poehlman said it’s important to make a detailed plan of the day ahead — ideally, on one calendar.
“If you’ve got more than one, chances are good you’re going to forget or lose something,” she said.

 

Step 4: Stand Up & Stretch

Being inside doesn’t mean you need to glue your butt to your chair all day. In fact, you really shouldn’t.
 
Dr. Sam Sanzone, a Concord chiropractor, said the medical community is finding that desk-related work stresses have about as many long-term hazards as smoking.
At the beginning of his career, work-related injuries were caused by physically laborious jobs. Today, it’s the opposite. It’s back or neck pain, shoulder tension or carpal tunnel syndrome. If you find yourself regularly stressed at work, it’s worse.
 
“It’s very well-documented that whenever we have a mentally or emotionally stressful situation going on, whether it’s work-related or otherwise, our bodies have a physiological response,” Sanzone said. “Everyone has probably experienced their shoulders tightening up in a stressful situation. If they have any spinal misalignments, those contracted muscles can pull those out even further, which can stress the spinal cord and nerve system.”
 
The good news: There’s plenty you can do.

Courtesy Photo

Sanzone recently held a “Keep Fit While You Sit” class with the Concord Food Co-op and works with many clients on creating workplace exercises and stretches that alleviate or prevent these symptoms.
 
First on the agenda is to make certain you regularly change positions, at least once an hour. If you need reminders, try setting alarms on your phone.
 
Many of his clients have found great success working at a desk that allows them to switch between sitting and standing all day (though the switching part is key; standing all day, he said, is just as bad as sitting all day). Other clients have used stability balls as chairs, which he said can help strengthen your core and thus prevent back pain. They may even help you focus.
 
“I’ve heard of elementary school classrooms bringing [stability balls] in for the students to sit on, and it helps them maintain their focus — they’re not just idly sitting, they’re actively sitting,” Sanzone said.
 
When you are sitting, think about your posture — make sure you have a chair that can support your lower back, and adjust it so your knees are at a right angle. Keep feet hip-width apart, not locked but engaged, and keep them facing forward along with hips and shoulders. Your head should also be forward, not looking down; achieving this position may involve adjusting monitor height.
 
And, whenever you can, stretch. You can do this while sitting down (rotate your neck, or stretch your shoulders by straightening your spine and raising them to your ears) or standing up (put your hands on your hips and bend backward).
“We need to realize our bodies were not made to be stagnant. They were made to move,” Sanzone said. “And if the demands of our workplaces don’t allow that, then it’s our responsibility to move them.”

 

Step 5: Get Moving

“Exercise is like an elixir. I think a lot of people don’t realize the importance of it mentally,” said Danielle Rheault, co-owner at Fortitude Health and Training, via phone.
 
She can see the effect of exercise in her clients, especially those who come in at noon Monday through Friday. They arrive with scowls and leave with relaxed shoulders and smiles.
“So many people have said to me, ‘I’m much more effective at work after a workout. I feel refreshed, rebooted,’” Rheault said. “I see it all the time, and I feel it myself.”
 
Don’t have time for a 45-minute workout? There are little things you can do throughout your workday without ever leaving the office. Like using the bathroom on the floor above or below, if you work in a large building. Or, instead of emailing coworkers, get up and go to talk to them. If you’re on a conference call, stand up, walk around or perform simple exercises as you talk.
 
“Most people are on a Bluetooth device — you can sit with your hands on the back of a chair and do lunges while talking on the phone, or squat while holding on to the chair,” Rheault said.
 
There are exercises you can do sitting down, too. Rheault suggested one that involves holding a water bottle in one hand while raising that arm in front of you — voila, a shoulder workout! You can tap your feet to work your calves, raise your knees to work your quads or sit tall and think about contracting your abdominals for a quick core workout.
 
If you’re able to get out of your chair for a minute, throw in a 30- or 60-second exercise — lunges, push-ups or planks in the hallway, or wall-sits near your desk.
Feeling self-conscious?
 
“That’s fine! Do them in the hallway or the stairwell. Do something in the bathroom. Do something for any period of time. It’s not like, ‘Oh my God, I have to fit a 45-minute workout into my day.’ Little bursts add up,” Rheault said. “Some people don’t like doing these kinds of things at work. But you can find a buddy. … Challenge somebody to a wall sit in the hallway. ... You can make it fun.”

 

Step 6: Recharge

Sometimes, to get more work done, you just have to leave — either physically or mentally. One option is to take a walk. (For ideas near your workplace, check out the side box.)
“I can’t express the value enough of getting outside, even if it’s for three minutes. Most people say, ‘I don’t have time to leave the desk.’ Everyone has time to get out and walk around the block. It causes positive endorphins to move through your body. [Afterward], people seem to become more alive, more awake. It enhances their senses, and they just feel better,” Rheault said. “Vitamin D is essential. It can change your mood.”
 
Another option is to give meditation a try. All it takes is about five minutes and a secluded space, said Sylvie Stewart, who practices with the Nashua Buddhist Meditation group. Your car, a conference room or even your office can work, if there’s a door you can shut.
 
During those five minutes, Stewart said, you need to close your eyes and sit still in an erect position. Observe your breathing and how you feel, but otherwise, think about nothing.
“Any time a thought arises, you say to yourself, ‘There’s a thought.’ And then let it go. Apply focus on your breath,” Stewart said. “You really want to try the let the breathing happen, if that makes sense. You’re observing your own breathing. If it’s fast, it’s fast. If it’s shallow, it’s shallow. It boils down to the simplicity of being in the present moment.”

Stewart tries to meditate every day because it brings her clarity. “You might notice that suddenly you’re putting things in better perspective. You’re seeing the larger picture of things. You might also notice that you feel more a sense of interconnectedness with the people around you,” she said. “You might feel more compassion. More kindness. … But if you’re goal-oriented or judging what you’re doing, or if you have too many thoughts, you’ve missed the point. The point is simply to do it.”
 

Step 7:  Fuel & Refuel

The most important things you eat all day should be at breakfast, lunch and your 3 p.m. snack — not dinner.

“Because food is energy. You don’t need energy to sleep,” said New Hampshire dietitian and Nutrition in Motion founder Kim Dorval via phone.

The most energy-boosting meals are non-processed and combine carbs, protein and healthy fats. Keep these a priority, and you might actually be able to avoid that afternoon slump and temptation to replace fuel with coffee.

“A lot of times, we have a lull in the afternoon because we skipped lunch. So we just go to coffee to give us energy. But coffee is not energy,” she said. “Coffee basically stimulates you by telling your adrenals to fire cortisol — it will give you a false sense of energy.”

For best results, Dorval said you should avoid grazing.

“Have breakfast, and go back to eating an egg sandwich or an omelette with sweet potato fries, things like that,” Dorval said. “One of the most important things is to have protein with every meal. … It releases dopamine, which helps us focus. … The worst thing you can do is not eat protein at lunch, and then at 3 p.m. you have low blood sugar so you walk by the candy dish. That will spike your blood sugar, and then a half hour later you will need more sugar or caffeine to keep you going.”

Courtesy PhotoGood lunch and snack choices include nuts, fruit, cheese, vegetables with hummus, Greek yogurt or lunch meat without additives or preservatives (like MSG, which will only make you tired). Even beef jerky can work if it’s good quality with low sodium content. She said it doesn’t make much of a difference whether nuts are raw or roasted, though organic is better, and so is all-natural nut butter.

As for bread, whole wheat isn’t necessarily the answer; many are enriched and contain high-fructose corn syrup. Dorval suggested going for sprouted grain bread, which has a low gluten content and is the least processed with no additives. (You have to buy it in the freezer aisle, and store it that way when you’re not using it; otherwise it will go moldy fast.)
 
If you’re going to go with a salad, choose a dressing with few ingredients. She said she likes Newman’s and Cindy’s Kitchen.
 
“I’m not a fan of low fat, or any of that other stuff. Most salad dressings have healthy fats in them, like olive oil,” she said.
 
If you’re tight on time, she said to carve a small space in your work fridge and keep staples there for your week. Or make your lunch on the weekend in the form of vegetable soup with low-sodium broth or chili. If your job requires you to be on the go, pack a cooler.
 
In the winter months, it’s especially important to keep hydrated; dehydration can definitely “zap your energy,” Dorval said, and it’s easy to forget about.
 
“Dehydration is even more significant in the winter because people don’t feel like drinking water as much because it is cold,” she said. “Also, the indoor heat sucks water out of us.”
Aim to consume half your body weight in ounces of water a day; this can be in the form of straight water, herbal teas, broth-based soups, fruits and vegetables.
 
You may be surprised at the difference you see, Dorval said, at work and afterward.

“People say, ‘I got home and I had energy to get stuff done!’” Dorval said.

 

 

Take A Walk

Suck it up, bundle up and go outside — you’ll be happy you did. Here are some ideas for walking near downtown Manchester, Concord and Nashua.
 
Manchester
Heritage/Piscataquog Trail: The City of Manchester’s Heritage Trail follows the Merrimack River and passes by old mill buildings. It connects to a pedestrian bridge along the Piscataquog Trail, which parallels this river for about two miles in the opposite direction.
The Rockingham Trail: The 10-foot-wide unpaved trail technically goes all the way to the Seacoast, but there’s a particularly accessible section by Lake Massabesic, where there’s easy parking along the water, that’s typically full of walkers and joggers.
 
Concord
Historic walking tour: Directions and a map of the tour are available at the Chamber of Commerce website (concordnhchamber.com). The tour stops by a variety of historic sites like the Statehouse, the Clock Tower and Eagle Square, Phenix Hall and a variety of others. (Actually, there are 62 stops on this map; it might keep you busy all winter.) The tour has become especially pedestrian-friendly since the completion of the Concord Main Street Project this fall.
White Park: Sean Gray, who manages the Concord Runner’s Alley, said he frequently takes the store’s running groups to White Park, where there are walking trails that weave around ponds, a playground, a picnic shelter, soccer and baseball fields, basketball courts, etc.
 
Nashua
Nashua Riverwalk: The walk, which you can learn more about at nashuanh.gov, takes you along the Nashua River and by a number of Gate City sites —  the library, Jackson Falls, sculpture, the Cotton Transfer Bridge and both Renaissance and Bicentennial Park.
Nashua Heritage Rail Trail: The walking trail goes about 1.2 miles from City Hall onward, and along it you’ll find around 20 public murals, plus a segment of free wall art, which is repainted on a regular basis. Paul Shea, director of Great American Downtown, said funding has been secured to build a footbridge connecting the Heritage Rail Trail to Mine Falls Park.

Arts: Back In Business

FEATURED ARTS

Back In Business

Picker Artists Invite All To New Pine Street Home

Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)

Images: Courtesy Photo

 

After a year of uncertainty, Nashua’s Picker Building artists are back.

Nowadays, they call themselves the Picker Collaborative Artists, which is the name of the LLC they put together in order to begin renting at their new home at 3 Pine St. This weekend, they celebrate finally getting their certificate of occupancy with a grand opening and holiday open house.

“This is our baby. I love the fact that it’s ours,” jewelry artist Gail Moriarty said during an interview at the new place a few weeks before the opening.

At the time, there was still so much to do; molding needed to go up on doors and windows, and most artists were still unpacking. But there were hints that the end was in sight.

Newly hung plants decorated the hallways, and outside Moriarty’s door a light box made by glass artists Mark and Kathleen Frank was waiting to go up.

Moriarty was stressed but, as she explained during a tour of the new facility, it was a good kind of stress, a different kind of stress from what artists felt last fall when longtime Picker Building owner Jack Bolger announced to his tenants he was going to retire and had accepted an offer from Clocktower Place Apartments to buy the building. The 20-plus artists had hoped to stay together but didn’t know where they would go. Moriarty led the charge.

But finding the venue proved to be difficult. The artists wanted a place downtown with cheap rent and accessible parking, which is hard to find in the city. They also wanted to use the building for retail and as a makerspace — uses that have different building and zoning requirements. And not everyone wanted to take them in.

“People outright said to me, ‘I’m not renting to artists,’” Moriarty said.

One of the issues was that landlords didn’t want to rent to 20 people. They wanted to work with one entity — which is how Moriarty came to partner with the Franks to form the Picker Artists Collaborative LLC.
Courtesy Photo
“They just needed to become a formal, legal entity to make themselves marketable,” Nashua’s Community Development Division Director Sarah Marchant said via phone.

Throughout the year, the Picker artists’ numbers dwindled. The ones from Massachusetts and Manchester found art studios closer to their homes. When their numbers reached 13, Moriarity decided to take another look at 3 Pine St., an old mill building owned by Gate City Fence. It had been one of the first places she’d looked at early on in the search, but it was too small to house more than 20 artists. Thirteen, though, would be doable.

Rent there would be one third the cost of other downtown Nashua options, and Moriarty liked that it contained parking and was close to Broad Street Parkway.

Then came the issue of capital. The community stepped in with donations of all kinds — emotional, manual, financial — and Mark Frank said Gate City Fence owner Ken Forrence Jr. was helpful from the beginning, working with the artists to bring the building up to code.

But everyone would have to downsize.

For the Franks, this was an inconvenience, not a deal-breaker; it required getting rid of tools they hadn’t touched in a decade. It was a small price to pay, he said, when you consider their new top-floor space is surrounded by windows, perfect to display their glass art.

“It is a lot smaller, but it’s much more visible, with the new parkway coming through here, compared with before, when we were buried underground,” Mark Frank said. “In the other place, sometimes we wouldn’t see pieces with natural light going through them until somebody bought them and we helped carry them outside. Now we have morning and afternoon sunlight coming in on three sides of the studio, which is nice.”

Moriarty and the Franks signed the lease July 28 and began working on it full time Aug. 1. Anything they didn’t need to hire professionals for they did themselves — demolition, doors, windows, floors, you name it.

Moriarty met regularly with city representatives to make sure they were still on track to open by Christmas.

It’s a little riskier for the Franks and Moriarty, who are managing the rest of the artists’ rent and charging pretty much what it costs them to stay there. Leading this endeavor also meant a break from art production.

“I almost had to close my business for a year to get it done,” Moriarty said.

The building was a Baptist church before, and the artists wanted to keep the integrity of the building. Light spills through the mill windows on the second floor, and the walls don’t quite reach to the ceiling. This way, you can see the old church’s exposed beams and sloped ceilings.

“If somebody sneezes four studios over, you’re going to hear them. But that’s OK. We all get along fairly well here,” Mark Frank said.

Marchant has been working with Moriarty throughout the process and is glad to see the effort has paid off.

“As for the city, we feel the Picker artists, and all our artists downtown, are a massively wonderful resource, part of the fabric of our community. It would have been a giant loss for our community if they disbanded or separated, or moved to other towns, so it was a high priority for the community development office that this group of artists stay downtown,” Marchant said.

Music: American Story

FEATURED MUSIC

American Story

Alternate Routes Turn Grief Into Moving Music

Written by Michael Witthaus (music@hippopress.com)

Images: Courtesy Photo

 

Writing a topical song is risky, particularly one about a polarizing issue like gun violence. Making it personal is an even bigger challenge. In 2005, Eric Donnelly’s parents were murdered during a robbery of their Fairfield, Conn., jewelry store. The crime happened just as Donnelly’s band, Alternate Routes, was preparing to record its first album.

In his shock, he found what Joni Mitchell once called “the refuge of the roads.”

“I never talked about it,” Donnelly said by phone recently. “It was a big story in our town, but when I went on the road it was something that nobody knew.”

As an artist, though, he was aware that his story needed to find its way into song. Ten years later, he distilled his emotions into “Somewhere in America,” released as a single last Father’s Day.

It succeeds in balancing grief and an urge to activism against a complex and divisive social problem, one with no easy solution. The song begins with the murder — “The last thing that my father saw when he was still alive/Was the gun in the hands of a sick young man with bright blue eyes” — and concludes with Donnelly searching for words to someday tell his now-infant son about why his grandparents are gone, and what their fate might portend for his future.
Courtesy Photo
“Somewhere In America” is gripping, heartbreaking and powerful precisely because it doesn’t point fingers. Rather, it depicts the universal nature of Donnelly’s grief and the loss endured by others like him when everyday life is shattered by awful news.

“A phone’s about to ring; nothing can prepare you for the news it’s going to bring,” sings Routes’ frontman Tim Warren. Donnelly’s own feelings, however, are clear: “When something’s broken that clearly needs fixing/you can fight to change; or you can fight to stay the same.”

The song took many years and several forms before Donnelly’s becoming a parent catalyzed its completion.

“There were times when it was angry, more judgmental, all over the place; I’m grateful for the amount of time it took,” Donnelly said. “Going from being a son who lost his parents to a father who has to navigate those waters ... that put it into perspective.”

Surprisingly, having his musical partner sing such a personal song wasn’t a challenge.

“I have been working with Tim for so long, it wasn’t weird at all,” he said. “He was in the hospital that night when everything happened [and] he was close with my parents. ... It is a luxury of mine that when I have an idea for a song, I can bring it to him and he does what he does with it – he’s an extraordinarily gifted singer and musician.” The organization was founded in memory of a student killed in the December 2013 Sandy Hook school shooting.

“Their motto is to reward and recognize acts of kindness in children, and we thought that was such a cool and beautiful and simple idea, considering everything that their community had been through,” Donnelly said. “It was inspiring and just gave us permission to kind of capture that. I know it sounds hokey, but I felt it was something that was just a little bit bigger than us.”

“Nothing More” found its way into the CBS television series NCIS when someone connected to the program heard the song at an Alternate Routes concert and touted it to one of the show’s writers.

“He liked it enough to write it into the Christmas episode,” Donnelly said, likening their luck to a fairy tale. “This was an unsigned band, without anybody working it, and that happened. It shocked us.”

After that, the song got picked up by the Olympics.

“It was one thing after another; we just didn’t know how it happened,” Donnelly said. “I guess it was just a message that people wanted to hear, and we’re grateful to be along for the ride. Every week, we get emails from schools and charities and churches; there are youth groups singing the song. It’s a really cool thing to be a part of.”

The song’s only message is to be a good person. “We are how we treat each other, nothing more,” goes the chorus.

“Somewhere in America” is a much different song; this worried Donnelly at first, but he found himself surprised by its reception.

“I braced myself for negative feedback, and it just didn’t come to the degree I expected,” he said. “The response was in fact very positive, even from friends that I knew were on the other side of the argument. By telling something so personal, even though my opinion is in there, it was shared in a way that’s not judgmental or attacking, just honest.”

Film: Moana

FEATURED FILM

Film Review

Moana (PG-13)

Written by Amy Diaz (adiaz@hippopress.com)

Images: Screenshot of Moana

 


A chief in training decides to strike out on the ocean to save her people in Moana, a standout addition to the animated Disney princess family.
In the last few years, I have become pretty pro-princess, at least in their modern incarnation. Your modern Disney princesses, including those on TV and even the live-action remakes, have personalities, interests beyond romance and a welcome variety of hair and skin colors. Even the modern-era princesses who do have a romance plot (Rapunzel in Tangled or Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, for example) also have skills and life ambitions. Moana is a perfect fit with this approach to female leads who can have both a fancy dress (available for purchase, of course) and adventures.

Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) is the daughter of her island’s chief, Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison, singing voice is Christopher Jackson). Her duty (as is explained in one of many delightful songs) is to learn how to guide and protect her people on the island, never leaving the island except to fish inside the reef that surrounds the island. But Moana desperately wants to set sail and discover what’s beyond the reef — a desire that her grandmother, Tala (Rachel House), encourages even as Moana’s father and mother try to keep her grounded.

When fishing nets around the island turn up empty and the coconut crop starts to fail, Moana again looks to the horizon. Her grandmother tells her that the problems all stem from an ancient wrong, when the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole the glowy green heart of Te Fiti (a kind of earth mother goddess) and lost it in a fight with a giant lava demon. Tala just happens to have what she believes is the heart; if Moana can find Maui and get him to return the heart, abundance will return to the ocean and the land.

Shiny green rock or no, Moana’s not going anywhere, says the chief. But, this being a Disney movie about a brave young woman, Moana soon finds herself at sea with only her rooster, Heihei. Because the water has been buddies with Moana from way back, the ocean actually helps her wash ashore on the island where Maui has long been stuck. He is not interested in any kind of quest, and certainly not one that has him battling the lava demon again. Maui tries to get rid of Moana and steal her boat, but eventually he reluctantly agrees (forced in part by the tattoos on his biceps that act as his conscience) to help her.

Also on this journey: adorable little coconut-shell-wearing pirates try to steal the green heart, as does a shiny-objects-covered crab (Jemaine Clement). Maui and Moana have a friendship that includes mutual encouragement as well as sailing lessons. And, of course, the central battle of all involved is really to figure out who they are and find the strength to be their best selves. What’s truly magical about Moana is that that last part is presented with such charm and skill that I can’t even be cynical about it.

I saw a headline on Slate comparing this movie to Aladdin, and notes of the Aladdin-Genie friendship are definitely present in the Moana-Maui friendship. Also, you get your standard Broadway/Disney “I wish” song as well as the modern Broadway feel brought by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote many of this movie’s songs. The opening scenes of a toddler Moana “meeting” the ocean reminded me of Brave (the Pixar princess movie), as does a lot of Moana’s take-matters-into-her-own-hands attitude. Moana also shares some personality traits with Elena, the Latina princess of the Disney cartoon TV show Elena of Avalor, where another young leader-in-training balances duty and adventure.
Courtesy Photo
Yet despite being, in many ways, a very familiar kind of character in a very familiar kind of story, Moana and Moana feel fresh and new and exciting. She is a fun character even as she also represents exactly what many moms want their daughters (and sons) to absorb about confidence, bravery and believing in oneself. The animation is lovely, bright tropical greens and jewel-like blues with ocean nights rendered as awe-inspiringly as in The Life of Pi. The songs are a true delight — I’ll bet on “You’re Welcome,” Maui’s introductory song, for at least an Oscar nomination.

Generally, I consider this solid elementary-school-age- (and up, decidedly “and up”) friendly fare. (Though I do know one 4-year-old who declared herself done with the movie after a bit of what I’d consider mild peril early on. I will say that the movie has fantasy monster scariness, death of beloved family member scariness and real-world danger scariness — not gobs of each but enough that a young movie-goer sensitive about any one of those things might want to wait a year or so before viewing.)

Moana is that rare kids’ movie that is genuinely delightful and as satisfying and as well-made as any movie for grown-ups.

Grade: A

Pop: One Stop Shopping

FEATURED POP

One Stop Shopping

Starry, Starry Weekend Returns

Matt Ingersoll (listings@hippopress.com)

Images: Stock Photo

 

A unique holiday shopping experience that supports local businesses is what Starry, Starry Weekend is all about.

The free event returns for a 13th year to the villages of Hopkinton and Contoocook from Friday, Dec. 2, through Sunday, Dec. 4, and will feature special pop-up shops, photo opportunities with Santa Claus, live music, food and more.

“Starry, Starry Weekend is definitely for anyone that wants to come celebrate the holidays,” said Annie Yonkers, co-owner of Polkadots Gift Boutique in Contoocook, one of the participating stores for this year’s event. “Some of the store owners in town originally wanted to do something special to kick off the shopping season, and it’s been growing every year since then. … Over the course of the weekend, everybody decorates their windows and make [their storefronts] bright and shiny to light up the town and make it an inviting shopping destination.”

Yonkers said several of the stores participate in their own way by offering special deals or promotions. Polkadots, for example, will have a sale on children’s clothes and will be giving out hot chocolate to visitors as they walk through the door.

“We’ll also have a custom stocking raffle,” she said. “It’s a stocking that’s valued at about $125 that people can enter to win anytime throughout the weekend.”
Other local stores have offerings of their own. Der Markt at Marklin in Contoocook will offer tours of its candle-making factory, Marklin Candle Design, for up to 15 people on Friday and on Sunday.
Courtesy Photo
“We really enjoy promoting a good old-fashioned New England community Christmas,” co-owner Christine Marklin said. “We do that by flooding the outside of the front [of the store] with candles, and we take glass jars and make them into candles. … We also serve some gourmet foods that we sell and do tastings, but the thing people really love is seeing the display.”

Aside from the more than a dozen participating businesses in the area, Friday night’s events will include a “Last Chance Night” from 5 to 7 p.m. from the Hopkinton Historical Society’s annual art show, in which you will be given one last chance to buy locally made art.

Local musician Aaron Jones will perform a set on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Hopkinton Town Library, and the Brothers House of Smoke food trailer will be parked in the middle of the village of Contoocook for the duration of the night.

“A lot of people enjoy coming with their families and often on Friday night are looking for a new place to eat, so [Brothers House of Smoke] is a fun new offering for them,” said LeeAnne Vance of Indigo Blues and Co. and of Explore Contoocook, which organizes Starry, Starry Weekend.

Santa Claus will visit the event on Saturday at noon, at the Law Offices of Greenblott and Jim O’Rourke in Contoocook, where donations for new toys for Christmas will also be accepted. And from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Contoocook United Methodist Church will host a cookie walk and jewelry sale with more than 50 varieties and a special Christmas treasure table.

“There are so many things going on to get you in the holiday spirit if you aren’t already,” Vance said. “There isn’t a single shop that doesn’t have some sort of local vendor in there. … This is the place where there are some interesting items to offer that you might not otherwise find at the mall.”

MORE HEADLINES

More Opioids?

More Opioids?

Cousins of Deadly Drug Showing Up In New Hampshire

Written by Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)

Photos: Stock Photo

 

Fentanyl is the deadliest drug in the state right now, but close relatives of the chemical are starting to show up in crime lab test results, and some fear its even deadlier cousin, carfentanil, may be close behind.

 

By The Numbers

Fentanyl is an opioid that has a sedating and painkilling effect similar to that of heroin, but it’s 50 times more potent. And unlike heroin, which is made from poppy plants, fentanyl can be created in a lab. Drug cartels are producing fentanyl in places like Mexico and China and shipping it across our borders.

According to the state Medical Examiner’s office, fentanyl, without any other drugs mixed in, killed 41 percent of overdose victims this year and 37 percent the year before — a plurality in both cases. Taken as a whole, fentanyl has been involved in a majority of drug-related deaths, about 70 percent (214) of deaths so far this year and 64 percent (283) in 2015.

Heroin’s involvement has dwindled. Heroin was involved in 20 percent of overdose deaths in 2015 overall and that’s gone down to 5 percent as of Nov. 8. Similarly, deaths involving heroin alone went from 7 percent last year to 0.06 percent so far this year.

That’s made fentanyl public enemy No. 1 in the Granite State. And now, in just the past year, fentanyl spinoffs known as analogues have arrived. They’re nearly identical to fentanyl, chemically speaking, and they come with names like furanyl fentanyl, fluoro fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl.

“Especially, we’re seeing more and more acetyl fentanyl mixed in with the fentanyl, and we didn’t see that originally,” said Tim Pifer, the director of the state police crime lab.Courtesy Photo

The ME’s office reported that of fentanyl-related drug deaths this year, one involved furanyl fentanyl, one involved fluoro fentanyl and 26 had the presence of acetyl fentanyl.

 

What Are They?

Pifer said furanyl and acetyl fentanyl are both about six times less potent than fentanyl.

Less is known about fluoro fentanyl. Some preliminary science suggests it’s slightly more potent than fentanyl.

Only one sample tested by the crime lab was entirely composed of furanyl fentanyl along with cutting agents to dilute it. The other analogues are universally found mixed in with regular fentanyl.

For the most part, the sudden appearance of the compounds is a mystery, but Pifer and his colleagues believe the illicit drug manufacturers are not creating them on purpose.
“We’re wondering why we’re starting to see that and the hypothesis is that the starting material [used to make] the clandestinely made fentanyl is basically impure to the point where it has some other compounds that maybe aren’t being synthesized fully to fentanyl,” Pifer said.

What changed is subject to speculation. Drug manufacturers could be growing more careless or perhaps they started to purchase the starting ingredients from new suppliers who don’t guarantee the same level of purity.

 

Elephant Tranquilizer

Another fentanyl analogue that has officials like Pifer worried, but hasn’t yet arrived in the state, is carfentanil.

Unlike the analogues that have shown up so far, this is not an accidental byproduct of fentanyl. Carfentanil is a purpose-made analgesic 100 times more potent than fentanyl and is used to tranquilize large animals like elephants. It’s 10,000 times more potent than morphine.

Like its less potent cousins, it’s a controlled substance, but the Drug Enforcement Administration released a warning in September that it’s surfaced around the country and has caused a significant number of deaths.

Christmas Spirit

Christmas Spirit

Palace Continues Its Tradition With A Christmas Carol

Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)

Photos: Courtesy Photo

 

The Palace Theatre’s A Christmas Carol should, by design, get you into the holiday spirit, at least for a few hours, no matter what else is going on in your world.

“I lost my mother at Christmastime. So this time is very hard for me,” Artistic Director Carl Rajotte said during an interview at the theater last week.

When Rajotte first came to the Palace 15 years ago, Executive Director Peter Ramsey asked him to rewrite the play to be “light and happy.”

“That was difficult for me,” Rajotte said. “So I had to get back into it with two feet and figure out what I loved about Christmas.”

He decided to direct with kids in mind. Dolls come to life, and ghosts arrive onstage with the help of “special effects galore” and giant puppets. Sets include streets covered in snow and holiday-decorated windows. Whenever Rajotte is trying to gauge how kids will interpret something, he looks to the production’s 137 child actors.

“Everyone’s inner child comes out at Christmastime,” Rajotte said. “I try to hit upon those things that give people goosebumps and make them remember times with their family.”
Courtesy Photo
The show, which hits the stage Dec. 3 through Dec. 23, has become a Manchester tradition in many respects. Along with 18 actors from New York, the Palace’s A Christmas Carol features some of the same actors from past years, including Mark Nichols and George Piehl splitting the role of Scrooge and youth theater administrator/company manager Meghan Quinn as Mrs. Fezziwig. Audience members may even recognize some of the play’s kids.

“There are kids who started doing A Christmas Carol when they were 8 years old, and they’re here until they’re seniors in high school. So it’s their tradition every year too,” Quinn said.

This version contains music by New Hampshire composer and production music director Joel Mercier, which he wrote about three years ago when the production got a makeover.

Mercier had known the show well — he’d performed as Mr. Fezziwig back in the day and worked closely with Rajotte to create sounds and tunes to push the plot and set the mood.

“It was fun to be able to sit with him and dissect exactly what I needed within the song, and it was interesting to be able to design it from the ground up,” Rajotte said. “I think that’s pulled this production into a newer, better place.”

Every year’s Christmas Carol contains mild changes, from props and costumes to lines and character interpretations. But Rajotte thinks it’s the tradition that makes people come back.

“I enjoy the excitement everyone has when they talk about A Christmas Carol, especially the children,” Rajotte said. “It’s like the feeling of Christmas morning, except from November to December.”

A Voting Alternative?

A Voting Alternative?

Locals Weigh The Benefits of Ranked Choice Voting

Written by Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)

Photos: Stock Photo

 

Neighboring Maine became the first state in the country to pass ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting, when a referendum passed on Election Day. Ahead of the vote, a nonpartisan organization conducted an informal poll and found majority support for such a system in New Hampshire.

Here’s how it works: Instead of only voting for one candidate in a given race like the race for governor, for example, voters will be asked to rank multiple candidates. So, if there are three candidates, the voters who cast first-choice votes that went to a losing third candidate still have a voice. After that last-place candidate is eliminated, the second-choice votes get assigned to the remaining two candidates to determine a winner.

“It lowers the cost for voting for a third party candidate,” said St. Anselm College political science professor Chris Galdieri.

In essence, it eliminates third-party spoilers or vote-splitting. Galdieri said if it had been the way we voted for president in 2000, voters could have felt more free to vote for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. And if Nader still got the least votes, the theory goes, they would have likely gone to Al Gore. Instead, Nader went down in history as possibly contributing to Bush’s success in the swing state of Florida, which determined the election.

Ranked-choice voting proved a popular idea in Maine because of the state’s track record electing governors with only a plurality of the vote. With RCV, the winner always has a true majority.

Curious how such a system might play in the Granite State, Citizens Count, NH’s Live Free or Die Alliance — an organization that provides objective election information and engages residents to test the waters on political issues — started the conversation online.

“We posted the question, ‘Should New Hampshire adopt ranked-choice voting?’” Citizens Count Editor Jacquelyn Benson said.

Of the 113 participants (a small, nonscientific sample) who responded, 54 percent were in favor of instituting RCV in New Hampshire and 46 percent were opposed.
Courtesy Photo
Benson said those against it feared the new system would be too confusing for voters, causing them to vote incorrectly, and expressed concerns that it might be open to fraud. Those in favor generally expressed an interest in how the system tends to give third-party candidates a greater chance of winning.

“There were definitely a lot of people … on the ‘yes’ side that were looking at the system that we have now, which is admittedly dominated by two major parties, and they were expressing dissatisfaction with that,” Benson said.

Short of giving third parties a slight edge, it may have also been seen as a way of voting one’s conscience more freely, instead of resorting to the kind of strategic voting some feel forced into with the current two-party system.

In New Hampshire, such a change to how we vote could upset the balance of power.

“I think it might benefit libertarians. I think it might encourage more people to run as independents,” Galdieri said.

The reign of the two party system would be weakest in the legislature, since New Hampshire has one of the largest citizen legislatures in the English speaking world. If third parties and independents take up a significant share of the lawmakers, that would sometimes require coalitions be formed to create majorities — the likes of which are seen more commonly in European parliaments.

“As we saw in Britain in 2010, the junior partner does not come out of those deals with a whole lot of self respect,” Galdieri said, referring to the coalition between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.

While it’s impossible to know if RCV’s apparent popularity would have been any different in the past, Benson said this year’s presidential election — featuring two historically unpopular candidates — may have played a role in people’s thoughts about it.

“You can’t separate the answers that we got from the climate in which the discussion was taking place,” Benson said.

There are some critics of the system who say the spoiler effect by third parties can still take place in a more gradual and delayed sense, but that view was not a popular one in the online discussion.

While RCV provides a system where the winner always has a majority vote, it’s possible still for cases where the winner was most voters’ second choice.
“I think a lot of voters might look askance at that,” Galdieri said.

Observers in New Hampshire and other states will now have their first statewide test case in Maine, and how future elections unfold there will be of great interest to those considering RCV elsewhere.

New Hampshire would not be able to follow in Maine’s footsteps through a ballot measure; it would require a legislative act.

Gathering Around

Gathering Around

Mt. Kearsarge Celebrates Winter Traditions

Written by Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)

Photos: Courtesy Photo

 

Listen to traditional Native American stories, make your own corn husk doll, play games and try traditional dishes like squash soup and cranberry maple sauce at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum’s Winter Gathering on Saturday, Dec. 3.

The annual event features at least two native storytellers each year as a way of honoring the tradition of gathering around for stories as entertainment once the weather gets colder.

“Obviously in New Hampshire, you always have the weather to consider in the winter,” said Hears Crow, vice-chair of the museum’s board of trustees and a featured storyteller in past Winter Gatherings. “So that’s part of the reason it is done early in December.”

According to Hears Crow, winter was traditionally the time of year reserved for Native American storytellers to travel to different villages, because there was little work that needed to be done once the weather turned cold and snow blanketed the region.

“Stories were told in the summers, but in the long winter nights, storytelling was what everybody looked forward to,” she said. “You had dinner, cleaned your bowls, had your bed laid out, and the best seat by the fire was always saved for the storyteller.”

Storytellers covered all sorts of topics learned on their travels, which included history, entertainment and legends.

“They also carried news when they traveled from place to place,” she said.

The two storytellers at this year’s gathering will be Peter “Bearded Turtle” Brodeur from 11 a.m. to noon, and Willow Greene from 2 to 3 p.m. Hears Crow said events usually include one storyteller in the morning and one in the afternoon and have featured stories from Narragansett, Abenaki and many other traditions.

Brodeur will act out parts of his stories to make them come alive, and Greene will tell her stories by presenting a “story bag” of stones and letting audience members choose which to tell from the stone they pick.
Courtesy Photo
“The only requirement is that [the stories] are native tales, because we are the only museum in New Hampshire dedicated to Native Americans,” Hears Crow said. “But these are entertainment while respecting and honoring the traditions. They are typically about why things are the way they are, what Rudyard Kipling called the ‘just so’ stories.”

From 10:15 to 11 a.m., herbalist Lynn Clowes will talk about making traditional remedies for illnesses. Several craft sessions will be offered, including two on how to make your own corn husk doll, led by Anne Jennison from noon to 1 p.m. and from 1 to 2 p.m., and a woodcarving demonstration by Todd Aubertin throughout the duration of the event.

“There were always hides that needed to be tanned and things that needed to be gathered in the summer and fall so that the meat could be put up for the winter,” Hears Crow said, “but in the winter itself, crafts were done and shared among the generations because people lived generationally as a single unit.”

At least one craft is hands-on so participants can get to learn how to create things by doing it themselves, she said.

“[Jennison] is going to do two sessions to allow different groups an opportunity to participate,” she said. “We always try to have a variety so that it’s a lot of fun for people.”
Past crafts have included bead work and gourd bowls.

“We try to vary it a little, but we always try to use crafts that people can make within an hour or two and walk away with crafts they’ve done with their own hands,” she said.
An indoor children’s play area will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. offering Native American games for younger visitors. Participants can come and go throughout the duration of the Winter Gathering and explore other areas of the museum.

“It tends to be an even flow throughout the day, but some people stay all day long,” she said. “The gift shop will also be open, and with Christmas coming, there are people who will want to take advantage of that.”

Cauliflower Power

Cauliflower Power

Local Startup Going National With Unique Pizza Crust

Written by Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)

Photos: Courtesy Photo

 

A new kind of pizza crust is catching the attention of foodies in New Hampshire and beyond. It’s called One Crust, and while it looks like regular flatbread pizza on the plate, the “bread” is cauliflower.
Courtesy Photo
The gluten-free, vegan and paleo-friendly cauliflower crust was developed by Sonia Farris and Kasia Lojko of the Derry-based meal delivery startup All Real Meal. For several months it’s been available to All Real Meal customers for home delivery in select locations, and it is one of the most popular items on the menu. Now Farris and Lojko are looking to take One Crust past southern New Hampshire to make it the first All Real Meal product available to the national market.

“When we started thinking about what to bring to the [national] market, we knew we wanted to zero in on something that everyone could eat,” Farris said. “We named it One Crust because it’s one thing that, regardless of someone’s diet — paleo, vegan, gluten-free or no limitations — it could appeal to them.”

With cauliflower as its base, One Crust uses only six other ingredients: flax, chia, almonds, coconut flour, olive oil and a seasoning blend. For health-conscious pizza-lovers, it’s an ideal alternative; it has just four carbs, 207 calories and is packed with Omega 3’s, phytonutrients, plant-based protein and fiber, while the consistency and taste remain similar to a regular flatbread pizza.

“It’s very nutrient-dense and filling. You feel nourished when you have it,” Farris said. “It’s so good for people who want to fill that pizza craving, because it’s very difficult to have pizza with low carbs, but this crust is actually good for you.”

One Crust is packaged in a round, oven-ready tray lined with a thin parchment-like paper that gives the crust a crispiness once it’s baked. The sauce, cheese and other toppings are up to the customer, and Lojko said that versatility is one of the main qualities that make One Crust so popular.

“When they get [the crust], a lot of people send us pictures and are excited to show us what they made with it,” she said. “It’s a blank canvas for their creativity.”

On Nov. 17, self-funded startup launched a 60-day campaign on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo.com, with pre-order packages for sale to help get the national launch of One Crust off the ground.

“Long term, we’re looking to get into grocery stores, but it starts with getting it from the kitchen to homes and making sure that people can get it all over the country,” Lojko said.

Shopping With Taste

Shopping With Taste

Events Combine Wine Tasting & Holiday Shopping

Written by Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)

Photos: Stock Photo

 

You can do your holiday shopping with a glass of wine in hand at these sip-and-shop events happening at Incredibrew Brewery in Nashua and LaBelle Winery in Amherst.

Incredibrew Holiday Open House

Incredibrew will host its first Holiday Open House & Wine Tasting on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 7 to 9 p.m., with shopping, wine and cider tastings, food samples, gift-wrapping and free massages.

Shop and try samples from over a dozen local vendors including organic coffee roastery and tea purveyor A&E Coffee Roastery & Tea of Amherst; KRM Chocolates of Salem, serving truffles filled with Incredibrew port wines and other treats; New Hampshire-based monthly subscription service Spiced Up, offering home delivery of spices from around the world; The Cake Stand Lady, a Milford-based Etsy shop selling one-of-a-kind modern and vintage three-tiered cake and cupcake stands; Advansite custom-made chef and hunting knives; and vendors selling clothing, jewelry and other gifts.

“We’re always looking for ways to support other small business in the area,” said Sky Croswell, who owns and operates Incredibrew with her husband, Erik. “With the holidays coming up, we figured this would be a nice opportunity to open our doors to the community and encourage everyone to shop local.”
Courtesy Photo
Incredibrew Brewery and its subsidiary, Grape Time Winery, will have a free tasting with more than 20 house and limited-edition wines as well as hard pear, apple and spiced apple ciders. Bottles of wine and cider, gift packs and gift baskets, gift certificate specials, pint and wine glasses and more will be for sale, and one attendee will win a wine and cider gift basket.

“There’s a lot of fall wines that are good this time of year. Our ports sell very well around the holidays,” Croswell said. “And our ciders … we have a hard time keeping them on the shelves.”

Complimentary chair massages will be offered by the Amherst Wellness Center, and gift-wrapping services will be available.

LaBelle Winery Holiday Bazaar

There will be wine, gourmet food, shopping and wreath-making at LaBelle Winery’s fifth Annual Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Enjoy wine tasting with over 25 varieties as you browse pottery, jewelry and other gifts handcrafted by at least 10 juried members of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, as well as wines, gift boxes and kitchen items at the winery gift shop.

“A lot of people like to shop with a glass of wine in hand,” said Michelle Thornton, director of sales, programs and business development. “It’s a more relaxing and intimate shopping experience and has a really festive and fun feel.”

The Bistro at LaBelle Winery will be open for brunch and lunch during the bazaar, featuring its recently launched winter menu with hearty cold-weather dishes and pairing suggestions with LaBelle wines. Diners will have the option to purchase bottles of wine while they eat, which will be delivered to them following their meal.

“You literally shop right at the table,” Thornton said. “By the time you’re ready to go, it’s wrapped up all nicely, and you don’t have to waste time.”

Guests can enjoy LaBelle’s art gallery curated by McGowan Fine Art of Concord and take part in a wreath-making workshop in the wine cellar with the Beaver Brook Association of Hollis.

Thornton said the idea behind the bazaar was to provide a holiday shopping alternative.

“It gives people a place where they can come, try some wines, enjoy a great lunch and do some very leisurely and non-stressful shopping,” she said.

ESP Ohio & More

Weekly Review: ESP Ohio & More

Written by Eric Saeger (news@hippopress.com)

Photos: Album Art
Courtesy Photo

ESP Ohio, Starting Point of the Royal Cyclopean (Rockathon Records)

Led by the current Guided by Voices core of Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard, this project’s debut LP could rightly be expected to sound like a next-gen mixture of Redd Kross, Pavement and paisley underground, i.e., more of the same. But Pollard insists ESP Ohio is a band, not another outlet for his discombobulated voice, thus I assumed it’d be a little bit more rock-punky — it’s just how I roll. But no, it lifts off with straight slob-tempo Pixies-nicking with an R.E.M. twist in “A Much Needed Shot in the Arm,” wherein the band pulls a nice hook out of nothing. It’s garage-rock bliss, really, heavy on the psychedelica and low-rent grunge, and as a bonus the fadeouts are a dumpster-fire of missed level-lowerings and abrupt stops, which I think is super cool and more bands should do. But wait, there’s more, “Tom Tom Small And Wonderful” has delightfully bad vocals, too. Whatever, just get this if you want to tick off your hipster roommate.

Grade: B+

Courtesy Photo

James Chance and the Contortions, The Flesh is Weak (True Groove Records)

Yep, it’s the mafioso-looking guy with the battered Elvis hairdo, that prototype wingnut-saxophonist from back in the 1980s, who, under two band names, single-handedly made up the whole A side of Brian Eno’s 1978 No New York compilation album. Although Chance is credited with funking up the no-wave scene, he actually demanded that his bandmates possess some skill, which actually made his stuff not no-wave by definition, but his whacked-out off-the-cuff-sounding sax solos were unhinged enough to earn him a lifetime pass, which he puts to use here, reuniting with guitarist Tomás Doncker to give the current scene, whatever it is, a much-needed razzberry. Farfisa organ, sounding like some session guy went to the wrong gig, opens “Melt Yourself Down,” a disco attack that’s like a drunk James Brown jamming with an even drunker Bosstones, and that’s the point — you start feeling your pulse quicken, all the way to Chance’s croaking scream at the end. What a great, monumental mess, from the Animals-ish skronk-battered “The Flesh is Weak” to the spaghetti-funk makeout-ballad-for-sociopaths “I Who Have Nothing.” You need this. You do.

Grade: A+

Personal Connections

Personal Connections

Tales Told in Concord Inspired By The Moth

Written by Author Here  (news@hippopress.com)

Photos: Stock/Courtesy Photo

 

About a year ago, Lisa Aquizap tried to bring The Moth to southern New Hampshire. She was a big fan of the national storytelling program and had attended its Boston events at coffee shops and comedy clubs.

But when she reached out to the nonprofit, which is based in New York, she learned there was already an event planned in Portsmouth around the same time. Organizers weren’t enthused by the idea of holding another nearby.

“But the people at The Moth said, ‘Listen. You can go ahead and do something on your own. You can say it was inspired by The Moth, but feel free to take this and run with it,’” Aquizap said via phone last week.

So she did, suggesting her own version at the Hatbox Theatre’s Pitch Night last spring. The result, Tales Told, has become a monthly event in Concord, held (for the most part) on the first Tuesday of the month. The next is Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. The theme is “Home for the Holidays.”

Aquizap, the show’s producer, said Tales Told is a little different from The Moth. For one thing, it’s more intimate.

“It’s very different from going to a Moth show in Boston, where it’s really a performance. … I’m not a performer. I have no desire to be a performer. The couple I went to in comedy clubs, I felt a little bit disappointed. I didn’t feel as connected to the storytellers. It didn’t feel as authentic,” she said. “Tales Told feels different. Maybe it’s because the Hatbox is such a great little intimate space. … The line between the audience and the storyteller is almost nonexistent.”
Courtesy Photo
Traditionally, organizers of The Moth choose its 10 speakers through a hat draw, but the Hatbox is such a small venue, with just over 80 seats, that typically those who want to present can. Each story is a five-minute soliloquy (ideally memorized beforehand, no notes allowed) of a first-hand experience, adventure or lesson learned with a conflict and resolution following that night’s theme; previous themes include “Firsts” and “Thanks and Giving.” The next in January is “Life or Death.”

The national event features judging groups. Tales Told will eventually, but Aquizap said she felt it was best to forego that part while getting the program on its feet.

Thus far, people have talked about first concerts, first loves and family reunions. Some nights have featured uncanny threads linking all the stories. (One contained tales that all randomly related to Bruce Springsteen.) Show emcee Sue Gosselin said some nights moved audience members to tears.

“People connect the stories they hear with their own. It can be very cathartic for people,” Gosselin said via phone. “Sometimes people come in and say, ‘I would never be able to tell a story out loud.’ But people feel safe and included and intimate with one another here, and the people who don’t think they could tell a story at all end up telling the most intimate stories.”
Aquizap has since gotten calls to bring True Tales to other New Hampshire towns, including those in the Monadnock and Seacoast regions.

“It’s such an art form, and we need to revive it, especially given the state of the world right now, and our country. We need to do anything we can to get people to come together, communicate and connect,” Aquizap said. “With social media, we have hundreds of these ‘friends’ on Facebook and Twitter pages. … We don’t sit in front of people and talk to them.”

Venue founder Andrew Pinard said the goal of Hatbox is to provide a home for all different types of theater, experimental, experiential and otherwise; he’ll be offering a whole new variety for Season 2, which will be organized after the next Pitch Night in March.

“It exposes different things to audiences at the Hatbox, things they might not otherwise come to the theater for. It creates a wonderful cross-pollination,” Pinard said. “[With Tales Told], we’re tapping into an audience looking for deep, rich, personal experiences. What’s more personal than getting up and telling a story about your life? It has the opportunity to be very creative and playful and also rich and meaningful for people.”