An upcoming four-act show at Manchester’s hub for alt rock promises to be a raucous affair. Atop the bill is Wargraves, a punk rock powerhouse featuring members from gone but well-remembered area bands The Caught Flies and Ready Steady Torpedo. Building on the success of last year’s debut album One Last Look Upon the Sky, Dust Prophet will provide direct support for the headliner.
Opening the show are Conduit and ThunderHawk, the latter making its first appearance in a long time. A doomy, metal-edged quartet, they released an EP in 2014, Do Or Die with five originals and a faithful cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” They haven’t performed since mid-2018, though their Facebook page shows they were in the studio later that year.
Otto Kinzel, front man of Dust Prophet, said that his band and Conduit have shared the stage before and have plans to hit the road together later this year. “They’re from the school of Tool in the Ænima era, very proggy but also very heavy,” he said in a recent phone interview. “We have sort of the same vibe as we’re also becoming much heavier.”
Kinzel continued that the self-described stoner rock band’s metallic shift began when he moved to lead vocals and Jason Doyle took over on guitar. They’ve written several songs that reflect this more aggressive sound, along with re-recording four tracks from the first record for a new EP. “The album was in drop C and now we’re playing in drop B,” he said. “It’s got a harder edge.”
The show is presented by Kinetic City Events, a Manchester-based promotion company that’s long hosted the semi-regular Live Free or Cry emo night at the Shaskeen. In recent months it’s expanded to new cities as well as genres. Live Free or Cry will happen at Tandy’s Pub in Concord on April 27, and a nu-metal show at Bank of NH Stage was just booked for late summer.
Kinetic City head Aaron Shelton said in a recent email that his company’s growth includes events in Lowell, Mass., which bodes well for the scene overall.
“New and developing relationships … should allow me to open up more opportunities for local bands,” Shelton said. “I’ve done shows in New Hampshire for over 20 years, but I’ve grown more in the last five than the prior 15 combined.”
It’s a welcome injection of energy for the underground music scene, Kinzel concurred.
“When we played Shaskeen this past November, he’s the one that booked it, and it was an awesome night,” Kinzel said. “Aaron is throwing some great shows; well-attended too, people are coming, and not just to drink, but to have a good time and be engaged with the music. Very enthusiastic and active crowds. It’s been fun.”
A problem that has beset local shows in the past, one band’s fans leaving as soon as their favorite finishes its set, seems less likely if Kinzel’s enthusiasm for the upcoming show’s line-up is any indication. He’s clearly a fan of Conduit but also of the other two groups on the bill.
ThunderHawk will “come out throwing haymakers in terms of getting the audience ready,” he said. “They’re a band that has a massive vibe, the rhythm is in the pocket, it’s tight; I think people are going to have their socks blown off by them. And then Wargraves is just super heavy; they’re going to just come out and annihilate.”
Shelton is equally energized by his latest effort.
“We’re very excited about the show, as it’s a collection of some of the best bands of this genre in the area,” Shelton said. “Not only are Dust Prophet, Wargraves and Conduit killing it, but it’s also the triumphant return of ThunderHawk.”
Wargraves, Dust Prophet, Conduit & ThunderHawk When: Saturday, April 20, 9 p.m. Where: Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester More: $10 and up at etix.com
Few experiences are more soothing than listening to Gregorian chant, a form of liturgical plainchant dating back to the ninth century. It originated in European churches and is most often performed a capella, though sometimes there’s spare instrumental accompaniment. It’s spiritual music, with songs like “Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desire” in most programs.
Taking this idiom into the modern world is Gregorian: Pure Chants in Concert, which stops in Concord on April 20, part of the German company’s first American tour. First of all, there are way more lasers and dry ice smoke than any medieval monk dreamed up, and though sacred songs dominate the show’s first half, the second is filled with today’s hits.
Songs like Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” are perfectly suited for the ethereal chorale. Gregorian, founded by Frank Peterson 25 years ago, has adapted hundreds of contemporary songs, even covering R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.” The first was Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven.”
In a recent phone interview, Peterson was asked to name his favorite.
“That’s a hard question,” he said. “One is ‘Chasing Cars’ and another is ‘Bravado’ by Rush, I think that came out great … but it’s hard to say. There are a couple of Pink Floyd tracks we covered that were perfect; it’s almost like they were written for Gregorian chants.”
An easier question is whether there are any that couldn’t be transformed.
“One of the first songs that we tried was ‘Human Behavior’ by Bjork and that’s just undoable,” he said, “Until this day, we haven’t managed to get our heads around it…. To give it a twist is not always that easy.”
The idea of updating Gregorian chants for modern audiences came to Peterson in the late 1980s, when he visited a famous monastery outside Madrid. At the same time the monastery’s monks were singing Gregorian chants, he heard a drumbeat in the distance. The synchronicity gave him pause.
“I thought, ‘This is an amazing combination,’” he said. In a nearby record shop, he found a few albums. “They were dusty because nobody buys Gregorian chant records, really. I took them home, sampled them, and put them together with loops. That resulted in this project called Enigma.”
Amazingly, the world was waiting for souped-up ancient music, and Enigma ended up spending six years on the Billboard charts.
“That was the first time that we combined drum loops, modern music with a chant, and we did original songs,” he said. “Ten years later I started Gregorian, which was the other way around.”
Along the way, they’ve made an album a year; the latest is Pure Chants II.
“It’s a classical crossover record,” Peterson said of the new disc. “We do a very stripped-down version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah,’ for example, and a really thrilling version of ‘O Fortuna,’ which is obviously classical, but … it’s quite massive and sinister as well.”
Gregorian plays arenas in Europe, but growth was gradual. First, they performed in churches, later moving to theaters. Peterson was ambitious from the outset.
“I wanted to do a show that I would like to see,” he said, “I don’t want to see eight guys standing there singing songs, [so] we did special effects, great lighting and so on. Obviously, people liked it.”
The current tour kicked off to a full house in South Carolina. Accompanying the eight-voice choir is Anita Brightman, sister of famous singer Sarah Brightman, and two supporting musicians. Peterson is happy to finally play America.
“Some of the singers have never been to the States at all, not even as tourists,” he said. “So they’re really excited about exploring your country on the tour bus and doing concerts every night. It’s wonderful for us.”
Peterson thinks Gregorian’s success reflects the times. “It has a very calming effect, and people use it for meditation,” he said, “I just like to take this vibe of the calmness and the soothing aspect of this choir sound and turn it into something that’s familiar. I think that really is ringing a nerve with a lot of people.”
Gregorian: Pure Chants in Concert When: Saturday, April 20, 7 p.m. Location: Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord Tickets: $46.75 and up at ccanh.com
Jokes can be made about anything, Daniel Sloss believes; nothing is off-limits. Among the topics the Scottish comedian has tackled are his sister’s death from cerebral palsy, toxic masculinity and a close friend being raped by a man they both knew. What’s most remarkable is that his act comes off as a TED Talk with punchlines — pain that’s very, very funny.
Speaking via Zoom recently, Sloss said he strives for balance on stage.
“I think you can and should make jokes about anything, but just because you’re making fun of something … doesn’t mean you have to be disrespectful or disparaging,” he said. “You can be provocative and empathetic at the same time; I think there’s a responsibility on the comedian to do both.”
In 2018’s Jigsaw, he mocked relationships with brutal efficiency. “We have romanticized the idea of romance, and it is cancerous,” he snarled. “People are more in love with the idea of love than the person they are with.” Acknowledging this would lead most to break up with their partners, he said, and asked for anyone who decoupled to let him know.
Hundreds of thousands of replies arrived, among them requests to autograph divorce papers. Sloss celebrated this outcome when he taped his Socio special in 2019. Since then, however, he’s married and welcomed a son. As he prepared to launch an American tour of his latest show Can’t, he sounded almost sheepish.
Jigsaw was, he said, “a very angry show [written] after a particularly bad breakup. I didn’t know it was going to have the effect it did, but I’m very glad it did. It does mean that whenever I talk about my wife on stage, people are like, ‘Oh, you’re a hypocrite’ and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe I have to explain this again.’ But … that’s the job.”
It’s work Sloss began doing at a young age, achieving quick success early on. He was 17 when he did his first sets; two years later, in 2009, his Teenage Kicks show made him the youngest comic to have a solo run in London’s West End. So his rant on modern love may just have been a twentysomething’s passion talking, though he claims data proves him right.
In Socio he turned his knives on woker-than-thou leftism, noting that the right doesn’t mandate a check in every box on their list. “You don’t hate gay people? That’s OK, you’ll learn,” he quipped. “Welcome aboard.” In the new show, Sloss expands on that, going after cancel culture, or more to the point, disassembling the popular notion of getting canceled.
“People lose bits of work because of things that they’ve said in the past due to some people going on the internet to dig up all their old dirty history, and I acknowledge that,” he said. “I do think there’s a lot of false flags. I think a lot of comedians claim they’re being canceled when they’re not. They’re just getting online feedback to a degree we’ve never had before.”
Having just returned from a tour of India, where people are arrested for criticizing the government, it’s clear Sloss finds the many snowflakes on this side of the world a bit daft. “We met a guy in Turkey who made a joke about some ancient prophet, and it wasn’t even particularly offensive, but one person took umbrage, and he spent 10 days in jail. I’ve seen the cost and the consequences of real cancel culture.”
That said, Sloss loves coming Stateside, and looks forward to traveling by bus with his family as his tour kicks off April 11 in Laconia.
“In America, I can make fun of any president that’s ever been,” he said. “I can say really awful things about them.” But he especially enjoys the many contrarians who attend his shows.
“As much as people feel like people are more sensitive than they’ve ever been, I’m also finding that because of that, there is the other side of the spectrum where people are like, ‘You can say whatever you want, we don’t care,’” Sloss said. “They want me to know that they’re not all soft and easily offended. Those are the people I try to make laugh.”
Daniel Sloss When: Thursday, April 11, 8 p.m. Where: Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia Tickets: $39 and up at etix.com
• Victory lap: In a show rescheduled from last October for health reasons, Buddy Guy performs, part of his Damn Right Farewell tour. The blues legend’s contribution to rock ’n’ roll is incalculable; guitarists from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan have cited him as an influence. Joining Guy is Bobby Rush, a blues singer who turned 90 last November and shows no signs of slowing down. Thursday, April 11, 7 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $85.75 and up at ccanh.com.
• Local soul: An outgrowth of a monthly hip-hop gathering, Sound Off – Funk & Soul Night has The Evolutionists fusing classic soul samples with hip-hop and R&B. They’re led by married couple Ruby Shabazz and Fee the Evolutionist, with a rhythm section of Zeke Martin and Dom Davis on drums and bass, along with Joe Mazzarella on keyboards. Shawn Caliber hosts, with DJ Myth performing on turntables. Friday, April 12, 9 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester; the 21+ show is $5 at the door
• Favorite son: Starting in 1996 with the multi-platinum Bringing Down the Horse, The Wallflowers has been a band in name only, its singular vision guided by front man Jakob Dylan, who once said, “no one lineup … ever made two records [and] one person is actually putting the ideas together … that’s always been me.” Saturday, April 13, 8 pm., Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia, $49 and up at etix.com.
• Shape-shifters: Enjoy an afternoon folk concert from Eloise & Co. The duo of accordion player Rachel Bell and fiddler Becky Tracy often expands to a trio that includes a guitar or piano player, along with backing vocals. The group delves into everything from French folk ballads to Celtic reels, waltzes and traditional Quebecois tunes, and is a favorite in the regional contra dance scene. Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m., Monadnock Folklore Society, 7 Nelson Common Road, Nelson, $20 at monadnockfolk.org.
• New country: The Southern rapper Struggle Jennings hits the beach for a 21+ show. The grandson of Outlaw Country pioneer Waylon Jennings, he was in the lineup when Jelly Roll stopped by Meadowbrook last summer for a sold-out show. His music pulls from a variety of genres. Tuesday, April 16, 7 p.m., Wally’s Pub, 144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton, $25 at ticketmaster.com.
When Lorenzo Fusi joined the Currier Museum of Art in February 2023 as Chief Curator, one of his first exhibitions was “Distant Conversations.” It looked at the elective affinities between painter Ella Walker and ceramicist Betty Woodman, by displaying their works side by side.
Its success led to this year’s exhibition, which pairs painter Filippo de Pisis with photographer Robert Mappelthorpe. The latter is better known, mainly due to his often controversial photos. In a phone interview with the Hippo, Italy-born Fusi said he included de Pisis “to present and premiere the work of an Italian artist who I think is very influential and important beyond the borders of Italy.” Here’s an edited version of the interview.
Separated by years, Mappelthorpe and de Pisis never met. What do you think connects them artistically?
Mapplethorpe traveled multiple times to Italy, and I think most of these affinities originated by looking at the same work and the same monuments, the same kind of archaeological references which are basically sitting deep in Western art history. I think that most likely is the reason why there are so many uncanny similarities between the two of them.
What are some of the other elements linking them?
Each of them came from some form of prejudice. I would say de Pisis at one moment in time has been considered a bit too delicate … maybe too soft in his representation. By imposition, I think Mapplethorpe was considered too hard, too in your face, too confrontational. I think both of them have been stigmatized for this almost opposite way in which they come into art. And ironically, [via this] completely opposite or antagonist approach, they do produce work which is actually very … similar aesthetically. So I think this is not only an opportunity to discover de Pisis as an artist who has not been shown extensively in the United States, but also an opportunity to revisit Mapplethorpe’s work from a different … perspective.
They were both very purposeful in their approach.
Yes, intentional, and very deliberate in the way they wanted to represent something. If you start entering into that mindset, even the more graphic images of Mapplethorpe, and we have only one image from the more controversial portfolios … Joe Rubberman, the very famous picture of a man wearing a vinyl outfit laying down flat on a bench. It’s a very classical pose [and] although it looks very morbid and very sexual, as a matter of fact, this pose can be seen in hundreds of examples of art historical references, even though it might be very much in your face when you start looking at it…. The idea [is] to create an image that is transtemporal and it stays as an almost art historical testament. You don’t see the sexuality of it anymore. You don’t see the reference to this very murky underworld of gay life in New York in the ’70s and ’80s, you see a very iconic image of a body that could be Etruscan, could be ancient Roman or Greek. That’s where I think he stops being controversial and starts being an artist in a sense.
When did you know you were on the right track and this would be an impactful exhibition?
The Currier Museum of Art has a quite substantial collection of photography, going back to Lotte Jacobi, the first photography curator… I was surprised when I first moved to the Currier that we didn’t have any Mapplethorpe in our collection because undeniably he’s an American master of photography. I was looking at [how] we could incorporate some work by Mapplethorpe into the collection, but also … overcoming the prejudice associated with the more controversial reception of his photography. At the same time … I wanted to do something with de Pisis in the United States because he was an overlooked artist who I think should be represented. The moment of realization [came while] separately looking at the work. In my mind I had this crystallization that some of the images were very, very similar, and the more I delved into that, the more similarities I found. I think the moment for me when I became absolutely sure that it was a good exhibition or a good approach was when I showed it to a colleague of mine in Italy who immediately saw the poetry and the lyricism in this association, and he asked me to continue to do that research. Then I shared it with my team. They all saw how close the elective affinity is between these two artists, which is most surprising considering the time gap and geographical gap between the two of them. So it has not been a single moment of revelation, but multiple moments of affirmation that have happened from people who were not as yet in the project but could see immediately how powerful the association was.
Filippo de Pisis and Robert Mapplethorpe: A Distant Conversation When: Saturday, April 13, through Sept. 2 Where: Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester More: currier.org
Featured Photo: Filippo de Pisis, Fiori di Villa di Maggio. Courtesy photo.
A look at some of the gathering spots that offer their own unique character, entertainment and, of course, beer
What is a pub? With a name derived from “public house,” it’s mainly a community gathering place. At the best ones, as the song goes, “everybody knows your name” and there are plenty of reasons to be there. A proprietor at one of the six area pubs profiled in this story spoke of theirs as a respite from stress at work or home: “If either of those aren’t great, we’re that third place.”
Each has something that sets it apart and makes the place special — a signature dish, musical gathering or standout staff member. It all adds up to a vibe that can’t be replicated. Much of it is by design, particularly in Manchester. A venerable watering hole is careful to schedule events that don’t compete directly with other downtown spots, so everyone does well.
Another common thread is evolution, often disruptive, always necessary. A move to a new location, rising from a death blow delivered by the pandemic, switching things up with a new music night, expanding the spirits menu ahead of, not in response to, a boom, or cultivating a particular demographic that was previously neglected.
In the case of one venue getting ready open in May, disruptive evolution simply means taking a leap of faith, something each of these does every single day.
The Forum Pub: Friendly zone
When Area 23 opened mid-decade, it quickly became known as a hard place to find but definitely worth the effort. Set at the end of a winding road off State Street, decorated with offbeat bric-a-brac and offering a tastefully curated beer list along with craft ciders and a smart pub menu, it also welcomed the Concord music scene. More than a few performers got their start there, and jam sessions were a magnet for creatives of all stripes.
Last year, however, owner Kirk McNeil was forced to move, due to what he called “irreconcilable differences” with his landlord. In early October he began occupying a space that formerly was an Asian restaurant in Penacook’s Thirty Pines Plaza. With a vibe much different than the cavernous Area 23, McNeil gave it a new name, The Forum Pub.
Before deciding on the change, McNeil asked one of his regulars to identify Area 23’s “main feature,” he recalled while standing behind the bar in mid-March, during the Forum Pub’s third week of business. “He said, ‘you could have good discussions with people; it wasn’t just a lot of sports on TV, a lot of people getting frustrated about this thing or that thing. You could actually have discussions.’ I said, ‘I think you just named it.’”
That said, Forum Pub is a haven for civil discourse; a House Rules list at the end of the bar includes “No Politics.” This is aimed at anyone “who’s not listening but only talking,” McNeil said. “I’m happy to talk about policies … we can talk about whether or not you think this thing or that thing should happen. What makes it a better show? I just don’t want to talk about why this nimrod or that nincompoop should be running the show.”
The process of moving 3 1/2 miles down the street wasn’t easy.
“As we all know, New Hampshire doesn’t have a ton of available real estate right now,” McNeil noted, and regulatory hurdles were also challenging. What saved the day were his people. “The best part of this entire move has been our staff, because a bunch of cooks and bartenders and sound men and servers … became construction workers and decorators.”
Adjustments between the new and old location include live music. There’s a nicely lit stage, an expertly tweaked sound system, but less room means solo, duo and trio performances instead of raucous bands. Don Bartenstein hosts a weekly song circle in the center of the room, there’s a growing list of Wednesday night singer-songwriter nights, and Saturday open mic is back, but no one’s loading in big amps anymore.
One upside of relocating is that the kitchen is four times the size of the old one, increasing the number of menu options.
“We’re doing some pretty terrific food here; we don’t have anything on the menu that I don’t like,” McNeil said. Among the customer favorites is an item that was also popular at Area 23. “I can’t say enough good things about the gyro; we do our own lamb roast.”
McNeil’s daughter Anastasia, home from college, echoed her father’s sentiments. “My friend Raphael is Greek as the day is long,” she said. “He took one bite and ran to get the chef to tell him it was the best gyro he’s ever had stateside.”
The Forum Pub 15 Village St., Concord, 552-0137 Must-try: Lamb gyro. Big fun: Saturday afternoon Acoustic Circle
The Local: Rebirth in Warner
Like a lot of places, The Local, a small but scrappy and vibrant restaurant/bar on Main Street in Warner, couldn’t survive the pandemic. Owner Bill Meadows packed things up in May 2021. “We got through it and back,” he said by phone in late March. “When everything opened back up, we had people, but we were just so burned out by then that it just wasn’t worth continuing.”
As its name implies, it was more than a watering hole, and the community felt its absence. Meadows took a corporate job on the Seacoast, where he was frequently reminded why The Local was special. Its staff felt more like family, not a branch in an org chart.
“It’s not like going into a generic restaurant and being waited on by somebody you’ve never seen before,” he said. “You’re seeing the same people as when you came in a month, two months ago. It’s not just the food, the beer, the music; actually, it’s the staff bringing people back.”
When an opportunity to reopen came, in the form of another Main Street restaurant coming available, Meadows jumped. He and the owner of The Foothills began talking, and on October 13, 2023, The Local’s sign, featuring an arm wreath with two hands gripping mugs in a toast, came out of retirement.
It’s a bigger place, Meadows beamed.
“It’s an actual restaurant,” he said. “We were running the old Local out of a vanilla commercial space as best we could, but there were always restrictions, mostly with refrigeration … we could barely bring in enough stuff to last until our next delivery.”
Amanda at The Local. Photo by Michael Witthaus.
Now there are more food specials, like a daily eggroll and burger, along with a doubling of beer taps, which Meadows has filled with all-local offerings.
“Our favorite thing to do is work with independents, breweries I go directly to for beer,” he said. “No. 1, it’s a great story, and No. 2, it’s not stuff people are going to find other places.”
Live music resumed recently, with April Cushman, Charlie Chronopoulos, Ryan Williamson and others appearing every Thursday night, courtesy of NH Music Collective’s talent service.
“It’s been really handy because booking was … it wasn’t difficult, but it was time-consuming,” Meadows said, so NHMC’s approach was welcome. “They book us great acts, and we don’t really have to do anything, so it works out.”
Along with that, Meadows leads a weekly trivia night on Wednesdays like he’s hosting a house party, surrounded as he is by mostly familiar faces.
“Our complete customer base came back when we reopened,” he said, adding that The Foothills’ old crowd still comes in.
Nine-to-five life compelled Meadows to rethink how he’d run The Local anew.
“I learned in a couple of years working for other people [about] things I used to do as a manager, not even knowing how toxic they were and how they affected other people, until I was that other person,” he said. “I came in with a completely different mindset as far as how to run a restaurant from a management standpoint; more how not to do it and trying to get away from that.”
The Local 15 Main St., Warner, 456-3333 Must-try: Eggroll of the day Big fun: Wednesday trivia
The Barley House: New notes
As befits New Hampshire’s Capital City, Concord’s Barley House is packed with a mixture of locals and out-of-towners during the work week. On a recent Wednesday just past six o’clock, the bar included two men who earlier in the day were at the Statehouse talking over beers and burgers. Nearby, a couple from Cleveland who were attending an academic book conference at the Grappone Center considered a bowl of the pub’s signature Guinness Beef Stew.
“Definitely all walks of life,” said Nikki Miller, a longtime bartender at the North Main Street mainstay. Every Friday night, though, is locals’ time, she said. “A group of people in the community, they just take over the bar; they love it here. There’s also a ton of bar regulars, middle-aged people, and I’d say we do have some younger folk.”
It’s a less raucous vibe than in past years, she continued, meaning before the pandemic. “We’re not open late anymore,” she said. “People typically aren’t coming late to the Barley House, or dare I say, going out late anymore in Concord at all. It’s a changed place.”
The Barley House is very much an Irish pub. An ample supply of Redbreast, Green Spot and Jameson is always on hand, and St. Patrick’s Day is the North Star of their annual calendar. This year’s came on Sunday, a day they’ve been closed in the past. That changed this year, but Miller and her team weren’t sure what to expect.
To their relief, “it was a great day,” she said. “We didn’t have any troublemakers anywhere. Everyone was having a good time, eating great food. We had Irish step dancers, and the Irish session players for three hours. Then we had a DJ in our downstairs bar; I think a good time was had by all.”
A weekly Tuesday night gathering of Irish musicians, led by Eugene Durkee, was around before the pandemic. “Right now, we have about eight men and women that come in on a rotating basis,” Miller said. “They’re playing Celtic music, and it really just brings an awesome vibe to our dining space.”
Recently, regular live music, which ended many years ago, returned to the Barley House. Acoustic performers began appearing downstairs on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We all feel now that the world has returned to its new normal, so we decided to be creative in bringing people back,” Miller said. “Making it a place where you want to go in the community again … I think bringing music back was just the way to do it.”
Food-wise, the pub’s burgers are a constant favorite.
“I always tell my customers we have a top five burger list, which is not helpful to anyone trying to make a decision,” Miller said. Another recent addition is a personal deep-dish pizza with allegedly addictive qualities. “I don’t think anyone expected it to take off the way it did … it’s this funny little thing; people are like, ‘do you have it? I need it. I’m here for the pizza.’”
Still and all, a tight-knit staff on a first-name basis with so many of its customers is what sets the venerable downtown pub apart for Miller. “We say it’s not a Barley House, but it’s a Barley Home.”
The Barley House 132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363 Must-try: Guinness beef stew Big fun: Tuesday Irish Session
Strange Brew Tavern: Peaceful coexistence
How does a business endure, let alone a pub? The National Restaurant Association reports an 80 percent failure rate within five years of opening. One local beat the odds. On April 6, Strange Brew Tavern marked its 25th anniversary. For pub owner Mitch Sawaya, however, the biggest milestone was making it to the end of Year 1.
He started in 1999 in a building that had stood empty for eight years, living on the third floor while he slowly built it out. Early days were quiet, but certain moments gave him hope, like when area restaurant workers stopped by after their shifts for a bite.
“I knew if we were doing something that attracted them we had a chance of making it, because they’re kind of harsh critics,” Sawaya said in a recent phone interview.
Fast forward to 2000. Strange Brew survived and, judging by a line snaking around the block on Market Street to mark the moment, was thriving. Sawaya could exhale a bit. “I thought, ‘You know what? I think we’re going to do OK, we’ll be here for a while.’ That was a big one; it was the first time I really felt comfortable or confident.”
As for lasting two and half decades, Sawaya worked to set Strange Brew apart from other Manchester bars, beginning with a big beer list.
“I had 18 draft lines when I opened, which everybody thought was ridiculous,” he said. With the craft beer boom years off, “I couldn’t fill them, but I refused at that point to put domestics on tap; I still do.”
Strange Brew. Photo by Michael Witthaus.
Sawaya also vowed to make his pub the go-to place for blues and R&B fans, partly because he’s a fan. A favorite memory is booking Dennis Brennan; he’d followed the Boston guitarist since his days in The Martells. “What was even more odd is he was with some guys that I knew really well, and he told them that he remembered me,” he said. “I was blown away.”
Another reason for leaning into the genre, which includes a Howard Randall-hosted blues jam every Sunday and live acts every Friday and Saturday, is that Sawaya believes staying in his lane helps the overall downtown scene. Early on, he did a press interview that said as much. The next day the owners of the now-defunct Black Brimmer stopped by to thank him.
“They said, ‘That’s the best thing we’ve ever heard,’ which was great,” he said. “We made a point not to book the same bands or do the same things on the same night. They’d have Mama Kicks every Wednesday, so we just steered away from that sort of thing. I think it was good for everybody. There were lines to get into all those places.”
These days, Jordan Quinn, along with Scott Armstrong, hosts a music open mic on Wednesdays. “Everybody loves her; I think she’s been the most successful person with it,” Sawaya said, noting that there’s a similar Thursday comedy gathering. “It’s grown significantly; it’s really open mic, anybody can get up on stage, and occasionally a couple of the big guys from Boston will come down to test out material.”
Some of the best recollections are from the many New Hampshire primaries he’s seen. “I always tell the story about John Kerry,” he said. “I had a Tufts banner hanging in the corner because that’s where I went to college, and he saw it. His son and his daughter went to Tufts, and he asked the significance of the banner. They told him the owner had gone there, so he grabbed me and bought us a beer…. We spent 45 minutes talking about growing up in Massachusetts.”
Another time, Drew Barrymore had dinner at Strange Brew, but Sawaya couldn’t be coaxed to ask for an autograph. He did meet Chris Matthews when the MSNBC host did a bunch of shows there, along with Tom Brokaw and Boston Globe columnist turned television pundit Mike Barnacle, who gave his burgers a television shout-out. “Those are huge things,” he said. “All these people were coming out of the woodwork for the elections.”
Asked about the future, Sawaya said, “I intend to keep going for a while,” noting that recently he’s put a lot of focus on food offerings; the Jambalaya and Guinness Meatballs are customer favorites.
Musically, he’s tried a few new things, like recently bringing in the youthful River Sang Wild for a night.
“I’ll always have entertainment, multiple nights a week,” Sawaya said. “I’m going to keep playing around to see what works. I have a son who will be 18 in July, and he’s not interested in being part of the business. I’ve got to figure that out. I’d like to be around for quite a few more years.”
Strange Brew Tavern 88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292 Must-try: Jimmy “The Greek” burger. Big fun: One Big Soul Sunday blues jam
Wild Rover: Hometown handoff
Manchester’s bar and restaurant community is very collegial. A good example of this is the way Jesse Twarjan purchased the Wild Rover, the landmark Irish pub on Kosciuszko Street. A musician and entrepreneur who manages a few downtown residential properties, among other things, the “Manch-ghanistan born and raised” Twarjan has a long history here.
In a recent phone interview he talked about bumping into Bonfire owner Patrick Mills outside his Elm Street restaurant. “I made a passing comment like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll call Bob for a shift or two at the Rover,’” he recalled, referring to pub owner Robert Scribner. “I believe Patrick’s words were, ‘He might sell it to you.’ That’s how the whole thing started.”
The deal was friendly and might not have happened otherwise.
“It wasn’t necessarily something that Bob was looking to advertise for sale,” Twarjan said. “It’s a place that requires the right kind of person, an owner-operator type of situation where people want to come in and see familiar faces, that type of thing.”
Twarjan took over the pub, which has been in business since 1990, on St. Patrick’s Day. With an outdoor liquor license in flux, everything happened inside, but crowds still showed up for what’s always their biggest day of the year. “We were at capacity all day,” he said. “It was a great vibe.”
With that essential celebration out of the way, an official grand opening is in the works, though the new owner is quiet on the details. He hopes it will happen before the end of April. To prepare for it, there will be new coats of paint, as he works on a stepped-up liquor offering and a reshuffling of the beer list.
Notso Costley Productions will manage live music, though Twarjan is ready to jump in when needed.
The Wild Rover. Photo by Michael Witthaus.
“We have them as a focal point every weekend, and they always have a rotating cast of extremely talented players,” he said. “My musician past leads me to have a fairly wide network of what I would consider to be extraordinarily talented people. They know if you’re going to come in here you’d better play as well as me or I’ll do it myself.”
Former chef Jeff Volker has been recruited to help with revamping the menu. Twarjan, who’s an alum of culinary-centric Johnson & Wales University, has big plans.
“We’re really going to lean hard into some of that Irish flair and fare,” he said, adding that Volker will strive to make the Wild Rover “the best place in town for fish and chips or shepherd’s pie…. We’ll be consolidating and doing it correctly. That comes down to quality over quantity, specifically with the kitchen.”
That said, the Rover won’t be going head-to-head with the downtown’s fine dining places. Twarjan’s thoughts go back to the way he acquired the bar.
“We need to be more collaborative instead of competitive in terms of making sure that there’s enough of a demographic out there for all of us to enjoy,” he said. “We’re definitely trying to fill some gaps in the food and make sure that we’re doing quality pub fare to a very high degree.”
Wild Rover 21 Kosciuszko St., Manchester, 669-7722 Must-try: Reuben sandwich Big fun: open mic night
Pembroke City Limits: Born in a barn
Even though he can’t play a note, Rob Azevedo has an absolute passion for music. Seemingly his every waking hour is focused on it, whether he’s hosting his Granite State of Mind radio show every Friday night, blogging about a new local act he’s excited about, or gathering a bunch of his friends to do a Tom Petty or Stones tribute concert at the Shaskeen or Rex Theatre in Manchester.
Lately Azevedo has been hosting shows in his barn, adjacent to the house in Pembroke where he moved a few years back. They’re intimate affairs, with typically fewer than 100 people in attendance. Most are people he already knows, but a few new faces always show up, which got him thinking.
Which led to a new venture, his wildest and most ambitious yet.
Pembroke City Limits will present live events, everything from concerts to book signings and poetry readings, five days a week. Azevedo is putting the finishing touches on a space on Pembroke Village’s Main Street, originally an 1800s general store that most recently sold antiques. He’s been eyeing the spot for over a year.
Rob Azevedo at Pembroke City Limits. Photo by Michael Witthaus.
“It was either going to be this place or it wasn’t going to happen,” he said in late March. Granite State of Mind will broadcast live every Friday, and initially acoustic acts will provide the music.
“We have four residents upstairs and we want to see how the sound is going to work,” Azevedo said, adding that all the pieces are coming together. “Rough plumbing is done, that’s huge; fire and electrical are updated; the next thing is drywall, and then get the kitchen and bar together. We’re hoping to be open by mid-May.”
During a walk-through, Azevedo pointed out the charming space’s many features, like hardwood floors, exposed brick and lots of ambient light, while discussing what it will look like when finished. A stage and seating area will be on the right. A bar serving a selection of area craft beer and wine will sit to the left.
Rather than operate a kitchen, he asked Kelly Sue LeBlanc’s Sleazy Vegan for help.
“I don’t know anything about food or cooking, but I love food trucks,” he said, “so I found one of the best food trucks around.”
Also on the team are Paulie Stone, a musician who’ll assist with that side of things, and Azevedo’s business partner, Eric Klesper. The new proprietor has big dreams for his little village, hoping it mirrors the growth he saw in Newmarket when the mills there were renovated. He’s grateful for an understanding wife.
“She knows I lost my mind sometime in the early ’90s, but I don’t feel overwhelmed,” he said. “I’ve been ready for a number of years to do this … I feel no anxiety about it. I ask my wife, why am I not crapping my pants? She says, ‘Because you’re ready.’”
Pembroke City Limits 134 Main St., Pembroke, 264-1757 Must-try: Sleazy Vegan Grilled Sleaze Big fun: Americana Wednesdays
More Pubs
Here are a few more places where you feel like everybody knows your name. Know of a pub not mentioned here? Let us know at [email protected].
Flying Goose 40 Andover Road, New London 526-6899 Known for: Thursday night music series with best of New England’s folk scene Must-try: Space Pony IPA
Holy Grail 64 Main St., Epping , 679-9559 Known for: Repurposed church with a heavenly beer list Must-try: Bangers & Colcannon
Kathleen’s Irish Pub 91 Lake St., Bristol, 744-6336 Known for: It’s right there in the name — order a Jameson Must-try: All-Day Irish Breakfast with real black pudding
McGarvey’s 1097 Elm St., Manchester 627-2721 Known for: Being Elm Street’s longest running bar Must-try: Hot dog loaded with mac & cheese, bacon crumbles and pulled pork
Patrick’s 18 Weirs Road, Gilford, 293-0841 Known for: Wednesdays with singer-guitarist Don “Sev” Severance Must-try: Seafood chowder
Peddler’s Daughter 48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535 Known for: Lots of local bands on the weekends Must-try: Cottage Pie is the real deal
Penuche’s Ale House 6 Pleasant St., Concord, 228-9833 Known for: The Concord music scene meets here most weekends Must-try: Any local craft beer
Penuche’s Ale House 4 Canal St., Nashua 595-9831 Known for: Rustic, friendly atmosphere Must-try: A cold beverage on their outside deck
The Pint Publik House 1111 Elm St., Manchester 206-5463 Known for: Serving Jamaican food with a friendly vibe Must-try: Jerk pork or chicken
Pipe Dream Brewing 40 Harvey Road, Londonderry, 404-0751 Known for: Monthly Flights and Flow yoga beer night Must-try: A beer flight of your favorite style, IPA, stout, take your pick
Press Room 77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, 431-5186 Known for: Buzzworthy live music Must-try: Maple-forward Damn You Robert Frost cocktail
Shaskeen Pub 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246 Known for: Backroom offering music most nights, comedy on Wednesday Must-try: Proper Scotch Egg, made fresh once a week
Shopper’s Pub & Eatery 18 Lake Ave., Manchester, 232-5252 32-5252 Known for: Sports forward vibe, great game day stop Must-try: Beehive Burger
Stark Brewing Co. 500 Commercial St., Manchester, 625-4444 Known for: Craft brew veteran with a big space to unwind in Must-try: Drunken Tips, marinated in Tasha’s Red Ale
Stone Church 5 Granite St., Newmarket, 659-7700 Known for: Seacoast music hub with nonstop live entertainment Must-try: La Bamba Rice Bowl
Wally’s Pub 144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton, 926-6954 Known for: Beach bar with frequent big-name concerts Must-try: Famous Beach Pizza, a culinary choose your adventure
