Author: Michael Witthaus

Oh, what a night!

Jersey Boys is latest Palace musical

Gritty and dark, Jersey Boys isn’t a typical stage musical. The story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, it’s marked by crime, domestic strife and bad decisions. But the songs are fantastic, and in the hands of the Palace’s Artistic Director Carl Rajotte and Music Director John Tengowski, classics like “Rag Doll,” “Big Man in Town” and “Walk Like a Man” soar.

Early in the show, Four Seasons founder Tommy DeVito explains that people from New Jersey have three options in the world – the Army, the mob or becoming a star. Sadly, his band will blur the lines between the last two. Initially, Tommy and his brother Nick are half of the quartet, until Nick goes to jail for a botched robbery and Bob Gaudio joins.

Gaudio’s songwriting, with help from flamboyant producer Bob Crewe (a rock history figure deserving of his own show), helps launch them into the charts, via their first hit, “Sherry.” Rough sledding is ahead, though, as Tommy’s vices threaten to sink the band.

Those problems are compounded by various heartaches in the lives of the other three. Valli is constantly estranged from his daughter and fighting with his ex-wife. A side deal between two band members and a romantic betrayal cause further divisions, all of which eventually erupt.

During moments when the music stops, however, it’s not all heaviness. When Gaudio loses his virginity and telegraphs the meaning behind a song he’d write over a decade later, “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” it’s a hilarious romp, and rich with fine choreography. Comic relief also comes from Nick Massi’s ongoing threats to leave the group and go solo.

That said, much of Jersey Boys is a study in contrasts between bright, buoyant, happy songs and the stark world they came from. Ultimately it wrestles triumph from tragedy, and the Palace does a great job of conveying how much music can lift lives. In its early days, doo-wop groups on the corner, teenagers with songs in their heads, and big breaks that came from chance encounters and dogged persistence, really did change the world.

Similar to last season’s Beautiful, the show deftly uses multimedia to evoke the classic rock era, synching vintage footage of television appearances with onstage performances. There’s real talent from the four lead players, who lock in harmonies and the spirit of many timeless songs. Director Rajotte explained why in a phone interview after opening weekend.

One big difference between this production and others like September’s Oliver! is that the four leads are new to the Palace stage. Critically, each has been in Jersey Boys previously. Zane Zapata is superb as Valli, his third time in that role. Kevin T. Mazur (Bob Gaudio) is also a veteran of past shows, and a week before rehearsals began Matt Michael and Bobby Guenther, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi respectively, were both in a Pennsylvania production.

“I knew that I wanted to cast four guys who have done the show before, so they at least came in knowing their harmonies,” he said. “I found this wonderful quartet [who] came in knowing it probably better than me. They knew exactly where the lines were supposed to be for the underscoring.”

Rajotte decided to do the show after watching the movie with his father, who poignantly took out a photo of his wife from his wallet and sang quietly to it during a few favorite songs. There is, he continued, a moment in the show where Guardio talks about the fans of a group, whose big moment came just before pop music’s British Invasion.

“We weren’t a social movement like The Beatles, our people didn’t put flowers in their hair and try to change the political climate,” Rajotte quoted. “They were the guys who shipped overseas, and their sweethearts, and the factory workers, and the truck drivers, the kids pumping gas.”

In that moment, Rajotte knew why the Palace should do Jersey Boys, darkness be damned. “I looked at my father thinking, that that was kind of his life, and this music was important to him,” he said. “It changed my whole view on the show itself. Music can really help … move a generation.”

Jersey Boys
When: Thursday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., Fridays, 7:30 p.m., Saturdays, 2 & 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, 2 p.m. through Nov. 10
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
Tickets: $45 and up at palacetheatre.org

Featured image: Jersey Boys. Photo by AnnMarie Lidman Photography.

Hey, Ho, Let’s Go!

Brad Marino Band does Ramones tribute

Named after a seasonally appropriate Ramones song, a show devoted to their music by the Brad Marino Band is an adult way to cap off the Halloween celebration in downtown Rochester. Pet Semetary is an event benefiting the city’s Main Street organization. It begins shortly after the annual Zombie Walk.

The civic charity’s hope, Marino said in a recent phone interview, “is that people out having a good time supporting the local businesses will want to keep the party going in their zombie outfit and come hear the band play some music.” Admission to the event is free, with donations encouraged.

Marino may be Rochester’s biggest celebrity, but he doesn’t draw a crowd when he walks down the street. When he was in The Connection, his music was heard frequently on the satellite radio channel Little Steven’s Underground Garage. As a solo artist, he’s done several successful overseas tours.

Since his old band broke up in the mid-2010s, he’s made several solo pop-punk records; the latest is the surf-centric Hot Rod Rampage. “I can go and sell out rooms in Spain and Europe,” he said. “It’s a weird dichotomy … I always joke with my wife, ‘you’re married to the most famous person in Rochester.’ It’s just that nobody knows who I am.”

The upcoming show at the Roberge Center is special for Marino, who made an EP called Ramones & Stones with a tribute title track and four originals that sounded like Rocket to Russia outtakes. “These songs are a part of my DNA,” he said. “I started listening to Ramones when I was, like, 14. So, more than half my life, I’ve been playing along to their records.”

Covering the punk pioneers is something he’s done more than a few times, including playing “Blitzkrieg Bop” with Clem Burke sitting in. His band was on a bill with the Blondie drummer, who was playing with one of his side projects. “We’re like, ‘Hey, you want to do a Ramones song or something?’ We just did the easiest one … kind of cool to have a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer playing drums in your band for a song.”

The band — Marino, drummer and ex-Connection mate Craig Sala and Bobby Davis on bass — will play as a three-piece for the Rochester show. “I’m going to be doing dual duty, Joey and Johnny, and that’s going to be challenging,” Marino said. “We practiced the other day, and it was, like, woof. It’s not so easy when you’re trying to do all the down strokes.”

The two-hour set will be mostly tribute. “The Ramones themselves played 30 songs in an hour and 15 minutes every night, so we’re definitely going to mix in some Brad Marino tunes. I’m not sure if I’m just going to do a Ramones set then take five and regroup as my band, or if we’ll just randomly throw in some of my tunes — we’ll kind of play it by ear.”

Down the road, Marino is planning to release a new album early next year. “It’s a compilation record of a bunch of songs that haven’t been on vinyl,” he said. “They’ve just either been digital or maybe a bonus track on a CD. There are at least nine songs that have never been on vinyl, and there’s a couple new ones as well.”

Next month, the Brad Marino Band will headline an afternoon show in Ridgewood, New York, part of Fear City Fun Fest. He’s not missing his old group, and has a positive outlook, even if relative anonymity continues in his hometown. Marino, his wife and two sons moved there a few years ago, along with other creatives who were priced out of Portsmouth.

“The Connection had a good run for sure, but I’ve been quote unquote solo for five or six years. Pretty much in a groove with that and having a good run, playing some good shows and pumping out records. I think next year we’re going to be hitting up Europe — Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, and then probably back to Spain.”

Pet Semetary – A Ramones Tribute
When: Friday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m.
Where: Roberge Center, 6 Bridge St., Rochester
More: facebook.com/bradmarinomusic

Featured photo: Brad Marino. Courtesy photo.

For grown-up ghouls

Halloween week parties and music events

Next year will be simpler, when Halloween falls on a Friday and every nightspot in the state will offer costume contests. For 2024, though, it’s possible to parlay a wild and costly getup into multiple bashes. For those with kids, they can trick-or-treat without having to worry about when the parents’ Spooktacular event commences.

There’s a bunch to do. Here’s a list.

Friday, Oct. 25

• Atkinson Resort & Country Club (85 Country Club Drive, Atkinson, eventbrite.com) 8 p.m. Devil’s Disco: A 21+ Halloween party. Main Event Entertainment’s DJ Joey Dion spins the hottest tracks. $45.

• Haluwa (45 Gusabel Ave., Nashua, 864-8348) 8:30 p.m. Night Owls play covers, $100 prize for best costume.

• Henry J. Sweeney Post (251 Maple St., Manchester, 623-9145) 8 p.m. Dance with The Raging Rockaholics Band. Costume contest, winners for first, second and third prize. Finger foods provided; members and guests.

• Intervale Country Club (1491 Front St., Manchester, 674-6811) 8 p.m. Eleganza Dance Company hosts its 4th Annual Halloween Spooktacular. DJ Lucia’s plays salsa, bachata, hustle, and cha-cha music. The evening begins with a bachata lesson, followed by social dancing until midnight. Prizes for the best costumes. $20 at the door.

• Jewel (61 Canal St., Manchester, 836-1152) 9 p.m. Hachi Halloween with Reaper, Rebel Scum, Extrakt, Kr3wl b2b Cowson, costumes welcome and contest winner announced at 8 p.m. $30 at posh.vip.

• Makris Lobster & Steak House (354 Sheep Davis Road, Concord, 225-7665) 6:30 p.m. Stray Dogs play classic rock covers and there’s a costume contest

• Puff Cigar Lounge (355 South Broadway, Salem, eventbrite.com) 9 p.m. Hallowhine with favorite dancehall records. Music from Ru, Lu, Styles and Turtle with performances from Nawlage & True’ly Young; hosted by Jakeera. $30.

• Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St., Concord, 224-4600) 10 p.m. Rocky Horror Picture Show is screened. Audience participation is encouraged, but no outside props please. Also Oct. 26 at 10 p.m.

• Red’s Kitchen & Tavern (530 Lafayette Road, Seabrook, 760-0030) 7 p.m. Redemption Band performs, with a costume contest offering $500, $250 and $100 Red’s gift cards as prizes.

• Roberge Center (6 Bridge St., Rochester, facebook.com) 8 p.m. Halloween parade after-party with Pet Semetary: A Ramones Tribute, featuring The Brad Marino Band; donations welcome.

• Rumors Sports Bar & Bowling (22 N. Main St., Newmarket, eventbrite.com) 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Drag Me To Death Halloween drag show and costume contest with two shows and two casts. $25.

• Shaskeen (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246) 9 p.m. Halloween bash with DJ Myth playing the best in Top 100 and throwbacks, Shawn Caliber on MC duties and prizes for best costumes.

• Stone Church (5 Granite St., Newmarket, 659-7700) 7 p.m. Two-day Grateful Dead party led by Stone Dead, a collaboration of New England musicians with roots and associations going back to the Stone Church scene of the ’80s and ’90s, from acts such as Percy Hill, Groove Child, Thanks to Gravity, Trade and others. $25 in advance, $30 day of show, $45 two-day pass.

• The Bar (2B Burnham Road, Hudson, 943-5250) 8 p.m. Ask Alice plays a Halloween bash with prizes for best costumes. The show is sponsored by Witch City Walking Tours.

• The Brook (319 New Zealand Road, Seabrook, 474-3065) 9 p.m. Guest DJ Sickick spins modern tracks. Prizes for best costume.

Saturday, Oct. 26

• American Legion Post 3 (11 Court St., Nashua, facebook.com) 7 p.m. DJ Bernie D of Perfect Entertainment spins, with prizes, food, dancing and fun.

• American Legion Post 70 (169 Walton Road, Seabrook, facebook.com) 7 p.m. Halloween party with costumes, contests and music from the Ghost Riderz.

• American Legion Post 8 (640 Central Ave. , Dover, 742-9710) 7 p.m. Stiletto, a tribute act dedicated to ’80s hard rock, performs at a 21+ event.

• Auspicious Brew (1 Washington St., Dover, 953-7240) 8 p.m. Halloween kickoff party with Tysk Tysk Task, 2000’s and Regals, $10 at the door.

• Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165) 6 p.m. Spirit to Spirits – Intuitive Medium Jessica Moseley conducts a group medium reading, offered with a wine tasting. Ticket includes a seat at the reading, calling forward anyone in spirit who would like to communicate with their loved ones in the audience. $45, 21+.

• Black Swan Inn (354 W. Main St., Tilton, eventbrite.com) 7 p.m. Experience the history of spiritualism and a Victorian magic show by magician Michael OJ. Learn about the era’s magic, turn-of-the-century psychics and the ongoing conflict between magicians and spiritualists. Hors d’oeuvres and spirits included. $70.

• The Castle on Charles (19 Charles St., Rochester, facebook.com) 7 p.m. Halloween Latin dance party with cash bar and light snacks. Cocktail hour at 7 p.m., beginner bachata lesson by Anita Augustyniak at 8 p.m. with salsa and bachata dancing from 8:30 until 11 p.m. $20.

• Castleton Banquet and Conference Center (58 Enterprise Drive, Windham, eventbrite.com) 7 p.m. Halloween costume gala, supporting Less Leg More Heart (charity supporting amputees), with dinner, dancing and silent auction. $100 and up.

• Chop Shop (920 Lafayette Road, Seabrook, 760-7706) 8:30 p.m. 15th Birthday Halloween Bash with Casual Gravity and Bulletproof.

• Derryfield (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880) 7 p.m. Mugsy is joined by D-Comp for the Halloween Monster Bash. Come in costume. Prizes for best overall, most creative and honorable mention. $30 at eventbrite.com. 21+ event.

• The Farm Bar & Grille (1181 Elm St., Manchester, facebook.com) 7 p.m. Spooktacular Halloween bash hosted by local rugby club.

• Feathered Friend Brewing (231 Main St., Concord, 715-2347) 5 p.m. Halloween party with Andrew North & The Rangers, all ages, free show.

• High Octane Saloon (102 Watson Road, Laconia, 527-8116) 8 p.m. Mugshot Monday performs at this bash, with costume prizes for sexiest, scariest, best group, funniest, and best overall ($100 for that one).

• Keys Piano Bar (1087 Elm St., Manchester, keysmanch.com) 6 p.m. Witches Brew & Booze Crawl, with a craft cocktail at each stop. Kickoff at Keys Piano Bar (wristband pickup), Wild Rover at 7 p.m., McGarvey’s at 8 p.m., Bad Burger at 9 p.m. and finish at Bar Code at 10 p.m. $15, costume required.

• Liquid Therapy (16 Court St., Nashua, [email protected]) 7 p.m. Souhegan Valley Rotary Club Halloween Party and Karaoke Contest with prizes for best costume and singer, $25.

• Lynn’s 102 Tavern (75 Derry Road, Hudson, 943-7832) 7 p.m. Done By 9, with one member dressed as Monopoly Man, performs, with prizes for best costumes.

• Marker 21 (33 Dockside St., Wolfeboro, facebook.com) 7 p.m. Small Town Stranded will appear in costume as the X-Men, playing an extensive repertoire of cover songs, and there will be a contest for guests too.

• McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Court, Manchester, 622-6159) 7 p.m. Come in costume and join The Morning Buzz at the resort’s Hill Bar & Grille for the Buzz Brews & Boos Halloween Party (21+). $45 at ticketscandy.com, includes appetizer buffet, DJ, Halloween contest, games and prizes.

• Michael’s Bar & Grill (8 Stiles Road, Salem, michaelsmarketllc.com) 6 p.m. Halloween dinner with costume prizes, music videos, trivia. $40.

• MoJo’s West End Tavern (100 Albany St., Portsmouth, facebook.com) 6 p.m. 4th Annual Two Brothers Halloween Party with DJ NBD. Wear a costume to unlock drink specials.

• Newport Opera House (20 Main St., Newport, 863-2412, newportoperahouse.com) will host a 21+ Halloween Masquerade Dance with music by Last Kid Picked, from 8 p.m. to the stroke of midnight. Prizes awarded for best costumes in different categories. Cash bar. Tickets are $25 in advance, and $30 at the door, while they last.

• Mount Washington Cruises (211 Lakeside Ave, Laconia, 366-5531, cruisenh.com) will hold a Halloween Masquerade Cruise from 6 to 9 p.m., leaving from Weirs Beach. This 21+ costumed event will be a three-hour cruise with a buffet dinner, live entertainment, seasonal snacks and a costume contest. Tickets are $72.

• Par28 (23 S. Broadway, Salem, par28.com) 6 p.m. Halloween costume party with DJ, games and gift card for winners.

• Portsmouth Gas Light (64 Market St., Portsmouth, portsmouthnhtickets.com) 8 p.m. Halloween party in the third-floor nightclub with DJ Koko P, $500 prize for best costume, $25.

• Press Room (77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, eventbrite.com) 8:30 p.m. Skunk Sessions Halloween Psychedelic Circus with the Liquid Light Brothers and special guests Justin Lopes (keys), Henley Douglas (sax) and Yahuba Torres (percussion). $20.

• Rockingham Ballroom (22 Ash Swamp Road, Newmarket, portsmouthnhtickets.com) 7 p.m. DJ/KJ Magic spinning funk, groove, R&B, pop tunes and requests. Karaoke after 10 p.m. Costume prizes include cash for best couple. Signature Witch’s Brew drink included with ticket (21+). $15

• Saddle Up Saloon (92 Route 125, Kingston, 347-1313) 8 p.m. All That ’90s plays covers at a decade-themed costume bash.

• Sayde’s (136 Cluff Crossing, Salem, 890-1032) 7 p.m. Big Blue Sky returns to provide the music. Dress-up encouraged but optional; there will be prizes for best costumes.

• Shooters Pub (6 Columbus Ave., Exeter, 772-3856) 6 p.m. Tin Palace plays covers at a Halloween party.

• Village Trestle (25 Main St., Goffstown, 497-8230) 8 p.m. Halloween costume party with Bob Pratte Band. Contest and prizes.

Sunday, Oct. 27

• Rambling House Food & Gathering (57 Factory St., Suite A, Nashua; ramblingtale.com) will host Boos & Brews at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $20. “Join Rambling House & TaleSpinner Brewery for a night filled with frights by the fire. Enjoy an evening of storytelling by raconteur, humorist, and author Simon Brooks,” according to the website.

Monday, Oct. 28

• Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club (135 Congress St., Portsmouth, ticketmaster.com) 7 p.m. Scott Brown and the Diplomats perform an elegant Halloween soiree, with multiple costume contest categories. $20.

Wednesday, Oct. 30

• Brickhouse Restaurant and Brewery (241 Union Square, Milford, eventbrite.com) 6:30 p.m. Spooky pumpkin paint night; entry includes one free drink. $45.

• Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) 7 p.m. Jeff Rapsis provides the music at the Lon Chaney Halloween Creepfest double feature, with The Unknown (1927) and West of Zanzibar (1928). $10.

Thursday, Oct. 31

• Alpine Grove Events Center (19 S. Depot Road, Hollis, eventbrite.com) 9 p.m. Halloween singles bash. Come dressed in your costume — prizes for the best ones — and dance to DJ music while enjoying a Halloween vibe. $12–$29.

• Auspicious Brew (1 Washington St., Dover, 953-7240) 8 p.m. Queeraoke with Lezhang Seacoast Halloween costume contest, no cover.

• Bridgewater Inn (367 Mayhew Turnpike, Bridgewater, 744-3518, bridgewater-inn.com) will offer Halloween karaoke on Thursday, Oct. 31, and Friday, Nov. 1, before the big party on Nov. 2

• Chunky’s (707 Huse St., Manchester, chunkys.com) 7 p.m. Halloween viewing party of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, $15.

• Downtown Nashua (eventbrite.com) 5 p.m. Unleash the Night: The Ultimate Halloween Bar Crawl, $14.99 includes two or three drinks or shots (offers may vary).

• Forum Pub (15 Village St., Concord, 565-3100) 7 p.m. Trick-or-treat options for all who show up in costume.

• Keys Piano Bar (1087 Elm St., Manchester, keysmanch.com) 8 p.m. A ghoulishly good time with live music, costume contests ($200 prize) and wickedly delicious drink specials that will keep you in high spirits all night long.

• LaBelle Winery ( 345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898) 6:30 p.m. Spooktacular Halloween party with DJ from Get Down Tonight Entertainment spinning Halloween tunes. Enjoy appetizers, snacks and desserts included in your event ticket, and a full cash bar will be available all night. A special prize will be awarded for the best Halloween costume. $47.

• Porkbarrel Productions (1324 Lovell Lake Road, Wakefield, eventbrite.com) 6 p.m. Backyard Boulderdash with The Boneheads and the Wooden Nickels. Come dressed in costume — grand prize of $300 and runner-up wins $100, as judged by the headliners. $15.

• Press Room (77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, eventbrite.com) 9 p.m. Dan Blakeslee’s alter ego Doctor Gasp performs with his band the Eeks. The 21st Annual Halloween Special with support from Soul Church begins directly after the Portsmouth Halloween parade. $15.

• Stone Church (5 Granite St., Newmarket, 659-7700) 7 p.m. Jimkata is a nationally touring electro-rock band blending heavy beats, hooks built on synth-pop sensibilities, and big anthemic guitars to create music with both modern and timeless appeal that combine the organic and the electronic. P(x3), a Connecticut duo, opens. $15.

• Stoned Wall Bar & Grill (37 Manchester St., Manchester, 698-2049) 8 p.m. Halloween party with drink specials and full menu, 50/50 raffle, bag raffles (six bags with values of $10-$5), costume contests. Best costume voted by customers, most original, colorful/pride filled, scariest, best clown and kinkiest.

• The Big House (322 Lakeside Ave., Laconia, 767-2226) 6 p.m. Luke SkyRocker Karaoke’s 7th annual Halloween party with costume contest. 21+.

• The Rugged Axe (1887 S. Willow St., Manchester, 232-7936) 2 p.m. Axe throwing Halloween party runs from 2 to 10 p.m., with costumes strongly encouraged, drinks specials and a raffle. Reservation at theruggedaxe.com.

• Wally’s Pub (144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton, ticketmaster.com) 9 p.m. 12/OC Halloween Hoedown with Nate Ramos Band and Michael Corleto, $30.

Friday, Nov. 1

• Saddle Up Saloon (92 Route 125, Kingston, 347-1313) 8 p.m. Bite the Bullet plays covers, with prizes for the best costumes in various categories.

Saturday, Nov. 2

• Bridgewater Inn (367 Mayhew Turnpike, Bridgewater, 744-3518) 8 p.m. Halloween karaoke and costume contest.

• To Share Brewing (720 Union St., Manchester, 836-6947) 7 p.m. Queen City Improv will be performing a Halloween-inspired show. $5 at the door (cash or card) gets you in. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Costumes are highly encouraged.

• Wally’s Pub (144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton, 926-6954) 6 p.m. Prospect Hill’s 15th annual Halloween party also celebrates their new EP, Catalyst. Anaria, Red Crown and Chris Drake provide support. $25.

Featured photo: West of Zanzibar.

The Music Roundup 24/10/24

Local music news & events

• Lyrical flow: In a tour that’s a throwback to his roots, Chris Webby stops in town for a show that includes Grieves, Ryan Oakes and Suave Ski. On the Connecticut-based rapper’s latest effort “FSU” — the NSFW title is abbreviated — he samples CKY’s 1999 stoner rock hit “96 Quite Bitter Beings” with Ekoh, who called it “maybe my favorite song sample flip of all time.” Thursday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $27 at aftontickets.com.

• Femme power: An evening of tribute music, Muse – A Salute to Divas of Rock showcases female singers from Janis Joplin to Paramore’s Hayley Williams. A power trio backs Jacyn Tremblay and Lauren Rhoades on classic songs like “Me and Bobby McGee” and Heart’s “Barracuda,” along with a healthy helping of icons including Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and Alanis Morrisette. Friday, Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $39 at palacetheatre.org.

• Lilith returns: Before her song “Angel” helped launch the pet rescue industry, Sarah McLachlan broke out big with Surfacing, an album that garnered a lot of AOR mindshare in the grunge-dominated ’90s and would help the Canadian singer-songwriter launch the all-woman Lilith Fair. At an upcoming show she’ll play the record from start to finish, along with other hits. Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m., SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St., Manchester, $49 and up at ticketmaster.com.

• Vocal sorcery: In a free show made possible by the William H. Gile Trust, Kitka performs a program of traditional singing. For over 40 years the nine-woman vocal group has traveled to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus to gather songs and learn about the traditions behind the centuries-old music, which resembles a more soulful version of Gregorian chant. Sunday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord; request free tickets at ccanh.com.

• Midweek mirth: A finalist at last year’s Boston Comedy Festival, Jessica Levin headlines a weekly shindig that began in 2008, and these days is booked and hosted by comic Sam Mangano. The fortysomething Levin is a North Jersey/Philly hybrid who works regularly in New York, where she’s now based. Her comedy is brash and unfiltered; a bit about trying to get Ozempic is hilarious. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, $5 at eventbrite.com.

Farewell?

Symphony NH conductor’s final season begins

Roger Kalia’s last performance as Music Director of Symphony NH will happen next May when he conducts a program with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copland’s Symphony No. 3, which is often called the American Symphony. After that, he’ll leave to take a similar position with the Terre Haute Symphony, his second such role in Indiana.

Along the way, there’s a stellar season ahead, with many of the Maestro’s favorites. To begin, Symphony NH will offer a heavenly program on Oct. 27, with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Both are meditations on the hereafter, and each will feature a solo from soprano Carley DeFranco.

“It’s always a special event when you can do a Mahler symphony,” Kalia said by phone recently, adding that it is unique in that it will be performed by a smaller chamber orchestra. “Not the typical bombastic, big, super-romantic Mahler … this is more classical, more light, if you will, in character. So it works nicely for a chamber.”

They’ll use a special arrangement composed by Ian Farrington. “Everyone’s a soloist,” Kalia said. “It’s essentially one player on a part in the woodwinds and brass [and] a smaller string section than normally you would have in the original Mahler symphonies; I think it’s about 25 musicians or so … I’m excited to feature the orchestra in that way.”

The rest of the season is equally adventurous. On Nov. 9 a performance of Beethoven’s influential Third Symphony will be a learn-and-listen affair. The evening will begin with snippets from the piece, known as Eroica (“Heroic”), followed by an exploration of its importance as a symphonic masterpiece.

“I’ll dive into it and share insights into what made it so revolutionary and groundbreaking,” Kalia said. “we’re also going to play short pieces from other symphonies of Beethoven, some Mozart … works that inspired the Eroica. I’m very excited; we’ve never done that sort of thing before here in New Hampshire.”

Another unique concert happens next March at Nashua Community College: Serenade of the Winds, which will showcase Symphony NH’s woodwind and brass musicians for the first time.

“Typically, you always have a full orchestra, or you just have the strings,” Kalia explained. “This gives an opportunity to highlight the winds in really fantastic works — the Mozart Gran partita, the Dvorak serenade for winds. We’re also doing the Mendelssohn Overture for Winds, which is rarely performed, and we have a special encore surprise.”

One thing that will be absent this season is the Keefe Auditorium. While Kalia allowed that Symphony NH will miss the Nashua venue’s expansive stage, he’s happy there are other venues that can accommodate big orchestra works, like the Capitol Center’s Chubb Auditorium. He’s also happy to be in newer spaces like the Rex in Manchester, Concord’s BankNH Stage and Nashua Center for the Arts, where they open the season.

“We’re fortunate that this gives us the opportunity to play throughout the state,” he said. “I think that’s wonderful because we are Symphony New Hampshire. However, at the same time, we had a dedicated audience at the Keefe. That is a little bit challenging in the sense that we’re going to miss that audience.”

Finally, Maestro Kalia will bid farewell with a performance that includes one of his all-time favorite works, Rhapsody in Blue, with accompaniment from Chinese pianist Fei-Fei. “I’ve done it with her a few times, this piece,” he said. “She has such an energetic and musical interpretation. I think our audiences are going to love her.”

Kalia is keen to end “in epic fashion … it should be a nice way to close the season and my tenure as Music Director.” He hinted, however, that fans could see him again. “I don’t want to say this is goodbye … I do hope to return again in future seasons and work with the orchestra on a guest conducting basis.”

Symphony NH performs Mahler 4 – Visions of Heaven featuring soprano Carley DeFranco
When: Sunday, Oct. 27, 4 p.m.
Where: Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua
Tickets: $32 and up at symphonynh.org

Featured image: Roger Kalia. Photo by Dana Ross.

Hometown rock

Four-band Shaskeen show

A local band that’s made many quick moves since forming last year is among four acts rocking the Shaskeen backroom in an upcoming show. Hell Beach is a uniquely configured quartet. Former Secret Spirit members Jordan Hill, KB Boutin — bass, guitar, drums and bass respectively — and keytar player Megan Simon play melodic, tightly constructed punk pop.

Jordan Hill, Hell Beach’s lyricist and lead vocalist, began writing songs for the project during the early days of lockdown. His old band was still a thing and would be until an oft-delayed farewell show in mid-2022. “It was just a project for fun, and over time the others got on board with it,” Hill said by phone recently. “Then somebody asked us to play a pretty fun show, and we couldn’t turn it down.”

That was just over a year ago. After a flurry of early gigs, they released the love-hate-love romp “Fits Okay” in May 2023. An eponymous six-song EP came a few months later, and early this year they headed to Nada Recordings in upstate New York to work on their debut album, Beachworld, which they finished at Meade’s home studio in Manchester.

The new LP is packed with hooky tracks. “Meltdown” is a headbanging joyride, while the churning “Poison Mind” is an invitation to sing along to its “I can feel my nerves about to break” chorus. “Another Bogey Breakfast” and “Gory Days” are two more tight, lively and danceable tracks. It’s hard to find a dud on the disc, frankly.

Hill points to a bevy of influences. “It’s definitely that early ’70s punk, certainly the Ramones,” he said. “I love The Clash and I’ve been a huge Green Day fan since I was young; that got me into pop rock. When it comes to more modern stuff, there are a lot of bands right now that we definitely pull some influences from like Wildlife and Bad Nerve.”

Simon’s keyboard contributions add some left field joy — as intended, according to Hill.

“I knew I wanted something weird from the beginning,” he said. “I didn’t want to just do the standard two guitars, one bass and a drummer. I wanted something interesting. I hadn’t thought about a keytar, just someone playing keys and synthesizer stuff. Megan ended up being a great fit for that. As it turned out, they are also extremely good at writing harmonies.”

Hell Beach will be the penultimate act at the Shaskeen, with Rebuilder headlining, while pop punk powerhouse Donaher, whose front man Nick Lavallee booked the show, and Cigarette Camp round out the bill. Hill’s band has shared the stage with a few of them, and he expects a happy reunion

“This is going to be an extremely fun show where most of the people all know each other,” he said. “I’ve known Rebuilder for a long time … my bands have been playing shows with them for years, and they have a Manchester connection because Daniel from Rebuilder is from Manchester. It’s going to be a lot of friends, it’ll probably be packed, a really fun time.”

It’s one more example of a healthy independent music environment, Hill said, mentioning the huge turnout they had for a release show in early August at Candia Road Brewing.

“It was a Sunday matinee, and I just didn’t know if anyone was going to go,” he said. “But it was one of those moments…. Manchester has a scene of people who really support music even if it doesn’t sound like the music that they make or they usually listen to. It’s extremely tight knit, everybody knows each other, and people come out and support everybody.”

Asked what’s next for his band, Hill answered, “I want to start working on the second record…. That’s really what it’s about for me. I just want to write a lot more songs and get them out there. Besides that, I would love to play some new places we haven’t played; we’d love to do some West Coast stuff, and there’s a lot of bands we’d love to play with.”

Rebuilder, Hell Beach, Donaher, Cigarette Camp
When: Friday, Oct. 18, 9 p.m.
Where: Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester
More: kineticcity.com

Featured photo: Hell Beach. Photo by Cat Confrancisco.

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