Author: Michael Witthaus

The Music Roundup 25/09/04

Local music news & events

• Kiss face: Two years ago the band that made Ace Frehley famous played its final show at Madison Square Garden, but the guitarist wasn’t there, along with drummer Peter Criss. Kiss is at this point a vanity project for Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley — the two are readying a Vegas residency — but Frehley is still out on the road, playing “Rock and Roll All Night” and other hits. Thursday, Sept. 4, at 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $75 and up at tupelohall.com.

• Doom town: After two months away from the stage, Churchburn is back playing dark songs. They’re joined by three other New England bands for a night of heavy music dubbed Summer of Doom 2025. Rounding out the bill are Vigil, who released And the Void Stared Back last year, Vacant Eyes — their last LP was 2020’s A Somber Preclusion of Being — and the doomy band Conclave. Friday, Sept. 5, 8:30 p.m., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $20 at the door, 21+.

• Ginger laughs: Raised in New York City, Steve Hofstetter had a father who watched Dick Gregory perform in Village comedy clubs in the early 1960s, so he grew up to be a smart comic. Don’t interrupt his set; Hofstetter’s retorts draw blood before an offender even knows there’s a knife in the scene. Want proof? He has a YouTube page dedicated to heckler management. Saturday, Sept. 6, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $44 and up at palacetheatre.org.

Hands on

Manchester Citywide Arts Festival returns

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

The goal of the week-long Manchester Citywide Arts Festival is not just to increase awareness of the arts so people will buy something to display at home, attend a dance performance or appreciate one of the many murals on the city’s walls. It’s also designed to help folks find their own creativity, and make something with it.

That’s the aim of several workshops happening between a kickoff event at the Currier Museum on Sept. 7 and a street fair on Sept. 13 in front of the Palace Theatre. On Monday at 4 p.m., choose between a free introductory dance class at Forever Emma Studios, the Palace’s youth theater program, and a pottery wheel demonstration at nearby Studio 550.

On Tuesday, there are two morning events at Rhythm & Roots on Hanover Street: Hatha Yoga at 10:30 a.m., and Dance Cardio: Move & Groove at 11:30 a.m. In the evening there’s a Beginner Ballet for Adults class happening at Dimensions in Dance at 84 Myrtle St.

Dimensions in Dance has a complimentary ballet class for youngsters ages 3 to 5 the next day, and the DEW Collective will host Explosion of the Arts, a community happening that event coordinator and Palace Director of Operations Katie Lovell is eagerly anticipating.

“They’re doing an immersive art experience where they’re going to be painting a live mural. There’s going to be 16 artists there,” Lovell said by phone recently. “The theme is ‘Dream On,’ and it’s in support of the arts festival. All these artists will paint this mural, and we’re going to use it as a backdrop for the stage at the street fair.”

Thursday evening events include Getting To Know Theatre Dance at Forever Emma Studios, a printmaking class at the Terracotta Room (1362 Elm St., Suite 102) and Intermediate Ballet for Adults at Dimensions in Dance. Friday is packed, with three events starting at 4 p.m. at Studio 550 on Elm Street. Clay Sculpting and Watercolor Painting are both family-centric, while Pottery Date Night is 18 and up. Also, there’s a terrarium workshop at the Terracotta Room.

Folks can get the lay of the land during the day-long Currier event, which will offer local food trucks and activities both inside and outside of the museum.

“They’re having a kind of open house event with vendors and different events,” Lovell said. “You’ll be able to do an art activity, meet local artists, chat with a curator, walk through the museum, do a screening of a film … it’ll just be a really nice day.”

Though a feel-good vibe prevails, this year’s festival hasn’t fully escaped the pain so many other arts organizations are feeling throughout New Hampshire and the rest of the country.

“We used to have a partnership with the Manchester Arts Commission, but due to funding, they’re not active at the moment,” Lovell observed.

The annual Manchester-wide Mural Festival was postponed from its scheduled early August date, then moved to next year mostly due to the decimating effects of the state’s decision to zero out money for the arts. James Chase, who organizes the event, will be in a booth at the street fair to raise awareness of his festival and other challenges.

The Saturday event promises to be joyous, with a full slate of musicians on the main stage, along with vendor booths and food trucks. Funding for the effort comes from the Palace and its sponsor, Red Oak Apartment Homes. Sponsors for the street fair are Auto Fair, Delta Dental and Granite State Credit Union.

Coinciding with the event is a Palace-sponsored Downtown Art Walk starting at 4 p.m. It’s the first in a monthly Second Saturday series. Participating galleries will have flags to signal their participation.

“People can walk around downtown and visit these galleries,” Lovell said. “You can go in for free, and just do a little art walk downtown.”

The Palace hasn’t been impacted by the fiscal challenges facing other organizations, so it’s doing its part to help others that have, she continued. “A lot of people come downtown to see our productions, so we’re really trying to focus on these events and building the community back up to help support all these art organizations that might be struggling.”

Manchester Citywide Arts Festival

Kickoff open house: Sunday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester

Saturday, Sept. 13, street fair music schedule:
Miss Alli 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Melaza Dance 11:30 a.m.–noon
Gus and Jean noon–1 p.m.
Rhythm and Roots 1–1:30 p.m.
Paul Nelson 1:30–2:30 p.m.
Nsquared Dance 2:30–3 p.m.
Justin Cohn 3–4 p.m.

Weeklong schedule: palacetheatre.org/manchester-citywide-arts-festival

Country scrappers

Parmalee plays the Dana Center

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

It’s been a hard road for Parmalee.

Named for the band members’ North Carolina hometown, the group formed in 2000 and spent years finding its sound and convincing the fickle country music industry to give them a look. Then, on the eve of a big showcase for the label in 2010, their drummer was nearly killed during an attempted robbery on their tour bus.

They finally broke through, first when the partied-too-hard single “Musta Had a Good Time” cracked the Top 40 in 2012, then a year later with “Carolina,” which went platinum and hit No. 1. Ever since, they’ve earned country airplay records and built success upon success. Fans can check out their impressive catalog of songs at an upcoming concert in Manchester.

Through all the challenges, Parmalee — singer Matt Thomas and his drummer brother Scott, their cousin, bass player Barry Knox, and Josh McSwain, a longtime family friend on lead guitar — never thought about giving up. The scrappy four-piece was determined to make it, whatever it took.

“We just outworked everybody,” Matt Thomas said by phone from Indiana, the latest stop on their Fell In Love With A Cowgirl tour, named for their latest album, which came out in April. “We didn’t have the goods, we didn’t have the song back in the day. We almost had the song and it got us a little bit further.”

So they got resourceful in other ways. A 2007 showcase in Charlotte, North Carolina, was attended by an Atlantic Records bigwig. “I knew he wasn’t going to sign us,” Thomas said, but he decided he’d ask the exec for advice anyway. What would he do with Parmalee? “He said, ‘I’d send you to work with Rick Beato.’”

These days Beato is a big YouTube personality, but back then he was an insider favorite. Thomas and his mates decided to call him. “I was like, ‘Hey, Rick, we’re this band Parmalee, and we’re coming to see you.’ We played him some songs, and we had one we hadn’t finished. We played him the chorus, and he perked up.”

The song was “Carolina.” When Parmalee finally got their record deal, in 2012, they brought Beato back to help polish it to perfection, and with that, they were on their way. “Close Your Eyes” from their Feels Like Carolina album charted, and 2019’s For You produced three hits, “Just the Way,” “Take My Name” and “Girl In Mine.”

Late last year, one more track from For You hit No. 1, “Gonna Love You,” in large part because of an accompanying video. It recreated the horrific night in 2010 when Scott Thomas got into a shootout with two men trying to rob the band. Given a five percent chance of surviving, Scott was in hospital for over a month, and spent six more months in rehab.

With the clip, the band hopes press questions about the incident will finally ease up.

“It’s easy — if someone asks, we can say, ‘Go watch the video, that’s about as close to the night as we could do.’ It’s pretty spot on for the most part,” Matt Thomas said, adding, “it was good to get that off our chest.”

A month after “Gonna Love You” peaked, they dropped the new album’s first single. “Cowgirl” is starting to get some traction with fans. “It’s in the top 30, and once it hits the top 20, the audience starts doubling,” Thomas said. “You can see it reacting differently once it moves up the charts a little bit.”

Despite their history of hits, the band sometimes struggles with the industry. For example, they’ve never gotten a CMA nomination, one of the reasons Knox once wore a T-shirt reading SNUBBED in an interview. “Cowgirl” was no exception. “You have to get all the partners in streaming and radio to believe in it, even though we’ve had multiple No. 1’s,” Thomas said. “But it’s alright, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

Parmalee with Mackenzie Carpenter

When: Friday, Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Sullivan Arena, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester
Tickets: $35.75 and up at anselm.edu

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Music Roundup 25/08/28

Local music news & events

• Summer ’99: Post-grunge rockers Creed are in town with support from Daughtry, a band that initially was booked for a handful of shows on the tour until Three Doors Down had to cancel. Powered by Scott Stapp’s lead vocals, the Tallahassee four-piece broke through with its 1999 album Human Clay, which contained two No. 1 hits, “Higher” and “With Arms Wide Open.” Thursday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m., SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St., Manchester, $48 and up at ticketmaster.com.

• Rock indoors: End the month with a regional rock showcase as VicesFest ’25 happens from noon to midnight for three days, beginning Friday. Performers include headliners Sygnal to Noise, Trawl, and Vices Inc., along with Scarecrow Hill, Sepsiss, Night Fury, Jonee Earthquake Band and over two dozen more, plus food, merch vendors, and standup comedy from Jenn Rose. Friday, Aug. 29, through Sunday, Aug. 31, noon, The Strand, 20 Third St., Dover, $23 and up at eventbrite.com.

• Blues mama: Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt performs a Lakes Region show with Jimmy Vaughan & the Tilt-A-Whirl Band. Saturday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m., BNH Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, $49 and up at ticketmaster.com.

• Cat’s last: Now 80 years old, Al Stewart is in the midst of a farewell tour, with Derry one of its final American stops. Best-known for mid-’70s hits like “Time Passages” and “Year of the Cat,” Stewart came up in the British folk revival with his character-driven songs, played the first Glastonbury Festival, and once shared a flat with Paul Simon. Wednesday, Sept. 3, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $50 and up at tupelohall.com.

Creative oasis

Avaloch Farm hosts musical weekend

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

Down a dirt road, nestled near what flatlanders would call a lake but Granite Staters know as a pond, is a sleepaway camp for creatives called Avaloch Farm Music Institute. It’s bucolic, with woods, meadows, corn fields and apple orchards, as well as, crucially, 34 soundproofed private guest suites for visionaries to work on their next masterpiece.

Alfred Tauber bought the property in the 1990s as a vacation home. A decade later, he met Deb Scher, and the two began work on a residency program that resembled MacDowell Colony in Peterborough but allowed space for interdisciplinary collaboration on new projects, Avaloch Executive and Artistic Director Ashley Bathgate explained recently.

“The idea was slightly different from MacDowell’s concept in that it was centered around ensembles and artists,” she said in a recent phone interview. “It meant that not just composers or a writer or a visual artist could come, but rather a string quartet or a 13-piece chamber orchestra, sometimes a soloist with a composer in tow.”

Bathgate is a cellist who first came to Avaloch a year after it opened in 2012, and she has returned many times to work on commissions with multiple composers. In 2022 she took over from previous Executive Director Scher and began growing a program that began as a summer getaway into something closer to year-round.

Avaloch now offers residencies seven out of 12 months. Along with an expanded program came facility improvements like the Concert Barn, which was completed in 2023.

“We’re finally able to have public concerts,” Bathgate said, like the upcoming concert from Tanjo & Crow on Aug. 29.

“Last year, they were artists-in-residence,” Bathgate said of the rootsy duo. “They’re going to be here for a week again, and then they’re going to do their EP release, which includes a song that they wrote at Avaloch. So we have all different kinds of shows now.”

A weekend of music continues Aug. 30, as Scott Kirby, Gabriel Donohue and Friends perform an in-house event. “Singer, songwriter, guitarist, storyteller, traveler and road warrior” Kirby grew up in Penacook and splits his time between Kittery, Maine, and Key West these days. Donahue is an Irish-born multi-instrumentalist who’s played with the Chieftains.

Finally, Bathgate will play a late morning concert featuring new works for solo cello and electronics following a Brunch & Bubbles event with apple picking after, weather permitting.

Bathgate’s work is informed by the eclectic mix of artists that come to Avaloch.

“Why I love this job is I also get to take the temperature and have a really broad view into what the younger generation considers contemporary art,” she said. “We had an eight-piece turntable ensemble that came two summers ago, and they were virtuosic in what they do.”

Graphic and digital visual artists have also come to Avaloch.

“We’ve had people who’ve done projection mapping in real time, where the visual component is improvised as the music is played,” Bathgate said. “I do some work with multi-tracking and live processing and electronics in my solo music, but I don’t have nearly the grasp or scope of some of these younger kids.”

Artistic diversity and cross-pollination of disciplines is important to Ashgate, whose resume includes 10 years with Bang on a Can All-Stars, who worked with members of Sonic Youth and Dirty Projectors.

“We were all over the map in terms of collaboration,” she said. “When I came here, that became very important for me to share.”

It makes for a unique on-campus vibe, Bathgate continued. “What makes Avaloch special and where you see that synergy is when you have different genres and people from different backgrounds all together, eating and spending time together, partaking and sharing in the different kinds of music that they’re making.”

This has produced many success stories, along with ventures like the Composers Conference, an 82-year-old institution hosted by Avaloch for the past two seasons, and New Music, New Communities, which pairs young composition fellows with a composer mentor and a performer who premiere a work that they write.

“We’ve had Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, and Guggenheim fellows in residence.” Bathgate said. “Some of them have recorded albums in the pine practice cabin that’s nestled in the woods.There’s been a lot of interesting creation of art. They use the grounds and the fields and the apple orchard as much as they use the facilities and the practice cabins.”

Upcoming at Avaloch Farm Music Institute

When: Friday, Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m., Tanjo & Crow EP release concert; Saturday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m., Scott Kirby, Gabriel Donohue and Friends; and Sunday, Aug. 31, 9:30 a.m., Brunch & Bubbles with cellist Ashley Bathgate (11 a.m. concert)
Where: Avaloch Farm Music Institute, 16 Hardy Lane, Boscawen
Tickets: avalochfarmmusic.org

Indoor party

NH Irish Fest returns to Palace

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

Two shows — one free, another ticketed — will celebrate New Hampshire’s connection to Ireland when the New Hampshire Irish Fest returns to the Palace Theatre. On the big stage, the Spain Brothers, Liam and Micky, host a bill topped by Eileen Ivers with renowned tenor Ronan Tynan, the Screaming Orphans and Mick McAuley.

In the Palace’s Spotlight Room, a free show (reservations required) has a local flavor, with JD & the Stonemasons, Black Pudding Rovers, Marty Quirk and Speed the Plough playing at the top of each hour, beginning at 3 p.m. Since the paid admission event kicks off at 5 p.m., a festival vibe will prevail.

“There will be some overlap between the two,” Liam Spain, who also booked the shows, said by phone recently. “We’re trying to make it more of a festival, having the multiple stages.” At the end of the evening all the musicians will gather to perform a closing song. It’s always a highlight at the event, now in its third year.

Screaming Orphans, a family band, have appeared at all three festivals. The four Diver sisters — Joan, Angela, Gràinne and Marie Thérèse — hail from Bundoran in Ireland’s County Donegal. Their last album, 2023’s Paper Daisies, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s World Music Top 10 and was a fan favorite. “Every track evokes a different feeling,” gushed one.

Called the “Jimi Hendrix of the violin,” Ivers performed a Christmas show at the Rex a few years back, but this will be her first Irish Fest appearance, and Spain is excited.

“She’s a go-to for a lot of contemporary artists that are looking to give that kind of extra spice to whatever they’re doing,” he said.

Tynan first rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the Irish Tenors, branching out to a solo career in 2005, with an eclectic repertoire that includes show tunes, standard pop songs and an occasional faith-based piece. Songs in his recent sets range from “My Irish Molly ’O” to “Send in the Clowns” and “Danny Boy.”

A longtime member of Solas, McCauley is a multi-instrumentalist who plays accordion, melodeon, concertina, whistles and guitar who’s contributed to albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Larkin, Paul Brennan of Clannad, and he played melodeons in Sting’s autobiographical theater production The Last Ship.

The Spain Brothers debuted a new album last year — Bright & Better Morning, their duo’s first — and released a Christmas EP in tandem with a concert at the Rex Theatre with Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki and his band. That holiday season show will be back in December, Spain revealed in the interview.

The Irish-curious will enjoy the complimentary slate of musicians in the Palace Spotlight Room. Speed The Plough began as a duo in 1981, performing regularly at Jearnie’s End in Goffstown, growing into a quartet playing a range of acoustic music featuring fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, pennywhistle and dulcimer. They’re a trio these days, with three albums.

Black Pudding Rovers, who played the Spotlight Room last year, are an area tradition every St. Patrick’s Day. The band features Mike Becker and Ken Wyman on guitar, with Gary Hunter on woodwinds, playing reels, hornpipes, polkas and Irish ballads, along with covers of tunes by everyone from the Dropkick Murphys to Van Morrison.

JD & the Stonemasons are called “New England’s most rollicking band of traditional musicians” and perform regularly around the region, including a show at The Fells in Newbury with Liz and Dan Faiella on Aug. 27 and at the Lancaster Fair on Aug. 31. Marty Quirk is a mainstay at Shaskeen Pub.

Being a musician booking shows, something he’s done for multiple years, gives Spain an advantage that provides lots of benefits to area fans, particularly with the New Hampshire Irish Music Festival’s lineup.

“We’ve known them for 20-odd years, so I can cater to that, make it more welcoming and make it feel like home for them when they show up,” he said.

NH Irish Festival

Eileen Ivers, Ronan Tynan, Screaming Orphans, Mick McAuley, Spain Brothers
When: Saturday, Aug. 16, 5 p.m.
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
Tickets: $44 and up at palacetheatre.org

Free Event – Speed The Plough, Marty Quirk, Black Pudding Rovers, JD and The Stonemasons
When: Saturday, Aug. 16, 3-7 p.m.
Where: Spotlight Room, 96 Hanover St., Manchester
Tickets: Free, reserve at palacetheatre.org

Featured photo: Eileen Ivers. Photo by Tim Reilly.

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