Author: Michael Witthaus

Greenery, art and music at Wildflower Fest

Thanks to a decision by her manager, Joni Mitchell didn’t perform at Woodstock, but she did write a song that defined the legendary 1969 festival. Thus, it’s fitting that some of the Woodstock generation’s grandchildren are carrying on the spirit summoned by Mitchell’s words “we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden” on its anniversary date.

For most of his childhood, Griff Comtois remembers Keyes Memorial Park in Milford as a Superfund site, surrounded by chain link fences. When the EPA declared it clean enough for public use, a stone and wood amphitheater was built there. Early on, Comtois thought it was underutilized. It prompted him and his friends to launch the first Wildflower Festival in August 2023.

The Wildflower Festival will mark its third year on Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Keyes Field Stage. Three stellar acts top the bill: Nova One, who appeared at this year’s Newport Folk Festival; Lazy Trail, a project led by Boy Scott’s Emma Willer, and Sneaky Miles, a Seacoast band that performed at the first fest.

The initial vision for that event was “a really cool concert for all our friends and everyone in the community,” Comtois recalled recently. Three bands were booked, but it quickly grew, to include an art fair with dozens of vendors. From there, he continued, “we were like, well, we should also raise money to do something.”

They netted $6,500 in contributions. With it, a pollinator garden was planted near the park’s gazebo. Buoyed by success, the festival returned last year, with more bands and art vendors, and raised enough money to install a meadow strip in the park. Both are regularly tended by a core group of volunteers.

“We all are really passionate about our environment and want to find ways that we can make a difference,” Comtois said. “One of my biggest interests is how can we make the spaces that we already live in more sustainable, rather than all this grass and concrete. How can we blend the line between wild nature and where we live?”

A big list of local acts will perform, including singer-songwriter Lily Soleil, Interstate 10, the Manchester-based duo of guitarist Corbin Sage and singer Kevin Lundstrom, Tin Fish, Portsmouth trio Bird Friend, Vale’s End, Burnin’ Shores, Trash Sun and Born Fools.

Darth Brandon rounds out the performers, and one of its members was instrumental in organizing music for the festival.

“Andrew West is really connected in the local music scene,” Comtois said. “He used to run open mic and different music events at Union Coffee in Milford, so he got a lot of the more local bands from there.”

West and Comtois first saw Sneaky Miles while both were at UNH, and Comtois is keen for their return.

“They really get people moving and they’re so fun to dance to,” he said. “They know how to keep the energy flowing … they’ll bring you really high, keep it going, give you a little break, then bring you back up. They throw a great concert.”

Even more artists will be on hand this year. “Everyone’s excited to be part of something, especially when it supports the environment,” Comtois said. “Every year I’m amazed by how much art they have, how well their stands are set up. They sell everything from stickers and prints to original paintings … sculptures and figurines. There’s a lot of pottery, upcycled clothes, woodworking and crocheted items.”

Comtois didn’t plan for his festival to coincide with Woodstock.

“I didn’t know, but August is a good time for festivals,” he said. But the garden motif will be strong, with a plant sale starting at 11 a.m. “Two hundred-plus plants, and I’d say it’s going to sell out probably before 1 [p.m.], because plant people are crazy. If you want some plants, I’d get there early.”

Wildflower Festival
When: Saturday, Aug. 16, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Where: Keyes Field Stage, 45 Elm St., Milford
Tickets: $10-$20 (sliding scale, pay what you can) at eventbrite.com

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Brad Williams ‘Growth Spurt’ tour hits Concord

Brad Williams was groomed for comedy from an early age. Born with dwarfism, he says getting laughs began as self-defense.

His parents, who weren’t little people, knew he’d face challenges at school, so they sent him with some quick comebacks.

“My dad said, ‘When people meet you, there’s going to be one obvious thing that they notice,’” Williams said by phone recently. “‘Make a quick joke, let them know you’re OK. They’ll pay more attention to you and less to your dwarfism.’”

Performing for a crowd was a happy accident that happened when he was in the audience at comic Carlos Mencia’s show.

“He made midget jokes, and the audience wasn’t laughing,” Williams said. “He was very confused by this, like, ‘What, is one of them here?’ And I raised my creepy little hand in the air.”

Mencia called him up on stage and started asking questions. “Not trying to be funny, my answers got laughs,” he recalled. “That was kind of like the spark that made me go, ‘Ah, man, this feels pretty good.’ I started going up on open mic nights, trying it out. Thankfully, it went well, and 21 years later I’m an overnight success.”

Williams worked on Mind of Mencia while the show was on Comedy Central in the mid-2000s. At the outset, dwarfism helped his standup career.

“Every show doesn’t want just five straight white guys … they want different perspectives,” he said. “I may have gotten some shows I didn’t quote-unquote deserve.”

This grew frustrating as he improved.

“People were like, ‘He’s only funny because he’s a little person,” Williams recalled. “It took a while for people to see past that, and I would argue there are some people that still don’t. You know, I’ve never done a late-night set. So there are still certain entities out there that don’t believe that I’m actually funny.”

While those folks are entitled to their opinion, he’s glad to have success on his own terms, through clips and specials like 2024’s Starfish that fans passed around.

“It was a very organic way of growing the brand, and I’m really thankful for that,” he said. “Because now, people aren’t coming to my show expecting this character that they saw on TV or waiting for me to get to talking about my sex life because I’m with some celebrity. They’re genuinely interested in my perspective.”

That said, Williams always addresses the obvious when he starts a show.

“I’m never going to know what it’s like to be a six-foot-two guy,” he said. “My jokes will always have the perspective of a little person, but it’s great to get those out of the way…. When I walk on stage, there’s a lot of people who are immediately curious. I have that opportunity to be [their] introduction to dwarfism.”

His act includes bits about being a father to a daughter who’s also a dwarf, having a pit bull, and battling with his awful neighbor Carol; he uses her real name onstage. “Probably not the smartest idea for my family dynamics,” he concedes. “I’m a horrible liar, so I can’t go up on stage and say, ‘Her name is Andrea’ if I don’t feel it.”

During the interview, Williams revealed that he’ll shoot his next special later this year in Lexington, Kentucky. His comedy is definitely winning over audiences. When his “Growth Spurt” tour was booked in Concord, tickets for a 7 p.m. Aug. 8 show at the Capitol Center’s Chubb Theatre sold so quickly that a late one was added.

“Thank you to the good people of New Hampshire,” he said, while adding this about his act. “My comedy is like my general personality … very ADD. If you don’t like a joke, wait 30 seconds. It’s going to be high-energy … a lot of fun. I don’t want people leaving and not talking on the way to the car. You’re going to be talking with whoever you came with about the show and things you heard. But the bottom line is it’s going to be fun.”

Brad Williams
When: Friday, Aug. 8, at 7 and 10:15 p.m.
Where: Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $42.25 and up at ccanh.com

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.