Author: Michael Witthaus

The Music Roundup 25/01/09

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

• Glowing music: Enjoy classical music in an ethereal setting as Candlelight offers Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Concerto in G Minor, along with selections from a few more composers. A string quartet provides the music on a stage filled with gently glowing candles. Thursday, Jan. 9, 6 p.m., Rex Theatre, 21 Amherst St., Manchester, $43 and up at palacetheatre.org.

• American Zep: Amongst a crowded and still growing field, Philadelphia-based tribute act Get the Led Out is praised for its rendering of classic rock’s most bombastic group. Their shows go beyond Zep’s often shambolic live performances, with the group using studio overdubs that never made it into their concerts, including an acoustic set sure to please fans of their third album. Friday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $44 and up at ccanh.com.

• Friendly gesture: A weekly afternoon gathering extends into the evening with Acoustic Dead Jam, a benefit for an area musician facing a wide range of medical challenges. According to his family, Andy Laliotis has spent the past 18 months in and out of hospital, and he continues to fight an uphill battle. The show is a way to celebrate his favorite band and help him out in a time of need. Saturday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m., Forum Pub, 15 Village St., Penacook, more at yourforumpub.com.

• Good folk: Singer, songwriter, guitarist and painter Tom Pirozzoli celebrates the release of his latest album, 21, with a house concert of sorts in a bucolic country inn. Recorded live in the studio, the new disc features Pirozzoli fingerpicking deftly, and lyrics ranging from the playful “Jesus on the Grille” to the poignant, compassionate “What Folks Called Poor.” Brad Myrick opens. Saturday, Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m., Follansbee Inn, 2 Keyser St., North Sutton, $25 at follansbeeinn.com.

• Guitar man: With football season mercifully over for regional fans, Sundays are free again. Scott Solsky is a talented guitarist who’s long been a fixture in the Concord music scene, both as a solo artist and with bands like Trade and J3ST, a trio including Hammond organist Tom Robinson and Jared Steer on drums. Solsky’s most recent disc is 2021’s Home, an instrumental gem. Sunday, Jan. 12, 2 p.m., Pembroke City Limits, 134 Main St., Pembroke, pembrokecitylimits.com.

Creatively connecting

Women of Soul celebrates depth of talent

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

An upcoming showcase will bring together three female performers of varying backgrounds for an evening of community and camaraderie. Each artist will perform for 45 minutes, but the goal of the evening goes beyond music. The event is the first of an envisioned series aiming to celebrate the quality of women’s talent in the region.

Organizers Audrey Drake and Pam McCann hope that Women of Soul will foster a wide range of connections between the musicians and their audience. Drake called the Jan. 11 concert at Pembroke City Limits a “soft launch” in a recent phone interview, adding that the envisioned the series will incorporate storytelling, insights and more along with songs.

“It will include what we’re writing, what we’re working on, possibly collaborations and passion projects,” Drake said. “We want to give a broader perspective of what each person is offering, and what we bring to our music.” Sophie Markey will kick things off, followed by Katie Dobbins. Then Drake, with McCann playing drums, will close the evening.

Drake and McCann conceived the series almost a year ago and revisited the idea many times over the past months.

“I’d say to Pam, ‘When and how is it going to happen? Do we have to have a big plan?’ Then a couple weeks ago I was like, we’re just doing it.” PCL owner Rob Azevedo was on board, having seen Drake and Dobbins perform together there in December. “He’s amazing, he does so much good work in the community, and for all musicians, so let’s jump in.”

Azevedo opened the listening room and tavern, which offers food from Sleazy Vegan, last summer. The Women of Soul event is consistent with his vision for the venue, he said by text recently. “We have such a swath of super talented female performers in our camp,” he wrote. “That is one of the things I am so proud of since we started.”

McCann is both a singing drummer and a visual artist. She’s worked professionally since age 16, including touring with Jonathan Edwards and opening for The Band, and released a solo album, Kinder Enemies. In an email she described her involvement in Women of Soul and praised her musical partner.

“This project is near and dear to me especially as it is in alliance with the multi-talented Audrey Drake,” she wrote. “The idea behind this gathering of curated female artists is to embrace women who are not only musicians but multi-disciplined artists, healers and messengers. A melting pot of soulful offerings.”

An information table at the PCL show will offer artist merchandise and information on wellness services for women, and each performer will be able to engage with audience members individually, Drake said. “There’s music, but what else can we talk about and connect with people on, to really showcase the creative force of women in all aspects of what we do in our lives?”

Drake is involved with a few other efforts, including a Sacred Song event on Jan. 18 at the Gathering Place in Keene. “It’s a combination of singing and what’s being called sound bath,” she said of the singalong gathering. “In some traditions it’s called kirtan; how I do it is a little different. There are more songs that people might be more familiar with.”\

Beyond that, Drake is working on a follow-up to her 2020 album, The Next Best Thing. Her musical influences include Patty Griffin and Lori McKenna, and similar singer-songwriters. “Because their music is so beautiful and it’s so simple and it’s so authentic,” she said. “It’s written from their hearts, and it’s received in people’s hearts.”

Admission to the first Women of Soul event is free. Drake and McCann hope to do five more in 2025, and build their spark into a fire of unity and common purpose.

“You can tell this is kind of playing out in my head at the moment,” she said. “It’s definitely in its infancy, but I’m looking forward to this year.”

Women of Soul – Audrey Drake, Katie Dobbins and Sophie Markey
When: Saturday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m.
Where: Pembroke City Limits, 134 Main St., Pembroke
More: facebook.com/audreyjdrake

Featured Image: Audrey Drake. Courtesy photo.

The art is right here

The inner world of Outer Space

By Zachary Lewis
zlewis@hippopress.com

Outer Space Arts in Concord will be showing the work of Emma cc Cook and Em Kettner in a show titled “Caterpillar” until Saturday, Jan. 18. The gallery is open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Roger Buttles opened Outer Space Arts in 2023 and has an MFA in painting and drawing from the Art Institute of Chicago. He has worked in the gallery world in San Francisco, Chicago and New York City.

“I just wanted something a little more intimate and quiet. People can sit and enjoy the work,” Buttles said. He has his own art studio in a room across the hall from the gallery. The building itself was built in 1854 and was once the residence of Col. Benjamin Grover. Buttles likes to spark conversation with the art he chooses.

“I’m always pairing two artists together to create a dialogue between their work…,” he said.
“These two artists, they didn’t know each other before, but they knew each other’s work, and they both loved it. Emma’s a Los Angeles-based artist. She does all the paintings. And then Em is a sculptor who’s in San Francisco. I actually went to grad school with Em. That’s what feels good to me, the most exciting thing about the gallery is promoting work that I love. I’ve collected both of these artists. A lot of the work that I show are artists who I’ve either collected or really do want to collect. I never feel like I’m pushing things that I don’t fully believe in,” he said.

The gallery is a labor of love that gained inspiration from a former teacher.

“The original idea of opening Outer Space is actually based on one of my mentors from grad school, Michelle Grabner. She was the chair of the painting department at the Art Institute in Chicago when I was there. She lived in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and three kids, and she converted her tool shed and little garage into an exhibition space.”

His mentor untangled an art knot for Buttles. “I’d never seen anything like that before, and it struck a chord with me. It’s been really interesting that art can be presented anywhere, in any space. She became very known for her curating, and she ended up curating a Whitney Biennial based on what she was doing in her tool shed and that is so inspiring.” The Whitney Biennial is an exhibition held at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

But someone should not need to be in New York to experience art.

“I don’t think that art and galleries should be an elitist exclusive thing,” Buttles said. “It should be inclusionary. I love at the openings when people bring their kids and they’re running around. I bring my daughters and my son, and ours are all young, obviously. I want them to be at the openings, because that’s something I was never exposed to as a kid, I wasn’t exposed to any art, so I want that exposure and education for them,” he said.

Many of the artists who exhibit at Outer Space show in those big city galleries as well.

“Em, she’s in a show at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts right now. She has a similar sculpture as this one in the show…. There’s like a gentleness and a specificity to her work that I love and you can see that in some of the ceramics on the wall. They’re very specific scenes.”

As with most things in life, it is better in person, especially with Cook’s work.
Outer Space holds about four exhibits a year; the next one will be in February or March.

Emma cc Cook & Em Kettner: ‘Caterpillar’
When: Saturdays through Jan. 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Outer Space Arts, 35 Pleasant St., Concord
More: outerspacearts.xyz

Featured photo: “Caterpillar” installation. Photo by Morgan Karanasios.

Not fine but fun

Relax and create at Art Escape

Here’s an idea for a first date: Break some glass. Then gather it up and fuse it into a work of art. It’s a great way to loosen up and find a creative impulse. That’s the idea at Art Escape, a Laconia walk-in studio offering everything from shattered glass and glass-blowing classes to working a pottery wheel, clay sculpture, ceramics and splatter painting.

Inviting your Bumble match to spin a clay bowl or paint and fire a ceramic fish not only has happened at Art Escape, but one such meetup led to an in-studio marriage proposal, owner Jean Cox recalled recently. Not only that; the couple later returned to celebrate their anniversary.

“This was his date’s favorite place to go,” she said. “He set it up with us ahead of time, so when she was in a paint class he walked in and said, ‘Will you marry me?’ We got it on video, it was very cool. Then they came back a year later to say, ‘Hey, we’re still married here.’”

Making art and memories is Art Escape’s mission. Cox and her husband, both Air Force veterans, opened a location near Laconia High School in 2007, and moved to Union Avenue 10 years later. The couple wanted a family-friendly studio for artistic creation, as existing spaces catered primarily to adults.

It’s become an intergenerational bridge, much to Cox’s delight.

“I’ve got a grandmother painting with her two grandkids right now,” she said. “It’s a way not only to spend time with the family, but one of the kids has a little ceramic axolotl she’s painting. Ten years from now they’ll look at it and remember doing it with their grandmother.”

Another popular attraction at Art Escape is the Splatter Room, where customers put on ponchos and shoe covers, then get their colors and a paint blaster with cups of paint. They stick the blaster in the cup, suck it up and spray it, not always aiming at a canvas. Jackson Pollock would likely be shocked, but it’s a great place to let off steam.

“You’re painting either a canvas or a shirt,” Cox said. “You literally throw paint at each other, or you throw paint at the canvas. It’s almost like family therapy if you come in with your kids … I mean, who doesn’t want to throw paint at their parents?”

When it debuted, Cox brought her two young sons in to test it out. “My son took a whole bottle of paint and threw it at me, and I was like, oh, this is how it’s going to go. We’re in there for I don’t know how long, and next thing you know, he’s like, ‘Gosh, mom, we never decorated our canvas.’ I’m like, ‘Well, let’s throw some paint on that.’”

It’s also a fun place for adults to unwind. Customers are allowed to bring food and beverages.

“Sometimes it’s a group of girls that just needs time off, since they work all week long. They just come in and hang out and bring wine. I had a group of them the other day. They brought a little charcuterie board, and wine, and stuff like that,” Cox said.

One thing it isn’t is a place for serious artists to work toward having a gallery someday.

“It’s not like fine art, it’s fun art, it’s a place to come with your grandkids or your girlfriends,” Cox said, while stressing that some of the higher-level classes that may seem daunting are surprisingly accessible.

“Everybody walks in thinking, I can’t do this, my project’s not going to look like hers, and when they leave, half the time, they’re better than mine,” she said. “They can customize them, and the projects come out so amazing. It’s nice that they’re going home with something that they can be proud of.”n front of a piece of artwork and whether you love it, or you don’t get it, or you hate it, you still have an opinion about it. It’s really interesting to me that people can get together and celebrate each other, discuss artwork, see where those ideas would come from. Part of my fun and part of my joy is making a space that’s really approachable and that is very welcoming…. So as much as it’s an experiment to showcase the artist, I also want to make sure that the patrons feel really supported and want to come in and check out and see what’s going on at See Saw,” Regan said.

Art Escape
Where: 636 Union Ave., Laconia
More: artescape.com

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Music Roundup 25/01/02

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

• Happy hour: It’s easy to imagine the Foo Fighters turning “Timeless,” a new song from Willy Chase, into a stadium anthem. A co-write with area singer-songwriter Ian Gallipeau, it could be on Chase’s debut EP, Thicker Than Water. He plays solo in a Lakes Region pub. Thursday, Jan. 2, 6 p.m., 405 Pub & Grill, 405 Union Ave., Laconia; more at willychasemusic.com.

• Can bangers: A run of shows to end one year and begin another is a Recycled Percussion tradition. The junk rockers, who rose to fame on America’s Got Talent, ruled the Las Vegas Strip for several years before returning home and building both a business and a venue. There’s one on Friday, three on Saturday and two Sunday matinees (as well as shows next weekend). Friday, Jan. 3, 7 p.m., Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, $39 and up at palacetheatre.org.

• Class clowning: The idea of going back to the classroom takes on new meaning at High School Dropout, as a dozen Laugh Attic comics revisit great literature. The “end of semester book report” includes Derek Zeiba summarizing 1984, Owen Damon taking on Of Mice and Men, and Andrew McGuinness looking at Ginsburg’s Howl & Other Poems, which should be interesting. Friday, Jan. 3, 8 p.m., Strange Brew Tavern, 88 Market St., Manchester, $15 at eventbrite.com.

• Jazz adjacent: Enjoy an eclectic night of music with headliners Mono Means One. Led by five-string bass wizard John Ferrara, the psychedelic prog rock trio what might happen if Stanley Clarke joined Emerson, Lake & Palmer and played most of the leads. Rounding out the high-energy show is local favorites Dog 8 Dog, a female-fronted band with a heavy punk-infused sound. Saturday, Jan. 4, 8 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester; more at monomeansone.com.

• Song crafter: A rustic watering hole is the setting for late afternoon music from Temple Mountain. The well-traveled Long Island native blends deft finger picking guitar with atmospheric vocalizing that recalls moody singer-songwriter Elliot Smith, who he cites as an influence. Lyrically idiosyncratic, his songs charmingly probe the human experience. Sunday, Jan. 5, 4 p.m., Flannel Tavern, 345 Suncook Valley Road, Chichester; more at templemountainmusic.com.

Jason R. Flood Memorial Pizzastock
When: Sunday, Jan. 5, noon
Where: Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry
Tickets: $20 at pizzastock.org

Featured photo: Hand Me Downs. Courtesy photo.

Music for mental health

Pizzastock benefit showcase at Tupelo

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

orst nightmare of any parent and harness it toward helping others avoid a similar experience. Pizzastock began with a spring music festival followed by a winter battle of high school rock bands. It’s since grown to include open mic nights and, in an upcoming concert at Tupelo Music Hall, a multigenerational music showcase.

The organization is focused on assisting families and individuals with mental health issues. The effort was born from what Doug and Danielle Flood endured when their son died by suicide in 2016. Jason Flood was by all appearances successful. He was a recent and newly employed high school graduate, but the 18-year-old had a history of dealing with depression.

His parents did what they could to help. “He wasn’t a typical kid with the typical signs,” Doug Flood said in a recent joint interview. He’d talked with Jason about facing suicidal thoughts, telling him “even though you’re having a good day today … you still need to learn how to cope with the feelings when they come up.”

Danielle took another approach. “I’d ask, ‘When you go to bed and you wake up, what’s tomorrow?’ and he’d go, ‘It’s usually better,’” she recalled. “I thought that it was more of an environmental thing, not as much chemical or an actual disease. I thought he could control it that way. Those are mistakes I think I made.”

During his life, Jason was an avid musician, performing in bands with his Pinkerton Academy schoolmates. When he died, Doug and Danielle created the Jason R. Flood Memorial 501(c)(3) with a mission of “healing through music, connecting with community” and held its first festival in August 2017.

Jason’s band MKAO headlined, along with members of his other band, Floody & the BPs. Several other young performers were also there that day. “It was a bittersweet moment,” the Floods wrote on the organization’s website, “but also a joyous occasion, as Pizzastock raised over $2,200 for the Sonshine Soup Kitchen.”

After seven years of toggling between a festival and a battle of the bands, the format will change for 2025, a reflection of Pizzastock’s universal message. “Each generation has a different mental health challenge,” Doug said. “I thought if [each performer] took a few minutes to describe what mental health meant to them, it might resonate with each and every person in the audience … that’s kind of where this show started from in my mind.”

The show is also musically inclusive. Playing solo, Eddie Sands opens. “He’s been using a lot of high school and middle school kids to open for him in restaurants and bars,” Doug said, noting that Sands is in his 60s. “He’ll bring up one of the kids who’s off in college right now; she’s performed several times with us.”

Heavy metal cover band Oxidized follows for a reunion set. “I’ve been friends with the lead guitarist for many years, and I asked them if they’d get back together for us,” Doug said. “The next band is Lockjaw Smile, which is ’90s adult alternative, like Train or Three Doors Down; they’re all in their 30s.”

The Hand Me Downs follow with ska. They are a core band with a changing cast of musicians. “Our son always wanted to be part of a ska band, that was his favorite music,” said Doug. “His math teacher from middle school, someone we went to concerts with all the time, he’s the one that’s put this together … they’re just off-the-charts good.”

Vermilion closes. The young punk rock band is new to Pizzastock. “They started coming to our open mics last year,” Doug said. “I felt this was a really good way to reward them. Besides, they’re a punk rock band. It’s more my style and what I really like, with a sound somewhere between Hole and the Pixies.”

The Floods are pleased to hear about Pizzastock’s many positive outcomes, but also reluctant to take any credit for them.

“Doug and I, we just think that that’s weird, we’re not used to that,” Danielle said. “Parents of kids tell us, ‘You helped my son or daughter immensely.’ We’re like, ‘We didn’t do anything.’ We have these things, we tell our story, we provide some information. But helping them find their passion and giving them a reason to work through some of their struggles … we appreciate it, we just don’t know how to accept it.”

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know needs help, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or going to 988lifeline.org.

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