Author: Michael Witthaus

Live music returns to big venues — carefully

Fueled by rising vaccination rates and the tantalizing promise of herd immunity, the live music industry is more optimistic than it was a year ago. Around the region, however, a haze of uncertainty remains, and a survey of regional venues seating 500 or more patrons reveals varying plans to offer shows in the coming months.

In Manchester, the Rex and Palace Theatres are ambitious, almost booked solid from June through December. There’s more caution at Concord’s Capitol Center for the Arts and its sister room Bank of NH Stage, with only outdoor events planned — at least until New Hampshire eases its social distancing rules for venues like theirs from 6 to 3 feet.

Portsmouth’s Music Hall is taking a hybrid approach, re-launching 2020’s successful Music Under the Arch outdoor concert series while booking regional acts for its Historic Theatre. Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach is selling tickets for nationally touring acts, though it’s aware that those shows might get canceled or postponed.

That’s also somewhat true for Bank of NH Pavilion; the Lakes Region shed is bullish on its plans for national acts like Toby Keith, Dave Matthews Band and Chris Stapleton, betting on New Hampshire plans to allow 100 percent capacity there by July 16, “assuming self-attestation of vaccination” by fans when they purchase tickets.

At SNHU Arena in downtown Manchester, the state’s largest indoor facility, tickets for Nickelodeon star JoJo Siwa are still being sold, but the July 24 date, rescheduled from last summer, might move again. The arena’s next listed concert is Eric Church on Dec. 3; the country singer’s 55-city Gather Again tour is scheduled to kick off in mid-September.

“The chicken/egg situation is still true no matter what confident venue people say,” Tupelo Music Hall CEO Scott Hayward said on April 5. “Unless artists are ready to organize tours through several states and be confident that it’s safe everywhere, they’re not going to mount tours.”

The question of how to ensure the safety of audience members lingers. New Hampshire state guidance makes no mention of a so-called vaccination passport or other form of proof. Verifying such a document was deemed “impossible to do” by Capitol Center Executive Director Nicki Clarke in an April 6 phone interview. “If some other authority issues something” defining enforcement, she said, it might have a chance of working, “[but] we just think it’s a problem on so many levels.” (Clarke, also a member of the Governor’s Economic Re-Opening Task Force, announced her retirement from the Capitol Center after 14 years at the helm on April 9.)

Two efforts born of necessity last year are returning, each bringing a different mindset.

Tupelo Drive-In in Derry was a pioneer in parking lot concerts, garnering national press for its quick pivot from indoor to outdoor shows. It will be back exactly as it was in 2020, with only minor tweaks. That said, Hayward sees an end in sight as he eyes indoor shows for the fall, albeit cautiously.

Not so for Northlands, launched last year as Drive-In Live by the agency that books Plymouth’s Flying Monkey Cinema. With a capacity more than double Tupelo’s, it can book bigger acts. The rebranded venue now has five-person audience pods instead of parking spaces, and its founders envision a life well beyond the pandemic.

Here’s what venues around the region are doing in the coming months. Fans need to be aware that everything is a moving target. Tickets bought for an event in May or June might end up unused until September or October — or even 2022. It’s essential to frequently check websites and social media pages — the latter option seems to be the most reliably up to date.

Palace Theatre & Rex Theatre, Manchester

The wall calendar in Palace Theatre CEO Peter Ramsey’s office is filled with shows.

“We have some 200 events scheduled between June 1 and the end of the year, which is a lot,” he said. “I’ve only got maybe six or seven days free from Labor Day to the end of the year and most of them are Mondays.”

Many are shows that were postponed in 2020, like Linda Ronstadt Experience and KT Tunstall. “From the beginning, we were committed to not treating any artist in an unethical or bad way, so we guaranteed we’d rebook them out,” Ramsey said.

Those include Paula Cole, The Fools and Billy Joel tribute act David Clark’s Songs in the Attic.

Ramsey’s big hope is a five-week run of Mamma Mia! in the fall, at full capacity.

“We were running Mamma Mia! when we shut down and we ended up canceling 15 sold out shows,” he said.

Manchester’s newest venue was sent reeling when the pandemic shut it down mere months after opening. Rex Executive Director Chuck Stergiou promises three months of regular Friday night comedy shows, along with a solid mix of music, from locals like Ally Beaudry and the Spain Brothers to Adam Ezra, Susan Werner and Max Weinberg’s Jukebox, a side project of the E Street Band drummer due to hit town on Nov. 11.

Capitol Center for the Arts & Bank of NH Stage, Concord

While the space was shuttered for the year, indoor air treatment capabilities were improved, hands-free restroom equipment was added and other pandemic-related enhancements were done, so both the Chubb Theatre and Bank of NH Stage are ready when the State of New Hampshire green-lights larger audiences.

For Clarke, reducing the social distancing minimum from 6 to 3 feet would be a critical step.

“Depending on what happens with the guideline situation, if it loosens up a little bit, getting another 25 or 30 people into the Bank of NH Stage makes a difference for us,” she said. “Nothing’s going to change in the big theater until we really can be at full capacity, because of the fees we pay artists.”

Rather than plan indoor events that currently aren’t economically viable, there are plans for an 11-show Sunday in the Park outdoor concert series in nearby Fletcher-Murphy Park, beginning on June 16 with guitarist Joe Sabourin.

Tupelo Music Hall, Derry

After inventing a new business from scratch in three weeks last year, Hayward will again transform his parking lot into Tupelo Drive-In — he hopes for the final time.

“The question is, how long are we going to be outside? We’ve booked through the end of July, but from everything I can see … we’ll be outside in August. I’m hoping I can get back indoors by October, but who knows?”

An eclectic mix of talent is booked, from national acts like Dar Williams, Tiffany and Popa Chubby to local favorites like Truffle, Entrain and guitarist Tim Theriault, who opens the season on Friday, April 30. A May 29 Jon Butcher Axis show will include a guest appearance from Stompers front man Sal Baglio.

Doppelgänger acts appear frequently, beginning with Foreigners Journey May 1 and May 2.

“The tributes attract a lot of people because they are generally bands that have been around a very long time, like the Eagles,” Hayward said. “People like the music … it appeals to parents and kids alike, and they will bring the families.”

Northlands, Swanzey

After a switch from cars to pods inspired by European festivals, the novel venue can sell even more seats for big-name acts like Indigo Girls, Allman Betts Band, Dinosaur Jr. and Smith & Myers, the latter an acoustic side project from Shinedown front man Brent Smith and guitarist Zach Myers.

The switch was made to improve audience experience, Northlands Director of Operations Mike Chadinha explained in a phone interview. “The drive-in was cool in a lot of ways because you’re tailgating at instead of before the concert,” he said, but other issues, such as sight line and sound, negated the benefits. “Someone has a giant truck and the person behind them has a Honda Civic, that’s a little tough. On top of that, I don’t think artists generally want to play to a parking lot.”

Bank of NH Pavilion, Gilford

Beginning with Thomas Rhett on June 3 and June 4 and ending with Toby Keith in early September, there are 17 shows scheduled at New Hampshire’s biggest outdoor concert facility that require fully relaxed guidances. “We expect to be back to full capacity by midsummer, so a very good chance,” the venue responded on its Facebook page when fans asked about whether their tickets would be used.

That said, four “reduced-capacity, socially-distanced” shows are bet-hedgers for the LiveNation property. Country singer Jake Owen appears May 29, followed a month later by an Independence Day weekend run from by Nashville band Old Dominion.

The Music Hall, Portsmouth

The historic downtown theater will take its mixed approach of indoor and outdoor events a step further, with livestreams of socially distanced concerts now available. The focus of those concerts continues to be regional talent that would appear at the smaller Music Hall Loft in different times.

Music Hall CEO Tina Sawtelle is especially pleased with a three-concert series featuring Zack Williams, Rachael Price and Son Little, designed to assist fellow Portsmouth venues 3S Artspace and Prescott Park.

“They were not able to access State of New Hampshire Covid emergency funding as easily as we were,” she said by phone, “so we’re opening up our doors and providing the production team and the front of house team to run those events.”

Proceeds will be split evenly between the two nonprofit organizations, Sawtelle continued. “We’re just thrilled to be hosting it and to be collaborating in a way we haven’t before,” she continued. “We hope that’s a real relationship that is sustained beyond Covid and these trying times that we’re all in.”

The very successful evening concerts on Chestnut Street resume with two shows from Antje Duvekot on May 8, followed by area bluegrass stalwarts Rockspring the next Saturday. Also slated are folksinger Vance Gilbert on May 19 and the duo Crys Matthews & Heather Mae on June 22.

Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach

Beginning with the ’60s revival Happy Together Tour on June 27 followed by the annual SoCal ska show from Badfish on July 2, Casino Ballroom has over a dozen dates slotted for summer. But the reality, Marketing Director Andy Herrick explained by phone recently, is many may be postponed because advance ticket sales already exceed capacity limits.

“The holy grail for us is when restrictions can be dropped,” Herrick said. “No one has a crystal ball, but the fall looks reasonably good, and maybe even summer, with the vaccination rate being what it is.”

The reluctance of big-name acts to hit the road compounds things.

“We’re only part of the big picture, because tours have to happen for our shows to happen,” he said. “We’ll try to stay positive, and keep shows on our website that have a shot.”

Featured photo: Northlands. Courtesy photo.

Bradley Copper Kettle hits the sweet spot

Bradley Copper Kettle & Friends is four longtime high school pals and an older keyboard player from the next town over they call “Uncle.” They play roots Americana with gusto; their sets feature well-crafted originals, along with selections from the hymn book of rock. The Band, Neil Young, Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall” are all in there — the latter done with a funky bottom that sounds like a good ragout tastes.

There’s a guitarist named Brad who plays, sings and writes many of their songs, but this isn’t his band. Rather, it’s no one and everyone’s. On any night, a member of the quintet might step up to the microphone and claim to be the man behind the moniker.

“That’s us speaking to Bradley Copper Kettle as an ideology,” drummer Justin Harradon said in a Zoom group interview recently.

Bass player Andrew Desharnais called the name, beerily coined one night at Cappy’s Copper Kettle in Lowell, “an enigma” — but Brad Swenson, who endured being called Bradley Cooper to the point of annoyance, offered a more succinct defense.

“We’re probably just as confused as our fans are with our name,” he said. “But we love it, so we stick with it.”

BCK&F began in 2014 as a trio — Desharnais, Harradon and guitar player Corey Zwart; Swenson joined soon after. The newest member, keyboard player Leeroy Brown, came on board in December 2018. As a band, they have a knack for sliding into the sublime, pulling a perfect harmony or a gumbo-like jam seemingly from nowhere.

The first awareness that they’d found a special musical connection came on a trip to Martha’s Vineyard.

“Brad was doing some work down there several years back and we just were busking by the port,” Desharnais said. “That’s really where we realized that we sound good together and we should keep doing this.”

The band made Barn, a four-song EP, in 2018. Highlights include Swenson’s reedy tenor on the mournful “Move Along,” and the harmony showcase “Holding Water.” Several other originals turn up in their sets. “Country Mile” is the best of the lot, proving that frequent comparisons to CSN&Y are justified, right down to Zwart’s Neil Young-like harmonica soloing, and lusty layered vocals.

Influences range across the spectrum, from obvious ones like Wilco, Dawes and the Dead to the singer-songwriter canon and more eclectic. There’s even a cover of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” in their setlist. Swenson likes anything with a potential to meld into the band’s special mojo.

“Any song when we can get a three- or four-part harmony, or even Justin to five on there,” he said, “is heavenly at some points.”

Desharnais called what they do “music for the common man,” adding, “none of us are trained vocalists, we’re all just regular guys, but when we sing together and harmonize that’s when it’s magical.”

A show at Nashua’s Millyard Brewery on April 17 will be their first since mid-autumn. Like most performers, they were challenged by quarantine. Swenson lives in Maine, Zwart is in Nashua and the other three remain in the Chelmsford area. Harradon believes time and distance will disappear when they resume playing, however.

“It’s kind of difficult for us all to get together, so we may not even get a full band rehearsal before our show,” he said. “But we’ve all been jamming together since 2014-2015. We’re really confident that once we get back on stage, we’re just going to click and get right back to it. Like we weren’t away at all.”

Bradley Copper Kettle
When: Saturday, April 17, 4 p.m.
Where: Millyard Brewery, 25 E. Otterson St., Nashua
More: millyardbrewery.com
Also at Millyard Brewery Fifth Anniversary Celebration with Charlie Chronopoulos Saturday, April 10, 4 p.m.

Featured photo: Bradley Copper Kettle & Friends. Courtesy photo.

Playing through, and past, the pandemic

If a Concord bar is offering live music, there’s always the possibility that Andy Laliotis will get involved. He’s a member of several groups, and a regular presence at open mic nights. If a friend is playing, he’s always ready to jump on stage and jam.

The guitarist is a Capital City native and musical mainstay, dating back to his early days with Lamont Smooth, a band that marked its 25^th anniversary this year. He’s part of several other acts; currently, they include Grateful Dead channeling Blue Light Rain, the roots acoustic Diamond Joe and Menthol Rain, which formed, then folded, at the end of 2020.

“Covid lasted longer than that band did,” Laliotis said in a recent phone interview. “It’s too bad, man; we were sounding good. Mostly, we were playing a lot of covers. It didn’t work out, but I’ll be playing with some of those guys again soon, so maybe we can talk about getting together again.”

A hunger to play defines Laliotis, and it’s managed to keep him busy during the pandemic. Between Penuche’s Ale House, Area 23, and the occasional Manchester show, there were gigs enough to keep him sane — but just barely.

“It’s been a core group of guys getting together,” he said. “With weather hopefully getting nice and the vaccine happening, there’s hope we can get out there and play more and more. But it’s been a lot of duo shows.”

On April 10, a power trio version of Lamont Smooth will perform at Penuche’s — Laliotis, his brother Chris and Scott Seeley, the band’s original bass player. They’re listed on the bar’s chalkboard schedule under an alias.

“Maybe there’s a little too much confidence in what we can do, but it is limited capacity,” Laliotis said. In later months, “we look forward to getting back at it with the full band again — we’re a six-piece.”

In February the band contributed a 15-minute video to Bank of NH Stage’s Local Band Mixer, part of the venue’s Mud Season Sampler. Concord performers Dusty Gray Band, The Special Guests with Lucas Gallo, Mallory Weiss, Andrew North & the Rangers, Supernothing, Will Hatch & Co, Bosey Joe, Trade, and Ethyric & B.Snair all appeared.

“We had to be in and out in an hour,” Laliotis said, “but it’s actually good to be in there again playing.”

A fresh outbreak of Covid cases in the state caused the cancellation of a scheduled Blue Light Rain show at Bank of NH Stage in early December.

Lamont Smooth will also do an outdoor show at Area 23 on May 8. He’s a big fan of the out-of-the-way Concord tap room and restaurant, which hosts local performers several times each week. Venue owner Kirk McNeil “helped us a lot last summer, booking us a bunch of times with different acts,” he said. “You get so used to playing a lot of shows and when it’s gone, that creative outlet all the other stresses in life kind of build up on you, you know?”

Consistent with his ubiquity, Laliotis will join Jared Steer and Friends a week after the Lamont Smooth show at Penuche’s on Saturday, April 17.

“We’ll be doing Dead and Jerry Garcia Band, as well as other stuff,” he said.

His Dead tribute is in its 13th year.

“I get to make a set list of my favorite tunes, and it’s good to be playing with my friend Rob [Farquhar], who’s the original bass player,” Laliotis said. “When we started, it was supposed to be a one-off gig, but it just stuck.”

Blue Light Rain also provides Laliotis with a chance to play with another musical brother, George — Lamont Smooth’s original drummer and a big reason he found music as a teenager.

“He picked up the guitar and I was around,” he said, “then I started getting more and more into going to shows.”

Lamont Smooth released one album, in 2003, and Laliotis has hopes of returning to the studio for a follow-up.

“There are so many songs we haven’t even touched,” he said.

The band’s eponymous record is on TouchTunes, a digital jukebox that’s in every Waffle House in the country, among other places. It’s surprisingly popular, even now, Laliotis said.

“I get random texts from people all over the country saying that they played it in North Carolina or somewhere else, because it’s in boxes all across the country,” he said. “It’s pretty wild.”

Andy & Chris Laliotis and Scott Seeley
When: Saturday, April 10, 8 p.m.
Where: Penuche’s Ale House, 16 Bicentennial Square, Concord
More: $15 at headlinerscomedyclub.com
Andy Laliotis appears with Jared Steer & Friends at Penuche’s on Saturday, April 17

Featured photo: Andy Laliotis. Photo by Cory MacEachern Ghelli.