Bourbon Street bubbly

N’awlins New Year in Concord

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Mix the effervescent nightclub at the heart of Moulin Rouge with Dixieland style and light it up in a disco inferno for a sense of what will be happening at BNH Stage on the final night of 2024. The Big Easy New Year’s Eve reprises elements that elevated two previous First Night events presented by Boston’s Shuttavac Productions, while adding a few new ones.

The prevailing theme is dress to impress, Shuttavac’s Beth McGurr explained recently. “New Year’s is that day where it’s easier to get people to participate; they want to come out,” she said. “You can come in a tuxedo, a ball gown or in fishnets, and you’ll feel comfortable, fun and vibrant.”

As in previous years, there will be aerialists spinning from above, dancers on the main stage, and Boston DJ BegBick with a mix ranging from ’70s disco hits to Chappell Roan, Dua Lipa, Lizzo and other modern acts, along with hip-hop and house. Also, as a projection screen provides visual effects behind the stage, “interactive cabaret acts” will perform.

“It’s like the French Quarter; Moulin Rouge meets Bourbon Street,” McGurr said, noting that drag performers and dancers will do songs from the Broadway musical that began as a Baz Luhrmann jukebox movie. “The host has that charismatic thing going, with the suit and the little mustache.”

Upstairs, the BNH Stage’s Cantab Lounge will morph into a speakeasy, with entertainment provided by Catnip Junkies, a Providence, R.I., band that regularly does a show called the Bourbon Street Jubilee and bills itself as “the happiest, tappiest and brassiest band you’ll ever hear.”

Their performance is filled with comedic antics, along with tap dancing, tuba solos, group robot dancing, occasional roller skating and kazoo solos, injecting a New Orleans second line spirit into the First Night celebration. “They have a lot of fun with the horns and everything,” McGurr said.

This will be the third New Year’s event she’s done in downtown Concord. The first was the lead-in to 2020, a year she had a number of other events booked that had to be scrapped due to the pandemic. Shuttavac returned to BNH Stage in 2022 to do a Great Gatsby-themed NYE party, and McGurr is happy to be back for 2024.

“When they called me for this year, I was like, yes, 100 percent, sign me up,” she said. “I love the venue. It’s different for that area … what’s really cool is when you open it up and make it a ballroom, it’s got this giant ceiling, these very evocative brick walls and a great stage. And you can change the whole room by changing the projection screen, which I love.”

Party favors and a Champagne toast will accompany a midnight confetti blast to ring in the new year at the event, which is for ages 21 and up. There are two pricing tiers. General admission is $50. VIP guests have access to the balcony and other amenities for an additional $20. Prices for both levels will rise at the door

McGurr hopes to be back, and is considering ideas for a New Year’s Eve 2025 bash, with an eye toward possibly using facilities in Art Alley, due to open in the spring, for the event. “I’m thinking of a Casino Royale theme or something like that,” she said. “We try to change it each year.”

Looking back and forward

Recalling 2024, and looking ahead to next year

By Michael Witthaus

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New Hampshire’s music and comedy scene had a robust year. From start to finish, here are some of the highlights, along with some sad notes, followed by a peek at the year ahead.

In January, blues singer Bobby Rush came to Concord’s BNH Stage for a concert. At 91 years old, Rush is a one-man rebuttal to ageism. He got his start as a thigh- and chest-slapping hambone performer, and the first record he released was a 78 RPM shellac disc.

The vibe continued in February at Manchester’s Rex Theatre, as the annual Winter Blues Festival featured local harmonica player and singer Nick David’s band celebrating a new album with support from some of his Texas label’s other acts. Over in Portsmouth, embattled comic Kathy Griffin played the Music Hall in Portsmouth.

Blending elements of alt-country and harmony-rich classic rock, Slim Volume brought a breath of fresh air to the local music scene, releasing a trio of EPs and playing listening room shows like one in early March at The Livery in Sunapee. On St. Patrick’s Day the rousing Rebel Collective inclusively played Celtic rock in an Italian restaurant.

Four days later, Mike Koutrobis filmed a special at Nashua’s Center for the Arts, a high point for the hometown comic.

The laughs continued in April as Daniel Sloss brought his edgy act to Laconia’s Colonial Theatre. Few can challenge an audience like the British comedian.

Carole King’s Beautiful ran through most of May at Manchester’s Palace Theatre, continuing a year-long theme, musicals centered on pop and the classic rock era. The Palace also had the ABBA/Disco revue Dancing Queens in January and the gritty Jersey Boys (also done by two other theater companies) in November.

Bike Week roared back to the Lakes Region, along with music, as karate-kicking blues rocker James Montgomery’s band played during the June event. The summer shed season got in gear at Bank of NH Pavilion, highlighted by Hootie & the Blowfish and Collective Soul bringing a ’90s vibe.

Badfish played its traditional Fourth of July concert at Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach. In the wake of a Sublime reunion at Coachella, they’re mixing more original songs into the tribute act. Nantucket comic Brian Glowacki brought standup to Beans & Greens in Gilford for the first time.

Yoga, sustainability and music returned to Hillsborough in August as the Barefoot Festival’s second iteration happened. Jimmy Dunn’s Hampton Beach Comedy Festival is in its second decade; Dunn hung with his comedian pals and also celebrated his second season with the Frasier reboot.

Triptych, a collaboration between guitarist Stephane Wrembel and pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, brought instrumental mastery to UNH in September, while percussive guitarist Senie Hunt played acoustic and electric tunes on a short tour and then headed back to Nashville.

In October, Everclear sold out the Music Hall with fellow ’90s stars Marcy Playground and Jimmy’s Chicken Shack, and Todd Rundgren explained why he’s indifferent to his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame prior to a Nashua show. Hell Beach made one of the year’s best albums, Beachworld, and played it during a raucous Shaskeen show.

November began with Beatles disciple Moon Walker at BNH Stage and continued with Willie Nile rocking the Rex while showing that he’s every musician’s favorite musician for a reason. A year to the day after he headlined Nashua Center for the Arts for the first time, Drew Dunn was back. Later, the Nashua native hit the road with Dane Cook — again, again.

“I have learned a lot watching and working with Dane over the past few years,” Dunn wrote on Facebook. “I am feeling more inspired and motivated than ever in this comedy pursuit. We always have a great time on tour, and I am lucky to call a guy I grew up listening to my friend.”

December began with a reminder of New Hampshire’s wealth of talent, as the winners of a talent contest sponsored by New Hampshire Music Collective performed a showcase at BNH Stage. The venue was good to NHMC all year long, with a few sold-out shows and regular crowds for its monthly series in the venue’s lounge.

Overall highlights in 2024 included the opening of Pembroke City Limits, a listening room, bar and restaurant launched by music maven Rob Azevedo. Six months in, it’s doing great. “We have been blown away by the response,” Azevedo said in December, “Not only to the incredible talented musicians, but our dedicated audiences have exceeded our expectations.”

Another new venue on the scene is Milk Street Studio in Dover, launched by musician and entrepreneur Kurt Eddins, with help from reggae guitarist/songwriter Sebastian Franks and custom guitar builder John Ayer. Shows began there during the summer and several are scheduled in the New Year.

Finally, the regional music community was stunned by the death of Brooks Young at age 42. The blues rock guitarist was in the middle of a string of successes, including tours with George Thorogood, Sammy Hagar and other rock greats, when his car was hit head-on in Alton on the morning of Nov. 8.

In other sad music news, beloved singer/songwriter Dave Mallett passed away on Dec. 17; he was 73. The Maine native performed regularly in New Hampshire. His “Garden Song (Inch By Inch)” was covered by Peter, Paul & Mary and Pete Seeger. Marty Stuart, Kathy Mattea, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, and Hal Ketchum also recorded his songs.

The Music Roundup 24/12/26

By Michael Witthaus

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Jazzy time: Recover from the holidays with the Hall of Mirrors, an improvisational jazz quartet led by guitarist Randy Roos, who’s received Emmy nominations for his television scores. With piano player Steve Hunt, bassist Mike Rossi and Tim Gilmore on drums, their musical telepathy has been described as “spontaneous composition rather than free jazz.” Thursday, Dec. 26, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith, $15 and up at eventbrite.com.

In harmony: Though it’s an ambitious if not impossible tribute task, Forever Simon & Garfunkel does an impressive job. Sean Altman (Rockapella) met Jack Skuller when he was a teenager; they sang “Mrs. Robinson” together and found an immediate chemistry. The show traces the history of the duo from their “Hey Schoolgirl” debut through “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Friday, Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $35 and up at palacetheatre.org.

Tribute power: For a sense of how convincingly Rotten Apple: A Tribute to Alice In Chains does its job, listen to praise from people like Chad Olech, a front-of-house engineer who toured with AIC in the late 2000s. “Brings back the feeling of being at one of those amazing shows,” he said. The band performs on a double bill with Manchester rockers Chasing the Devil. Saturday, Dec. 28, 9 p.m., Angel City Music Hall, 179 Elm St., Manchester, $20 at eventbrite.com.

Year ending: Three nights of music from Boston supergroup Neighbor includes a pair of brunches and culminates with a big New Year’s Eve bash. Sunday, Dec. 29, through Tuesday, Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, $40 at portsmouthnhtickets.com.

Impractical laughs: Fittingly, comedian Joe Gatto called his first special Messing With People, since he rose to fame with the Candid Camera stepchild Impractical Jokers. Since leaving the show a few years ago, he’s hosted the Two Cool Moms podcast with fellow comic Steve Byrne and written a children’s book, Where’s Bearry? A local show caps a three-month tour. Monday, Dec. 30, 7 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $30.75 and up at ccanh.com.

Light up the season

LaBelle Winery’s lights display glows with holiday cheer

Created during the pandemic as a way to provide socially distanced family fun, LaBelle Lights enters its fourth year bigger and better. Newly added is The Treehouse, a big glowing box that looks like twisted birch branches made of spun sugar. It’s a beacon for the Derry location of LaBelle Winery and a great Instagram photo spot that’s located right at the holiday trail’s start.

Along with other new display pieces like the caterpillar-shaped Blizzard Bend and more glowing evergreens dotting the Forest of Trees are new events and attractions to carry the holiday spirit into the new year. Perennial favorites like the twinkling giant teddy bear and ornament-shaped Proposal Ball still remain.

There are expanded food options.

“People like to eat along the way,” Michelle Thornton, the winery’s Marketing Director, said recently. “We have Santa’s Snack Shack, which is grab and go, and LaBelle Market, which looks like a French market all decorated for Christmas. They have cookies that are the size of a human head, I mean, they’re huge.”

Themes change weekly, and as Christmas passes the soundtrack moves from “Here Comes Santa Claus” to “Sleigh Ride” and “Winter Wonderland.” Upcoming is Crazy Holiday Hats week, where guests are encouraged to show off wild, wacky and holiday-appropriate headgear.

Frozen Costume Week happens Dec. 26 through Dec. 29 and includes a ticketed event on the first day. Ice Princess Party is a dress-up affair for youngsters that offers a dance party with cocoa and characters such as Snow Sister and Ice Boy, live story time and a puppet show. A meet and greet at the end provides ample photo opportunities.

A stroll through the glowing displays after is included with the $44 ticket ($34 for ages 2 through 10). “What’s so fun about this,” Thornton said, “is after kids are done engaging with characters, they can go right over to LaBelle Lights and walk through it in their costumes.”

Grown-ups will enjoy Flannel Week, which starts on New Year’s Eve, followed by ’80s Ski Week with retro winter gear encouraged. The final week of the attraction has WinterFest, celebrating all things related to the season, before LaBelle staff takes down everything and begins planning for next time.

Winery founder Amy LaBelle came up with the idea of transforming their golf course for winter, and nurtures it like it’s her own Disney World. “That’s Amy … anything that brings joy and makes memories, those things are part of her personal mantra,” Thornton said. “When she presented it to our leadership team, we all went, sure, we can do that, and then we had to figure out how, [but] we’re really good at taking a concept and bringing it to life.”

Thornton mentioned that families on a budget should be aware of Twinkle Tuesday. “That’s half price for everyone,” she said. “That was also Amy’s idea; she wanted it to be affordable for everyone. If someone was concerned about pricing for any reason, we created a whole night for them that’s the same exact experience — but it’s half price.”

Anyone looking to extend the experience can reserve an age-specific swag bag while booking tickets, but they’re quite popular. “They sell out,” Thornton said. “We’re making them constantly.” For the kiddos, the canvas tote bag has a light-up bulb necklace and holiday wand along with light-enhancing 3D glasses. Adults get a logoed winter beanie and a set of hand warmers, a glowing holiday ornament and a $5 market voucher.

For a few more days, attendees can also book a Santa Photo Experience. “Instead of getting your photo at the mall, you can get it in this environment, which is probably a lot less crazy,” Thornton said. “It’s very festive … you’re seeing Santa and then the kids get to let loose and go through the lights.”

The Music Roundup 24/12/19

Local music news & events

Celebration time: Time again for the annual Buzz Ball, with the one constant being Greg & the Morning Buzz offering laughs and pickup band The Velvet Elves providing the soundtrack. From that point on anything can happen, with special guest musicians, comedians and actors teaming up for holiday-themed entertainment benefiting the Lend a Helping Can charity. Thursday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $58.75 at ccanh.com.

Country holiday: There are many seasonal events on tap this week, including Sara Evans; her 21 Days of Christmas is in town. The show includes reverent renditions of standards like a “Silent Night” that one critic recently enthused “could rattle the stained glass in just about any church.” ” Friday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $59 and up at etix.com.

Brassy bash: Continuing the holiday mood is dinner and dancing with music from the NH Jazz Orchestra. Cocktails will be served at six, with dinner starting a half hour later. Then the Skip Poole-led big band takes over for an evening of Swingin’ Yuletide sounds played by musicians who’ve worked with stars like Mel Tormé, Rosemary Clooney and Johnny Mathis. Saturday, Dec. 21, 6 p.m., Murphy’s Taproom & Carriage House, 393 Route 101, Bedford, $30 at eventbrite.com.

Funny guy: Enjoy standup comedy in a venue designed for it as Kyle Crawford holds forth. A fixture on the regional scene for over 15 years, Crawford has performed with national stars Jim Florentine, Jim Norton and Gary Gulman. He was a first runner-up in New Hampshire’s Last Comic Standing, and was also twice featured on Comcast’s Comedy Spotlight. Saturday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m., Headliners at The Doubletree, 700 Elm St., Manchester, $20 at headlinersnh.com.

So good, so good: A Neil Diamond tribute act led by singer Michael Anthony, Tru Diamond performs an afternoon holiday concert at an area winery. The show will also include hits like “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue” and the Red Sox mid-inning anthem “Sweet Caroline.” The five-piece band is considered one of New England’s best at channeling the Diamond sound. Sunday, Dec. 22, 2 p.m., LaBelle Winery, 345 Route 101, Amherst, $15 and up at labellewinery.com.

December Project

A wintry afternoon with Mary Fahl in Concord

Most musicians find their way to making a Christmas album, but for singer Mary Fahl, holiday tunes triggered thoughts of shopping mall sound systems assaulting her senses. When Fahl finally released Winter Songs and Carols in 2019, it was because she’d found a collection of songs that suited her idea of the season.

The are nods to tradition like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “What Child is This,” along with the haunting medley of “O Holy Night/Silent Night.” The rest of the record is best listened to while sipping cocoa and staring pensively out the window at a snowy horizon.

As an interpreter, Fahl is in a class by herself, breathing new meaning into Joni Mitchell’s “Urge For Going.” She reshapes Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time is Here” into an evocative blend of hope and wistfulness, commands the operatic “Ave Maria,” as she does songs from Sandy Denny, Leonard Cohen, and the 19th-century chestnut “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

Fahl explained by phone the day after Thanksgiving that the album came about for selfish reasons. Recently reading Rick Rubin’s book On Creativity validated her decision, she added. “He said, you have to do things for yourself, not anybody else, just you. That’s why I made that Christmas record … and it ended up being my favorite that I’ve ever done.”

In the spirit of the season, a Dec. 15 show at Concord’s BNH Stage will feature the disc while also drawing from a catalog reaching back to her days with October Project. The early ’90s band hit with songs like “Bury My Lovely” and “Return to Me,” but when their label dropped them in 1996, she left.

“I knew I had another destiny,” she said. “I had to make my own mistakes and grow … try different things. They went their way, and did what they wanted. It all worked out in the end.” Fahl then spent the rest of the decade developing her skills as a songwriter — new and unfamiliar territory for the singer.

“It was terrifying … and I was determined,” she said. “You have to have the courage to be bad at something, and my first few songs weren’t good. But it’s a muscle, and you learn to use it. I got some great tips. I started writing with other very good writers, like Ramsey McLean, who wrote all the lyrics for the early Harry Connick records.”

McLean told Fahl to keep notebooks, because any scrap of thought might be a building block. “He also taught me that even if a song is bad, save it, keep it, because you can harvest it for parts later.” She began weekly writing sessions with another songwriter, Bob Riley. In five years, she produced a long list of songs.

In 2001 she was signed by Sony Records to make her first solo album, The Other Side of Time. Her audition happened a few days after 9/11 in midtown New York City. It was a magical experience that included an impromptu performance of an aria, a request by one of the suits sitting in the boardroom.

She’d learned it years earlier, while trying to not think about her poverty and a brutally hot city summer. “I was just out of college, teaching myself some Pavarotti,” she said. “There was no air conditioner, and it’s sad, I had two broken television sets, one with sound and one with a picture. If you turned them on at the same time, you could watch.”

The youngest in a family of music-loving siblings, Fahl taught herself to sing, inspired by her sister’s Dusty Springfield and Petula Clark records, one brother’s Bob Dylan and another’s prog rock — the Moody Blues and Pink Floyd. She’d later record her own version of the classic album Dark Side of the Moon.

The lack of formal training did not keep Fahl from finding her place as a singular vocalist who puts a unique stamp on everything she performs, even classics like “Both Sides Now” that have been done to death. “Especially with Joni, you’d better make it your own, you’d better find a way in,” Fahl said. “If I can’t, then I don’t do the song.”

Mary Fahl
When: Sunday, Dec. 15, 3 p.m.
Where: BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $43.74 and up at ccanh.com

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