Category: Featured Content

A band’s progress

The evolution of Slim Volume

Some of the most sophisticated and mature music in New England is coming from Slim Volume, a Manchester quartet that in four years has grown into a solid presence on the scene. Fans of lush harmonies, layered guitars and songs that suggest many influences but stand out as unique have a chance to see for themselves at an upcoming Pembroke City Limits show.

“Slim Volume is one of the most cohesive bands around,” Pembroke City Limits owner and regional music authority Rob Azevedo commented recently. “It’s as if the band members were all meshed together, sharing in melody and sound. Just a tight, tight band.”

Two EPs released over the course of 2024, Back To You and Big Plans, were both the result of Trent Larrabee and Jake DeSchuiteneer, who respectively play guitar and bass, coming to guitarist Mike Morgan and drummer Jonny Lawrence with mostly completed songs. Early this year, that began to change.

“We took a deliberate approach … to pull back on Jake and I bringing material into the band that’s already written and fleshed out, and we’re going to go toward just organic creation,” Trent said in a recent joint Zoom interview with Jake.

“It’s easier, especially when you have bandmates who are very eager to contribute something unique.”

Jake agreed. The old way, he said, “can deny the other members of the band a little bit of flexibility, and the ability to kind of put in some of their own creativity. Like if someone suggests in a bridge, ‘Hey, what if we went to this change instead?’ and I say, ‘Well, I’m kind of married to this thing that I’ve had since I wrote it.’”

Trent and Jake have a Lennon and McCartney thing going as a songwriting team — the first song they learned together was a Beatles song — but composing as a band lifted their overall sound to another level. Jake credits a big part of it to Mike’s contributions on guitar and the textured, atmospheric sounds that result.

“He’s a very prolific writer of guitar parts that lend themselves really quickly to becoming songs,” Jake said. “The kinds of things he writes tend to be of a different flavor than something Trent would come up with, or something I would come up with. It allows us to kind of run a little wild on it lyrically and melodically.”

This all happened as Trent switched from acoustic to electric guitar and Slim Volume started to move away from the folk rock sound of its early records.

“Electric is just different, it opens up so much more potential,” he said, especially with a second guitarist. “Mike and I are both very careful about overplaying … I think that comes through.”

One consequence of this new “all for one, one for all” approach is that the band is writing a lot of new music. Ten songs recorded from January to April should have been released but for what Trent termed “a series of setbacks with the mixing” that are now resolved. In the interim, they’ve written another ten.

The band’s name definitely doesn’t refer to the number of musicians that inform their sound. There’s a vast river of music packed into their songs. One of the best, “Talk It Over” came after Trent heard “a random boygenius” track Jake sent him, “and it blended with the Vance Joy that I was listening to at the time.”

Another, “Big Plans,” echoes a Beatles song, though not deliberately. “I didn’t instantly think of ‘Dear Prudence.’ Once we were recording it, I was like, ‘Oh, wait,’” Jake recalled. Heck, George Harrison cribbed “Something” from James Taylor, so it’s all good. “A lot of our primary influences are classic rock guys … it’s a pretty big stew between the four of us.”

The show in Suncook is the band’s last scheduled one for a while. They are booked at Concord’s BNH Stage next April. “That’ll be our first time there as a headlining band,” Trent said. “We opened for Modern Fools in January and Golden Oak from Maine the prior year. So we’re really excited for that.”

They also are looking forward to their third show at Pembroke City Limits. Trent encourages people to come out for it.

“If you haven’t seen Slim Volume in a while, this would be a great place,” he said. “You’ll hear a bunch of new stuff and hear how the songs have evolved.”

Slim Volume
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m.
Where: Pembroke City Limits, 134 Main St., Suncook
More: slimvolume.band

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Shopping, Santa and wines

Fulchino Vineyard holds its annual Christmas festival

Fulchino Vineyard in Hollis will host its 14th annual Christmas festival this weekend, Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14. Vineyard owner Al Fulchino described it as “an old-school Christmas festival” and said it is meant to appeal to families.

“I’m confident that it will be fun for all ages,” he said. “There’ll be certain hours with face painting for the children. We will have a free hot chocolate station. We will have Santa Claus for a couple of hours on Friday and then two separate installments on Saturday and Sunday, so basically four hours’ availability of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Everybody can get their picture taken, four hours on Saturday, four hours on Sunday. We have some really wonderful local vendors, so you can do some great Christmas shopping. It’s just always a fun time for everybody. We’ll have fire pits going and we’ll have heated igloos. We have a really beautiful red World War II fire truck on hand. People just love to take photos with it. This is going to be just a fun time, and a chance to kick back.”

Because the festival is being held at a vineyard, Fulchino said, wine will play an important role for the adults in attendance.

“For the price of their ticket, the adults can have a glass of one wine,” he said, “or they can taste four different ones. Usually people choose the glass of wine, because they get a Fulchino Vineyard logo-branded wine glass to take home with them. We’ll have all kinds of curated cheeses and other delicious items for them to sample.”

Fulchino said this will be an opportunity for visitors to experience what a wide variety of wines the vineyard produces.

“This year here on the reds,” he said, “we have one of our biggest wine blends, Celebrativo. We’ll have our semi-dry zinfandel, our cabernet, a lightly sweet pinot noir called ‘603,’ and a couple of others on the reds.” He said the “603” appeals to fans of red or white wines. “It has notes of black currants, cherries and plums, with hints of chocolate, coffee and white pepper. It’s nice and smooth, aged on French oak…. It’s very versatile; it even goes well with chocolate. It’s one we’ve been selling for years and years and years, basically since our inception.”

For fans of white wines, Fulchino said, “we have one called Live Free or Die, which is just beautiful; it’s all about citrus. It has notes of orange peel, lemon zest, grapefruit, a little hint of ginger — all naturally occurring — with a slight amount of sweetness, and it’s got a beautiful bouquet. We’ll have some bianco, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, maybe a little bit of chardonnay as well.”

Fulchino said this will be a good opportunity for guests to pick up wine for the holidays.

“We’ll have a promotion on the wine,” he said, “so people can pick up and stock up at a really good deal.”

Fulchino Vineyard’s 14th annual Christmas festival
When: Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14; visit the website to see Santa times and to select a 90-minute time slot for a visit
Where: Fulchino Vineyard, 187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984
Tickets: $15 for adults, one cent for children through the Vineyard’s website, fulchinovineyard.com

Green thumb gifts

Stocking-worthy plant stuff that isn’t compost

Between mistletoe, holly, poinsettias and Christmas trees, the holidays already have a certain botanical flavor to them. But are there any practical suggestions for houseplant-related gifts? Here are a few suggestions for plant-ish gifts that will be received with a smile.

• 6-inch transparent pots, four-pack ($8 at Penumbra Plants and Gifts, 10 N. State St., Concord, 731-9469, penumbra.shop) There is a growing trend in growing plants in clear plastic pots. Especially when using a soil-less medium like perlite, a transparent pot provides a clear view of a plant’s roots as they develop and spread throughout the pot. Think of it as an ant farm without the ants. Also, a clear pot lets you see when it’s time to move to a bigger pot, before Vincent Van Grow gets root-bound.

• Beethoven, Shakespeare, or baby pots($30-35 at House By the Side of the Road, 70 Gibbons Highway, Wilton, 654-9888, housebyshop.com) We’ve seen plant pots shaped like the Buddha’s head, various cartoon or Disney characters, Greek goddesses, or even Danny Devito, but what about something for the ironic college student on your list? That’s when you fall back on the classics: composers, scientists, or William Shakespeare. (“How is a screaming baby head a classic?” you might ask. Oh, trust me; it’s a classic.)

• Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomiodes) in a 4-inch pot ($13 at Lushes Leaves by Lulu, 55 Lake St., Nashua, 300-8533, lushesleavesbylulu.com)If you are giving a houseplant as a gift, there’s a pretty good chance you’re giving it to someone without a huge amount of plant-growing experience. (While die-hard plant-heads will always find room in their hearts, if not on their window sills, for another green friend, they’ve probably already reached Peak Houseplant.)

So there are some fairly rigid restrictions on a houseplant gift. It should be modestly sized — no potted palms, for instance. You’re looking for something in a pot between 4 and 6 inches wide. Also, it probably needs to be extremely tough. If it ends up on a desk at work or on top of a guest room bureau, it might struggle to get enough light or be watered regularly. And, not for nothin’, it should look cool.

A good choice is a Chinese money plant. It’s a beautiful plant. It has leaves that are almost perfectly round, at the end of long stems. Over time, as it grows, it will drape over one side of its pot, and eventually cascade down it. It likes regular watering, but won’t make a scene if you forget about it from time to time. It likes indirect light, meaning it doesn’t have to go right in front of a window. And once it gets big, cuttings will root easily and impressively in a glass of water.

• Instant Sun Grow Lamp by We The Wild Plant Care ($24 at Fortin Gage Flowers and Plants, 86 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 882-3371, fortingage.com) But what if your niece lives in a basement apartment? How will Orlando Bloom find the will to live? (Actually, there are several popular, almost unkillable houseplants that do perfectly well under fluorescent lighting). That’s where grow lights come in. It is easy enough to put a full-spectrum light bulb in a gooseneck lamp, but even better is a dedicated light designed specifically for plants. This particular one doesn’t have any complicated controls to figure out and sits atop an adjustable step to provide a given plant with more or less intense levels of light depending on its particular preference.

• What Is My Plant Telling Me? by Emily L. Hay Hinsdale (hardcover $18.99, also at Fortin Gage) In Iceland, it is a tradition for friends and families to exchange gifts of books with each other on Christmas Eve, then spend the rest of the evening lounging around in pajamas, reading together. There are hundreds of plant books written for houseplant enthusiasts of all ages and every level, and this one comes highly recommended. The writing style is light and approachable. The illustrations are cheerful. It explains plant care in simple terms, without actually coming out with it and calling you a dummy. You could reasonably expect to finish it in an evening.

Especially in Iceland, where a December evening might last 18 hours.

Featured photo: Beethoven, Baby, Shakespeare pots. Photo by John Fladd.

Forge to table

Uncommon cutlery at North East Artisan Knife Show

There’s a world of difference between knives bought at the mall, even ones with hard to pronounce brand names, and the cutlery to be found at the upcoming North East Artisan Knife Show. One might need to be replaced a year or two after it’s purchased, while the handmade blades on offer at this event should last a lifetime — or more.

Happening Dec. 13 at Jewel Music Venue in Manchester, the show is the creation of Shannon Cothran — people call him Bear. For 10 years his one-man company Old World Ironworks has made heirloom-quality knives for camping, hunting, woodworking, historical reenactment and food preparation.

The latter is a guiding philosophy for Bear.

“I try to focus predominantly on kitchen knives, things that are going to appeal to home chefs, food enthusiasts,” he said by phone recently. “I like the idea that I can make something someone may find beautiful … to use to create something that sustains, nourishes and brings joy.”

More than 75 vendors will be on hand at the all-day gathering, showing off wares that cover a wide range of uses. For example, Benjamin Williams’ Rock Maple Forge, in Burlington, Vermont, makes not only historically accurate seax knives used by English Saxons in the ninth and 10th centuries, but also hardwood-handled kitchen cutlery and other blade types.

Apprentice Alex’s Anachronistic Armory is a Manchester forge that, as the name implies, preserves the past with absolute precision. Alex Silverman has smithed for the past seven years, along the way competing on the History Channel reality series Forged in Fire in 2022.

“He really hyper-focuses on … reproducing swords, daggers, hunting spears, things like that, in the quality and style that you would have seen carried historically by your everyman,” Bear said. “It’s a very realistic look at something that we’ve glorified in modern media and zeitgeist.”

Another forge at the show will be Anger Knives of Johnson, Vermont. It’s run by Nick Anger, a bladesmith, woodworker, chemist and metallurgist who specializes in customer Damascus steel knives that are both functional and lovely. His other interesting pieces include an axe and a trident, but neither is made for cosplaying.

That’s because most pieces at the show will cost hundreds of dollars, though Bear is bringing a few entry-level items and expects others to as well.

“We have a run of patterns designed that we then either water jet or plasma, then we do the hand grinding, finishing and hand hilting,” he said of the ready-made pieces. “So you’re not paying for the forge time as well.”

The show will be fun even for those who might not be ready to jump into collecting. It’s an opportunity to learn about the process of creating these sharp-edged works of art, from the creators. That said, Christmas is near, and this is the place to find a special tool that stands apart from everything else in an ordinary arsenal of kitchen tools.

“This is going to be an opportunity to meet some incredible artists who are working locally, an opportunity to support a local economy, and the chance to grab something that may or may not ever be able to be picked up again,” Bear said. “A lot of these pieces are one of a kind.”

Though there are plenty of events with knives, like Renaissance Faires, gun shows and hunting and fishing, this will be the first time they’ll have the spotlight in the region.

“Aside from a few shows that are predominantly collector-focused, with a lot of antiques or military and a smattering of artisan knives in there,” he said, “we don’t really have, to the best of my knowledge, any shows in New England that are specific to artisan knives.”

Bear particularly enjoys the artisan knife community’s eclectic makeup, and its sense of purpose.

“It transcends social class,” he said. “At any artisan knife show, you will be in a true American melting pot. Because these are tools that have defined human history and are ubiquitous across time, culture, language, everything. One of the things that brings us together is the human ability to make tools. You get to see people who are making tools that go beyond function into art.”

North East Artisan Knife Show
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester
Tickets: $10 at gopassage.com ($5 youth, $20 family of four)

Featured photo: Symphony NH Brass, 2024. Courtesy photo.

This Week 25/12/11

Thursday, Dec. 11

Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown attempts to answer the perennial question of which British band was the greatest ever. Two renowned tribute bands, Abbey Road and Satisfaction – The International Rolling Stones Show, face off at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) tonight at 7:30 p.m. to find out, with special guest musicians, the Concord High School String Quartet. Tickets start at $54.

Thursday, Dec. 11

The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) presents David Benoit’s Charlie Brown Christmas tonight at 7:30 p.m., featuring contemporary jazz piano legend David Benoit along with distinguished vocalist Courtney Fortune. Tickets start at $25.

Friday, Dec. 12

Majestic Theatre, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net, will present a musical production of It’s a Wonderful Life this weekend at the Derry Opera House, 29 W Broadway in Derry. See the show tonight, Friday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 13, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for ages 17 and under.

Friday, Dec. 12

Forty of the top professional bull riders in the world will come together at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) tonight, and tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7:45 p.m. as part of Professional Bull Riding’’s “Unleash the Beast” season. This marks the sixth consecutive year Manchester will host a stop on PBR’s elite individual tour. Tickets start at $40.

Friday, Dec. 12

There are 200 veterans buried in Concord’s Old North Cemetery (141 N. State St., Concord). On Saturday morning at 10 a.m. representatives from the eight branches of the U.S. military will place commonwealth wreaths at the entrance to the cemetery as part of the Wreaths Across America program. Volunteers wishing to assist in the placement of wreaths on veteran graves in advance can join the Pierce Brigade this morning at 10 a.m. Visit piercemanse.org/events.

Saturday, Dec. 13

It’s Christmas Market weekend. The Amherst German Christmas Market runs today in the Amherst Village Green (amherstchristmasmarket.org) and the New Hampshire World Christmas Market runs today and tomorrow at Anheuser-Busch in Merrimacknhworldchristmasmarket.com). Find our stories about these events in last week’s issue of the Hippo at hippopress.com in the digital library (the stories start on page 20).

Saturday, Dec. 13

Classic 1980s band Loverboy will perform at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $132 through the Tupelo’s website.

Save the Date! Saturday, Dec. 20
There’s still time to get in some Nutcracker. Ballet Misha will present The Nutcracker 2025 at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College, Manchester, on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 1 and 6 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to tickets.anselm.edu.

Featured Photo: (L to R) Jonathan Kaplan, Dan Arlen. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 25/12/11

Three-year degree

Rivier University will offer a three-year, 90-credit, applied bachelor’s degree program in majors including artificial intelligence, business management and criminal justice, according to a Dec. 3 press release from the school. “The new applied bachelor’s degree programs are designed for those eager to enter the professional workforce quickly with a reduced financial commitment. The 90-credit format streamlines general education requirements, enabling students to complete an applied bachelor’s degree in three years of full-time undergraduate study,” the release said. The programs will begin for the Spring 2026 semester; see rivier.edu/threeyear, the release said.

Crokinole

Learn about crokinole, which Wikipedia describes as “a disk-flicking dexterity board game, possibly of Canadian origin,” at an Extra Pint Crokinole Club New Hampshire event on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 6 p.m. at Republic Brewing Co., 72 Old Granite St. in Manchester, according to a post on the Extra Pint Crokinole Club, New Hampshire Facebook page. The group’s Crokinole League runs in January and February weekly at locations including Spyglass Brewing in Nashua, the Facebook page said.

Ethics award

Plan NH, a nonprofit that “brings together architects, planners, builders, and other design professionals to promote excellence in the planning, design, and development of New Hampshire’s built environment,” is seeking nominations for the New Hampshire Construction Industry Ethics Award, according to a press release. The award is given to “the individual, business, or organization that, through words and deeds, best demonstrates a commitment to upholding the highest ethical standards in construction,” according to a statement in the release. The winner receives a plaque and a $2,000 donation made in their name to the charity of their choice, the release said. See plannh.org. “Nominations will be accepted through January 16, 2026, with the award winner to be announced in summer 2026,” the release said.

Nashua artist’s paintings on display

Wadleigh Memorial Library, 49 Nashua St. in Milford, is displaying an exhibition of the abstract oil paintings of Dominique Boutaud, a Nashua-based artist, through Jan. 31, according to a press release. The library will host a lecture about the works with Boutaud on Thursday, Dec. 18, from 5 to 6 p.m. followed by an opening reception from 6 to 7 p.m., the release said. Find more about Boutaud at dominiqueboutaud.com and see wadleighlibrary.org.

The Community Players of Concord will hold an informal play reading evening on Friday, Dec. 12, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Players Studio, 435 Josiah Barlett Road in Concord, according to their Oct. 31 newsletter. The group will read Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and no experience is required; email Cynthia.dickinson@communityplayersofconcord.org to join. See communityplayersofconcord.org.

“Christmas Past,” a program of holiday-themed silent films, will screen at Wilton Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St. in Wilton, on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m. featuring the first-ever filmed versions of A Christmas Carol and Twas the Night Before Christmas as well as Tess of the Storm Country, a 1922 film starring Mary Pickford, according to a press release. The program is described as family-friendly and will include live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis. There is a suggested donation of $10 per person.

Studio 550, 550 Elm St. in Manchester, 550arts.com, will host a Handmade Holiday Market of pottery and more Monday, Dec. 15, through Tuesday, Dec. 23, from noon to 8 p.m. each day (closed on Dec. 21), according to a press release. The studio will sell 60+ Cups for a Cause, mugs and cups priced at $25 each to raise funds for the International Institute of New England, the release said. During the market week the studio will also hide mini-mugs and handmade ceramic ornaments downtown, with prizes offered for those who find them, the release said.

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