According to Lynn Theth, the Chef at Street in Concord, the secret to a really good french fry is cooking it twice, then watching it like a hawk.
“We parcook [fries] just enough so they’re lightly golden,” she said. “We blanch them in canola oil just until they’re lightly crispy, just enough to hold their integrity. And then we fry them again to order, just so they get nice and crispy and nice and hot. Once they are where we like them to be, nice and golden brown on the outside, we take them and we toss them in a subarashii spice that we make in-house. [Subarashii is a Japanese term that means “splendid or glorious.”] It’s our own blend that we make just for the fries. And then those come with kimchi ketchup that we make as well and the scallion mayo to top it all off.”
The idea behind the double frying, Theth said, is to make sure the inside of a french fry is cooked enough to be fluffy and tender. That’s why she blanches the potatoes in cooler oil. She gives the fries enough time to cool down before cooking them to order. The second frying at a higher temperature brings the surface of the fries to the point where they are crispy without overcooking the interior.
That’s fine in theory, but Theth said that working the fry station in Street’s kitchen on a busy night can get complicated. The fry oil cools down a little with every batch of food that is dropped into it, then heats back up, so it’s never the same temperature for long.
“You kind of have to judge it just by the looks of it,” she said. “We have a very high volume for what we do and when we’re cooking at the volume that we are cooking at, the temperature of the fry oil fluctuates. When you’re cooking them — personally for me, I like to judge by the color depending on when you drop it. Usually, when I’m training people, I’ll talk to them about the integrity of the french fry, because if you don’t blanch them far enough they’ll get soggy and they’ll get all mushed up when you’re trying to double-cook them.”
Then there’s the sound. “When I’m cooking the fries myself,” Chef Theth said, “I usually kind of shake the basket a little bit. And then you can hear those fries like hitting the sides of the basket. And if they’re crisp enough, you can kind of hear them.”
Frying potatoes perfectly is just the first step, though, Theth said. Street is known for its condiments.
“All of the recipes have been the same since we opened,” she said. “For our kimchi ketchup, we use just regular ketchup, but we add probably about a gallon of kimchi to each batch. It’s a cabbage kimchi, just your standard cabbage kimchi. There is fish sauce and things like that in the mix, so it is not vegan, but it’s still delicious. We blend it all and puree it all down, and add a couple other things — rice wine vinegar, some shallots, and other things — then just mix that all together.”
Although Theth and her team develop recipes with elements from all over the world, she said french fries hold a special place in her heart. “You can kind of do whatever you want with them. You can put whatever you want on them. I’m a sauce girl; I love just condiments and things like that. You can use them [fries] as a vessel for whatever you want. If you get a really nice starchy potato, it can uphold whatever you’re going to use it for.”
“Fries are just kind of the perfect food, in my opinion.”
Street 76 N. Main St., Concord 333-2125, streetfood360.com
Featured Photo: Curry fries and Subarashii fries. Courtesy photo.
Fun, food and a little spookiness at The Witch of Weston Tower
By Zachary Lewis zlewis@hippopress.com
From Friday, Oct. 25, to Sunday, Oct. 27, Granite Staters will witness the Witch of Weston Tower at McIntyre Ski Area in all her spooky glory. Aly Coakley, Marketing Director for McIntyre Ski Area, was excited to talk about it.
“Our Witch of Weston Tower event is designed more to be spooky, not scary,” Coakley said. “Basically, it starts with a chairlift ride up to the top of McIntyre ski area and then you get on a tractor ride and that has a whole witches story,”
The haunted tractor ride is filled with not-too-creepy companions as attendees journey to the Witch’s Tower. “You’ll have a bunch of different characters in the woods, kind of spooky but not too scary, and then you get up to Weston Tower, where you’ll see the witch there and she’s greeting you with her own magical tales of what the witch is all about.”
Weston Tower is in costume for the event too. “That’s all decorated. It’s super cute and you’re welcome to go all the way up to the top of the tower. You can see the fall foliage, which is beautiful right now. There’s an attendant up there telling a little bit about the tower, some of its history.”
How did Weston Tower obtain such spookiness along with a witch?
“Next to Weston Tower there’s this quarry that was filled in by the city way back, years ago, but people used to go over to it and jump in and sometimes never appear back on the surface. One of those people was Hector Boisvert, who happens to be a relative of Ross Boisvert, the owner of McIntyre Ski Area. No one ever saw [Hector] again after he jumped into the quarry. So we weave the Witch’s story with what happened to Hector,” she said.
The festivities continue once visitors escape the Witch. “Once you’re down, we have some games right there, but then you can take the tractor ride back. There’s another little spooky story that’s told as they’re going back on the tractor ride and then the guests usually can take the chairlift back down or hike down, whichever they prefer.”
The spookiness lasts for three days but Saturday is the main event.
“Saturday is definitely our bigger day for the Witch of Weston Tower. Everything is happening from noon on. We have things like a paint night going on at 2 o’clock where people can sign up in advance and they do this nightmare painting. From 12 to 4 we have face painting and public pumpkin painting which is included with the Witch of Weston Tower ticket.”
Smaller participants will get the opportunity to vote on best scarecrow. “We’re finishing up dropping off some scarecrow kits to the schools that decided to participate. And then we’ll have all the scarecrows lined up around the ski area and people can vote on whose scarecrow is the best,” Coakley said.
Highland Mountain Bike Park will bring a wooden pump track and some bikes for kids, and even larger vehicles will be there filled with treats. There will be a costume contest with various prizes for kids from 603 Diesel.
Plenty of food trucks will be on location with different cuisine choices. “Creative Kones, Waterville Valley’s Next Level Food Truck is joining us again. This is their, I believe, third year joining us, which is really cool to have that partnership. We have Pat’s Apples,” Coakley said. Fair staples will be on hand too. “We’re also just offering popcorn and cotton candy.”
All this fun leads to the nighttime festivities. “Buzz Brews & Boos, our Halloween party, is happening Saturday as well,” Coakley said. “Typically we sell out.” McIntyre teamed with Rock 101’s Greg and the Morning Buzz, for the shindig.“There’s a costume contest, it’s just a fun night. Everybody’s dressed up in some pretty outrageous Halloween costumes. And they just have a good time. And it’s definitely Halloween-themed,” Coakley said.
The Witch of Weston Tower will still be haunting as the weekend draws to a close. “Sunday is a quieter day. We just kind of take it down a notch for those that just want to kind of enjoy Halloween season without some of the other stuff. Proceeds go to the Manchester Historical Association, so it’s all for a good cause.”
The Witch of Weston Tower When: Friday, Oct. 25, 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 26, noon to 6 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 27, noon to 6 p.m. Where: McIntyre Ski Area, 50 Chalet Way, Manchester Tickets: $5 to $22 (ticketscandy.com). Proceeds to benefit the Manchester Historic Association. Info: 622-6159, mcintyreskiarea.com
Schedule of events Saturday, Oct. 26 noon – chairlift rides begin, and Weston Tower access opens noon to 2 p.m. – hiking/walking to Weston Tower (no tractor rides during Manchester XC meet) 1 p.m. – Kids’ Costume Contest (age categories: 5 & under, 6-12, 13+) 2 to 6 p.m. – tractor rides to Weston Tower and back to chairlift 2 p.m. – Paint Nite: “Nightmare” (advance registration required) noon to 4 p.m. – face painting & pumpkin painting (included with ticket); Highland Mountain Bike Park Pump Track; 603 Diesel Touch-A-Truck/Trunk-or-Treat 5:30 p.m. – last chairlift to Weston Tower 7 to 10 p.m. – Buzz Brews & Boos Halloween Party (21+) at The Hill Bar & Grille; tickets $40
Featured image: The Witch of Weston Tower. Courtesy photo.
Roger Kalia’s last performance as Music Director of Symphony NH will happen next May when he conducts a program with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copland’s Symphony No. 3, which is often called the American Symphony. After that, he’ll leave to take a similar position with the Terre Haute Symphony, his second such role in Indiana.
Along the way, there’s a stellar season ahead, with many of the Maestro’s favorites. To begin, Symphony NH will offer a heavenly program on Oct. 27, with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Both are meditations on the hereafter, and each will feature a solo from soprano Carley DeFranco.
“It’s always a special event when you can do a Mahler symphony,” Kalia said by phone recently, adding that it is unique in that it will be performed by a smaller chamber orchestra. “Not the typical bombastic, big, super-romantic Mahler … this is more classical, more light, if you will, in character. So it works nicely for a chamber.”
They’ll use a special arrangement composed by Ian Farrington. “Everyone’s a soloist,” Kalia said. “It’s essentially one player on a part in the woodwinds and brass [and] a smaller string section than normally you would have in the original Mahler symphonies; I think it’s about 25 musicians or so … I’m excited to feature the orchestra in that way.”
The rest of the season is equally adventurous. On Nov. 9 a performance of Beethoven’s influential Third Symphony will be a learn-and-listen affair. The evening will begin with snippets from the piece, known as Eroica (“Heroic”), followed by an exploration of its importance as a symphonic masterpiece.
“I’ll dive into it and share insights into what made it so revolutionary and groundbreaking,” Kalia said. “we’re also going to play short pieces from other symphonies of Beethoven, some Mozart … works that inspired the Eroica. I’m very excited; we’ve never done that sort of thing before here in New Hampshire.”
Another unique concert happens next March at Nashua Community College: Serenade of the Winds, which will showcase Symphony NH’s woodwind and brass musicians for the first time.
“Typically, you always have a full orchestra, or you just have the strings,” Kalia explained. “This gives an opportunity to highlight the winds in really fantastic works — the Mozart Gran partita, the Dvorak serenade for winds. We’re also doing the Mendelssohn Overture for Winds, which is rarely performed, and we have a special encore surprise.”
One thing that will be absent this season is the Keefe Auditorium. While Kalia allowed that Symphony NH will miss the Nashua venue’s expansive stage, he’s happy there are other venues that can accommodate big orchestra works, like the Capitol Center’s Chubb Auditorium. He’s also happy to be in newer spaces like the Rex in Manchester, Concord’s BankNH Stage and Nashua Center for the Arts, where they open the season.
“We’re fortunate that this gives us the opportunity to play throughout the state,” he said. “I think that’s wonderful because we are Symphony New Hampshire. However, at the same time, we had a dedicated audience at the Keefe. That is a little bit challenging in the sense that we’re going to miss that audience.”
Finally, Maestro Kalia will bid farewell with a performance that includes one of his all-time favorite works, Rhapsody in Blue, with accompaniment from Chinese pianist Fei-Fei. “I’ve done it with her a few times, this piece,” he said. “She has such an energetic and musical interpretation. I think our audiences are going to love her.”
Kalia is keen to end “in epic fashion … it should be a nice way to close the season and my tenure as Music Director.” He hinted, however, that fans could see him again. “I don’t want to say this is goodbye … I do hope to return again in future seasons and work with the orchestra on a guest conducting basis.”
Symphony NH performs Mahler 4 – Visions of Heaven featuring soprano Carley DeFranco When: Sunday, Oct. 27, 4 p.m. Where: Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua Tickets: $32 and up at symphonynh.org
Nick Lavallee talks chicken tenders, action figures, music and joy
For someone who’s never held office and does not aspire to, Nick Lavallee knew what to do when he got up to speak at the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting in early December 2022. He was a man on a mission to foster pride in his home city via its signature dish, the chicken tender.
If the Island of Misfit Toys ever were to produce a food item, it would be the culinary masterpiece invented in the Puritan Backroom 50 years ago. Before Charlie Pappas decided to marinade, lightly bread and deep fry his first tenderloin, it was a castoff piece of the bird. Now, it’s the Backroom’s biggest seller.
The “tendie” is also a staple at restaurants throughout the city — and beyond. That’s why Lavallee implored the board to make it official. “Chicago is home to deep dish pizza; Detroit is known for its Mom’s Spaghetti. Manchester should be synonymous with the chicken tender,” he told them.
A little over seven months later, he stood on the pitcher’s mound at Delta Dental Stadium as the Fisher Cats were renamed the Chicken Tenders for one game. Beside him was a signed proclamation from Mayor Joyce Craig declaring Manchester the Chicken Tender Capital of the World.
Lavallee’s successful crusade was just one of his many efforts to build up his home city’s self-esteem, and boosterism has driven him for almost as long as he’s lived here. To hear him tell it, relentless positivity is a form of personal self-repair as well.
“I wanted to give Manchester a reason to believe in itself,” he said of what motivated him to speak that chilly December night, an act initially greeted with chuckles by city leaders. “I’ve learned to believe in myself along the way.”
It wouldn’t be his last trip to a municipal meeting.
In early October, Lavallee spoke in support of Eighty Eight Coffee Co., a Manchester business facing eminent domain and seeking a better deal from the city. “It’s more than a craft coffee shop,” he said, wearing a Stay Joyful ballcap. “It’s a community gathering space, one that is unfortunately rare to find in the largest city in New Hampshire.”
A few days before the meeting, the city had increased its offer to align with an independent appraisal done by Eighty Eight’s owners, but he hoped that his input would compel a closer look at the other costs of forcing the shop from its Queen City Avenue location.
The list of Lavallee’s successes in promoting his hometown continues to grow. A recent New York Times story that was teased on the front page and filled the cover of the Food Section was the result of Lavallee’s chicken championing.
Of course, the Paper of Record strove for fairness and balance in the story. “An icon of simple, straightforward, unpretentious American taste,” Pete Wells wrote of the tender, “it can also be an expression of dull, unadventurous food engineered for the lowest common denominator.” Whatever. Wells gave Nick Lavallee, man of the people, the final word on whether his home city deserves its self-declared title. “It’s a silly idea … but you ask yourself: Is it true? Yes. Is it important? Sure. Manchester has had an identity problem. Why not point out the things worth celebrating?”
Nick at The Puritan Restaurant. Photo by Michael Witthaus.
It’s fair to call him the Mayor of Tender Town, but Nick’s no politician. He’s a cheerleader, and beyond that, he’s walking the walk. Lavallee’s latest endeavor is a Wicked Joyful retail space located in Queen City Center, a mixed-use facility that’s under construction at 21 Canal St. It is due to open next May.
It’s been a long journey for the creative polymath, who has at various points of his life performed in punk rock bands, toured the country doing comedy, and promoted shows in downtown Manchester along with running his pop culture business — all while holding down a day job in community media.
Lavallee’s toughest road, though, was the one to happiness. Like a lot of artists, he had a bit of a chip on his shoulder, especially in his standup days. Maybe a better way to describe it is fierce ambition that more than a few mistook for something darker.
“The folks who own Vermont Comedy Club once told me, ‘When we met you, you appeared kind of mean’ — and I was in a good mood!” he recalled. “I feel like what was in my head was not what I could translate to people, whereas I’d like to think when people meet me now, it’s significantly different.”
It is, and most agree that the line of demarcation was Lavallee’s giving up alcohol in 2015.
Jenny Zigrino knew him when both were starting out in the comedy world in the late 2000s, when she recalls him being competitive and intense. “A Townie feel … it was Nick against the world,” she said by phone from New York City. “We were comedy friends … later, we became friend friends.”
The friendship, Zigrino continued, “really blossomed around like 2017, after he’d gotten sober and had a new-lease-on -life kind of vibe. I think he was just taking care of himself more. I think that being sober really was the key to him changing.”
Lavallee also lost a lot of weight, and he shifted his outlook from ruminating to radiating happy energy. On his socials, he urged followers to “stay joyful.” Much of his attention went to writing songs for Donaher, the pop punk band he formed with Tristan Omand, Lee Sevigny and Adam Wood in 2017.
It’s said that great art requires suffering, but Lavallee took a novel approach to coming up with material for his band’s first album, I Swear My Love Is True. Six months sober, he began a relationship one June knowing it would end in August, when the object of his affection moved across the country.
“It was a one-summer stand,” he said. “When I met her I was like, ‘Oh my God, I want to write pop songs for you all summer, and she said, ‘What about when I move?’ I said, ‘Then the songs will get better’ and she said, ‘Deal.’ And they did!”
There was, he continued, another reason for the exercise. “It was true heartbreak, but it was wild because as much pain as I was in, I was so happy to feel that hurt because I was sober,” he said. “It was a weird test, and it may not have been emotionally responsible. But, at the same time, I never turned to alcohol. I was thankful for the relationship because she enabled my continued sobriety.”
Nick Lavallee with Weatherman Al and his custom pop culture figurine. Courtesy photo.
In 2019, Nick began augmenting action figures picked up at tag sales and secondhand stores to reflect pop culture moments. He’d repaint a discarded GI Joe as Rivers Cuomo of Weezer or Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child, create humorous packaging, stick an ersatz price tag on the finished work of art, and post a photo of it to Instagram.
He called the venture Wicked Joyful, the name a triple entendre that found its way into his brain and wouldn’t leave. “It represents yin and yang, the salty and sweet of being a New England guy,” he said, “and, I think, my sense of humor. That’s me. I’m wicked joyful.”
The effort began as a way to build an online community.
“It was just going to be a means of sharing photos of vintage toys and developing a following, connecting with people.” Beyond that, he continued, “I was also at a crossroads with stand-up. I was sick of it.”
Along with co-producer Dave Carter, he’d built the Shaskeen Pub into a midweek hub for alt comedy. With national headliners like W. Kamau Bell, Dan Soder, Emma Willmen and Kyle Kinane appearing, they two did more than 400 shows over seven years. Lavallee, however, now saw a different path for his humor. (Lavallee and Carter handed off organizing duties when weekly shows returned mid-2021. Wednesday comedy nights are now run by Sam Mangano – see rubyroom.com for upcoming shows.)
“I loved building the community we had at Shaskeen, but I realized I could do essentially the same thing through this medium of custom action figures,” he said. “I have creative license. This is my thing. I can insert myself in these pieces.”
Early works included Chris D’Elia with an Eminem cultural reference, and John Cusack holding a boom box over his head in Say Anything. People really started to take notice when a piece depicting Bill Burr in his Star Wars spinoff Mandalorian role, with a New England twist, blew up online.
Accessorized with a Dunkin’ cup and a galactic weapon, with consequential Rs lined out and replaced by an H, i.e. “Stah Wahs: Mayfield The Shahp Shootah,” the piece was retweeted by the comic and covered by the Boston Globe. Similarly, John Stamos responded to an action figure of his Full House Uncle Jesse character.
“How was my 2019?” Lavallee wrote on then-Twitter. “John frickin’ Stamos retweeted me.”
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, it was a blessing for Lavallee, as it provided him with an excuse to pivot from comedy to his newly growing venture, which he called “a medium that I can communicate my most authentic self with that stand-up could never do for me.”
He was successful at telling jokes and creating hilarious multimedia content. With sobriety, his routine was kinder, gentler and more reflective of his hometown and upbringing. Crowds were warming to him in a new way, but the bits required more self-deprecation than he liked.
“I was getting really burnt out on Nick Lavallee’s name, face, body … my words,” he said, his voice trailing off. “Now I know why so many comedians deal with mental health issues and everything else, because I was dealing with a lot of them myself.”
“It does things to you,” Jenny Zigrino agreed. “You’re only as good as your last set … it can make you toxic. It’s also just a lonely job and Nick thrives on community.”
In January 2020 Lavallee sat on an MSNBC panel during primary season and told a national cable audience, in response to an Ari Melber question, that anyone visiting Manchester should try the chicken tenders. With a second wing added, his high-flying bird took flight.
Over time, he added apparel to the Wicked Joyful product line, beginning with a bright yellow Chicken Tender Capital of the World T-shirt featuring an anthropomorphic tendie perched in a sauce cup that’sa replica of one from the Puritan Backroom. Along with that were fun packs filled with pins and stickers, and more than a few Manchester inside jokes like a Cadillac Motel key fob.
There’s a Tender Town banner, logoed water bottles, holiday ornaments and a flood of action figures, all one of a kind, like the one marking Exeter as New England’s UFO Capital, a tribute to one of his favorite bands The Get Up Kids, and Chappell Roan in her Midwest Princess Lollapalooza suit.
His wares are available online and at street fairs; he did brisk business at this year’s Taco Tour. He’s also at events like the recent Granite State Comicon, where his booth was a few yards away from one run by Dave’s Hot Chicken, a new addition to Manchester.
Wicked Joyful pop-up shops Sunday, Oct. 27, 5 to 7 p.m., at Bookery, 844 Elm St., Manchester Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Garrison City Mini Con, City Hall, Dover Sunday, Dec. 8, noon to 3 p.m. at Merrymaking on West Merrimack, Manchester
Lavallee is amused that both Dave’s and fellow chicken restaurant Raising Cane’s are opening franchises in the city.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” he said. “Why all of a sudden did these two national chains decide to come to Manchester? I mean, the Chicken Tender Initiative got a lot of press.”
He wasn’t telling the whole story. Lavallee was invited to the Dave’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, where he noticed their signature graffiti decor included a nod to his initiative. Later, he chatted with the local franchise owner and learned he was also a fan of Goldenrod Restaurant, the city’s second pillar of tenders, and the Puritan.
“Chicken tenders are deliciously non-divisive and truly bring the people of Manchester together,” Lavallee wrote on Facebook.
Another person who noticed Lavallee’s enterprising civic activism was Travis York, the entrepreneur behind Queen City Center. Early on, he wanted Nick to be a part of it, both for his art and his skill at putting together events, something he still does for Shaskeen rock shows and other venues.
“I’ve admired how multifaceted he is but perhaps most importantly how joyful he seems pursuing and doing those types of things,” York said by phone from his office at GYK Antler, a creative agency located across the parking long from the new development. “I’ve always liked to surround myself with people like that and when Queen City Center as a development project came up … Nick was one of the first guys that came to mind to … be a thought partner to me and the team as we consider how to bring that vision to reality.”
Nick’s experience as a promoter will be valuable at Queen City.
“There’s a multitude of options for where we could host different types of events,” York said. “We have the desire to bring comedy, music and other types of entertainment that might be a bit different than what the city’s drawn in the past.”
In the early 2010s, York and his wife hosted concerts at their home in the North End, many by acts that went on to greater fame. He hopes to bring similar talent to the new venue. “The good thing about Manchester is there are places where people can play and do stuff,” he said. “The challenge is they all kind of serve multi-purposes and are not consistently bringing in talent…. That’s a gap in the market we think we can fill.”
One belief York shares with Lavallee is that the state, “and specifically southern New Hampshire [has] always had a bit of a poor self-esteem, at least in my era. Growing up, I went to West High School in the ’90s [and] like a lot of people I grew up with, I moved away … I didn’t imagine I would be back. I’m certainly glad that I am.”
These days, the narrative is shifting, and more young people are choosing Manchester. Leadership is needed for that to continue.
“People are moving to this area because they want to; they see something better than we believe we have,” York said. “If we can better align the potential of our city with the desires of those coming here, then everybody should win as a result of that.”
He’s happy to have Lavallee as an ally. “Nick has clearly found lanes of his creativity that are very authentic to him,” he said, recalling a conversation when the New York Times story came out. “I said, this is now etched in your obituary. If something, God forbid, happens to you, being behind the chicken tender capital-of-the-world thing is going to be in there.’ He couldn’t have been prouder, and I kind of love that … it’s a positive way of bringing his talents to the world, getting people to engage and be joyful.”
The self-described “compulsive creative” has a newfound ability to prioritize his packed life into something more well-rounded. If he’s behind a microphone, it’s probably a conference on community media, or another municipal meeting. The only time he’s on stage is with Donaher, and he keeps that in perspective.
When they play, it’s usually at a show he organized, and Donaher is down the bill. That’s so he can wrap up early and enjoy watching his friends play — he’s usually near the front of the stage, dancing like a fan. Another reason is it gives him an early bedtime if he needs one.
Music is more a pastime than a profession. “The band’s a bowling league. I’m comfortable saying that, and I think the guys would say the same. Tristan’s a dad, we’ve got jobs, we’ve got significant others. There are no illusions of grandeur there.”
Like everything else in Lavallee’s life, the main goal is to stay joyful.
“It’s nice to know that once a week or a few times a month, I have three friends I get to hang out with,” he said. “It’s four dudes who love playing music that are fighting having to be in a cover band, because that’s where a lot of people end up as they get older…. We’re still playing original music.”
Crucially, his head and heart are finally aligned with his hopeful love songs. “I wrote a lot of them years ago, but they’ve found new meaning,” he said. Joyfully, there’s a reason for this rediscovery.
Nick at Comic Con. Photo by Michael Witthaus.
Nearly a decade beyond the self-induced emotional shock treatment of his first sober summer, Nick is in a healthy relationship. Before his band roared into their third song on a recent Friday evening at the Shaskeen, he took a moment to acknowledge the woman he’s been with for the past three years.
Over an order of Puritan tenders the previous week, he’d shared that they met when she was working at a restaurant across the street from the Shaskeen. After setting up the weekly comedy show, he’d go there for dinner. He’d flirt and she’d defer, but he eventually got her number.
This began a two-year friendship that, coincidentally or not, bridged his time in and out of comedy. Then one night she strolled into the Shaskeen back room as his band was packing up. That’s the memory he recalled to introduce his song “Let Me Know” that Friday night.
“Three years ago, to the day, my best friend came to a Donaher show and asked, ‘Is it too late to say I’m in love with you?’ and I said, ‘definitely not.’ Then we made out, right over there.” He pointed to a spot near the merch table. “So I’d like to dedicate this song to Gina.”
In conversation, he’s giddy. “I’m the luckiest guy on the planet, I love her. It’s true I had to go through all that, but this relationship I have with Gina is super healthy and we’re evolving together … she’s helping me grow in so many ways.”
One thing that won’t change for Nick Lavallee is his commitment to his hometown, and to making sure that everyone’s a winner. To that end, he’ll never name a favorite tender and won’t endorse any effort that aims to crown a champion, making the case that a healthy argument helps everyone.
“If someone’s proclaimed the best in any official capacity, we lose a core part of our identity … the discussion is over,” he said, summoning the clam pie pizza capital of the world in Connecticut. “No one in New Haven is going to say Frank Pepe’s or Sally’s is definitively the best. You have to keep that conversation going.”
Finality, he concluded, contradicts “the spirit of everyone who’s ever lived here; when people come in, you want them trying everybody’s chicken tender. It’s an economic boost to tourism. As long as I’m carrying the torch of Tendertown, USA, I hope there’s never a competition.”
Donaher shows Friday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m., Auspicious Brew, Dover, with 5Ever and Lovewell; all ages Sunday, Nov. 10, 4 p.m., Taffetta Music Hall, Lowell, Mass., with Keep Flying, Don’t Panic, Eternal Boy; 18+ Tuesday, Dec. 31, 9 p.m., Penuches, Concord, Donaher New Years Eve Show, 21+
NH Secretary of State David Scanlan is “urging absentee voters who plan to return their ballots by mail” to send them in by Monday, Oct. 28, according to a press release earlier this week. Ballots must be received by a voter’s local city or town clerk, either returned in person or by mail, by 5 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, the release said. “Absentee ballots received after the deadline will not be counted,” the release said.
“Management decisions at the U.S. Postal Service have led to postal delays. To account for these delays and give the dedicated, hard-working postal employees enough time to deliver voters’ absentee ballots on time, absentee voters returning their ballots by mail should send them as soon as possible. Absentee voters who can return their ballots in person by the deadline prescribed above rather than by mail are encouraged to do so,” the release said. Find information about absentee ballots at sos.nh.gov/elections/absentee-ballots.
Seven to Save
The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance announced its 2024 Seven To Save earlier this month and the list includes the Concord Railroad Signal Tower and the local tradition of Old Home Days, according to nhpreservation.org. “Old Home Days was the brainchild of Governor Frank Rollins in 1899. Rollins had witnessed the hollowing out of rural towns in the state … Rollins thought that a celebration of place and people, instead of a funeral, would be a successful way to entice former residents back home to reminisce and ideally invest in their hometowns. …Today, fewer than 40 communities routinely host the event, and this special celebration often rests on the shoulders of a few dedicated volunteers… ,” according to the website.
About the Concord Railroad Signal Tower, the Alliance said the tower is the last of New Hampshire’s railroad and switch tower and it is located near the Gasholder building, according to a video about the event available via nhpreservation.org/seven-to-save. Other locations on this year’s list are Ham House in Jackson, New Ipswich Town Hall, Libby Museum in Wolfeboro, Jackson Town Hall and Ashuelot Manufacturing Co. Boarding House in Winchester, the website said.
Clean buses
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Rebate Program celebrated the funding of 110 new clean school buses in nine New Hampshire school districts with a visit on Oct. 16 by EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash to Running Brook Intermediate School in the Derry Cooperative SAU, which received $8.6 million in rebated funding for 25 clean buses and charging infrastructure, according to the EPA. Other districts part of the 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate awards are Litchfield ($2.76 million for eight buses), Hudson ($3.2 million for 16 buses), Concord ($1.03 million for three buses), Nashua ($6.8 million for 22 buses), Lisbon ($345,000 for one bus), Moultonborough ($2.4 for seven buses), Hanover ($600,000 for three buses), Pembroke ($5 million for 25 buses), according to the EPA website. The purpose of the event was to “to highlight the multiple benefits of the Clean School Bus Program — lowering air pollution, protecting children’s health, and saving school districts money,” according to the EPA press release. The application period for the 2024 program is open through Jan. 9 at 4 p.m., according to epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/clean-school-bus-program-rebates.
Sy Montgomery
Author Sy Montgomery will appear locally in support of her new book What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird, which is slated for release on Nov. 5. She will be at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com) on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss and sign her book. On Saturday, Nov. 9, she will be at Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough (12 Depot Square; toadbooks.com) at 11 a.m. and then head to Balin Books (375 Amherst, Route 101A, in Nashua; balinbooks.com) at 2 p.m. See symontgomery.com.
Scout history
The New England Memorabilia Show will run Friday, Oct. 25, from 2 to 11 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 26, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Camp Carpenter in Manchester, according to nhscouting.org/memorabilia-show. Admission costs $3 for adults and is free for youth. The event will feature more than 100 tables of scouting memorabilia as well as a pasta course on Friday night and breakfast and lunch on Saturday, according to the website and an email about the event.
New eats
Evolution Bistro & Bar is slated to open in November at 930 Elm St. in downtown Manchester, according to a press release. The restaurant will occupy the space that is currently open at BluAqua (Wednesdays through Saturdays opening at 4 p.m.), the release said. The restaurant is the second from Gourmet Grove Restaurant Group, which is led by restaurateur Scott Forrester and David Schleyer of Elm Grove Companies, which took over 1750 Taphouse in Bedford earlier this year, the release said. Evolution is described in the release as “modern American meets European technique” and will feature “a dynamic menu curated by executive chef Anthony Dispensa.” See evolutionnh.com.
The annual CHaD HERO runs and walks held on Oct. 20 in Hanover raised $825,000 for child and family support services at the Children’s Hospital Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and throughout the Dartmouth Health Children’s system, according to a press release.
Concord Community Music School will hold a celebration of its 40 years with a fundraising Gala on Thursday, Nov. 7, 5:30 to 8:30 at Pembroke Pines Country Club in Pembroke. The evening will feature food, music and more. Tickets cost $125; see ccmusicschool.org.
The Ladies Philoptochos Society of Assumption Greek Orthodox Church (111 Island Pond Road in Manchester; assumptionnh.org) will hold a Fall Bazaar on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Greek food (such as lamb shanks, gyro, roast chicken, meatballs, pastitsio, spinach peta, cheese peta) and pastries (including butter cookies) will be for sale; the bazaar will also feature basket raffles and vendors with Greek products, according to an email.
CR’s The Restaurant at 287 Exeter Road in Hampton is celebrating its 10th anniversary Sunday, Oct. 27, through Wednesday, Oct. 30, with special 2014 food and drink items (at 2014 prices), complimentary dessert, 2014 trivia and more, according to a press release. See crstherestaurant.com.
Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua will host the Greater Nashua CROP Hunger Walk 2024 on Sunday, Nov. 3, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. to support local food pantries as well as global food and water needs, according to an event email. See events.crophungerwalk.org/cropwalks/event/nashuanh to register as an individual or a team and for more information.
A local band that’s made many quick moves since forming last year is among four acts rocking the Shaskeen backroom in an upcoming show. Hell Beach is a uniquely configured quartet. Former Secret Spirit members Jordan Hill, KB Boutin — bass, guitar, drums and bass respectively — and keytar player Megan Simon play melodic, tightly constructed punk pop.
Jordan Hill, Hell Beach’s lyricist and lead vocalist, began writing songs for the project during the early days of lockdown. His old band was still a thing and would be until an oft-delayed farewell show in mid-2022. “It was just a project for fun, and over time the others got on board with it,” Hill said by phone recently. “Then somebody asked us to play a pretty fun show, and we couldn’t turn it down.”
That was just over a year ago. After a flurry of early gigs, they released the love-hate-love romp “Fits Okay” in May 2023. An eponymous six-song EP came a few months later, and early this year they headed to Nada Recordings in upstate New York to work on their debut album, Beachworld, which they finished at Meade’s home studio in Manchester.
The new LP is packed with hooky tracks. “Meltdown” is a headbanging joyride, while the churning “Poison Mind” is an invitation to sing along to its “I can feel my nerves about to break” chorus. “Another Bogey Breakfast” and “Gory Days” are two more tight, lively and danceable tracks. It’s hard to find a dud on the disc, frankly.
Hill points to a bevy of influences. “It’s definitely that early ’70s punk, certainly the Ramones,” he said. “I love The Clash and I’ve been a huge Green Day fan since I was young; that got me into pop rock. When it comes to more modern stuff, there are a lot of bands right now that we definitely pull some influences from like Wildlife and Bad Nerve.”
Simon’s keyboard contributions add some left field joy — as intended, according to Hill.
“I knew I wanted something weird from the beginning,” he said. “I didn’t want to just do the standard two guitars, one bass and a drummer. I wanted something interesting. I hadn’t thought about a keytar, just someone playing keys and synthesizer stuff. Megan ended up being a great fit for that. As it turned out, they are also extremely good at writing harmonies.”
Hell Beach will be the penultimate act at the Shaskeen, with Rebuilder headlining, while pop punk powerhouse Donaher, whose front man Nick Lavallee booked the show, and Cigarette Camp round out the bill. Hill’s band has shared the stage with a few of them, and he expects a happy reunion
“This is going to be an extremely fun show where most of the people all know each other,” he said. “I’ve known Rebuilder for a long time … my bands have been playing shows with them for years, and they have a Manchester connection because Daniel from Rebuilder is from Manchester. It’s going to be a lot of friends, it’ll probably be packed, a really fun time.”
It’s one more example of a healthy independent music environment, Hill said, mentioning the huge turnout they had for a release show in early August at Candia Road Brewing.
“It was a Sunday matinee, and I just didn’t know if anyone was going to go,” he said. “But it was one of those moments…. Manchester has a scene of people who really support music even if it doesn’t sound like the music that they make or they usually listen to. It’s extremely tight knit, everybody knows each other, and people come out and support everybody.”
Asked what’s next for his band, Hill answered, “I want to start working on the second record…. That’s really what it’s about for me. I just want to write a lot more songs and get them out there. Besides that, I would love to play some new places we haven’t played; we’d love to do some West Coast stuff, and there’s a lot of bands we’d love to play with.”
Rebuilder, Hell Beach, Donaher, Cigarette Camp When: Friday, Oct. 18, 9 p.m. Where: Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester More: kineticcity.com
Featured photo: Hell Beach. Photo by Cat Confrancisco.
