Tag: 211223

Music this week – 21/12/23

Thursday, Dec. 23

Bedford

Copper Door: Lou Antonucci, 7 p.m.

Brookline

Alamo: Jordan Quinn, 4:30 p.m.

Hermanos: Paul Hubert, 6:30 p.m.

Concord

Area 23: Karaoke with DJ Dicey, 8 p.m.

Hermanos: Paul Hubert, 6:30 p.m.

Derry

Fody’s: music bingo, 8 p.m.

Epping

Telly’s: Alex Roy, 7 p.m.

Exeter

Sawbelly: David Corson, 5 p.m.

Sea Dog: Todd Hearon, 5 p.m.

Goffstown

Village Trestle: Brian James, 6 p.m.

Hampton

CR’s: Barry Brearly, 6 p.m.

Whym: music bingo, 6 p.m.

Hudson

Lynn’s 102: Karaoke w/ George Bisson, 8 p.m.

Kingston

Saddle Up Saloon: karaoke with DJ Jason, 7 p.m.

Londonderry

Stumble Inn: Mugsy Duo, 7 p.m.

Manchester

Angel City: open mic with Jonny Friday, 8 p.m.

Currier: Alli Beaudry, 5 p.m.

Fratello’s: Paul Lussier, 5:30 p.m.

KC’s: Pete Peterson, 6 p.m.

Strange Brew: Peter Higgins, 8 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Justin Cohn, 5:30 p.m.

Milford

The Hills: Justin Jordan, 5:30 p.m.

Stonecutters Pub: Blues Therapy, 8 p.m.

Nashua

Fody’s: DJ Rich karaoke, 9:30 p.m.

Fratello’s: Clint Lapointe, 5:30 p.m.

Stella Blu: Ryan Williamson, 8 p.m.

Newmarket

Stone Church: Myles Burr & Designated Drive & Citizen Kane, 8 p.m.

Stones Social: live music, 4 p.m.

Northfield

Boonedoxz Pub: music bingo, 6:30 p.m.

Portsmouth

Clipper Tavern: Max Sullivan, 9 p.m.

Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues: live music, 7:30 p.m.

Salem

Copper Door: Chad Lamarsh, 7 p.m.

Seabrook

Red’s: Francoix Simard, 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 24

Bedford

Copper Door: Nate Comp, 4 p.m.

Concord

Area 23: early music event, 9 p.m.

Hampton

CR’s: Jeff Auger, 6 p.m.

Manchester

Angel City: musical bingo, 6:30 p.m.

The Goat: MB Padfield, 8 p.m.

Northfield

Boonedoxz Pub: karaoke night, 7 p.m.

Rochester

Potter’s: Max Sullivan, 6:30 p.m.

Salem

Copper Door: Phil Jakes, 4 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 25

Bow

Chen Yang Li: Mikey G, 7 p.m.

Manchester

The Goat: MB Padfield, 8 p.m.

Portsmouth

The Goat: Mike Forgette, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 26

Alton Bay

Dockside: Matt Laughlin, 4 p.m.

Bedford

Copper Door: Steve Prisby, 11 a.m.

Brookline

Alamo: Jae Mannion, 4:30 p.m.

Concord

Craft Brewing: Colin Hart, 3 p.m.

Exeter

Sawbelly: Parker Richards, 11 a.m.; Elijah Clark, 3 p.m.

Hampton

Whym: Max Sullivan, noon

Hudson

Lynn’s 102: Tequila Jim, 5 p.m.

Manchester

The Goat: Mike Forgette, 10 a.m.

Strange Brew: jam, 7 p.m.

Newmarket

Stone Church: Sans Souci JGB, 3 p.m.; open mic night, 7 p.m.

Northfield

Boonedoxz Pub: open mic, 4 p.m.

Portsmouth

The Goat: Rob Pagnano, 9 p.m.

Marriott: Killough & O’Neill, 11 a.m.

Salem

Copper Door: Steve Aubert, 11 a.m.

Seabrook

Red’s: Amanda Cote, 8 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 27

Concord

Area 23: Irish music, 6 p.m.

Hudson

The Bar: karaoke with Phil

Gilford

Patrick’s Pub: open mic w/ Paul Luff, 6 p.m.

Londonderry

7-20-4: live music, 5 p.m.

Stumble Inn: Lisa Guyer, 7 p.m.

Manchester

Fratello’s: Phil Jakes, 5:30 p.m.

The Goat: live band karaoke, 8 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Justin Jordan, 5:30 p.m.

Nashua

Fody’s: karaoke night, 9:30 p.m.

Fratello’s: Ted Solovicos, 5:30 p.m.

Portsmouth

The Goat: Alex Anthony, 9 p.m.

Press Room: open mic, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec 28

Concord

Hermanos: Scott Solsky, 6:30 p.m.

Tandy’s: open mic night, 8 p.m.

Hampton

Shane’s: music bingo, 7 p.m.

Kingston

Saddle Up Saloon: line dancing, 7 p.m.

Manchester

Fratello’s: Jodee Frawlee, 5:30 p.m.

The Goat: Rob Pagnano, 9 p.m.

KC’s Rib Shack: Paul & Nate open mic, 7 p.m.

Strange Brew: David Rousseau, 7 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Dave Zangri, 5:30 p.m.

Nashua

Fratello’s: Sean Coleman, 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 29

Brookline

Alamo: Ralph Allen, 4:30 p.m.

Concord

Area 23: open mic, 6 p.m.

Hermanos: Brian Booth, 6:30 p.m.

Penuche’s: Lee Ross, 9 p.m.

Tandy’s: karaoke, 8 p.m.

Exeter

Sea Dog: Gabby Martin, 5 p.m.

Hampton

Bogie’s: open mic, 7 p.m.

Wally’s: Chris Toler, 7 p.m.

Hudson

Lynn’s 102: Chris & Paul Belley, 7 p.m., 7 p.m.

Kingston

Saddle Up Saloon: Musical Bingo Nation, 7 p.m.

Manchester

Fratello’s: Jeff Mrozek, 5:30 p.m.

The Goat: country line dancing, 7 p.m.

Stark Brewing: Cox Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Strange Brew: Howard & Mike’s Acoustic Jam, 8 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Chris Cavanaugh, 5:30 p.m.

Milford

Stonecutters Pub: open mic, 8 p.m.

Nashua

Fratello’s: Doug Thompson, 5:30 p.m.

Newmarket

Stone Church: Villains w/ Bass Sabbath & Jake Russell, 7 p.m.

Rochester

Porter’s: karaoke night, 6:30 p.m.

Seabrook

Red’s: Charlie Chronopoulos, 7 p.m.

Somersworth

Speakeasy: open mic night, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 30

Bedford

Copper Door: Jordan Quinn, 7 p.m.

Brookline

Alamo: Jeff Mrozek, 4:30 p.m.

Hermanos: Brian Booth, 6:30 p.m.

Derry

Fody’s: music bingo, 8 p.m.

Epping

Telly’s: Justin Jordan, 7 p.m.

Exeter

Sawbelly: David Corson, 5 p.m.

Goffstown

Village Trestle: Jennifer Mitchell, 6 p.m.

Hampton

CR’s: Don Severance, 6 p.m.

The Goat: Alex Anthony, 8 p.m.

Whym: music bingo, 6 p.m.

Hudson

Lynn’s 102: Karaoke w/ George Bisson, 8 p.m.

Kingston

Saddle Up Saloon: karaoke with DJ Jason, 7 p.m.

Londonderry

Stumble Inn: Rob & Jody, 7 p.m.

Manchester

Currier: Kevin Horan, 5 p.m.

Fratello’s: Joanie Cicatelli, 5:30 p.m.

KC’s: Jessica Olson, 6 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Chris Lapointe, 5:30 p.m.

Tomahawk: Chad LaMarsh, 6:30 p.m.

Milford

Stonecutters Pub: Blues Therapy, 8 p.m.

Nashua

Fody’s: DJ Rich Karaoke, 9:30 p.m.

Fratello’s: Austin McCarthy, 5:30 p.m.

Newmarket

Stone Church: Bearly Dead, 9 p.m.

Salem

Copper Door: Pete Peterson, 7 p.m.

Seabrook

Red’s: Pete Massa, 7 p.m.

Concerts

• Christmas with the Spain Brothers with Green Heron Thursday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m., Rex Theatre

• Recycled Percussion Monday, Dec. 27, 4 p.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 28, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 29, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 31, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre

• Bearly Dead Thursdays Thursday, Dec. 30, 9 p.m., Stone Church

• Adam Ezra Group Friday, Dec. 31, 5:30 & 9 p.m., Tupelo

• Club d’Elf Friday, Dec. 31, 9 p.m., Stone Church

• New Year’s Eve Champagne Pops with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra Friday, Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Music Hall

• Brooks Young Band Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage in Concord

• Jamie Saft Trio Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, 8 p.m., Stone Church

• Fortune Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, 8 p.m., Tupelo

• Livin’ on a Bad Name (Bon Jovi tribute), Jan. 8, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre

• Recycled Percussion Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre

• Get the Led Out Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, 8 p.m., Cap Center

• 1964: The Tribute (Beatles Tribute) Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, 7 p.m., Palace Theatre

• Ronan Tynan (Irish Tenor) Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre

• EJ Oulette and Crazy Maggie/Carol Coronis Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, 8 p.m., Stone Church

• Beatlejuice Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, 8 p.m., Tupelo

• Blood, Sweat & Tears Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, 2 & 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre

• Recycled Percussion Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, 4:30 & 7:30 p.m., Music Hall

• Dueling Pianos Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Franklin Opera House

• Morgan James Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre

• Beau Sasser Trio/Slack Tide Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, 9 p.m., Stone Church

• Dave Gererd and Tim Theriault Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, 7 p.m., Stone Church

• An Evening with Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, 7:30 p.m, Palace Theatre

• Red Hot Chili Pipers Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Flying Monkey

• The Dave Matthews Tribute Band Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, 8 p.m., Tupelo

• The Gilmour Project Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, 8 p.m., Tupelo

• Who’s Bad (tribute to Michael Jackson) Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, 2 and 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre

• Beechwood & Boomsoss Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage in Concord

• The Skunk Sessions Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, 8 p.m., Stone Church

• Citizen Cope Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Music Hall

• Bearly Dead Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, 9 p.m., Stone Church

• Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Flying Monkey

• Keb’Mo’ Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, 8 p.m., Music Hall

• The Bulkheads/Adrienne Mack-Davis/Villains Row Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, 8 p.m., Stone Church

Escape to 2022

Music, comedy and more for New Year’s Eve

Send off 2021 in style with music, comedy and more on Friday, Dec. 31. Know of a party not mentioned here? Let us know at music@hippopress.com.

• 603 Bar & Lounge (368 Central Ave., Dover, 742-9283) A night of DJs offers Sex on Decks with support from DJ Deja and Pete Vitello. 9 p.m.

• 815 Cocktails & Provisions (815 Elm St., Manchester, eventbrite.com) $100. The theme at this downtown speakeasy is Red Carpet — think Music Awards, and the fun wardrobe that goes with that. Open bar, eats, dancing, unlimited photo booth, midnight Champagne toast. 9 p.m.

• Alan’s (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631) NYE with Stray Dog, $15 per person, 8 p.m.

• American Legion Post 47 (551 Foundry St., Rollinsford, 742-5833) Acoustic Radio fifth annual bash with opener Aunt Peg, $15, with prime rib dinner available. 7:30 p.m.

• American Legion Post 70 (169 Walton Road, Seabrook, 474-2430) Ghost Riderz rock in the New Year, $20 per person. Starts at 9 p.m.

• American Legion Post 98 (43 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack, 429-0343) Kid N’ Play Style New Year’s Eve Bash with a mix of ’80s/’90s hip-hop and R&B music. 9 p.m.

• Angel City Music Hall (179 Elm St., Manchester, 931-3654) Rock in 2022 with Everybody Wants Some – A Tribute to Van Halen ’78-’84; The Hellion – Judas Priest Tribute; and Caliente Pistolas. $50 dinner buffet by Chef Sean, Champagne toast at midnight. Starts at 7 p.m.

• Area 23 (State Street, Concord, 881-9060) With edgy new song “Deathmask,” Faith Ann Band performs, joined by special guests Alfredo Benavides and Ben Harris. 7 p.m.

• Ashworth by the Sea (295 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, 926-6762) Party with a live band, hors d’oeuvres and a seated surf & turf dinner, a cash bar, late-night snack, midnight Champagne toast, and fireworks on the beach. DJ dancing. 6:30 p.m.

• Auburn Pitts (167 Rockingham Road, Auburn, 622-6564) Stuck In Time Band performs ’60s, ’70s and ’80s covers, with free buffet and midnight Champagne toast. 8 p.m.

• Backstreet Bar & Grill (102 Plaza, 76 Derry Road, Hudson, 578-1811) DJ Bobby Lane leads a dance party. 8 p.m.

• Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, eventbrite.com) $45 to $90. Shuttavac NYE Spectacular is inspired by the bold speakeasies of the Roaring 1920s to the iconic New York nightclubs of the 1970s, where people escaped to celebrate in inclusive, bold and glamorous worlds. 8 p.m.

• Belmont Hall & Restaurant (718 Grove St., Manchester, 625-8540) New Year’s Eve dance party with DJ Hustle Boy, $55, cash bar. 7 p.m.

• Blue Ocean Music Hall (4 Oceanfront North, Salisbury, Mass., 462-5888) The tradition continues with a New Year’s Eve bash starring The Fools & Psychedelic Relics, with optional dinner buffet. Champagne toast, party favors and midnight balloon drop. Dinner and show $92; show only $28 general admission. 7 p.m.

• Bonfire Restaurant & Country Bar (950 Elm St., Manchester, 217-5600) Martin & Kelly perform country rock. 9 p.m.

• Boston Billiard Club (55 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 943-5630) Live music from The Apathetics, $10 cover. Reserve a pool table for the night for $175. Includes an appetizer platter, bottle of Champagne and the cover is waived for up to four people in your party. 9 p.m.

• Breezeway Pub (14 Pearl St., Manchester, 621-9111) Drag Roulette Fridays. 8 p.m.

• Bridgewater Inn (367 Mayhew Turnpike, Bridgewater, 744-3518) Mystical Magic performs downstairs, with DJ upstairs spinning all night long. $45 per person includes buffet (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.) and party; $20 for party only. Hats & tiaras, noisemakers, beads and Champagne toast. 8 p.m.

• Buckey’s (240 Governor Wentworth Hwy., Moultonborough, 476-5485) Red Hat Band plays its traditional NYE set. 9 p.m.

• Cask & Vine (1 East Broadway, Derry, beerfests.com) Celebrate this gastropub’s 10th year with its NYE masquerade party. $25 deposit will be applied to the bill. Includes midnight Champagne toast. 6 p.m.

• Castleton Banquet and Conference Center (58 Enterprise Dr., Windham, eventbrite.com) $200. Dress to impress with three-course meal, open bar all night, 50/50 raffle, Joey Dion from Main Event Entertainment, photo booth, midnight Champagne toast. 7 p.m.

• Central Ale House (23 Central St., Manchester, 660-2241) Gatsby Gala Midnight Masquerade with 1920s style dress code, midnight Champagne toast. Starts at 6 p.m. Email info@centralalehouse.com to RSVP.

• Cercle National Club (550 Rockland Ave., Manchester, 623-8243) Drink specials, party favors and Plan B playing rock covers at this members club. 6 p.m.

• Chen Yang Li (520 South St., Bow, 228-8508) Great Gatsby party hosted by DJ Kenny P. 8 p.m.

• Chop Shop (920 Lafayette Road, Seabrook, 760-7706) An evening of active rock with Leaving Eden and Band, Inc., led by 18-year-old singer and bassist Giuliana Amaral. 6:30 p.m.

• Chunky’s Cinema Pub (151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, headlinersnh.com) Two events: Comedy with Matt Barry, James Dorsey and Greg Boggis in one room, Dueling Pianos in another. $30 each show, 7 and 10 p.m.

• Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester, headlinersnh.com) Two events: Comedy with Joe Yannetty, Joey Carrol and Mark Scalia in one room, Dueling Pianos in another. $30 each, 7 and 10 p.m.

• Coach Stop (176 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 437-2022) Pete Peterson performs an early set. 7 p.m.

• Common Man (88 Range Road, Windham 898-0088) Singer-songwriter Karen Grenier performs an early set. 6 p.m.

• Concord Holiday Inn (172 Main St., Concord, 224-9534) Comedy with Mike Donovan and Amy Tee, dancing and toast — with dinner and room $276 per couple, dinner-only $188 per couple, $94 single. 8 p.m.

• Copper Door (41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-3033) Jodee Frawlee plays an early set. 3 p.m.

• Copper Door (15 Leavy Dr., Bedford, 488-2677) Jordan Quinn plays an early set. 3 p.m.

• CR’s (287 Exeter Road, Hampton, 929-7972) Rico Barr Trio playing holiday hours 5 to 11 p.m.

• Crow’s Nest (181 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 974-1686) DJ Golo provides the music with prizes, giveaways and extended hours. 9 p.m.

• Derryfield (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880) Chad LaMarsh rocks the party. $20 a ticket includes admission to see the music, Champagne toast at midnight and party favors. 9 p.m.

• Farm Bar & Grille (1181 Elm St., Manchester, 641-3276) The Gold Everything Party: Jam’n 94.5’s DJ Sammy Smoove and Boston’s DJ Real Ace spin top 40, hip-hop and Latin hits. Gold attire is encouraged but not mandatory for entry. $25. 8 p.m.

• Flying Monkey Movie House (39 Main St., Plymouth, 536-2551) Comedian Bob Marley is back, performing three times, at 3, 6:30 and 9 p.m. Tickets start at $39.50. 8 p.m.

• Fody’s (9 Clinton St., Nashua, 577-9015) Joe Wedge Experience performs. 9 p.m.

• Fody’s Derry (187 1/2 Rockingham Road, Derry, 404-6946) Pop Roks plays fun covers. 9 p.m.

• Fratello’s (155 Dow St., Manchester, 624-2022) Clint LaPointe plays. 8 p.m.

• Fratello’s Italian Grille (194 Main St., Nashua, 889-2022) Justin Jordan entertains. 9 p.m.

• Gibb’s Garage Bar (3612 Lafayette St., Portsmouth, portsmouthnh.com) Elijah Clark plays an early set at this throwback automotive-themed restaurant. 7 p.m.

• Grill 28 (200 Grafton Road, Portsmouth, 766-6466) Dave Gerard of Truffle plays an early set. 6 p.m.

• Headliners (700 Elm St., Manchester, 988-3673) Open after a long hiatus, with three comics and DJ spinning in the ballroom. Packages include food, drink and dancing, starting at $40. 8 p.m.

• High Octane (1072 Watson Road, Laconia, 527-8116) Masquerade party with EXP Band playing, best mask cash prize, Champagne toast as this Lakes Region club celebrates its first anniversary. 8 p.m.

• Hillsboro Moose Lodge (15 School St., Hillsboro, 464-6024) Cellar Dwellers, Superbug and Probable Cause perform, with a Champagne toast at midnight plus snacks, appetizers and food. $10 in advance, $15 at the door. 6 p.m.

• Homestead (641 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-2022) Ralph Allen performs. 6:30 p.m.

• Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club (135 Congress St., Portsmouth, ticketmaster.com) Grammy-winning jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri & La Perfecta Big Band perform. $375 to $425. 7 p.m.

• Jocelyn’s (355 S. Broadway, Salem, 870-0045) Brian Walker performs an early set. 6 p.m.

• L Street Tavern (17 L St., Hampton, 967-4777) Craig LaGrassa performs. 8 p.m.

• LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898) New Year’s Eve dinner with Freese Brothers Big Band followed by a stroll through the LaBelle Lights. $121.50. 9 p.m.

• Lynn’s 102 Tavern (76 Derry Road, Hudson, 943-7832) Sindicate rocks in the new year. 9 p.m.

• Murphy’s Taproom (494 Elm St., Manchester, scampscomedy.com) Dancing Madly Backwards follows a comedy show with Dave Rattigan, Chris Cameron, E.J. Murphy and Casey Crawford. $22. 8 p.m.

• Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, themusichall.org) $38, Champagne Pops, Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra led by special guest conductor Dr. Dirk Hillyer and guest vocalist Jacyn Tremblay, performing selections from Frozen, The Greatest Showman, Cabaret, Chicago, The Godfather, West Side Story and a collection of Gershwin swing favorites. 8 p.m.

• Nan King Restaurant (222 Central St., Hudson, 882-1911) Patty Shock’s Energizer Karaoke provides entertainment. 8 p.m.

• Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588) Recycled Percussion is again home for the holidays — ring in 2020 with junk rock. Two shows, 4 and 7:30 p.m. $35 to $45.

• Pasta Loft (241 Union Sq., Milford, 672-2270) Fatha Groove fills the dance floor. $10 includes Champagne toast at midnight. 7 p.m.

• Pats Peak Ski Area (686 Flanders Road, Henniker, 728-7732) New Year’s fireworks (slopes close at 10 p.m.) and dancing to The McMurphys in the Sled Pub. 6 p.m.

• Penuche’s Ale House (6 Pleasant St., Concord, 228-9833) NYE party with Felix Holt. 9 p.m.

• Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, 436-8123) Lady Ro drag show is back after two years. 10 p.m.

• Portsmouth Gas Light (64 Market St., Portsmouth, 430-9122) Boston Circus Guild – Welcome to The Show. Cirque du Soleil-inspired evening with live entertainment and DJ music. VIP packages available by emailing brandonburke@portsmouthgaslight.com. 8 p.m.

• Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, 668-5588) Juston McKinney’s Year In Review comes to Manchester, $35 (also New Year’s Day). 8 p.m.

• River Hill Grange (32 Horse Hill Road, Penacook, penacook.org) Midlife Crisis album release party with K Daver, Kinetik, Mass Militia, Livid Rhymer and Quincer. $20 includes free drinks. 7 p.m.

• Rochester Elks Lodge (295 Columbus Ave., Rochester, 332-9700) Bill Vendasi performs at a Mad Hatter’s party, $45 per person includes cocktail hour with appetizers, prime rib or chicken cordon bleu dinner, dessert and midnight toast. 9 p.m.

• Saddle Up Saloon (92 Route 125, Kingston, 369-6962) Bite The Bullet Band plays fourth annual bash, $55 tickets include buffet from 7 to 9 p.m. and a late-night pizza buffet, Champagne toast and party favors. 7 p.m.

• Salt Hill Pub (2 W. Park St., Lebanon, 448-4532) 19th annual New Year’s Eve party featuring Vermont and New Hampshire’s only cowpunk-thunder boogie band, Road Trash. $10 admission, 8 p.m.

• Sawbelly Brewing (156 Epping Road, Exeter, 583-5080) Parker Richards, back for the holidays from Nashville, performs an early set. 5 p.m.

• Shaskeen (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246) Lock The Doors Bash is reprised with limited $50 tickets covering a food buffet, midnight Champagne toast, giveaways, Chris Bennett, a.k.a. DJ Myth, spinning and open bar. The club will be closed to anyone without tickets (21+ only). 8 p.m.

• Sheraton Hotel (250 Market St., Portsmouth, eventbrite.com) Mark Riley, Ryan Gartley and host Steve Scarfo provide the laughs at the 12th annual show presented by Live Free and Die Laughing. Early show $28 (8:30 p.m.), late show $38 (10:30 p.m.).

• Soho Bistro (20 Old Granite St., Manchester, 222-1677) $20 for starters with up to $600 for VIP packages gets you into an elegant NYE party. 9 p.m.

• South Side Tavern (1279 S. Willow St., Manchester, 935-9947) Cox Karaoke hosts with dancing, party favors and Champagne toast at midnight. No cover. 9 p.m.

• Stone Church (5 Granite St., Newmarket, 659-7700) Club d’Elf with special guests John Medeski & David Tronzo. $75. 6 p.m.

• Stonecutters Pub (63 Union Sq., Milford, 213-5979) KJ-Dave O hosts New Year’s Eve karaoke with spot prizes for ugly sweaters and much more fun in store. 9 p.m.

• Stumble Inn (20 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 432-3210) Swipe Right Band performs. 8 p.m.

• Sweeney Post #2 (251 Maple St., Manchester, 623-9145) The Lexi James Band, with lots of food, lots of great music and lots of fun. 8 p.m.

• The Big House (322 Lakeside Ave., Laconia, 767-2226) Back in the Day plays this Weirs Beach room at 8 p.m. $10.

• The Goat Hampton (20 L St., Hampton, 601-6928) Alex Anthony performs at Hampton Beach’s only country bar at 8 p.m.

• The Goat Manchester (50 Old Granite St., Manchester, 603-4628) NYE party with Those Guys at this club family’s newest location at 8 p.m.

• The Goat Portsmouth (142 Congress St., Portsmouth, 658-4628) Chris Toler plays early. 9 p.m.

• Thirsty Moose (21 Congress St, Portsmouth, 427-8645) Connecticut pop rock band Mattson performs in the basement music space while great beer flows on both floors, 9 p.m.

• Tower Hill Tavern (264 Lakeside Ave., Laconia, 366-9100) $10. Resident DJ Kadence hosts a karaoke NYE party, 8 p.m.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100) Adam Ezra Group and opening duo Sirsy play with a four-course dinner at 5:30 p.m. for $95; 8:30 p.m. show only is $40, and all tickets include a Champagne toast.

• Tuscan Market & Village (9 Via Toscana, Salem, 912-5467) The Deviant (Mindset X leader Scott Haiduchuk’s acoustic alter ego) performs. 8 p.m.

• Veteran’s Club (118 John Stark Hwy., Newport, 863-3945) $10 for Talkin’ Smack, a popular cover band playing the hits. 7 p.m.

• Village Trestle (25 Main St., Goffstown, 497-8230) Paul Lussier plays an early set. 5 p.m.

• Wally’s Pub (144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton, 926-6954) Boston based rock/pop cover band Down A 5th performs at this party. 9 p.m.

• Waterville Valley Ski Area (1 Ski Area Road, Waterville Valley, 236-8311) Gabby Martin at T-Bars and Henry LaLiberte at Freestyle, with fireworks at midnight. 3 p.m.

• XO Bistro (827 Elm St., Manchester, 560-7998) Acoustic Moxie performs an early set. 6:30 p.m.

• Yankee Lanes (216 Maple St., Manchester, 625-9656) Roll New Year’s Eve three-hour bowling party $99.95 per lane for up to six people. 9:30 p.m.

Featured photo: Courtesy image.

Enter laughing

New Year’s Eve comedy across the state

Laughter just may be the best medicine as New Hampshire and the rest of the world lurch into 2022, evidenced by the number of standup comedy shows on tap for New Year’s Eve. No fewer than eight events are scheduled, from marquee shows at Manchester’s Rex Theatre and The Flying Monkey in Plymouth, to clubs, movie houses and all manner in between.

Start with the big names. A Seacoast mainstay moves to Manchester for 2021’s final night, though Juston McKinney – A Year in Review will have a four-day run at Portsmouth’s Music Hall from Dec. 26 to Dec. 29. Along with his New Year’s Eve Rex Theatre appearance, McKinney has a New Year’s Day show slated. Up north, comedian Bob Marley does three shows at Plymouth’s Flying Monkey, in what’s becoming an end of year tradition for the Maine funny man.

Similarly venerable is the annual bash at the Sheraton Harborside in Portsmouth, now in its 12th year. Presented by Live Free or Die Laughing, an early and a late show stars Mark Riley, with support from Ryan Gartley and Steve Scarfo. In Manchester a showcase with Dave Rattigan, Chris Cameron, E.J. Murphy and Casey Crawford precedes a New Year’s party with a live band.

The rest of the night belongs to New England King of Comedy Rob Steen, whose Headliners franchise is offering no fewer than five standup showcases, along with a pair of dueling pianos events. Three are gala events, capped with DJ dancing and midnight toasts, preceded by dinner and laughs.

The biggest of the bunch is at their Manchester flagship location. It stars Robbie Printz, Tim McKeever and Tom Spohn; Steen will host. It’s a Roaring Twenties, Great Gatsby themed event. Attendees are encouraged to dress accordingly, and for those wanting an extra touch, fedoras will be provided for the guys, with feathered headbands available for women.

Making the show happen meant clearing a few hurdles.

“We were supposed to start back up a year ago, but they had no staff,” Steen said by phone recently; a planned summer 2021 reopening was also delayed. “We opened soft the first week of November, in the small room…. Dec. 11 was our first night in the comedy club.”

Safety is a watchword, Steen continued.

“Every customer that buys a ticket has to call me for seating, and the first thing I ask them is, ‘How do you feel about going — are you comfortable?’ We’re only doing 500 people, not 1,000 like in the past, so it’s not going to be jammed.” As for masking and vaccination protocols, “we’re following the guidelines.”

Low capacity requirements this year have led to one event already selling out, a show with Mike Donovan and Amy Tee at Concord’s Holiday Inn. The final gala is up in the Lakes Region, at the Wolfeboro Inn, with Boston funny man Mike Bain and Jody Sloane, who parlayed her talents as a Duck Tour guide into a standup career.

If all the galas sell out, customers can redirect to two shows each at Chunky’s Cinema in Manchester, where Joe Yannetty, Joey Carroll and Mark Scalia perform, or the moviehouse and pub’s location in Nashua, where Matt Barry, James Dorsey and Greg Boggis hold forth. Each location also offers a 10 p.m. Dueling Pianos show to ring in the new year.

Though there are a lot of options for comedy fans this year, Steen doesn’t expect a plethora of choices to impact his efforts. In fact, he’s prepared for more than a few patrons to double dip in the fun, and head to one of his late shows after seeing an early one.

“One thing feeds the other,” he said. “People will tell me, ‘you’ve got too much competition,’ but in a way we’re all working together. I’m having one of the better years I’ve ever had in 2021, because people are dying to get out.”

New Year’s Eve comedy shows

Who: Juston McKinney’s Year In Review
Where: Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, 8 p.m. (also Jan. 1)
Tickets: $35 at palacetheatre.org

Who: Bob Marley
Where: Flying Monkey Movie House, 39 Main St., Plymouth
Tickets: $46.50 and up at flyingmonkeynh.com (shows at 2, 5:30 and 8 p.m.)

Who: Dave Rattigan, Chris Cameron, E.J. Murphy and Casey Crawford
Where: Murphy’s Taproom, 494 Elm St., Manchester, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $22 at scampscomedy.com

Who: Mark Riley, Ryan Gartley, Steve Scarfo
Where: Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market St., Portsmouth, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Tickets: $28 and $38 at livefreeordielaughing.com

Who: Robbie Printz, Rob Steen, Tim McKeever, Tom Spohn
Where: Headliners at the DoubleTree, 700 Elm St., Manchester, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $35 and up at headlinersnh.com

Who: Mike Donovan, Amy Tee
Where: Holiday Inn, 172 N. Main St., Concord, 8 p.m.
Tickets: SOLD OUT

Who: Matt Barry, James Dorsey & Greg Boggis
Where: Chunky’s Cinema Pub, 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 7 and 10 p.m.
Tickets: $30 at headlinersnh.com

Who: Joe Yannetty, Joey Carroll & Mark Scalia
Where: Chunky’s Cinema, 707 Huse Road, Manchester, 7 and 10 p.m.
Tickets: $30 at headlinersnh.com

Who: Mike Bain & Jody Sloane
Where: Wolfeboro Inn, 90 N. Main St., Wolfeboro, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $369 per couple (room, dinner and show) $169 per couple (dinner and show) at headlinersnh.com

Featured photo: Robbie Printz. Courtesy photo.

The Music Roundup 21/12/23

Local music news & events

• Back for Xmas: In what’s become a holiday tradition, Abrielle Scharff returns for her fifth annual Abby Holidays show. Now living in New York City — a few years back, her original “New York Makes Me Cry” earned a top three finish in Pop Dust’s Coffee Music Project competition — the Portsmouth native promises “seasonal songs, bad jokes and a lot of love” for her homecoming set. Thursday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m., Portsmouth Book & Bar, 40 Pleasant St,, Portsmouth. Tickets $20 and $25 at eventbrite.com.

• Lead into fun: Head to a music-friendly taphouse and eatery for Early Music Christmas Eve, a local showcase starring Becca Myari, Angela Stewart, John Farese and Crazy Steve sharing songs, stories and good cheer. Singer and guitarist Myari has a gorgeous acoustic rendition of the classic “O Holy Night” to anticipate, along with various stouts and barley wines. Friday, Dec. 24, 4 p.m., Area 23, 254 N. State St., Unit H (Smokestack Center), Concord, facebook.com/area23concord.

• Rock it forward: Work out post-Christmas ya-yas at Holiday Hardcore Fest 2021, a two-stage event commencing in late afternoon with a sprawling list of bands including Trauma Kit, Hard Target, Sophisticated Adult, Clock Out, I Know A Ghost, Bleach Temple, Trading Heroes For Ghosts, Duress, Spit, Duress, Ten to One, Voluntary Victim, Choke Out, and Slug; by showtime likely a few more will be added. Sunday, Dec. 26, 5 p.m., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $12 and up at eventbrite.com.

• Tri tip time: Joined by area mainstays Paul Costley and Nate Comp, Jess Olson hosts an Artist Showcase. The Granite State singer-guitarist has kept busy of late, recently spending time in Nashville, sharing a stage with new expat Amanda McCarthy at Pete & Terry’s Tavern, and performing at a songwriter round at the Copper Branch club there, along with doing a photo shoot at the Opryland Resort. Tuesday, Dec. 28, 7 p.m., KC’s Rib Shack, 837 Second St., Manchester, facebook.com/TheJessOlsonBand.

• All in one: Midweek mirth and music, including an EDM-infused version of “Tequila,” comes from Lee Ross, a Boston dance machine who works keyboards, horns and a psychedelic light show into his act. If that’s not enough, his wild head of hair takes over. One set highlight is the New Orleans second line staple “Money Back,” and he also has a long list of funk, reggae and rhythm & blues bangers at the ready. Wednesday, Dec. 29, 9 p.m., Penuche’s Ale House, 16 Bicentennial Square, Concord, youtube.com/HouseOfLeeRoss.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (PG-13)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (PG-13)

Peter Parker is introduced to the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a solid third part to the saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s teenage Peter Parker.

The movie more or less picks up where 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home ended, with Peter’s (Tom Holland) Spider-Man alter ego being revealed to the world. Far from becoming a celebrity, a la Tony Stark post-“I am Iron Man,” Peter is suspected of crimes related to his fight with fake hero Mysterio in the last movie and related to missing tech from Stark Industries. On his first day of senior year, he finds himself hounded by news media and phone-wielding fellow students and also learns that not only are colleges reluctant to accept him, but best buddy Ned (Jacob Batalon) and girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) are also being turned down because of their association with him. Life would be better if he could just go back to a time before everybody knew he was Spider-Man, Peter thinks mopily. And then he realizes that he actually knows somebody who can mess with time: Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the MCU’s New York City-dwelling wizard.

When Peter goes to see him, Strange explains that he doesn’t have the time stone (the doohickey that allowed him to manipulate time) anymore but does think he can conjure a spell to help the world forget that Peter is Spider-Man. Oh, but wait, Peter says as Strange is conjuring, I do want MJ to know, and Ned and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and Happy (Jon Favreau) and…. Too late, Strange realizes all of these last-minute exceptions have caused the spell to go wonky. He thinks he’s contained it before disrupting the fabric of reality but later, while Peter tries to get an official from MIT to reconsider not admitting his friends, he is confronted by Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), looking to fight Spider-Man. Ock, the scientist who went villainous in 2004’s Spider-Man 2 due to a mind meld with his metallic tentacles, knows that Spider-Man is Peter Parker but he is surprised when the Peter he sees isn’t the Peter Parker he remembers.

As you may have seen in trailers, more villains appear — the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Electro (Jamie Foxx), others — representing both live-action, 21st-century pre-MCU Spider-Man franchises. They are from the multiverse, Strange tells Peter, and Peter has to hunt them all down and send them back to universes they belong in.

This could have gone a bunch of different ways but in the end I think this element of the movie works. While I didn’t always feel like the road to getting us all these different iterations of the Spider-Man story was particularly smooth (some of the choices the characters here make do not make sense for people with the recent MCU time-related experiences — Thanos and the blip — that these characters have), I felt great affection for how the movie uses the idea of bringing all these worlds together. It manages to bring something to those pre-MCU movies’ story arcs that wasn’t there before and is mostly fun in its own right. As with the (unrelated, so far) animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the different realms of Spider-Man help to examine basic elements of the character — the choices he has to make, the way he wants to live his life.

And I think this movie does right by its core trio of Peter, MJ and Ned and their relationships with each other. They work well together, Scooby-Doo-ing the problem, as Stephen Strange says, and what they’re given to do makes sense with how their characters change and grow as near-end-of-high-school teens.

My biggest problem with this movie is that the mechanics of getting us from this situation to that situation, of bringing in certain sets of characters, is so very choppy. To use Martin Scorsese’s comparison of superhero movies to amusement park rides, this one has that jerky, stop-start feel of something hastily constructed and not entirely passing code. That the movie could feel this way and still basically be fun — and fun for almost all of its nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime — is I think a credit largely to the characters and the way the movie builds its relationships more than the way it builds its story.

Spider-Man: No Way Home does offer the grand blockbuster movie experience that you want from a Marvel movie and that has still been relatively rare since March 2020. Even when the movie’s execution of its story wasn’t perfect, I enjoyed being back in this world. B+

Rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, some language and brief suggestive comments, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, Spider-Man: No Way Home is two hours and 28 minutes long and distributed by Columbia Pictures.

Christmas at the movies

Even this year, we’re getting a rush of new releases over the next week.

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, The Matrix Resurrection is scheduled for release in theaters and on HBO Max for 30 days. The movie, the fourth in the Matrix series and the first since 2003, brings back Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss.

Also scheduled for release on Wednesday are the much-rescheduled The King’s Man, the prequel to the Kingsman movies starring Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson, and the animated sequel Sing 2, featuring oodles of big-name voices including Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, Taron Egerton and Scarlett Johansson.

Celebrate Christmas Eve, Friday, Dec. 24, with the Adam McKay-written and -directed Don’t Look Up, a comedy about the impending destruction of all life on Earth via comet starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill, which will be released on Netflix.

On Christmas Day, Saturday, Dec. 25, new movies include American Underdog, a biopic of football player Kurt Warner starring Zachary Levi and Anna Paquin, and A Journal for Jordan, directed by Denzel Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan.

The Tragedy of MacBeth, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand and directed by Joel Coen, is also slated to open on Christmas in limited release and will be on Apple TV+ on Jan. 14.

FILM

Venues

AMC Londonderry
16 Orchard View Dr., Londonderry
amctheatres.com

Bank of NH Stage in Concord
16 S. Main St., Concord
225-1111, banknhstage.com

Capitol Center for the Arts
44 S. Main St., Concord
225-1111, ccanh.com

Cinemark Rockingham Park 12
15 Mall Road, Salem

Chunky’s Cinema Pub
707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com

Dana Center
Saint Anselm College
100 Saint Anselm Dr., Manchester, anselm.edu

Fathom Events
Fathomevents.com

The Flying Monkey
39 Main St., Plymouth
536-2551, flyingmonkeynh.com

LaBelle Winery
345 Route 101, Amherst
672-9898, labellewinery.com

The Music Hall
28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth
436-2400, themusichall.org

O’neil Cinemas
24 Calef Hwy., Epping
679-3529, oneilcinemas.com

Red River Theatres
11 S. Main St., Concord
224-4600, redrivertheatres.org

Regal Fox Run Stadium 15
45 Gosling Road, Newington
regmovies.com

Rex Theatre
23 Amherst St., Manchester
668-5588, palacetheatre.org

The Strand
20 Third St., Dover
343-1899, thestranddover.com

Wilton Town Hall Theatre
40 Main St., Wilton
wiltontownhalltheatre.com, 654-3456

Shows

• It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) will screen at the Music Hall in Portsmouth on Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 3 and 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for seniors age 60 and up, students, military and first responders.

• The Grinch (2018, PG) will screen at the Music Hall in Portsmouth on Thursday, Dec. 23, at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for seniors age 60 and up, students, military and first responders.

• House of Gucci (R, 2021) will screen at Red River Theatres on Thursday, Dec. 23, at 6 p.m.

• Nightmare Alley (R, 2021) will screen at Red River Theatres on Thursday, Dec. 23, at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 24, at noon and 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 25, at 4 & 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 2, 12:30, 4 & 7:30 p.m.

• Last Christmas (2019, PG-13) will screen at the Music Hall in Portsmouth on Thursday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for seniors age 60 and up, students, military and first responders.

• Licorice Pizza (R, 2021) will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord Friday, Dec. 24, 4 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 25, 3:30 & 7 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 2, 12, 3:30 & 7 p.m.

• The Strong Man (1926) starring Harry Langdon and directed by Frank Capra, a silent film with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, on Sunday, Dec. 26, at 2 p.m. at Wilton Town Hall Theatre. Admission is free; $10 donation suggested.

• The Senior Movie Mornings Series at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester) presents White Christmas(1954) on Tuesday, Dec. 28, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10. Call 668-5588 or visit palacetheatre.org/rex-theatre.

• The Metropolitan Opera — Cinderella on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at 12:55 p.m. at Bank of NH Stage in Concord. Tickets cost $26.

• Girl Shy (1924), a silent film starring Harold Lloyd, on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rex in Manchester, featuring live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis. Admission costs $10.

• Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ(1925), a silent film with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, on Thursday, April 21, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rex in Manchester. Tickets cost $10.

Featured photo: Spider-Man. Courtesy photo.

Powder Days, by Heather Hansman

Powder Days, by Heather Hansman (Hanover Square Press, 264 pages)

Heather Hansman learned to love skiing in New England, even though she’s more of a West Coast woman these days. An accomplished writer and editor who has worked for magazines such as Outside, Backcountry and Powder, Hansman doesn’t qualify as a ski bum, the skiing-obsessed person who will take on low-paying jobs at ski resorts in order to indulge the passion full-time. But she was for a while and brings deep insider knowledge to Powder Days, an examination of what rising temperatures are doing to the ski industry, wrapped in a love letter to the sport and to winter.

“I know that skiing is ephemeral and selfish, but I ache when I’m away from it for too long, and I don’t think it’s just the dopamine drop that drives the fixation,” Hansman writes.

Before you non-skiers depart for lack of interest, you should know that while this is a book written by a skier for other skiers, this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for the sedentary and clumsy (myself the latter). Hansman is a graceful writer, as lithe in language as in body, and while she occasionally slips into skier-speak, with a little Googling, you will learn many interesting things, such as that dangerous clumps of snow on a ski route are called frozen chicken heads, a term I enthusiastically welcome to my vocabulary. In short, I don’t ski, and I still found this book engrossing.

Hansmen begins by recalling her early ski-bum days, which began around a campfire in Maine when another skier offered Hansman a job scanning lift tickets at a ski resort in Colorado. “I latched on to the idea that if I went west, I would be braver and truer and more exciting,” she writes.

She had become a skier like most people do — because her parents paid for lessons. “You don’t become a skier by accident — it’s an objectively stupid, expensive, gear-intensive sport — but my parents enabled it early, cramming my brother and me into hand-me-down boots and carting us to New Hampshire, so they could ski too,” she writes. “ … In college, I’d wake up in the post-party, predawn dark to drive across Maine and New Hampshire just to ski knobby backcountry lines in the White Mountains. I’ve always felt clearer in motion.”

That said, Hansman came from a family of occasional skiers, not those who strap toddlers to skis while they are learning to walk. Her obsession with the sport and lifestyle grew organically, somewhat to her bewilderment. “Skiers chase snow and freedom and wildness, at the expense of a lot of other things. I’m still trying to understand how something so ephemeral can shape your whole life.”

Hansman dips into the history of skiing in the U.S, acknowledging “the ski industry starts where my ski story starts, in the knobby mountains of New England.” She recalls skiing the Tuckerman Ravine and the Sherburne Trail of Mount Washington, created in the 1930s, back when runs were “steep and skinny, just a couple of skis wide.”

“That was skiing for a long time, no lifts, just a grind uphill and a slide back down.”

She then zips through how the sport exploded, its growth tracking with the lives of baby boomers, and how its popularity in the 1970s led to today’s elaborate resorts and McMountain trails that she fears have taken the soul out of the sport and tarnished it with elitism. (Fun fact: more than 50 billionaires have homes in Aspen.)

The bigger problem for the industry, however, is not the unaffordability of homes in ski country, but the warming climate. There’s less snow these days than there was a quarter-century ago, and it’s not always cold enough to make snow, as 88 percent of ski resorts do. We are seeing, as Hansman puts it, “the winnowing of winter.” She quotes a meteorologist friend who says that what concerns him most is that low temperatures are increasing faster than high temperatures. This means that places like New England have fewer days when the temperature falls below freezing.

“Depending on the emissions scenario you choose, snowfall is predicted to shrink by up to a third by the end of the century. That thin margin of winter is going to have a huge bearing on the future of skiing, and on whether or not people can keep counting on the seasons to eke out a way of life.”

Hansman’s worries that Aspen could be the new Amarillo by century’s end may strike some as the hysteria of the climate-grief-stricken. By the end of January, her fear of “hot, snowless winters” may actually hold some appeal. But there is real concern about what will happen if recent trends continue. Resorts can make snow, sure, but it still has to be cold enough. “I get a deep gut ache when I think about losing snow, about the contrast between my childhood memories of snow and the gray slush of right now. … New England skiing feels almost too painful now. How could it have gotten this bad so fast?”

Hansman ends with another kind of grief, the acknowledgement that skiing can be deadly. “If you get deep into skiing, eventually you have to acknowledge that the thing you love can kill the people you love.” Then, she pivots into the tendency for thrill-seekers like skiers to abuse drugs and alcohol, and sometimes to kill themselves. Deaths of despair are on the rise in the U.S. and this is an important topic, but it was a bit jarring to have this conversation take place at the end of the book. That said, it’s a small quibble with an otherwise solid book, which might even be more interesting for nonskiers than skiers, who already know about frozen chicken heads.

Book Events

Author events

• JAMES ROLLINS Author presents The Starless Crown, in conversation with Terry Brooks. Virtual event hosted by Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. Mon., Jan. 10, 7 p.m. Via Zoom. Registration required. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com.

• TIMOTHY BOUDREAU Author presents on the craft of writing short stories. Sat., Jan. 15, 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. Peterborough Town Library, 2 Concord St., Peterborough. Visit monadnockwriters.org.

• CHAD ORZEL Author presents A Brief History of Timekeeping. Virtual event hosted by Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. Thurs., Jan. 27, 7 p.m. Via Zoom. Registration required. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com.

• ISABEL ALLENDE Author presents Violeta. Virtual event hosted by Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. Sat., Jan. 29, 7 p.m. Via Zoom. Registration and tickets required, to include the purchase of the book. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com.

• JOHN NICHOLS Author presents Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiters. Virtual event hosted by Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. Tues., Feb. 1, 7 p.m. Via Zoom. Registration required. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com.

• GARY SAMPSON AND INEZ MCDERMOTT Photographer Sampson and art historian McDermott discuss New Hampshire Now: A Photographic Diary of Life in the Granite State. Sat., Feb. 19, 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. Peterborough Town Library, 2 Concord St., Peterborough. Visit monadnockwriters.org.

Poetry

• CAROL WESTBURG AND SUE BURTON Virtual poetry reading hosted by Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. Thurs., Jan. 20, 7 p.m. Via Zoom. Registration required. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com or call 224-0562.

• DOWN CELLAR POETRY SALON Poetry event series presented by the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. Monthly. First Sunday. Visit poetrysocietynh.wordpress.com.

Book Clubs

• BOOKERY Online. Monthly. Third Thursday, 6 p.m. Bookstore based in Manchester. Visit bookerymht.com/online-book-club or call 836-6600.

• GIBSON’S BOOKSTORE Online, via Zoom. Monthly. First Monday, 5:30 p.m. Bookstore based in Concord. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com/gibsons-book-club-2020-2021 or call 224-0562.

• TO SHARE BREWING CO. 720 Union St., Manchester. Monthly. Second Thursday, 6 p.m. RSVP required. Visit tosharebrewing.com or call 836-6947.

• GOFFSTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY 2 High St., Goffstown. Monthly. Third Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. Call 497-2102, email elizabethw@goffstownlibrary.com or visit goffstownlibrary.com

• BELKNAP MILL Online. Monthly. Last Wednesday, 6 p.m. Based in Laconia. Email bookclub@belknapmill.org.

• NASHUA PUBLIC LIBRARY Online. Monthly. Second Friday, 3 p.m. Call 589-4611, email information@nashualibrary.org or visit nashualibrary.org.

Language

• FRENCH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE CLASSES

Offered remotely by the Franco-American Centre. Six-week session with classes held Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $225. Visit facnh.com/education or call 623-1093.

Album Reviews 21/12/23

Alice Phoebe Lou, Child’s Play (self-released)

I don’t like getting all class-war on an innocent album that never did anything to me personally, but sometimes weak albums released by highly privileged postmodern artists really get on my nerves, I have to tell ya. I do try to telegraph my moves in that regard, and I’d think by now you know I don’t trust most indie bands these days, given that the Pitchfork Media crowd has become the “essential art” dictators of the potty-trained “professional management class” that’s being bashed to smithereens in leftist intellectual circles. A big-time PR firm is handling this piece of junk, the latest album from this South African-raised white woman whose parents are documentary filmmakers; Lou’s voice was purported to “sound like Judy Garland, Kate Bush, or Angel Olsen” but “mostly her own.” They got the last bit right anyway; she’s a pretty unremarkable fashion-victim waif, and her woozy awkwardness (not to mention absolutely dreadful Lawrence Welk keyboard sound) had me reaching for the Off button every 10 seconds. She strikes me as a third-rate Kate Bush with a decent-enough ear for samples, but, as always, your mileage may vary. D

ABBA, Voyage (OK Good Records)

What a treat it was to witness the Pitchfork Media writer squeezing his brain for the requisite 1,500-word essay on this album! It’s the first one in 40 years from the Swedish pop group that basically owned the 1970s, and so Pitchfork Guy’s obscure shibboleths included nonsense like “glam boogie” and “scandi-disco bounce.” It was so rich and delicious to watch him squirm, when all that’s really to report is that the two dude songwriters still have it, and the singers all sound older. That’s it. There have been a couple of hilariously bad musicals based on the band’s million-year-old tunes, of course, all of which resurged in popularity after the 1990s ABBA Gold album, so it’s not that these people have ever disappeared. Anyhow, the first two songs threaten to go Celtic Woman, especially “When You Danced With Me,” which has an Irish jig feel to it, but most of the balance forward is the usual formula of all-hook tuneage fit for children’s dentist overhead speakers. Same as it ever was, really. A

PLAYLIST

• It’s the least wonderful time of the year for people like me, music columnists who have to spin column-gold out of literally nothing, because there are basically no important new records coming out on Friday, which is Christmas Eve. And why? Well, because it’s time to forget about important things like redundant, overhyped music albums and instead — yuck — feel jolly and bright or whatever, and be sociable — with people! Gross! — and visit. It stinks, man, I just want some albums to write about, so I can fill this column with humor and fascinating news about whatever stupid pop diva or tedious Coldplay-clone-band band, because it’s my job, to fill this space with information and advice that you won’t follow anyway, but at least I try. But here we are again, with the never-ending culture war in happy détente, and me with no albums to write about, because only certified loons (and metal bands) (same thing) would put out an album on Christmas Eve. Fact is, guys, I’ve been through this for nearly 20 years now, scrambling for stuff to write about this holiday week. You see folks, here’s the thing: I must stop Christmas from coming. But how?

• No, seriously, it’s that time of year when I actually want to hear bad new albums from non-musically trained indie bands banging their ting-tinglers and disposable hit singles from whichever lollipop-brained Ariana Grande-of-the-month is honking her gong-zookas. But do I dare even bother webbing into the Album Of The Year site to look for an album to talk about here, or should I talk about my feelings? I don’t know, but here, fine, I’ll look. OMG, guys, I totally found one, it’s Tales From The Pink Forest, by some band or whatever called ID KY! I feel like Yukon Cornelius on that Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer show, like I was chipping and chipping at the barren Google wasteland and finally there it was! Silverrrr! Silver and gold! OK! Now, ahem, let’s just calm down and try to find out what an “ID KY” is; it’s probably something dumb, like some YouTuber playing Panic! At The Disco cover songs on a kazoo (I’m not expecting anything more artistic than that, honestly). OK, great, there’s literally nothing on Google or YouTube about this, so now I feel like Geraldo Rivera after he opened Al Capone’s secret vault and came out with a sales receipt from Walmart or whatever it was. Just great. OK, let’s pretend it was just really dumb polka played on a Charlie Brown toy piano. Aaaand we’re moving, people, let’s go.

• Hmm, it’s some other band-or-whatever-who-cares with a random four-letter name, this time MDMJ! I can’t wait to hear — oh, never mind, the album is called “Album” probably because it doesn’t have a title yet. I’m about to bag it, folks. Look at all you Whos down in Whoville, just laughing at the sad music critic clown making a fool out of himself, so that you can laugh and point. I can’t wait to stuff your Christmas tree up the chimney and have my dog drag it to the top of Mount Crumpit. OK, one last pass and I’m getting a drink, I deserve it.

• We’ll evacuate these dreary premises by closing with — OK, there are no other records supposedly being released on Christmas Eve. None. So let’s just get drunk and listen to the only thing that’s literally coming out on Christmas Day itself! Of course it’s a metal record, Sonic Wolves’s It’s All A Game To Me EP! Ha ha, these three people look like sleepy Hells Angels, and the EP is a two-song “tribute to Lemmy and Cliff Burton!” Figures, there’s no music for me to trash, um, I mean critique, so let’s do a last Jell-O shot and forget this column ever even happened. Happy holidays and whatever!

If you’re in a local band, now’s a great time to let me know about your EP, your single, whatever’s on your mind. Let me know how you’re holding yourself together without being able to play shows or jam with your homies. Send a recipe for keema matar. Message me on Twitter (@esaeger) or Facebook (eric.saeger.9).

Pretty sweet

Sweet wines for holiday giving and drinking

The holiday season provides us with the opportunity to exchange gifts with those who mean so much to us. Therefore, this time of year with feasting on savory and sweets alike, why not select that bottle to pair with fruit, or cheese, or with a sweet dessert? Past the bottles of chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, past the bottles of pinot grigio there lie countless options available to us. Pick out a bright sparkling sweet wine, or a “fizzy” red wine. Try a wine normally reserved for cooking or try a truly luxurious sauternes from Bordeaux. Whatever your choice, you will be rewarded with a wonderfully new experience.

Our first wine is a classic. Martini & Rossi Asti Sparkling Wine (originally priced at $14.99, and reduced to $9.95 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is a label familiar to many. A couple of decades ago we were pummeled with TV ads for Asti Spumante. In late 1993 Asti Spumante was promoted to the top-level DOCG classification, at which point the “spumante” was officially dropped, resulting in the same great and inexpensive wine with a much shorter name. This wine comes from the Piedmont region of Italy and is made from the moscato bianco grape. It is produced by cold fermentation under pressure and is created to be enjoyed immediately. This is a slightly sweet, bubbly wine with notes of peach with some herbs that transform on the palate to pear and tropical pineapple notes. As a very approachable wine that is low in alcohol, it appeals to those who are just being introduced to wine.

Our second wine is another classic. Roscato Provincia Di Pavia Rosso Dolce (originally priced at $12.99, and reduced to $8.95 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is a delicately sweet and gently fizzy red wine from the northern Italian region of Lombardy. Made from three grape varieties — croatine, teroldego and lagrein — this is a slightly sweet wine that can also be paired to entrees such as classic tomato-based Italian dishes. However, this chameleon of a wine can also be paired to cheeses or just sipped when slightly chilled. It has notes of raspberries and cherries.

Our third wine is frequently thought of as reserved for cooking. Colombo Sweet Marsala Wine ($10.99, and available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is a hidden wonder. Marsala is a Sicilian wine, fortified, with a spectrum of sweetness, conditioned on the preferences of the region and winemaker. Marsala grew in popularity at the time when the British were becoming invested monetarily and in taste in fortified wines such as sherry and port. While its popularity has waned over the last century, it can be savored in front of the fireplace with its dark amber color, and hints of dates and apricots. It is full, warm and satisfying to the palate, a wonderful wine to be sipped after dinner.

Our fourth and fifth wines are luxurious sauternes. The 2016 Michel Lynch Prestige Sauternes ($19.99 for a 375 ml bottle, and available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is liquid silk in a small bottle. Also available in New Hampshire is another sweet sauternes – Château Guiraud Sauternes 1er Cru Classé (originally priced at $27.99, and reduced to $24.99 for a 375 ml bottle at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets). Why are two sauternes noted in this column? The answer is simple: The state stores do not inventory a wide selection of these cherished rare wines. These aromatic wines are produced from semillon grapes that are botrytized. When conditions are just right, nature can hold a usually nasty fungus in such check that something special happens. Instead of destroying a crop, the fungus creates grapes with incredibly concentrated flavor that can make some of the world’s sweetest, most precious wines. Botrytis cinerea is more affectionately known as “noble rot.” It’s the same kind of rot that spoils strawberries and soft fruit with greyish fuzz. So what makes this mold noble? A fine balance of moisture, sunlight and temperature. Ripe, healthy grapes must still be on the vine as fall begins, when misty mornings provide the moisture that the fungus needs to thrive. The fungus pierces the grape’s skin to feast on its juice, but after a few hours, sunshine and otherwise dry conditions follow to evaporate the moisture and stop the fungus in its tracks.

Try these alternatives to the all-too-familiar wines. The experience will be rewarding.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Chocolate & caramel oatmeal bars

It’s almost Christmas, so you probably are already surrounded by many treats. You may wonder why you need one more dessert recipe right now. The answer is simple: These bars are delicious and make a fabulous dessert that doesn’t require a lot of time.

During this holiday season, cookies usually take center stage, which is fine. The problem with cookies is that you need to make batches of them. Plus, you need to find a cute serving tray on which to serve them. That’s where this bar recipe can assist you. You can bake and serve in the same pan!

When you make these (not if but when), there are three important ingredient notes. (1) You need to use old-fashioned or rolled oats to provide the correct texture. (2) The soft caramels are the ones that come individually wrapped but don’t have that white/creamy center. (3) Although it’s only a few tablespoons, whole milk really is the best choice to keep the caramel sauce creamy.

Now you have a dessert that is bound to receive many oohs and ahhs. Make sure you save one for yourself!

Chocolate & caramel oatmeal bars
Makes 20

1½ cups flour
1½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup light brown sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
7 ounces soft caramels
4 Tablespoons whole milk
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix flour, oats, sugar, butter, baking soda and salt on medium speed until butter is the size of rice.
Line a 13×9 pan with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Place 3/4 of the cookie dough in the pan; spread evenly and pat firmly.
Bake the bottom crust for 12 minutes.
While the crust bakes, combine the caramels and milk in a microwave-safe bowl.
Heat the caramel mixture in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each.
Remove crust from oven; spread melted caramel over it.
Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of caramel.
Scoop remaining cookie dough into tablespoons, and distribute evenly over the chocolate chips.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.

Photo: Chocolate and caramel oatmeal bars. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Frank Barrese

Frank Barrese of Nashua is the executive chef of The 101 Grille (88 Shirking Road, Epping, 734-2273, the101grille.com), a new eatery that opened inside the Seacoast United sports complex last month. Currently open five days a week for dinner and on Saturdays for lunch, The 101 Grille features everything from snacks and appetizers to burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads, with a heavy emphasis on from-scratch cooking and locally sourced ingredients through the Three River Farmers Alliance. Barrese is originally from Port Chester, New York — he later moved to Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut, eventually landing his first executive chef job at the former Picador restaurant in the town of New Canaan. Just prior to joining The 101 Grille, he worked as a chef on the campus of Emmanuel College in Boston for about two years.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Tongs.

What would you have for your last meal?

Garlic noodles from this place in Charleston, South Carolina, called Pink Bellies, and probably a nice Kölsch.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Smokehaus in Amherst. They do great barbecue. … I get the pulled pork with their tangy and spicy sauce.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

It would be the nduja crostini. Nduja is a soft, very spicy Calabrian pork sausage, and Short Creek Farm [of Northwood] actually makes it in house. They source the peppers from Calabria, but everything else is local. … Nduja is something that you don’t see very often and the fact that I was able to find one that was made in New Hampshire was really exciting.

What celebrity would you like to see eating at The 101 Grille?

I’m going to say Bruce Willis. That would be pretty sweet.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Ghost kitchens are starting to become more and more prevalent, and I am a big fan of them.

What is your favorite thing to make at home?

Sourdough bread is probably my favorite. I’ve had the same sourdough starter for the last five years.

Grilled scallion chimichurri
From the kitchen of Frank Barrese of The 101 Grille in Epping (yields about two cups; great on grilled steak or vegetables, mixed with mayonnaise as a dipping sauce for fries, or on a sandwich or wrap)

1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Aleppo chile pepper, or crushed red pepper
4 cloves garlic
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
3 bunches of scallions, lightly brushed with oil, charred on the grill, then roughly chopped
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except extra virgin olive oil into a food processor and process until finely chopped. While food processor is running, add the extra virgin olive oil until well-incorporated. Store in an air-tight container.

Featured photo: Frank Barrese. Courtesy photo.

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