Tag: 240523

Midwest rockers

BoDeans play Nashua Center

In the middle of the 1980s, a contingent of bands emerged from a swamp of big hair and overproduction that were hell bent on rocking out, like Boston’s Del Fuegos, Georgia Satellites and the Plimsouls. Among those championing the no-nonsense, garage rock sound was BoDeans, whose first single, “Fadeaway,” was all over MTV in 1986.

Nearly four decades on, the Milwaukee quartet is still touring and making albums; their latest is 4 the Last Time, released in 2022. A 10-day run includes two New Hampshire shows; a near sold out night at Jimmy’s in Portsmouth on Thursday, May 23, and an appearance the following evening at the Nashua Center for the Arts.

In a recent phone interview, BoDeans front man Kurt Neumann described his band’s setlists as spanning six decades of music, because they include a cover of “Drift Away,” a Dobie Gray hit from the ’70s that’s there for its sing-along quality, and because it represents a bygone, enchanting time for Neumann.

“It really pulls a lot together as far as where I came from as a songwriter,” he said of the song, and recalled being glued to the radio as a kid. “It was my escape from the world, and songs like ‘Drift Away’ really took me there. I’m bringing it back to that place for the audience and remembering how much music has played a part in our lives.”

Sets stretch to two and a half hours and draw from each of the band’s 14 albums, infectious songs like “You Don’t Get Much,” “Good Things” and “Closer To Free,” which became the theme song for Party of Five. It wasn’t their only foray into television; he wrote music for the Netflix series The Ranch, which ran from 2016 to 2020. Neumann was recruited for the show, which starred Ashton Kutcher, Debra Winger and Sam Elliot, and was set in rural Colorado.

“Both of the producers were big fans of BoDeans music, and they wanted to make music a good part of the show, so I was constantly writing stuff,” Neumann said. The showrunners would tell him what they wanted, like a song with a small-town theme, and he’d write a few versions. “It was the first time anyone was really giving me cues … before, it was always like, what should I write about today?”

Neumann also contributed instrumental pieces. “It was nice to work with a bunch of different people like that on a show,” he continued. “To experience the process of what they’re doing, and then adding to that musically … I really enjoyed it.”

Asked how he feels about touring as the BoDeans near a 40th anniversary, Neumann replied, “we keep evolving, even with the old material, we try to reinvent it in an interesting way. Then we always have the crowd making everything fresh and new. They’re looking forward to hearing the songs and singing with you. It all works together to keep you interested in moving forward with the music.”

Though the new album’s title hinted at a potential end to new BoDeans music, Neumann is still writing songs and feeling a creative spark.

“It has kind of a double meaning — one of the songs on the record is called ‘For the Last Time’ and it’s about ending a relationship,” he said. “But as you get older, putting these records out, it’s changed so much. You never know what I was trying to imply with the title. You never know how many records you’re going to get to make. I will say that I have about 20 new songs recorded and ready to come out. So there will be one more at least.”

BoDeans w/ Chris Trapper
When: Friday, May 24, 8 p.m.
Where: Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua
Tickets: $29 to $49 at etix.com

Featured photo: BoDeans. Photo by Lucia J. Bilotti.

The Music Roundup 24/05/23

Local music news & events

• All inclusive: Million Dollar Quartet star and piano prodigy Nat Zegree’s The History of Rock ’n’ Roll is a Cliffs Notes version of Andrew Hickey’s 500 Songs podcast, charting the early days of the genre before it had a name. Follow the rise of Bill Haley & the Comets, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, as well as Jerry Lee Lewis, who Zegree portrayed in the musical. Thursday, May 23, 7:30 p.m., The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, $42 and up at themusichall.org.

• Ocean Stater: Though he calls Rhode Island home these days, J. Michael Graham is originally from New Hampshire and is pleased to be returning to perform at a favorite watering hole. The singer, songwriter and guitarist has released a pair of well-received original albums, and performed with a wide range of artists, from James Montgomery to Deer Tick and the Dresden Dolls. Friday, May 24, 8 p.m., Village Trestle, 25 Main St., Goffstown. More at jmgrahammusic.com.

• Horror show: The EDM pop culture soiree Halloween Stories is set in fictitious Grimoire Village, where the spooky night never ends. Come dressed as a werewolf, witch, zombie or demon and experience house, drums n’ bass, dubstep and other beat-heavy sounds by Snaggletooth, Too Hard to Spell, and DJ LAWR. Advance purchase is required for the 21+ event. Saturday, May 24, 9 pm., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $19.99 at grimoireacademy.com.

• Boston laughs: Though his admiration of Bill Murray made him want to be an actor early on, Will Noonan has made his name as a comic, winning accolades from the now-defunct Improper Bostonian as the city’s best, and he recently appeared in the broadcast booth at Fenway Park alongside Sox legend Jim Rice. His relatable standup makes him a regular favorite in New Hampshire. Saturday, May 25, 8:30 p.m., Chunky’s Cinema, 707 Huse Road, Manchester, $20 at chunkys.com.

• First nights: Outdoor concerts in the Lakes Region kick off for the summer. The Beach Boys headline the weekend-closing show, with Mike Love now the last of the band’s old guard, along with Bruce Johnston, who joined in 1965. Also on the bill is Dave Mason and Traffic Jam, reviving the group he co-founded; he wrote their early hit “Feelin’ Alright.” Sunday, May 26, 7:30 p.m., Bank of NH Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, $41 and up at livenation.com.

Album Reviews 24/05/23

The Treatment, Wake Up The Neighbourhood (Frontiers Music s.r.l.)

Yep, it’s been a little while since we checked in at Frontiers Music Mercy Hospital, where throwback-arena-rock bands and power-metal dudes get record contracts that most of them don’t deserve. No, I kid Frontiers Music, there’s hope, rockers, and isn’t it past time for a rawk resurgence? I think so, so let’s put this one under the snark-o-scope, the latest from this Cambridge, U.K. hard rock band, which has opened for Kiss and Alice Cooper and is professed to be influenced by Def Leppard, AC/DC and Thin Lizzy. Usually these bands don’t sound like their RIYL suggestions, but this one’s in the right pew, I’ll admit. The dumbly named “Let’s Wake Up This Town” is like a lost AC/DC demo from the ’90s, you know the period; “Back To The 1970s” is more along the hair-metal lines of Poison; “This Fire Still Burns” is Skid Row prostration, and bonk bonk bonk, yadda yadda, the overall effect is Buckcherry (if you’ve never heard that band, I beg of you, don’t bother, but in the meantime this band is a hundred times better than them). B-

John Escreet, The Epicenter Of Your Dreams (Blue Room Music)

Touted as a best-in-class practitioner of Myra Melford et al.’s “free-bop post-Cecil Taylor aesthetic,” this modern jazz pianist herewith tables his second album for Blue Room, a small Korea-based label. It’s not often I’m compelled to use an adjective like “relentless” when covering jazz, but there’s no better one to describe opening track “Call It What It Is,” in which Escreet’s keys alternately explore mechanically precise syncopation and busy waterfalls of 64th notes. Returning to this quartet from Escreet’s 2018 Seismic Shift album are bassist Eric Revis and drummer Damion Reid, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner adding the final piece to a world-class group. The arrangements are bold and dominating except when they’re not, in gentle but resolute chillouts like the title track. Don’t miss this one. A+

PLAYLIST

A seriously abridged compendium of recent and future CD releases

• Here we go, kids, summer’s a-comin’, we’re staring down the barrel of the May 24 music-CD release date, doesn’t it seem like it was 10 degrees out like a couple of days ago? Boy, this climate apocalypse really is the dickens, am I right, fam, but let’s see what craziness is in the list for today, my super-secret list of new album releases that cements my status as the greatest CD reviewer in the history of this Granite State, unless Dr. David Thorp moved here because he couldn’t afford the rent in Boston anymore, which has to be, what, $8,000 a month these days for a tool shed in Dorchester? Tell me when everyone’s gotten a grip on reality, but meanwhile let’s talk about music albums, like this new one, Frog In Boiling Water, from Brooklyn slacker-indie quartet DIIV! These guys look like Kiss, if Kiss were 98-pound weaklings and all of them except for the Peter Criss wore $5 mail-order eyeglasses from EyeBuyDirect.com. But eyewear fashion aside, what say we go investigate this nonsense and plumb its depths for aesthetic verisimilitude, in other words let’s see what bands they rip off, I’m as excited as you are, trust me. I’ve got a simply capital idea, folks, let’s listen to the title track to get a general gist of what the dilly is, by all means let’s. Wait a second, actually, this is cool, really grungy, like Nirvana, which makes me want to go on a rant about how ’90s music is going to be everywhere before you know it, but you must have figured that out by now. It’s low-slung, muddy and metallic, with an extreme emo-metal tinge to the guitar sound. You’ll probably love it, I’d hope.

• Ha ha, oh no, it’s Old Man Luedecke, with a new album called She Told Me Where To Go! There is no person named Luedecke, by the way; that’s the stage name of alt-country banjo-picker/singer Christopher Rudolf Luedecke, who has won multiple Juno awards, the Canadian version of the Grammys, and shouldn’t they be spelled Grammies, what the devil is going on here. Anyway, the single from this album, “She Told Me Where To Go,” is a jolly good one from this Canadian soy-boy. It definitely borders on Muddy Waters territory, except with, you know, kind of wimpy singing. He’ll probably win another Juno for this, and I wouldn’t begrudge him for it.

• You may recall that America started swirling down the cosmic drain when reality TV shows started getting 100 times worse than they’d ever been, and House of Carters led all those shows straight to the vortex, like some sort of demented pied piper. It only lasted eight episodes but hoo-wee was it awful, lol. Along with former Backstreet Boy Nick, all the other Carter siblings were there, being cringe, including Aaron Carter, whose new album, The Recovery Album, is a posthumous affair, because he died in 2022. “Blame It On Me” is a heart-tugging boyband ballad that isn’t completely awful, may I go now?

• We’ll bag it this week with Columbus, Ohio-based alt-hiphop/indie/electronica/whatever duo Twenty One Pilots, whose new LP, Clancy, continues the dystopian-fantasy conceptual trip they’ve dabbled in for years now (they promised to stop after this one, but I don’t believe them). Once again the lyrics are set in the metaphorical world of Trench and the horrible city of Dema; the single, “Backslide,” evokes a futuristic Eminem with enough underground hip-hop vibe to make it non-barf-inducing.

Bicycle Thief

The first time I had my bicycle stolen was in the Army, when a platoonmate of mine with a drug problem “borrowed” most of my stuff while I was in the field — including my bike — and thoughtfully stored it for me at a pawn shop just off-base. Later, after my effects had been retrieved, he made a big deal of telling everyone what a gentleman I was. I think he was happy I didn’t punch him in my face, but you’d think I was David Niven.

A year or so later, now out of the Army, I rode the same bike to the dining hall of the school I was enrolled in and popped in to grab some breakfast, only to find that I’d forgotten about the switch to Daylight Savings Time and had missed breakfast. I came out to discover that I’d also forgotten to lock my bike up, and it had taken the opportunity to start a new life with somebody else. I indulged in some non-Nivenish language.

The third time I had a bike stolen, I did not forget to lock it up, and only the front wheel was taken. I wasn’t sure why, until I considered the possibility that perhaps someone had stolen the thief’s front wheel, to replace the one that a third person in this train of wheel abduction had taken from them, etc., stretching back to sometime in the ’70s when somebody broke their front wheel by absentmindedly driving into an open manhole or something. I tried unsuccessfully to display some David Niven-like aplomb, but did decide to end the chain of front-wheel abscondtion.

All of which has nothing much to do with anything, except that this week’s cocktail is a classic take on a Negroni called a Bicycle Thief.

Bicycle Thief

  • 1 ounce gin – Wiggly Bridge is a good choice
  • 1 ounce Campari
  • 1½ ounce unsweetened grapefruit juice
  • ½ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ ounce simple syrup
  • club soda to top
  • an orange slice for garnish

Combine the gin, Campari, juices and simple syrup over ice in a cocktail shaker.

Ask your digital assistant to play “Tale of Brave Ulysses” by Cream. Granted, this song is neither Italian nor bicycle-themed. It is, however, slightly psychedelic and dreamy. It tells a story of being in a situation beyond your control, where everything is delightful and nobody would think of stealing your bike. The rhythm of this song isn’t particularly conducive to shaking a cocktail, but it evokes the right mood for imagining yourself as the protagonist of a really good story.

Regardless of what Cream tells you, shake your cocktail thoroughly, until the ice just starts to break up.

Pour the drink, ice and all, into a tall glass. A Collins glass would work well for this, but personal experience has shown me that the Foghorn Leghorn promotional glass I rescued from a flea market last summer works equally well.

Top with club soda. How much is a personal judgment call. You might have had a day that calls for extra bubbles and a lighter hand on the “Full Speed Ahead” lever. You might just want something a little less frivolous. It’s up to you.

Stir it gently, and garnish with an orange slice. It might be tempting to slice the wheel of orange halfway through and slip it over the edge of your glass — and that’s fine! a classic! — but you might want to roll it and shove it into the interior of your glass instead. It will make even a Foghorn Leghorn glass look slightly fancy.

The reason you can get away with a whimsical glass is because a Bicycle Thief is a fully mature, confident drink. It’s not intense and “I will have my revenge for my stolen bicycle”-y, but coolly sophisticated, in a “Should we have Carlos bring the boat around?” vein. Campari and grapefruit share a bitterness that gets a backbone from the gin. The lemon and syrup are fruity enough to blunt the bitterness, but still leave it at an adult level.

I don’t know if David Niven ever drank this, but he should have.

Featured Photo: Photo by John Fladd.

In the kitchen with Andy Day

Andy Day, Chef and owner of Cask & Vine (1 E. Broadway in Derry, 965-3454, caskandvine.com)

Andy Day is the co-owner of Cask & Vine along with his wife, Alana. Cask & Vine is a craft beer bar they opened in 2013. Day is also a brewer and owner of Daydreaming Brewing Co. in historic downtown Derry. For more than 14 years he has taken a vested interest in promoting New Hampshire’s craft brewers through collaborations, beer-centric events, and cross-promotions. Day has recently taken on a young apprentice at Cask & Vine, sharing the knowledge and experience of food and cooking learned over the last several years.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Tongs, quickly followed by a simple clean kitchen rag. Watching and learning from the chef that opened our restaurant, I found it fascinating how versatile a pair of tongs is from pulling pans to plating food … when I don’t have them it’s painful.

What would you have for your last meal?

Grilled rib-eye with a blue cheese butter, rosemary Parmesan truffle-sauteed fingerlings and sauteed asparagus and mushrooms. Probably a slice of New York-style cheesecake for dessert. It’s all pretty simple stuff, and that’s what I love about it.

What is your favorite local eatery?

That’s tough, but I’d have to say Amphora Restaurant.The dishes are always so well-prepared and flavorful — not to mention there are usually a handful of specials that often include lamb, and I love someone else doing the work of preparing lamb, and doing it well.

Who is a celebrity you would like to see eating your food?

Patrick Stewart. I think he’d be a great person to sit at a table with, or just listen to feedback.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The Falafel sandwich. It includes heirloom tomatoes, bib lettuce, green goddess dressing, house pickles, and we make the falafel old-school, with fresh herbs. It’s a simple sandwich that has a lot going on.

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

Scaling back. It’s been weird in the restaurant world for a while, and everyone seems to be trying to deliver the most bang for your dollar, or doubling down on fresh, local at a higher price. Two very different approaches.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Pizza.It’s one of those things that you can just open up the cabinets and fridge and throw any number of ingredients on to create different flavors every time. It’s one of the things the kids always want me to cook when they visit, so that might have something to do with it.

Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
From Andy Day

1 pound sweet sausage (no casing)
1 pound cream cheese
2 dozen medium mushrooms, stems removed
6 pieces garlic
truffle oil (garnish)

Cook sausage in oven at 350°F for 30 minutes, making sure nothing is left pink.
Cook garlic in oven separate from sausage but for the same amount of time.
Drain sausage fat, allow to cool, and combine with garlic and cream cheese in a blender and blend until thoroughly mixed.
Stuff mushrooms with filling and place in oven at 350°F for 20 minutes or until mushrooms are softened and sausage is browning. Plate and top with truffle oil.

Featured Photo: Andy Day, Chef and owner of Cask & Vine. Courtesy photo.

All the bacon

Also beer and barbecue at annual fest

Jeremy Garrett has a four-word mantra that would stop almost anybody in their tracks: “The Most Bacon Ever.”

Garrett is the Director of the New Hampshire Bacon and Beer Festival (nhbaconbeer.com) and he is excited about serving unlimited samples of bacon, beer and barbecue to Festival-goers on Saturday, June 1, at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack.

“I haven’t done the numbers,” he said, “but I’m pretty certain this is the largest sampling event in New Hampshire. There will be 18 companies giving out 25+ different bacon samples, more than 60 breweries, and tents with barbecue teams. We like to say that if you leave hungry it’s your fault.”

This is the eighth year for the Festival, which raises money for the High Hopes Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides life-enhancing equipment, assistance and opportunities to New Hampshire children living with chronic health conditions. Over the past three years, the Bacon and Beer Festival has raised more than $150,000 for High Hopes.

When Festival-goers enter the event, they are given a 4-ounce sampling glass and two tickets, one to give to the vendor with their favorite bacon, and another to give to the maker of their favorite barbecue. Garrett said that there are serious bragging rights that go with winning the People’s Choice Award for best barbecue.

“The barbecue teams take it very seriously. Last year there was a Dancing Guy; if you gave him a ticket, he’d do a dance for you,” Garrett said.

On entering the Festival, a bacon-and-beer-enthusiast will be faced with a “plethora of tents,” each with a line in front of it.

“You go through the lines,” Garrett said. “You get whatever samples you want; you go get in the next line, you try that, go get in the next line, and keep on doing that until you’re full.” Because of the large number of vendors, none of the lines end up being very long, he said. “Even if we have 2,000 people there, nobody will be in line for more than three or four minutes.”

So what is an absolute can’t-miss item?

“There’s nothing that you can afford to miss,” Garrett said. Any food you can imagine with bacon will be represented, as well as a few you might never have thought about.

“There are any number of sweet or savory dishes to sample,” he said. “One of the barbecue teams is serving bacon-wrapped jalapeños. There’s a smokehouse that has bacon-infused sausage, so it’s bacon and sausage! Together!” There will be bacon popcorn, maple-bacon marshmallows, bacon whoopie pies, bacon pizza, bacon fries, bacon macaroni and cheese, and even bacon chocolate chip cookies.

Beer-wise, there will be a lot of old favorites, Garrett said, “and this year there are 12 new breweries we’ve never had before. It’s a great chance to try something you normally wouldn’t. I always end up trying some sours or fruity drinks that I normally wouldn’t, but this gives me a chance to see if there’s anything I like.” Because people in line are only committing themselves to a bite of bacon or barbecue, or 4 ounces of beer at a time, Garrett says, nobody’s overly invested in any of the samples. “If you don’t like it,” he said, “go get back in line and try something else. That’s the beauty of this opportunity.”

An hour or two before the end of the festival, many of the vendors start to run out of bacon. That’s when the barbecue teams rotate in and provide attendees with a different flavor profile — pulled pork tacos, nachos and more. By that time, though, it is too late for some Festival-goers. “At the end of the day,” Garrett said, “we have people leaving at like 3:30 — and the event goes until 4:30 — and we’re like, ‘What are you doing?’ They’ll go, ‘I can not eat another bite; I’m done.’ In that case, OK — you’re allowed to leave.”

Bacon and Beer
8th annual New Hampshire Bacon and Beer Festival
When: Saturday, June 1, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Where: outdoor fields of Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 221 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Merrimack. Tickets: $60 each, or $120 each for VIP tickets, which allow early admittance and on-site parking. Tickets are available at the Festival’s website (nhbaconbeer.com). General admission tickets will be available at the gate for $80. Tickets for designated drivers will be $35 at the gate, while supplies last.
Live music will be provided by The Slakas (theslakas.com).
Free overflow parking across the street at Elbit Systems.
Event is 21+. No one under 21 years of age may enter the festival gates, including designated drivers, babies and toddlers.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!