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The Music Roundup 26/09/24

By Michael Witthaus
mwitthaus@hippopress.com

• Princely sound: Get funky with LoVeSeXy, New England’s top Prince tribute band that also covers Purple One-adjacent acts Morris Day & the Time and Sheila E. Backing vocalist Jodee Frawlee does a great job on the latter, and as Prince’s duet partner Sheena Easton on “You Got the Look” and “Love Bizarre.” The show also has hits like “Little Red Corvette” and “Let’s Go Crazy.” Thursday, Sept. 24, 8 p.m., LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 111, Derry, $40, labellewinery.com.

• Generous guys: Along with their blues/rock bonafides, the Guitar Monsters — Johnny A., Jon Butcher and Dave Amato — have a history of giving back to the community. The Rockin’ 4 Vets show benefits Liberty House, a Manchester shelter that provides veterans with substance-free housing and assistance aimed at helping them to manage crises, get back on their feet and build stable futures. Friday, Sept. 25, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $35 and up, tupelohall.com.

• Freedom rocks: A music fan weary of driving an hour and a half to shows started the Live Free Festival in 2023 after a test effort in his backyard the previous year. That DIY spirit paid off, and the fourth annual gathering has eight area acts, including Cozy Throne, Lost River Fleet, Thoughtstick, cellardoor, Saguaro, Cloth Mother and Jiggery Pokery. Saturday, Sept 26, 12:30 p.m., Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, 17 Hilldale Lane, New Boston, $10 and up, livefreefestnh.com.

• Comeback kids: The Jonas Brothers —Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas — are rolling through arenas with a live show that sold out when the tour kicked off at Madison Square Garden. The event revives their 2008 Burning Up tour. Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m., SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St., Manchester, $32 and up, snhuarena.com.

Strings and Superman

Five for Fighting orchestral comes to town

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

Fittingly given their moniker, when Five For Fighting’s 2000 single “Easy Tonight” stalled in the charts, its leader decided to be bold in choosing a radio follow-up from their album America Town. The result was the biggest hit of their career, a milestone that’s still reverberating today.

“I figured if I was going to go down, might as well go down swinging with a song I truly believe in,” John Ondrasik said in a recent Zoom call from his home in Southern California. The tune was “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” and it turned a then-obscure singer-songwriter with a hockey penalty for a band name into a star.

Piano ballads weren’t much of a thing at the time, but he was undeterred after their first try did just well enough to earn a second shot.

“The record company said, ‘Well, what song would you want to put out?’ and I said, Superman,” he recalled. “Because I had a sense that it could hit the heart.”

He was right, and when 9/11 happened the next year, the song became part of the national vocabulary.

On Friday, Sept. 25, Ondrasik, backed by four top-shelf string players pulled largely from Broadway pits, performs at BNH Stage in Concord. He plans a stripped-down evening of music drawing from a catalog that includes “100 Years,” “The Riddle,” “World” and of course the song that launched him.

It’s his second New England fall run in as many years, following a 2025 stretch the native Californian still marvels about.

“I haven’t had a lot of experience with the fall turn,” he said of New England’s foliage. “It was just stunning. So we said, let’s do another run, and instead of doing three weeks we’re doing five or six.”

How Ondrasik went from solo singer-songwriter to a name that gets him lots of free hockey tickets is a fun story.

When he signed a major label deal in the mid-’90s, a suit there told him Elton John and Billy Joel types didn’t fly in the era of boy bands, grunge and Lilith Fair. He needed something else on the marquee. Ondrasik had just watched Wayne Gretzky’s enforcer, Marty McSorley, rack up two five-minute fighting majors at an L.A. Kings game.

A bit miffed at the exec’s suggestion, he tossed off the phrase half-sarcastically, expecting it to be rejected, only to hear an enthusiastic reply. “I’m like, ‘you’re crazy,’” Ondrasik recalled. Those early years bore out his belief, as he was sometimes mistakenly booked as a metal act, and looked like a piano man lost in the mosh pit.

He’s come to like it over time. “There’s some silver linings to the name … it also keeps the focus on the music.”

The string-quartet format grew out of full-orchestra symphony dates Ondrasik couldn’t take to smaller markets, so 15 years ago he scaled the arrangements down to four players, and he still alternates between that in the fall and winter months, taking a full rock band on the road in summer.
It lets him dig into catalog deep cuts like “Devil in the Wishing Well” and “Two Lights,” and reframe hits like “100 Years” and “Chances” in a more intimate, storytelling setting. His favorite part of the night happens when he hands it over to the band. “I kind of just walk off stage and let them jam,” he said. “They always get a standing ovation.”

The current lineup includes Tony-winning violinist Katie Kresek, Melissa Tong, Chris Cardona and Peter Sachon. The band is drawn from a rotating pool of about eight or nine Broadway and session veterans Ondrasik met through longtime producer Greg Wattenberg and Dave Eggar, who’s both a master cellist and piano player.

“They love rock ’n’ roll, and, frankly, not playing the same piece of music eight days a week in a pit,” he said.

Opening the Concord show is Lace & Lee, a folk duo Ondrasik is happy to gush about, as it includes his daughter, Olivia. She joins him onstage most nights for a song of her own.

“Touring with [her] is pretty wonderful,” he said. “The whole quartet, everybody just enjoys them, and I think the audiences too are in for a treat.”

Five For Fighting with String Quartet
When: Friday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $67 and up at ccanh.com

Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.

Album Reviews 26/09/24

The Church, Lacuna (Cooking Vinyl Records)

U.S. rock fans will — or more likely won’t — know this Australian gloom-pop band from their million-selling tune “Under The Milky Way” from their 1988 album Starfish, their only full-length to go gold here. Bassist Steve Kilbey’s unremarkable but goth-sounding baritone matched up nicely with their then-competitors U2 and The Cure and it’s still in fine fettle as proved in this record’s opening song “Lumbini Grove,” at least once it gets going anyway; the band has tried to avoid being pigeonholed as a Cure/Echo & The Bunneymen wannabe for pretty much their entire history, and to accomplish that, they’ve largely eschewed common song structures, insisting on padding their stuff with melodic, atmospheric dada as found in the first couple of minutes of this new track (which only accomplishes delaying the inevitable bummer-pop vibe, which isn’t to say it’s a bad song at all; indeed, it’s strummy and catchy and important-sounding; I’m saying it would have benefitted from having no intro at all). All told, there’s not a lot to dislike here; some reviewers consider this record one of their best, and at the very least they’ve been consistently active, taking no more than eight years between albums over their 46-year oeuvre, which definitely counts for something. A —Eric W. Saeger

Ibibio Sound Machine, Chopping Mountain (Merge Records)

If you always wanted more than a little Afrobeat authenticity with your Moby/Massive Attack-related techno, this London, U.K.-based outfit is your ticket. Interspersing such sounds as West African highlife, post-punk, Afrobeat, soul and electronic music, this stuff is as frenetic and crazy-busy as it is unpredictable and interesting; the eight-piece collective is led by Nigerian singer Eno Williams, whose life’s mission is obviously to direct the world to a more positive place through infectious dance grooves. This is their sixth LP, produced this time at their own Vanguard Studios; it’s an all-in, team-collaborative record that follows the darker disco/club-focused Pull The Rope and, before that, Electricity, which was produced by renowned synthpop heroes Hot Chip. Despite the jam-out origins of the songs, there’s real precision to them, indicating that parts didn’t end up making the cut by slim vote margins; whether they’re on a dancehall tip, trying to evoke glitter-ball energy or ramming a loop into your head, it all works exquisitely. A+ —Eric W. Saeger

_PLAYLIST

A seriously abridged compendium of recent and future CD releases

• And here it is, the last CD release Friday of September, this one, Sept. 25! Of course, in current music news, the thing that’s been virally abuzz on social media lately (unless it’s not by the time you’re reading this) has been Ed Sheeran’s dropping Macklemore from his 2026 tour — including the Boston-area show at Gillette Stadium this very Friday — at the behest of promoters, owing to a political statement Macklemore made onstage, that is unless Sheeran has the good sense to cancel the tour, which would cost him between $60 million and $100 million (he’s worth around $400 million now, so I suppose his decision ultimately hinges on how many 100-foot yachts he’d ideally like to own). Naturally I’ll not weigh in on the sociopolitical nitroglycerine in this space, but that’s mostly because since the story broke I’ve continued to be more flummoxed about Sheeran’s mass appeal than anything else. It’s always puzzled me; as I expressed on “my socials” the other week, I consider him to be “the most overrated musician since Gogg the Neanderthal found himself worshipped tribe-wide for his ability to smack a mastodon skull with a log four times in a row,” which isn’t to say that he doesn’t write catchy-ish songs that are relevant to members of today’s young, criminally underserved generation; it simply echoes the complaint lodged by many others in my business, that, for starters, he can’t sing for beans. Now, would I cut him any slack if he could sing for beans? Possibly yes, a little, but if he were indeed some sort of momentously talented mega-diva I expect he would have told the promoters to go bake themselves in a pie and demanded that things be done according to the original plan way before he sensed he was about to get into any hot water from the Twitter masses, and besides, didn’t Sheeran ask for it in the first place, what with all the controversy Macklemore’s drummed up previously? But let’s leave that to stew in its own rancid juices and move on to other, far less radioactive things, starting with the new album from French techno-shoegaze band M83, titled I Wrote You A Letter! Let me mention first to all you smarty-pants whippersnappers that I was into these guys before most of you were, having added their 2008 sort-of-hit “Graveyard Girl” to a few of my personal mixtapes, but I certainly didn’t think “Kim & Jessie” was the greatest thing since sliced bread like Pitchfork did; quite the contrary. In fact their new single “Blister Sunrise” was my first exposure to them in many uninterested moons for good reason. The tune isn’t much of a game-changer, making like an overproduced Raveonettes-style shoegaze dirge, but sure, it’s fine.

• Speaking of politics and stuff but oh let’s not, Rage Against The Machine frontman Tom Morello checks in this week with a solo album, Everyone Gets Everything They Want! “Date Night,” the single, starts off with some bullhorned spoken word, then moving on to a Pennywise-punk verse, all without the banshee-screechy vocal gimmick he’s most known for. I’d recommend buying literally any Ministry album instead, but it’s your money.

• Neo-soul singer Leon Bridges keeps his steamy tradition going with Happiness Anytime, his fifth full-length. The title track is low-key sexy and sublime, irresistible stuff.

• We’ll end the week with Australian indie-folk singer Julia Jacklin and her fourth album, The Gem. The leadoff single, “Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon),” is Sheryl Crow-ish but much more worthwhile than that. She’ll be in Boston at the Royale on Nov. 20. —Eric W. Saeger

NOTE: Local (NH) bands seeking album or EP reviews can message me on Twitter/Bluesky (@esaeger) or Facebook (eric.saeger.9).

Featured Photo: The Church, Lacuna & Ibibio Sound Machine, Chopping.

The Weekly Dish 26/09/24

By John Fladd
jfladd@hippopress.com

• NH Brewfest has been canceled: In a Sept. 10 press release, the Prescott Park Arts Festival, in partnership with the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA), District New England, announced that the annual New Hampshire Brewfest normally held in Prescott Park in Portsmouth will not take place in 2026. “This year’s decision to pause the event follows careful consideration of a number of factors,” the announcement read, “including ongoing challenges in securing a suitable location, broader headwinds facing the craft beer industry, and a festival landscape that continues to evolve.“

• Wines of the world and charcuterie: On Friday, Sept. 25, beginning at 5:30 p.m., Tuscan Market (Tuscan Village, 9 Via Toscana, Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) will host a guided evening where its sommeliers will lead participants on a tour through wine regions from Italy and France to Spain, Argentina and beyond. Sample a curated flight paired with an artisan cheese and charcuterie board built from the market: aged Parmigiano Reggiano, creamy taleggio, Prosciutto di Parma, salami, olives, honey and freshly baked bread. Tickets are $65 each through the Tuscan Market website.

• Dolly Day: Friday, Sept. 25, is Dolly Day at To Share Brewing (720 Union St., Manchester, 836-6947, tosharebrewing.com). Wear your best Dolly fashion, support a great cause, and drink excellent beer. Ten percent of all sales will be donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program to put books in the hands of children. There will be beer, food and nonalcoholic drinks available from 4 to 9 p.m.

• To Share Oktoberfest: To Share Brewing’s (720 Union St., Manchester, 836-6947, tosharebrewing.com) 8th Annual Oktoberfest will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 8 p.m. In an announcement on Facebook the brewery referred to this event as their “biggest day of the year, packed with German-inspired food, great beer, games, prizes, and plenty of reasons to raise a stein.” It also marks the release of To Share’s Oktoberfest Altbier. Admission is free. So is the fun.

• Fall cookie decorating: Station 101 (193 Union Square, Milford, 249-5416, station101nh.com) will host an evening of cookie decorating with Posy Cottage Cookies (801-7590, posycottagecookies.com) Monday, Sept. 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Learn five early autumn-themed cookie designs with four colors of royal icing. Posy Cottage Cookies will provide all the materials needed to create beautiful and delicious cookies. Tickets are $64.80 each through the Posy Cottage website.

One day of Greek goodies

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church will hold its annual Greek Food Festival

By John Fladd
jfladd@hippopress.com

On Saturday, Sept. 26, the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Concord will hold its annual Greek Food Festival, the last of the region’s Greek festivals for the year. Constantine Newman is the priest at Holy Trinity.

“It’s a one-day festival,” he said. “We feature a lot of good Greek food, all of it homemade, favorites like the lamb kebabs and the chicken kebabs, moussaka, pastitsio, Greek meatballs and spanakopita. On the line we’ll have gyros and the ladies have a whole setup of Greek pastries that they’re selling.”

The Greek Food Festival is Holy Trinity’s biggest fundraiser of the year, Newman said. “This helps us get through the year. But it’s also a lot of fun, too. It’s not just a monetary thing, but it’s nice for showcasing Greek culture and food and just having a nice time together.”

While months of preparation go into the Festival, he said, there is always a last-minute scramble to get everything ready in time for the big day. “Some of the things we can prepare ahead of time. Some of the things though, you can’t really freeze them well, so we do them in the last week. Of course, all the meat that we get has to be cut and trimmed and then put on the skewers. It has to be marinated, so that can only be done in the last week. [In the days before the Festival] we will be doing the moussaka, the baklava, the galaktoboureko, and then all the meat stuff.” All the meat will be finished on the grill, he said.

For many Greek food enthusiasts, the acid test of a festival is the spanikopita — spinach and feta cheese sandwiched in many layers of buttered, paper-thin phyllo dough. Margaret Gegas is the head of the Spanikopita Committee. She said a really good spanikopita has only a few ingredients but they have to be of the best quality. “We put in a lot of fresh spinach — not frozen — and we use a good amount of feta cheese crumbled in each pan and olive oil. Every layer of phyllo is buttered. We put in the pita — maybe 25 sheets each of phyllo dough. At home, some cook might put dill, and they may put a lot of dill, or a lot of spearmint, but we do not alter that flavor because one may not like dill, one may not like spearmint, so we just stick to the recipe we have with scallions, and it blends very well with spinach and olive oil.”

Even more important, Gegas said, is to have a bone-deep understanding of the particular oven it is baked in.

“It is a lot of work,” Gegas said, “and baking it correctly is crucial. [Our spanikopita] are baked in a convection oven so they have to be watched carefully.” She said even if somebody used the exact same techniques and ingredients but tried to make the same recipe in their home oven, their timing and temperature would be off. After years of experience, Gegas and her team know that in the church’s ovens a batch of spanikopita should take exactly one hour.

“They go in,” she said, “but we.check them and change the position [of the pans] in the oven, just to be sure all the air is circulating correctly with each pan. We’ve made 35 pans this year.”

The Spanikopita Committee does not monitor the internal temperature of the pans while they bake, Gegas said. “It’s by eye and timing. We time them. … So after an hour, we know how it should look. It’s about the browning; if they’re not brown on top, they’re not ready. So it all works out together — the baking and the color.”

Greek Food Festival
When: Saturday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 68 N. State St., Concord
More: holytrinitynh.org

Featured photo: Kids’ activities at a previous festival. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 26/09/24

Hi, Donna,

My wife and I own a frame shop and we acquired this piece many years ago. I sent a photo to the Museum of Fine Art in the midst of Covid, but never heard back from them. Can you shed some light on it?

Thanks.

Brian

Dear Brian,

I can try to provide you with some advice for this piece.

I think for you to get an authentic appraisal, depending on where you live, I would bring it directly to professionals who deal in this subject. For yours I would recommend Bonhams Skinner in either Boston or Marlborough, Mass.

There were two eras of this work that was Cuzco style done in Peru, first during the 16th through 18th centuries, and later in the 19th century. Prices vary from around $15,000+ in the first era to up to $3,000 in the second era. So you need eyes on it to get an age determination and assess authenticity in general.

You can get information on both Bonhams Skinner locations online. You can send the pictures but I really recommend a visit directly.

Brian, can you drop me a note to let me know what you found out? Good luck!

Donna Welch has spent more than 35 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing. Her new location is an Antique Art Studio located in Dunbarton, NH where she is still buying and selling. If you have questions about an antique or collectible send a clear photo and information to Donna at footwdw@aol.com, or call her at 391-6550.

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