Take a room-by-room tour of New England history with assistant editor Justin Shatwell as he visits Memorial Hall Museum and talks with director Tim Neumann at the historical landmark in Old Deerfield, Massachusetts. Listen to the tour here or take this audio tour with you when you visit the museum. Here’s how: Download an MP3 […]
“Tikkun olam”: to heal the world. That’s the auspicious goal of the New Hampshire-based Kaddish Project, named for the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead. Sixty-three years after the end of the Holocaust, a new song cycle for chorus, soloists, and chamber ensemble by Lawrence Siegel explores the role this tragedy plays in the world […]
Gripping the wild mane of a galloping, whirling carousel horse is a memory we all share from childhood. Prized by admirers of Americana, these nostalgic mounts have been snatched up by private collectors, making complete sets almost impossible to find. But this spring, Vermont’s Shelburne Museum is pulling out of its eclectic collection a trolley-park […]
When leading a revival of an all-but-dead genre, it’s not enough to be good — you have to make people believe. With two scorching EPs and a never-ending series of roof-raising live shows, Eli “Paperboy” Reed & the True Loves are converting audiences young and old back to the Church of Soul. With a clear, […]
Spouse’s Relocation Tactics is one of those guerrilla albums that ambush you 12 hours after you first listen to it. My initial opinion of it was positive, but not overwhelmingly so. But as the day progressed, the hooks and melodies kept resurfacing, pestering me as I tried to do my daily chores. In the time […]
For someone with a highly limited music budget, tribute albums can be a source of great anxiety. They always have great potential — covering another artist’s material is a chance for a musician to both pay homage to their roots and at the same time expand upon the original message. Sometimes this process is transcendent, […]
Passing through the ultra-lifelike dioramas of Connecticut’s Mashantucket Pequot Museum, visitors speak in hushed tones as though they’re intruding. But the models don’t flinch: They’re frozen snapshots of a history almost forgotten. This state-of-the-art museum is dedicated to resurrecting and popularizing the story of New England’s native inhabitants, which isn’t always easy. But by weaving […]
The hum of the expectant crowd dies immediately as the lights go down in the packed auditorium. The cherubs and goddesses looming from the dome overhead retreat into the shadows. The curtain parts, and the opening band kicks into a short set. The vibration of the thin wood floor urges the audience to the edges […]
I first saw Jon Shain at the tiny black box theater at the Mansfield Music and Arts Society. By chance, the Patriots’ Divisional Playoff game against the Jaguars was scheduled at the same time, so needless to say there were a few cancellations. Excluding the two owners, the opening act and her mother, there were […]
Is The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut, the most unusual bookstore in New England? [slideshow post_id=”94917″] Nestled in a wooded corner of Niantic, Connecticut, is a playground like no other. Little girls pick through garden paths searching for big, apathetic cats to cuddle; boys chase one another around a wooden fort; and an energetic dog […]
The opening of the Lake Champlain Bridge in 1929 inspired cheering crowds, marching bands, and grinning politicians. Everyone understood the potential that this long span brought with it: For the first time, the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains were connected, uniting the region and spurring tourism and development. Age has taken its toll on this […]
The intricate murals blanketing the walls and ceiling of St. Ann’s Church bring a taste of Renaissance Italy to Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Painted in the 1940s by famed church decorator Guido Nincheri, they brought the Bible to life for parishioners for decades. But as its flock moved on, the building went unused and was eventually […]
