Soundcheck: There's a Blue House Over Yonder

Soundcheck: There's a Blue House Over Yonder

by | Oct 23, 2008 | Music

Walking into the Blue House Cafe in Haydenville is one of the most genuine (well, except for the free wi-fi) old New England experiences one can have in the Valley. It has a vibe somewhere between that of a Vermont sugarhouse and the legendary Alice's Restaurant,...
CD Shorts

CD Shorts

by | Oct 23, 2008 | Music

High PlacesHigh Places(Thrill Jockey)All bets are off when the debut from this duo starts. Sounds sizzle and wiggle like a sonic heat haze. Hand claps, insectoid rattlings, hypnotic drones, artfully minced melodic patterns and sandblasted string samples accumulate in...
Paying the Price

Paying the Price

by | Oct 23, 2008 | Leisure

While the United States boasts only five percent of the world's population, it houses 25 percent of the world's inmates, according to an April, 2008 New York Times article. The cost of incarcerating that many prisoners averages $30,000 per inmate. Some 7.2...
Old Mackie's Back

Old Mackie's Back

by | Oct 23, 2008 | Film

The Threepenny Opera (4 stars)Directed by G.W. Pabst. Written by Bertolt Brecht; adapted by B?la Bal?zs, L?o Lania, and Ladislaus Vajda. With Rudolf Forster, Lotte Lenya, Carola Neher, Reinhold Sch?nzel, and Fritz Rasp. (NR)I'll be the first to admit that G.W....
Sparkling With Spice

Sparkling With Spice

by | Oct 23, 2008 | Food + Booze

Mesa Verde10 Fiske Ave. #3, Greenfield(413) 772-2531Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.Entrées $4-$6.50I’ve stopped trying Mexican food. So often it’s awful. I mean inedible.  Processed cheese atop rubbery meat, dishes devoid of any authentic...