Guest Column: Minimum Wage, Maximum Rage

by | Dec 31, 2013 | News

Two years ago I opened the doors to my new business, Sal’s Bakery and Café in Springfield. As a new small business owner, I had my ups and downs. Taxes, inventory, utilities, advertising, everything comes with an ever-increasing price tag. Now our...
Uke Joint

Uke Joint

by | Dec 31, 2013 | Music

Spend a few minutes in the Northampton home of Bruce Kriviskey and it quickly becomes apparent that the he’s got a lot of talent in his hands. Just to the left of the entryway is an intricate and wonderfully detailed ship in a bottle that the one-time architect...
Nightcrawler: Merry KISSmas

Nightcrawler: Merry KISSmas

by | Dec 31, 2013 | Music

Swapping out calendars for the new annum, the Crawler would be remiss not to mention the early Xmas present he and other card-carrying members of the KISS Army received earlier this month. Much like the plight suffered by fellow multi-platinum rockers Rush that was...
Behind the Beat: The Brown Piano

Behind the Beat: The Brown Piano

by | Dec 31, 2013 | Music

Carrie Ferguson makes music in her garage, a small, pleasantly cluttered building that’s withdrawn slightly from the side of the road. It’s a creative, homey space, well-lived in, full of instruments in various states of repair, concert posters, and...

CD Shorts: Jamie Kent

by | Dec 31, 2013 | Music

Embers & Ashes (independent)   The term “folk rock” has been around for a long time, but there are performers such as Richard Thompson, Ellis Paul, Stephen Stills, and Ray Lamontagne whose cadences, sensibilities, and musical souls are such that...