Articles
by Jack Brown | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles
For movie fans everywhere, a lot of the news this month has been about The Force Awakens, the new J.J. Abrams film in the the Star Wars franchise, and the seventh installment in the ongoing story of Jedis, the Dark Side, and a scrappy rebellion that stretches across a...
by Gary Carra | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles
For those who thought The Fawns’ 2006 album A Nice Place To Be was their studio ‘fawn’ song, Henning Ohlenbusch has news for you. “The Fawns’ new album, Goodnight Spacegirl, is being officially released on Jan. 1,” he says. “We’ll be playing a bunch of tunes from it —...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot, Wellness
Hi Yana, I’m an 18-year-old girl with a sex question. I don’t orgasm during sex with a guy, but I usually do orgasm when we’re dry-humping. Do you have any advice about how sex could be made better for me? I still want to have sex to pleasure my partner, but it’s...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 30, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Get Out With Staff Picks, Music
Drunk Stuntmen at the World War II Club Looking for something to do during the day? Never fear! Northampton’s First Night is here! The city’s annual 12 hour NYE’s party includes entertainment at 22 venues. I’ll be hitting up the Deuce (World War II Club) on my lunch...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Leisure, Music
It’s almost 2016! We say you should welcome the new year by doing whatever it is that will make you happier in the coming year. Go hard, go home — however you do it, set the tone. Feel like you need more cheese in your life? Cozy on up with a wheel. Feeling like...
by Emily Atkinson | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, News
It’s a new year, time to look forward to the future, but it’s also a great time to give back donating or volunteering. If you’ve never volunteered before, here’s how to get started: • Know what you’re in for. Sarah Tanner, director of development at Friends of the...
by From Our Readers | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Voting on holiday Your recent column (“U.S. to blame: Government at fault for low voter turnout,” Nov. 26, 2015) about the lack of voter turnout missed, I think, an answer. Make Nov. 4 a federal holiday. Democracy, anyone? Michael D. Joyce Wendell Democrats will do...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Arts
Shortly after my son was born, I started the brainstorming process of a tattoo dedicated to him. I had a Kokopelli symbol on my right wrist from years ago. Since it stands for fertility/self growth, and the spirit of music, I figured I’d grow off of that. My son was...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music
Shakedown is a Vermont-based Afrobeat/funk band that plays covers and original tunes. Their focus is on getting the audience to dance to horns, vocals and a boombastic rhythm section. Members are an offshoot of Brattleboro-based Alafia. Saturday, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m....
by Hunter Styles | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles
Jubilee Riots Penny Black (Independent release) In March 1995, Toronto musician Craig Downie was down on his luck — he had a few songs written for an impending gig, and no band to play them. But within a week or two, his contacts in the city’s Celtic music community...
by Warren Johnston | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, The Pour Man
Finding a well-crafted, dry sparkling wine in the $10 range can be difficult. There are plenty of good Italian Prosecco and Lambrusco wines in the range, and I tried a number of them this year in an effort to discover an inexpensive sparkler for the holidays, one that...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Arts
This exhibit of embellished plaster cast torsos made by area breast cancer survivors, family, and friends allows the women to represent their bodies in a way that the realm of the real doesn’t. Hosmer Gallery: One in Eight: The Torso Project. Artist reception Jan. 9,...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Arts
Pioneer Valley-based puppet troupe CactusHead Puppets will perform “Just So Stories” during two shows at the Eric Carle Museum this week. Stories will include How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Rhino Got His Skin, and The Beginning of the Armadillos. Jan. 2, 11 a.m....
by Advocate Staff | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles
It’s been a while, but the Advocate’s Halos and Horns review of the past year is back! Last year, the popular series took a hiatus as a new staff came on. And before that the section had been shrinking year after year. I love Halos and Horns. Growing up, it was my...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
According to the flabbergasted sheriff of rural Chesterfield County, South Carolina, “This has completely changed our definition of (what constitutes) an ‘ass-load’ of guns.” Brent Nicholson, 51, had been storing more than 7,000 firearms in his home and a storage...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles
The lunch invitation I sent Pam Victor last week was good timing, much to my delight. Victor is, after all, the queen of timing. Onstage and in workshops across the country, her talent for comedy and improvisation speaks for itself. But she also seems to have mastered...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, News
Maggie Baumer doesn’t want to sugarcoat it — it was hell losing her arm in a trash compactor. But in a strange way, the loss set her on the path toward a better life. Many people strive for the fast track, only to find that long hours produce little but exhaustion and...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze, Leisure
The Thanksgiving feast has been devoured, and now it’s time for dessert. There’s two pies and two cakes on the table. Now, you must choose. Who knew mom was setting us up for this debate all along? It’s the holiday season, so it’s the perfect time to hash out the...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles
Sitting around the office discussing the news and spilling coffee down my sweater, I can’t believe we’re almost to 2016 and a proper to-go coffee cup lid is yet to be invented — or at least, widely used. My gripes got the Advocate staff thinking about what other...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 23, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Get Out With Staff Picks, Music
Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag o’ Funk • Saturday James Brown gets it done with his Funky Christmas style. No more problems, dude. 9 p.m. at The Rendezvous on Dec. 26; 78 3rd Street, Turners Falls. — Amanda Drane Edward Scissorhands • Wednesday Scissors for hands,...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
As if 2015 weren’t bad enough for the Department of Homeland Security — e.g., in June, internal DHS tests revealed that its Transportation Security Administration failed to stop 67 of 70 guns passing through airport screeners — a U.S. congressman revealed in December...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Arts
At the Advocate, we love “difficult” women. The label is often applied to women who speak their minds without apology, have sincere desires, and are tenacious in reaching their goals — all things we really admire in people. But only as they apply to women are these...
by From Our Readers | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
What about women in film? As an area film teacher and filmmaker, I was thrilled to see your “Film or Die” Dec. 17, 2015. Tobin, Skolnick, Baldassaro, Levigne and Hott have wonderful stories, and I’m happy to know that other filmmakers are enjoying the Valley. However,...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Arts
Though he calls Italy home, Francesco Clemente considers himself a “nomadic artist” who is inspired to create by the people and places he visits. In his installation for MASS MoCA, “Encampment,” Clemente recreates some of the places he’s been over the past three...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music
If you’re a member of Gen X, Sublime holds a special place in your heart. In the late ’90s, the band was playing the songs of your summer. Prozac for your ear is how I heard 99.3’s Leslie describe them, and that’s pretty accurate. Sublime released their megahit...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
We wish for: -Donald Trump to go the hell away before he ruins our country. -an additional bridge between Northampton and Hadley. Coolidge just can’t take it anymore. -a use for pennies. (New rule: if you can’t use it to pay a parking meter, get rid of it.) -more...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot, Wellness
Dear Yana, At my last vaginal exam, the doctor could barely get her fingers inside and absolutely couldn’t insert the speculum. She said that I had vaginal atrophy. I’m in my late 50s and my doctor suggested hormone replacement therapy. I am interested in...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Columns, The Beerhunter
Happy almost New Years, beer fans! Let’s draw 2015 to a close in style, drink responsibly, and make some plans for the year to come. Hint: there will be craft ales aplenty. Here are 16 items on my personal checklist that I hope you’ll take to heart when you do your...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, News, The Uncanny Valley
Like many local drivers, I take Interstate 91 up and down the Valley several nights a week. So I have had plenty of opportunity to wonder: what in the intergalactic hell is going on near exit 24? Drive south for a mile and a half past the Whately Diner, look to the...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles
A Tale of Two Cabins by John Irving Clapp Levellers Press, Amherst; $17 Available for purchase online and at Collective Copies in Amherst and Northampton Henry David Thoreau was a thoughtful, curious citizen, but “my greatest skill in life,” he wrote, “has been to...
by Warren Johnston | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, Leisure, The Pour Man
In recent weeks, I’ve tried a couple of excellent Spanish wines made from 100 percent Garnacha, a grape with a long, colorful history. The wines are full- bodied, inky red and have a lot of fruit flavor, and they’re affordable. Each comes from a different region of...
by Talbert W. Swan II | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
It is glaringly obvious that policymakers are going easier on today’s heroin users, because many are white and often affluent, than in previous years when the addicts were identified as largely black, disenfranchised, and economically bereft. Gov. Charlie Baker’s...
by Gary Carra | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Music, Nightcrawler
Lori McKenna hit the musical trifecta earlier this month with a song she penned for the group Little Big Town. “Girl Crush” premiered at number one on Billboard’s Hot Country 100 back in December of 2014. Last month, it won “Song of the Year” at the 49th annual...
by Jack Brown | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Film
When I do the dishes in our house, I often like to plug in some headphones and catch up on a favorite podcast. One of those podcasts is a new discovery for me, so I’ve been catching up on old episodes during my nightly scrubbing. Most of the time, it doesn’t matter...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze
Santa Claus and his elves make a fine traditional candy cane, but after a couple of centuries of Christmas, it’s time to shake up the cane game a bit. Enter Hammond’s, a Colorado-candy maker that distributes widely throughout the Valley and has a penchant for cranking...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, News
One of the first rules in business should be, don’t drop N-bombs around your customers. That weaponized language is rarely acceptable in any situation, but for a business owner to text the slur at a customer, you’ve got to wonder what the hell the entrepreneur was...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts
This tattoo is less than two weeks old. My family plans on getting the word “Ohana” tattooed in their own ways as well. Ohana, from in the movie Lilo & Stitch, means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. For my tattoo, the feather...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 16, 2015 | Articles, News
It’s the week before Christmas and if you haven’t done it yet, it’s time to get your ass in gear and buy the people in your life some presents. No reason to panic, though, the Advocate has combed the Valley looking for the best last minute gifts for your family,...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, News
The Mason Square Health Task Force — formed in 2007 with a $2.8 million grant from Baystate Health — may have closed its doors on Nov. 20, but its members say the work to improve healthy, affordable access to food in Springfield goes on. “We no longer have a physical...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 16, 2015 | Articles, Get Out With Staff Picks
Smack My Bishop at McLadden’s • Thursday Smack My Bishop’s here for crazy holiday fun. Get your jollies on! Dec. 17, 8 p.m. Free! McLadden’s in Northampton. — Amanda Drane 1st annual Yuletide Market • Saturday Winter Solstice is fast approaching. Celebrating...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
Every week brings a delightful struggle: deciding which stories will be featured in the Advocate. With only a handful of chances each month to grab readers’ interest, we strive to choose stories that explore long-standing issues and policies in the community. We try...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot, Wellness
Hey Yana, I’m a 28-year-old female with a high sex drive. I’ve always found it easy to come with clitoral stimulation. When my partner and I have sex it’s not unusual for it to last over an hour. My guy loves cunnilingus almost as much as I love getting it. I often...
by From Our Readers | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers
‘Treat and street’ is no way to help addicts There’s much talk lately about the serious drug problems in Massachusetts. Having witnessed the struggles of friends with the system I have some strong opinions on the subject. Firstly, I could never fathom why drug...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
In November, lawyer Michael Petersen of Appleton, Wisconsin, was ordered by county judge Philip Kirk — in a sentence for contempt of court — to inform every client he acquires in the following 12 months that Petersen is a “crook,” “cheat,” “thief” and “liar.” Kirk...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts
If you’ve ever studied the backgrounds of selfies for a hint of what the subject’s life is really about, then Portraits: Revealing & Concealing may be of particular interest to you. The manner in which people choose to represent themselves in pictures, paint,...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts
For 38 years the A.P.E. Gallery has been showcasing off-beat and important works of art that can’t be found in other galleries. Their shows are edgy, punk, and loud as well as reflective and mesmerizing. This month, the gallery is celebrating its nearly four decades...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles
Was it a comet? Planetary conjunction? A supernova? Or a sign from God that Jesus had been born? Only the gospel of Matthew mentions the star of Bethlehem appearing over Jesus’ birth manger, harkening people to come meet the new king. People have puzzled over what...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts
Check out an array of creative gingerbread houses and festively decorated holiday trees created by bakery shops, restaurants, schools, and area residents set against a backdrop of beautifully painted murals representing popular Seussian characters and stories in...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Film
Beware the Schlock! Holiday movies (Hallmark Channel) Admittedly, I’m a sucker for bad movies and, it turns out, bad TV. Case in point: On Thanksgiving, as I settled back to digest the bird, I watched what turned out to be the most boring TV ever: a five-hour film...
by Michael Cimaomo | Dec 15, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
This isn’t your parents’ best of list. To paraphrase Jimmy Fallon, “You know those awards they give out in high school yearbooks? Awards like Most Likely to Succeed, Class Clown, stuff like that?” Well, Northeast Underground is handing out its own superlatives this...
by Chris Rohmann | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Winter is drawing in and I’m looking back on the many shows I’ve seen this year. Some have been naughty, most have been nice, and a few are getting lumps of coal from this reviewer. So here are my virtual awards — let’s call them “The StageStruckies”...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Scene Here
AMANDA DRANE PHOTO At Price Rite in Chicopee on a recent Thursday afternoon, the rally is in action. A man wearing a vest with Bernie Sanders buttons and Jobs with Justice pins approaches my car. I roll down the window at his polite but persistent behest. He hands me...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Stage
An old miser eats some strange cheese and gets visited by four ghosts: his dead business partner and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. They cajole, guilt and scare him into being less of a stingy crank to his family and employee. And it works. Ebenezer...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music
Elvis isn’t dead, he’s been hanging with Santa at the North Pole. On Saturday the Florence VFW is hosting an all-ages yuletide shindig featuring Lord Elvis, Johnny Memphis Band, Court Etiquette, and Christmas karaoke. Flo Ho Ho — Elvis Meets Santa: 12/19 at 7 p.m. $5,...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze
If you’ve ever worked in restaurants, you probably know that vegan is a five-letter-word often unwelcome among chefs. But veganism is gaining steam. A recent World Health Organization study disappointed bacon-lovers everywhere when it reported an 18 percent increase...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze, Madame Barfly
Some of us don’t get out much. I’m lookin’ at you, worshiper of the porcelain goddess. You look like you could use some help. Most adults have learned how to hold their liquor, while others of all ages are still learning. Plus, braving the crowds isn’t always easy....
by Gary Carra | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Music, Nightcrawler
Gathering of the Vibes founder Ken Hayes recently announced that after achieving 20 years and record breaking attendance this past summer, he has decided to take 2016 off. “This is not the end my friends,” he wrote in an open, online letter to the Vibe Tribe. “It’s...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Leisure
Local Red and White Wines BLACK BIRCH VINEYARD, SOUTHAMPTON Black Birch Vineyard has made award-winning wines since 2012, including Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We’re off-season for a tour, but the vineyard sells bottles throughout the...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts
There’s a lot of dick in the world, but it’s not always celebrated. The Taber Art Gallery is fixing that this month with a photography exhibit exclusively dedicated to dick. The show is a collection of photographs compiled by Easthampton’s Stacy Waldman, a collector...
by Chris Rohmann | Dec 10, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Looking back on the 100-plus theater productions I’ve seen this year, I’ve noticed how many of them fall into pairs of various kinds. In my next column I’ll be handing out awards for the year’s best—and worst—productions and performances. But first, let’s take a look...
