Articles
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 7, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, Featured, News
After 60-plus years pumping out energy and radioactive waste, the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is in the process of decommissioning. Protesters have been advocating for the plant’s shutdown since before it opened in the ‘70s, citing the environmental threat...
by James Heflin | Jan 7, 2015 | Articles, Featured, News
Lost on the River (Electromagnetic Recordings/ Harvest Records) What could go wrong? Take a passel of unfinished Bob Dylan songs from the mid-’60s, pass ’em on, put T-Bone Burnett in charge of producing an album, and — best of all — let other folks sing them. Be...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jan 14, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
Welcome to the underground, the Northeast Underground that is, and yes, I just started my first blog post with a “Beverly Hillbillies” reference. And, much like a hidden cache of “Texas tea” I am here to bubble up from the depths from time to...
by Michael Cimaomo | Mar 10, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
In honor of the Northeast Underground’s upcoming trip to California, I thought I would create a special blog post honoring a selection of some of the Golden State’s finest musical treasures. However, the more I contemplated tackling such a piece I soon...
by Michael Cimaomo | Mar 15, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
The world of grunge lost another family member Wednesday as former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr (see photo, far right) unexpectedly passed away at the age of 44. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Starr’s body was found in a house in Salt...
by Michael Cimaomo | Mar 16, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
One week ago today, as my plane touched down in Hartford, Conn., I felt exhausted. Taking a redeye flight out of Los Angeles International Airport at 11:30 p.m. was partially to blame for my tiredness, and so too was a mid-trip emergency that required a nervous flight...
by Michael Cimaomo | Mar 30, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
From his early beginnings as one of hardcore music’s most intense vocalists to his current role as a documentary filmmaker, actor, world traveler and spoken word performer, Henry Rollins has carved a lifetime out of doing and saying things that others only dream...
by Michael Cimaomo | Apr 12, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
Mere minutes before my recent conversation with Dinosaur Jr bassist and Sebadoh founder Lou Barlow (see photo, second from left), I briefly pondered breaking one of the cardinal rules of journalism: Be professional. Though our interview took place the day after St....
by Michael Cimaomo | Jun 23, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
Mere minutes into his first encore Saturday night famed singer and songwriter Garland Jeffreys turned the clock at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Mass. backwards to the 1960s. By segueing briefly from his impassioned rendition of the ? and the Mysterians...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jun 27, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
This wasn’t your parents’ charity show. Eschewing any “We are the world” or Bob Geldof-penned Live Aid platitudes, the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Mass. more closely resembled a gathering of indie all-stars Tuesday night as the lineup for...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jun 29, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
Fresh on the heels of news that the documentary 1991: The Year Punk Broke will see a long-awaited debut on DVD this fall, Nirvana fans have an additional reason to be excited as the band plans another special release to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jul 6, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
Well, so much for running down this particular dream. Adding yet another chapter to the history of disputes between musicians and politicians, Rolling Stone magazine has confirmed reports that Minnesota congresswoman and 2012 presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann...
by Michael Cimaomo | Apr 27, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
As promised, here is part one of my recent interview with roots rocker Stephen Kellogg (see picture, middle) as he checked in with the Northeast Underground on the eve of his first-ever solo headlining tour. Underground: So, what have you been up to lately? I know the...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jul 8, 2011 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
One of the many highlights of the Whole Children benefit concert held at the Calvin Theatre on June 21 was the appearance of area resident and Sonic Youth co-founder Thurston Moore. Performing with his band Demolished Thoughts (titled after his recent solo album of...
by Amanda Drane
and Hunter Styles | Jan 1, 2015 | Articles, Featured, News
You’re not just going to wake up one day with your dream job — at least that’s what moms have been saying since the very first teenager refused to get off the rock sofa and apply for jobs at the local tar pit. So, at the top of 2015, we take a moment to explore how...
by Pete Redington | Jan 1, 2015 | Articles, Featured, News
Eight Track (Strikezone Records) In 1975, guitarist Dave Stryker writes in the liner notes to his recent release Eight Track, he had a 1969 GMC van outfitted with an eight-track player that often required the assistance of a jammed-in matchbook to work. But good music...
by Amanda Drane and Hunter Styles Intro by James Heflin | Jan 1, 2015 | Articles, Featured, News
Every year, the same thing. Otherwise normal people get all bothered about what they hope to accomplish in the coming year. To them I say: give up. Or, if you must go on with this fancy charade, do it right. Don’t resolve to lose some weight. Don’t resolve to write in...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 24, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
As medical marijuana takes root across the nation, there’s been one major obstacle for the field to flourish: the federal government. That all changed last week when Congress passed legislation prohibiting the Drug Enforcement Agency from arresting and prosecuting...
by James Heflin | Dec 24, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
1850 — Marijuana is added to the U.S. Pharmacopeia. The Pharmacopeia was a public standards-setting authority for all types of medicines. According to the book’s authors, marijuana can be used to treat neuralgia, tetanus, typhus, cholera, rabies, dysentery,...
by Laurie Loisel | Dec 24, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
When state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg was named chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee in 1996, he said time would tell whether the job would be the pinnacle of his career or just a step on the ladder. If, as is widely expected, he is elected next month to be...
by James Heflin | Dec 24, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
This weekend, Wisconsin native-turned Valley local Jeffrey Foucault (pictured left) and his partner Kris Delmhorst (pictured right) co-headline a benefit concert for the Franklin Land Trust to support the non-profit organization’s fight against the proposed...
by Jack Brown | Dec 24, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
The musical has always been an important part of the filmmaking world. In the earlier days of film, when crowds were more likely to be familiar with singing stars of the stage, a flimsy story could be propped up with a handful of winning tunes. Think of the...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 18, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
Getting kids to eat their veggies ain’t easy. But it’s even harder when you’re serving soggy samples from a thawed-out block of greens. For the first four years of operations at the Western Mass Food Processing Center, that’s about as good as it got. The center...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 18, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
As Miranda LaPolice talks, she grips one of her creations — a tufty, ewok-like creature with an oversized green heart stitched to its front, glowing eyes, and a downturned mouth. Both her arms wrap around the critter and her hands make its little legs dance to the...
by Kristin Palpini • Photos by Jerrey Roberts | Dec 18, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
In the egg nog battle, which creamy, spiced, egg concoction reigns supreme? The Valley Advocate staff held a blind tasting last week of some of the area’s finest nogs and the results were shocking. Local and store-bought brands were sampled by Advocate editors Kristin...
by Chris Rohmann | Dec 18, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
’Tis the season when theaters go into hibernation or pull out the Christmas shows. Two Western Mass. companies — Old Deerfield Productions and Berkshire Theatre Group — are staging A Christmas Carol this month, along with Hartford Stage’s annual edition. In Putney,...
by Jack Brown | Dec 18, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
As we close out another year on this great blue marble, I’m reminded of an annual event in the film world: the December doldrums. This is that week, which creeps in every year just before Christmas, when theaters seem to be holding their collective breath. People are...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 10, 2014 | Articles, Featured
Early in her career in the restaurant and bar industry, Felicia Lundquist’s boss said something to her that — unlike his earlier rude comments — she just couldn’t brush off. On that night, Lundquist and a few co-workers were wrapping up their shift. She went into the...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 10, 2014 | Articles, Featured, News
Aubretia “Windy” Edick wears her Walmart story. She often sports the distinctive blue vest worn by all store employees, and a large badge announces her name in capital letters. But layered on top of her standard ensemble are buttons and pins. One reads, “Stop...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 10, 2014 | Articles, Featured
Record labels’ raison d’etre used to be pretty clear: fund and promote records, and send bands on tour. In the MP3 era, the very concept of an album has gotten slippery, and some labels fill much different roles than the old model. Where many a newer effort has...
by Jack Brown | Dec 10, 2014 | Articles, Blogs, Cinemadope, Featured, Film
There are so many wonderful mysteries left in the world. In an era when so much can be laid bare with just a few keystrokes, it’s comforting, somehow, to know that there is much we don’t fully understand. Not just the odd bits here and there, but some fairly big...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 10, 2014 | Articles, Featured
H ome for the Holidays is more than the Theater Project’s annual holiday-season variety show. It represents a homecoming for area performers who have become a kind of family on the Majestic Theater stage over the years. An updated evocation of those sweater-clad...
