Columns
The Pour Man: Getting Lucky With McWilliam
Back in the beginning of the summer, someone suggested that I check out a “very nice” petite sirah and because I favor whites and roses during the hotter months, I filed the recommendation to memory without writing it down. However, my mental filing system is a bit of...
Nightcrawler: ‘Color’ By Numbers
There may be record sunshine outside this September, but inside the area music circuit, the forecast is for winds of change. Not the least of which can be found in Colorway, a fairly new vehicle for the words and music of scene stalwart Alex Johnson. The band will be...
Cinemadope: Mob Mentality, the Whitey Bulger story
Almost from the get go, movies and crime have been a natural pair. Perhaps it’s the voyeuristic nature of the medium, where to some degree we’re all just looking through a one-way mirror, that draws us to stories of sin and violence — we get all the adrenaline with...
Madame Barfly: A Hard Shake, there’s a new bar jockey in Amherst
Sitting down at Osteria Vespa’s bar for the first time, I’m surprised to find there’s no cocktail list. Josh Draghe, the soft-spoken, knowledgeable, and impeccably polite head bartender directs my gaze to a nearby board where staffers have handwritten signature...
The Pour Man: Rip van Drinkle — Discovering Albarino 20 Years After the Craze
I think it’s safe to say that many wine drinkers tend to seek out comfort zones — wine brands, varietals, regions — that they return to time and time again. After all, there are so many wines on the market that it can be confusing, and once you know a wine that you...
The V-Spot: Help! I Think My Orgasms Are Broken
Hi Yana! I’ve had a sexual concern for the longest time: I have trouble feeling orgasm during sex and masturbation. At first I thought it might be my partner not knowing my spots too well, but I realized I’ve never had any ejaculations by myself either. I’m worried...
Cinemadope: Soul Music, The Beatles in Amherst and an Indian classic
Film fans might remember Julie Taymor’s wide-ranging 2007 movie Across the Universe. It opened to mixed reviews, but one thing it had going for it was the strength of its musical foundation: the bulk of the soundtrack — and indeed the whole arc of the film’s story —...
The V-Spot: My GF Won’t Let Me Butter Her Toast
Dear Yana, In your recent columns you’ve mentioned the need for sex partners to have a supply of artificial lubrication at the ready. With regard to female sex partners, artificial lubrication isn’t always needed. My first girlfriend was a gushing fountain of natural...
Nightcrawler: Gathering Steam, Steampunk-fueled festivities and Salloom’s streak of no-dough shows
Dennis Miller has a great line concerning the masses and social media: “Never have lives so less lived been so well chronicled.” While that idea is equal parts funny and true, the first annual Springfield Steampunk Festival was conceived in precisely the inverse...
The Uncanny Valley: Why do some fast food fries cost more than burgers?
Why is it that a cheeseburger costs $1.22 at Burger King, while a small order of fries costs $1.70? Isn’t beef supposed to be more expensive than potatoes? Thanks for writing in, anonymous reader, with your puzzling — and discomforting — question. To figure out why...
The Beerhunter: Drink Local! The Valley’s Top 10 Must-Try Craft Beers
Welcome back from summer vacation! Sadly, the heat wave isn’t over just yet. But the Beerhunter predicts cool evenings ahead, so be sure to make time to kick back on your couch, porch, or at your favorite neighborhood bar and appreciate everything the Valley’s craft...
Stagestruck: Women on Top — Female performers lead my best-of list
In my preview of this year’s summer theater season (“The Rohmann Ratio,” June 11) I made a tally of upcoming productions written and/or directed by women, or with women characters in central roles. Of the 49 productions I surveyed, 33 fulfilled at least one of the...
Cinemadope: Counter Culture, a New York deli thriving in Texas
When I first moved to the Valley in the late ’90s, it was from Brooklyn, where I had spent a few post-college years in a vain attempt at being worldly. I had gone there imagining I would dash off a book and get discovered (not necessarily in that order) and that the...
Nightcralwer: Pamper the Band
Bands and eight balls. How cliche can you get? But egg ball? Do tell, Rubblebucket! “It’s basically a combination of dodgeball and volleyball,” the band explains of their favorite downtime game in the premiere webisode of Pamper The Band. And that’s exactly the type...
The V-Spot: College Sexual Orientation 101
Welcome back students! As you organize your hipster-ironic Lisa Frank folders, and passively aggressively stake your dormroom territory, I’ve got just one more checklist for you to check off before you start checking out all your new, hot campusmates. First lesson of...
The V-Spot: Gimme That Grass-Fed Porn
Hi Yana, My wife and I have previously been pretty conservative when it comes to sex and not super-adventurous. Recently we realized our marriage would be better served by us servicing each other. The journey has been great and fun and messy and awkward … but...
Nightcralwer: King for a Day
Since he’s a lifelong Valley resident — not to mention a veritable scene stalwart — one would think Jeff King would know his way around the area by now. The Crawler caught up with the journeyman musician to inquire about his recent radio appearance, however, and it...
The Pour Man: Oyster Bay Saves the Day
In general, I think it’s safe to say that to like New Zealand sauvignon blanc, it doesn’t hurt to have a taste for grapefruit juice. I don’t mean the sweet, pink stuff, but real grapefruit juice, squeezed from tangy, sour white fruit, grown on ancient trees like the...
Cinemadope: Drawing it out, cartoons from other shores
When we talk about animated films here in the States, the conversation often gets stuck in the worlds of Disney and Pixar. Those powerhouse studios and their imitators have largely defined the big-screen cartoon for American crowds, and while their successes have...
The V-Spot: Unplug to Buttplug?
Hi Yana! My partner and I both really like butt plugs. We have the “Little Flirt” [a small, silicone butt plug made by Tantus] that we ordered online to experiment with. A friend of ours suggested the Njoy Pure plugs [made of stainless steel and available in a variety...
Madame Barfly: Hope and Olive in Greenfield serves drinks to your health
Jim Zaccara says his bar is an appletini-free zone. Zaccara, 45, grew up working in restaurants, and bartending was always his forte. When he began making his own style of cocktail at his first full-bar restaurant — Hope and Olive in Greenfield — eight years ago, he...
Nightcrawler: Apple Jame pairs a picnic with high-caliber acts; MTrain tour permanents derailed
The Apple Jam Roots Music Festival stems from what was once little more than a backyard picnic on a family property. On the back of the sonic spread that accompanied the annual Russell-based shindig, however, Apple has blossomed into a coveted festival stop for many a...
Cinemadope: Reel Change, film with a political background
Valley residents have never shied away from political activism. Issues of equality, discrimination, and civil liberty — and the many protests, marches, and rallies that often come with those issues — have always found a wealth of open hearts and open ears here. But...
Stagestruck: Last Acts — Summer theaters wind down their seasons
As the season winds down, several summer theaters in the area have already folded their tents, with others running through this weekend and a couple playing through the end of the month. You can have your pick of a classic American drama, a classic screwball comedy,...
StageStruck: Small and Smart
My partner and I spend a week on Cape Cod each summer, and while the beach is restorative, for me the trip is also a very welcome busman’s holiday. By sheer good fortune, the timing of our visit allows us to catch two productions by the hands-down hottest...
The V-Spot: My Married Sex Life, for Better or Worse
Hi Yana, I’ve been with my husband for many years, and our sex life has never been ideal. We never seem to be on the same page. We definitely have different styles and preferences. Things he enjoys, I do not, and vice versa. For example, I enjoy giving him a blow job,...
Cinemadope: Classic Fords
In a few short months — smack in the middle of the holiday season, as it happens — we’ll get the gift of a new Star Wars movie. The hope is that director J.J. Abrams can give the franchise the kick in the pants that it so desperately needs after the disaster of the...
The Pour Man: Scale Can’t Guarantee Good Wine Unless It’s Concha y Toro
I don’t often write about what some would derisively call “industrial wine,” but Frontera, the big-batch line from Concha y Toro, is an exception. However, I’m not going to extol the fine qualities of this very drinkable Sauvignon Blanc, but rather suggest that it is...
Nightcrawler: Giving Them the Slip
Several songs into their Aug. 2 Hartford, Connecticut concert, the nu-metal shock rockers of Slipknot had a choice to make. Their bassist, Alessandro “Vman” Venturella, had just collapsed due to an “unknown medical emergency” (later to be diagnosed as severe...
StageStruck: Two-Handers
A pair of two-character plays now on area stages illustrate the crucial importance of casting. With only two actors – both of them, in these cases, onstage the whole time – the stakes increase. The players not only have to complement each other, artistically and...
The V-Spot: Bi-curious at Bedtime
Dear Yana, While I don’t think labeling one’s sexuality is always necessary, I’ve always considered myself a heterosexual woman. I’ve been attracted to members of the opposite sex for as long as I can remember. During puberty, I plastered my bedroom walls with...
The Beerhunter: Brattleboro by the Glass
The southern Vermont town of Brattleboro does a lot of things right: green hills, friendly people, fun bookstores, and a few stellar swimming holes. But this month, the Beerhunter looks into this town’s newest promising trend: craft brewing. Out of the beer spots in...
Stagestruck: When Civilization Goes ‘D’oh!’ Homer, Bart, et al. as survivors in a post-electric age
The summer season still has a month to go — with new productions still in the wings — but already the hands-down winner for Most Intriguing and Strange can be named. It’s New Century Theatre’s season closer, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, a meditation on human...
Cinemadope: Fantastic Journey, a franchise rebooted, and a local film
It was just a few weeks ago that this column looked at the resurrection of the superhero movie, something I largely attributed to the success of the Iron Man franchise — its billions in box office provided a sort of force field that allowed other, lesser-known,...
Nightcrawler: Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival; rockers support ‘Nellie’s Knockers’
She married into the first family of jazz, forever linking her to the Big Easy. In recent years, however, Kristin Neville says that she has reconnected with Basketball City U.S.A. And when community leader Evan Plotkin informed her that Springfield’s Hoop City...
Dance-Theater at the Pillow
I’m more a theater person than a dance person – though attending Jacob’s Pillow for the past three summers has given me a much greater appreciation for (and understanding of) the terpsichorean art. So this season I was especially interested in a couple of...
Nightcrawler: Dog Day Afternoon, Lord Russ Brooks juggles pooches and music
From “Knights In White Satin” to Pomeranians with problem foot pads: welcome to a day in the life of Russell Brooks. “I just opened my own dog grooming salon in Northampton,” the music scene stalwart explains, “and I’ve been busier than ever with my life and work. And...
The V-Spot: Hey baby, what’s your number?
Hi Yana, What are your thoughts on how much/what of your sexual history you should divulge to your current partner(s)? I always ask about most recent STD/STI tests, but is your current partners’ number of present (and past) sex partners important to know? I recently...
Cinemadope: Summer Camp, the power of blockbusters
As the summer swelters on — as I write this, it is a muggy 78 degrees long after sundown — my thoughts turn to blockbusters. It’s surely no coincidence that the biggest and loudest of our high-gloss spectacles are pushed out during the height of summer. Their promise...
The Pour Man: The Mystery of Cotes du Rhone
During a sunny early June gathering, I ran into a friend, who suggested that I try a Cotes du Rhone that I hadn’t come across before. He said the wine, which he buys by the case, is his go-to wine for dinner parties and gatherings. I tried to dissuade him, suggesting...
Berkshire What-Ifs
Four plays I saw last week at Berkshire theater companies demonstrate the variety and versatility of the region’s summer stages: a musical born of adolescent angst; a period piece with – a rarity in any season – an all-African-American cast; a glossy drama about...
Stage Pick: 70 Years & 4000 Miles
Leo, a free-spirited 21-year-old, has just completed a 4,000-mile cross-country bicycle trip when he turns up at the Greenwich Village apartment of his 91-year-old grandmother. He’s not just road-weary but soul-sore, having endured a tragedy on the road. During the...
StageStruck: Only Connect
“Hello” is the key word in two shows running at the Berkshire Theatre Group. One is a musical from the 1950s about a telephone answering service and an outgoing girl (more on that term below) who can turn a subway car full of strangers into a dance party. The other is...
Stagestruck: Three Pigs and Junie B.
Last summer saw the Valley’s oldest-established children’s theater uproot and hit the road, while a brand new one took up residence at the old stand. This year PaintBox Theater has settled into what would seem at a glance to be an unlikely new home, while NCTKids is...
The V-Spot: So, You Want to Sleep With a Lesbian
The first time I slept with a girl it was awkward as hell. Sure, I had dabbled in the giggling French kisses of curious high school sleepovers, but never did I go to a girl’s room with the intention of having lesbian sex with her. But this is what I did one tipsy...
Madame Barfly: Summertime and the Drinkin’s Easy
For every season there is a drink. Just as beer nuts ditch cold-weather porters and quads to settle their summertime cravings for IPAs and light brews, cocktail sippers also change their choice of beverage with the heat. Fruity, delicious cocktails enjoyed on the...
Cinemadope: Foreign Affair, films from abroad that feel familiar
It’s long been a cliché that film buffs love foreign film. As a stereotype, it’s up there with the Frenchman’s baguette or a private detective’s desk-drawer bottle of scotch. (I defy anyone to show me a scene where a hard-boiled P.I. pulls anything else out of that...
Nightcrawler: A Leprechaun Looks Back, Lazer’s Rob “The Leprechaun” reflects on a decade at the mic
In an industry in more upheaval than the Athens Stock Exchange, Rob “The Leprechaun” Allen’s aluminum anniversary at Lazer 99.3 FM would probably be more accurately accounted for utilizing dog-year calculations. The Crawler recently checked in with the veteran jock....
Everyman … and woman
In the National Theatre’s ultra-modern new Everyman, God is a London cleaning lady and Death an ironic Irishman with a shopping bag for a scythe. It’s the latest in the Amherst Cinema’s NT Live series of HD satellite broadcasts from the London stage, and it’s...
StageStruck: A Provocative Gift
Silverthorne Theater Company, the Valley’s newest and most adventurous summer troupe, held a new-play competition last winter. Out of over 400 nationwide entries, Aidan’s Gift, by Kentuckian Elizabeth Orndorff, was the unanimous winner. I say “adventurous” because...
Cinemadope: Ant-Man joins the growing cast of super(human) stars
Way, way back in 2008, a little film was making the rounds, sneaking into the global subconscious in a way no film of its kind had done to date. It went on to gross billions in box office over the course of a multi-film run, but its more lasting legacy is measured...
The V-Spot: How To – The Sex Talk
My dad gave me The Sex Talk one night during my freshman year in high school. We were driving home in his car. As he did his best to stammer through the basics of STD transmission and cautionary tales of unwanted pregnancies, I kept one hand on the truck’s...
StageStruck: Taken By Surprise
Two surprises came packaged in a couple of plays that opened last week. One of those I had eagerly anticipated, while the other was quite unexpected. In Shakespeare & Company’s latest staging of The Comedy of Errors, the Bard’s early farce about two pairs of...
The Pour Man: Consider the roses
One of my favorite wines for a warm summer evening is a crisp, dry rose. Rose is a happy bridge wine between the reds of winter and the brighter whites of summer. It’s excellent with a light meal, such as a salad with grilled shrimp or chicken, or just sipping with...
Nightcrawler: Rock ’n’ Remember, Northampton’s summer series and Living Colour at Mohegan Sun
The Northampton Summer Concert Series kicks off its freebie Friday shows July 17. And while event producer Jamie Kent notes that he and his Collective Music Group are certainly looking to uphold the established tradition of offering fresh, new acts, he is quick to...
The Beerhunter: The The Other ‘L’ Word, never fear, good light beer is here
Thinking about “light beer” brings up distasteful, albeit fun, memories. Long nights in college spent pouring cans of Keystone into red plastic cups; fly-fishing with grouchy uncle Roy, paddling around with a cooler full of Molson; going to that barbecue last summer...
Nightcrawler: Tor-id Affair, Rev. Tor Band’s audio/visual onslaught, free concerts in Holyoke and Enfield
You name it, The Reverend Tor Band is celebrating it this weekend — s seventh CD, a first DVD, and then there’s the 20-year milestone of cranking out some of the most consistent groove-oriented rock in the area. “It’s been an amazing journey, and I’m really happy...
StageStruck: Ghost Stories part 2 – Three Henries
By cosmic coincidence, three shows now playing in the Valley and Berkshires feature three guys named Henry: Henry the Fifth, king of England; Henry David Thoreau, lord of Walden Pond, and Henry Antrobus, bad-boy son of the world’s first couple, whose real name is …...
The V-Spot: My Boyfriend Won’t Lick My Sundae
Hi Yana! I’ve been seeing a wonderful man for about a year and a half and I feel like I’ve finally found someone I could spend the rest of my life with. Here’s the problem: He isn’t a very sexual person and won’t perform oral sex on me. He says he never has on any of...E-Edition
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