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What to do? Happenings Northwest

Rain got you beat? Shake off the blues with ‘Blue Moon’ music series

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Music | Leave a Comment

We get it. It’s wet, soggy and cold, and the forecasts say it may — or may not — dry out some time soon.

Some of us — okay, a lot of us — are complaining about it. Others are doing something to get summer moving.

One of those people is Meg Bond, a Billerica, Mass. resident who is starting a performance series of music that is literally homegrown, featuring folk favorite Greg Greenway.

So listen up — and read more about her in her Once in A Blue Moon series in an article in the Billerica Minuteman.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at Gate House Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

Red, white, blue, and many colors at Fourth of July art festival

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Fairs, Visual Arts | Leave a Comment

If you are a resident of Chelmsford, Mass., or live  in the vicinity, you might stop by a Fourth of July art festival sponsored by the Chelmsford Art Society, which features a competition of artwork by children and adults from Chelmsford and the area.

Works from the exhibit will be on view at the Chelmsford Public Library through July.

To learn more, visit the Chelmsford Independent online.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at Gate House Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

First we loved them, then we mocked them, and now, we miss them

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Music, Television | Leave a Comment

An anthropologist once observed that every decade has its blond.

And in the decade of the 1970s, there were enough to last a century. Nowadays, being a blond means being the object of derision; back then, it meant images of a pristine beach and all that was right and pleasant in the world. It wasn’t fair –  but it was there.

In the late 1970s, Farrah Fawcett was one of those blonds, and for a brief time, she was the blond. She was also the central figure of a strange new breed of TV shows by Aaron Spelling — totally mockout-able, but totally entertaining, and totally watchable.

(To say nothing of those great trading cards with action shots on one side, and exclusive beauty tips from ‘The Angels’ themselves. Fried food is a no-no for good skin. Sound advice, indeed.)

I recently viewed a so-called ‘minisode’ of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ — the kind designed to entice you to buy the whole series on DVD.

I was amazed. These women didn’t just look great in bikinis or shiny halter tops. They had guts! They rescued a  young Kim Basinger, even as they sat in chains, abducted by bad guys, in the back of a pickup truck. With a glance from one to the other, they concocted an instant plan — and put the chain over the driver’s neck, thereby immobilizing him — with a grand,  1970s spinout on a dusty back road. A great escape in a dramatic squall.

Then I realized why everyone loved this show, and loved Farrah Fawcett. These women were glamorous and empowered.  ‘Charlie’s Angels’ had a lot of silly moments, but was the perfect antidote to a decade filled with machismo and some of the most horrifyingly misogynistic violence ever to fill a drive-in screen.

To me, it’s poetically fitting then, that viewers saw a different side of Farrah Fawcett with her sobering portrayal of a battered wife in the TV movie, ‘The Burning Bed.’ Suddenly all that dame-hitting swagger didn’t seem so tough — or manly.

To learn, within hours of her death of Michael Jackson’s, was one of those surreal moments the universe throws at us from time to time. No cosmic plan, just a sad coincidence. Michael Jackson was a child roughly of the same era, when soul music emerged and became, as it has for a long time, a bridge between generations and races. Michael Jackson himself became much the same.

He was a child star, but unlike so many child stars of that era, was able to grow and reinvent his identity, with ‘Off The Wall’ in 1980, (look, fans cried, he’s all grown up and as cute as ever!) and then again in 1984 with ‘Thriller,’ and so on — each time taking great risks, such as employing a heavy metal guitarist to play a riff in a song about gang turf war. Michael Jackson smashed more barriers than one, because he had the courage, talent and vision to make it all work.

Within moments of their respective deaths being announced, fans  mourned, but the criticism of the coverage was almost equally instantaneous.

Did the passing of Farrah Fawcett, and then Michael Jackson, deserve so much attention, and outpouring of sadness?

Yes. Were their private lives troubled and controversial? Clearly. Did they always use their fame in the best way? Probably not. Do we know as much about either person as we think we do? Again, most probably, most definitely not.

So their claim to fame was as pop culture icons. Well, pop culture comes from us — ordinary people who look to television, music and comic books for entertainment that is, unlike some observer’s claims, more than just escapism from the doldrums or disappointments of life.  It speaks to us, because we help create it. And unless it promotes racism or some other form of hatred or exploitation, we don’t have to apologize for it. When it does, we ought to debate it and examine it.

And, unexpectedly, pop culture can be a form of healing. Michael Jackson’s fame didn’t make racism go away, but it’s clear that he broke  many barriers just by embracing listeners of all races with his music and talent. Listeners of all races embraced him back. That was a sign of hope in a time when Apartheid, among other evils, loomed large.

None of this means everything about pop culture is great, or memorable. It does mean that, if a film, song or TV show touches  people in a profound way, then it’s natural to grieve the loss of their creators. It doesn’t have to be ‘your’ thing or ‘my’ thing to be worthy in this way.

With the Internet  empowering just about everyone on Earth to create his or her own mini-celebrity, we have an even more uncomfortable relationship with fame these days, and rightly question how some folks achieve it.

Really and truly: What did Jon and Kate Gosselin do to warrant their own TV show,  or for the planetary following of their fecundity and marital woes? Nothing.

Did I still read about them?  Yes. Why? Partly because when you are an arts editor you don’t get to follow these things cafeteria style.

I’m interested in why Jon and Kate command such fascination. But I will not miss them, or their 72 children, or the so-called Octomom and her voting bloc, when their stories fade from our collective view.

I do and will miss Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson for what they variously brought to our pop culture, and our ideas about ourselves and what we want to be or think we are.

Because they were fun, they were gifted in their own arenas, they symbolized the ambivalence of an era of changing roles and ideas about beauty, fashion and entertainment. And,  like those captive angels in the back of a pickup truck, they insisted on taking a different path — and broke a few chains along the way.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at Gate House Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

Fanciful feast of art opens in Belmont

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Food, Visual Arts | Leave a Comment

Even locavores need food for the soul.

You know, locavores — epicureans who buy locally-grown food. It’s the new yogurt — as farmers markets spring up everywhere, and “grow,” if you will, a partnership with businesses, artists and more.

Artists are gathering in Belmont to celebrate all things delicious  in a new exhibit.

“From the Garden to the Kitchen to the Table” opens Thursday, June 25, at t the Belmont Gallery of Art at the town’s  Homer Municipal Building.

The exhibit showcases the works of 32 Belmont artists, with more than 50 creations in many media, such as ink, pastel, pencil, photography, ceramics and more. There are sumptuous image of food,  and of the way food comes to us literally from the ground up, with scenes of farming, harvest,  home and hearth.

The exhibit is being held in conjunction with the Belmont Public Library’s “One Book, One Belmont” program, which is encouraging residents to participate by reading Barbara Kingsolver’s  “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.”

Hungry yet? Feast your eyes.

“From the Kitchen to The Garden to the Table” is on view through Oct. 2 at the Homer Municipal Building, 19 Moore St., Belmont, Mass. and is free to the public.

Opening reception, Friday, June 26, 6 to 8 p.m.

Closing reception, Friday, Sept. 25, 6 to 8 p.m.

Hours: Thursday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 6 - 9 p.m., Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.

To learn more, visit www.belmontgallery.org or e-mail belmontgallery@verizon.net.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at Gate House Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

Rock pioneers ‘generate’ sound Tuesday

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Music | Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like rock on a school night.

And the British band, Van der Graaf Generator, knows how.

The band, on their first American tour in 30 years — and performing for the first time in New England — bring their ground-breaking soundTuesday to the Regent Theater in Arlington.

The first act signed to Charisma Records, the band became known for a darker sound than many predecessors, and made the guitar solo a standard of the so-called progressive rock genre.

This was and remains a genre which, while not always beloved by music critics, left an influence that is hard to ignore.

Yes, they’ve got the power — and that’s not a bad way to mix up the work week.

If  you go

Van der Graaf Generator performs at the Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., Arlington, Tuesday, June 23, 8 p.m. Tickets $21-$41. Special guest Acoustic Strawbs. For tickets and more information, call 781-646-4849or visit  www.regenttheatre.com.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at Gate House Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

Flock around the clock: Twitter at Northwest Arts

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Online coverage | Leave a Comment

These days, life really is ‘Tweet.’

Get the latest on arts coverage throughout the region and connect to our Wicked Local sites.  I promise not to deluge you with chirpy updates about what I had for lunch or how cute my cat is. Well, the latter,  maybe once in a while.

And, tell us about your arts happenings — music, theater, books and more.

Click here, and see you in the Tweet tops.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at GateHouse Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

Rock band’s got it covered in Westford

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Music | 1 Comment

If you are a member of Generation X, you know there is no such thing as being “too old” to do something — especially if it means being in a rock band.

Mike Reid, 42, of Westford, his wife, Lynda Jemson, and several friends from area communities take this belief to heart. They’re not just content to play  the video games, “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” — although they like doing that, too.

But recently, they  formed a band, so they could play classic rock favorites and catch up with the music of Generation Y, and pretty soon, Z when they start making their own noise.

“I’ve been playing guitar pretty much my whole life. My favorite type of music is rock and blues, like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin — the music we grew up listening to,” said Reid, a systems analyst at IBM. “We are a cover band — we play everything from The Beatles to today’s modern rock.” Wryly, he added, “We try to appease any audience that might come to see us, whether older folks or younger folks.”

Like any good Gen X band, they picked a name  for sound value –  Slap That Cat. They have nothing at all against cats and don’t do any weird acts that might evoke the likes of Ozzie Osbourne, pre-reality TV.

His wife, Lynda, plays the bass. Despite the plethora of female bass players, this was not a conscious decision, or a particularly philosophical one,  Reid said. He explained: “We couldn’t find a bass player, so she said, ‘How hard can it be?’”

Slap That Cat has been together about a year, and began playing out in February, performing gigs at various clubs in the area — about once a month. This schedule allows them the satisfaction of performance while balancing the needs of family and career.

“We keep family first, and band second,” Reid said, adding that his generation knows who to blend lifelong loves such as music with present-day obligations.

“Everybody in the band knows at least one person who’s in a band,” Reid said. “We go and see them sometimes. It actually creates a nice network. It’s not a competition thing.”

Whether you’re in a band, or just a fan, you can see — and hear — Slap That Cat perform at Mickey’s Irish Pub, 179 Central St., Lowell, Mass., Saturday, June 20, 9 p.m. to midnight. No cover. For more information, visit www.slapthatcat.com.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at Gate House Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

Looking beyond the pyramids in Egypt photo exhibit

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Visual Arts | Leave a Comment

In the historic Abu Al Abass mosque in Alexandria, Egypt, visitors come to marvel at ornate Islamic architecture, but city residents come to pray and reflect as they have for more than 200 years.

Among them was a family who allowed me to photograph them, permitting me as a visitor to have a window into their lives and spirituality. It’s a memory I have carried with me since that time on a warm spring day in May 2007.

I had been fortunate  to travel to Egypt for two weeks in 2006, and hoped one day I would be able to return.

A few months later, after speaking at a meeting of the Billerica Rotary Club, I was granted the opportunity to travel to Egypt  for four weeks in 2007, through the Rotary’s Group Study Exchange Program.

I’ve combined some of my experiences from both trips in a photo exhibit, ‘Visions of Egypt,’ on view through June at Rollstone Studios in Fitchburg, in conjunction with the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance and the City of Fitchburg First Thursdays series of cultural events celebrating the community. Fitchburg is part of Rotary District 7910, which sponsored by the Egypt trip in cooperation with Egypt’s Rotary District 2450.

The photos reflect daily life in Egypt, music and folklore, and the mysteries of ancient Pharonic, Christian and Islamic sites, which I saw in my travels through Cairo, Alexandria, the Sinai Peninsula and Upper Egypt (the southern region, home to some of the world’s greatest antiquities.)

If you go

‘Visions of Egypt’ is on view through June at

Rollstone Studio, 633 Main St., Fitchburg, Mass.

Opening reception Thursday, June 4, 6 to 8 p.m.

With Middle Eastern food, music and dance. Part of Fitchburg First Thursdays series.

Reception and exhibit are free.

Exhibit on view during regular gallery hours:

Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.

For more in formation, call 978-348-ART1 or visit www.rollstoneartists.com.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at Gate House Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

AFD’s ‘Drive’ takes off, heads to national drama competition

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Fundraisers, Theater | Leave a Comment

Arlington-based AFD Theatre’s production of “How I Learned to Drive” is in high gear.

After taking top honor at the New England Regional Association of Community Theaters Fest in March, organizers hope to steer the production toward a national prize at the American Association of Community Theaters awards, set for June 24-27 in Tacoma, Wash.

The production will be one of 12 entrants that won in regional competitions nationwide, competing for what AFD members call “the Tony awards for community theater.”

To raise funds for the effort, and for a final chance to see AFD Theatre’s cast perform the play locally, the drama group is hosting a performance and gala fundraiser Saturday, May 30, at 7 p.m. at the Next Door Theater, 40 Cross St., Winchester.

“How  I Learned to Drive” is Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer prize-winning drama about a young girl, known as Li’l Bit, who is  repulsed and isolated by her troubled family, and who seeks solace and friendship with a relative, Uncle Peck — who is simultaneously her mentor and perpetrator of sexual assault. The play explores the complexities of their destructive bond. Christina Wolfskehl and Dave Wood portray Li’l Bit and Uncle Peck in the AFD Theatre production.

The play’s explicit language and themes may make it unsuitable for some viewers; parents or others bringing children should exercise discretion.

AFD Theatre’s production, directed by Celia Couture, hit the stage at the drama group’s home base, Arlington Friends of the Drama, in February 2008 to wide acclaim. (Read this related article to learn more.)

Tickets for the gala are $25. For more information, visit AFD Theatre online, or mail request to Melissa Fenton, c/o AFD Theatre, 22 Academy St., Arlington, MA 02476, ATTN ‘Drive’ Fundraiser.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at GateHouse Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

Folk legend makes the ‘connection’ at benefit

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Margaret Smith
Filed Under Children, Fundraisers, Music, Pets, Science/Nature | Leave a Comment

The Nature Connection is getting out the big guns for its next fundraiser.

But, in a gentle folksy way.

Tom Rush will perform in a benefit for the Concord-based organization — formerly known as Animals As Intermediaries — which brings together animals with humans who might otherwise have limited access to them, including the disabled , nursing home residents, and students in special needs schools.

Rush helped define a generation of folk artists and is a frequent guest at concerts throughout the area, with an enduring following of nearly 50 years.

The benefit concert will be held at the Umbrella Center for the Arts, 40 Stow St., Concord, Saturday, May 30, 8 p.m. A pre-show reception is set for 7 p.m. Tickets $35 general admission, $125 premium seating and reception. For tickets and more information, visit www.nature-connection.org or call 978-369-2585.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor at Gate House Media New England’s Northwest Unit. E-mail her at msmith@cnc.com.

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