Musicians of Concord: Matt Poirier, juggler extraordinaire
Playing live music in front of a crowd is hard enough, but when you have to squeeze that in between work, spending time with the wife and helping with the kids’ homework, it’s a wonder anyone can ever pull it off.But Matt Poirier has figured it out, somehow.The singer-songwriter from Hopkinton has been playing in and around Concord (and well beyond) for years, but he’s not a professional, meaning he still has to go to work in the...
Musicians of Concord: Kevin Clark provides the sounds of the streets
If you’ve ever walked around downtown anytime other than the dead of winter, you’ve most likely heard Kevin Clark playing guitar and singing somewhere close by.Clark is Concord’s resident busker (one of them, anyway). Most of the time he can be found near the clock tower at the entrance to Eagle Square, but plays all over the Main Street sidewalk, and he’s out there just about every day. He’s been playing guitar for 50 years, and he’s...
Musicians of Concord: Piano instructor Kathy Southworth has the keys
She played guitar, recorder, trumpet and French horn when she was a kid, but the ivory and ebony keys are what most resonated with Kathy Southworth.Southworth, piano instructor and dean of students and faculty at Concord Community Music School, started playing in first grade, and her journey with the instrument has been never-ending. “It kind of goes on forever, the studying,” she said of her life in music.When she was in grade...
Musicians of Concord: Mike Gallant, aka Mikey G, rocks the open mic
Mike Gallant – affectionately known as Mikey G – is a blue-collar music man.By day, he sells guitars and equipment and teaches guitar at Strings & Things Music. By night, he dominates the open mic and live music scene all over the Live Free or Die state.“I do about 20 gigs a month,” Gallant said from the downtown music shop last week. “Tons of open mics.”Gallant racks up quite a few miles in his work as a gigging musician. He...
Musicians of Concord: Guitarist Brad Myrick is internationally known
When he’s not jet-setting around the world to play shows or teach classes in Italy, you can find Brad Myrick playing on the patio at Cheers or giving lessons at Strings & Things Music. It’s all part of the life of being a professional musician.Myrick is one of the lucky few who gets to call music his life’s work – he doesn’t have to flip burgers or stock shelves to make ends meet (not that there’s anything wrong with those...
Your capital area summer concert guide
Summer is the perfect time to lounge outside, go for a swim, watch a sunset, take a hike, or just hang out with family and friends. Not much can beat ending a long and busy New Hampshire summer day with a barbeque or fireworks. Except, maybe, adding a concert to that mix. The capital area has a packed and talented lineup of musical performances to check out throughout the next couple of months that you won’t want to miss. Luckily, the...
Check out the great many music venues in Concord
If there’s one thing Concord is not short on, it’s places to hear live music – especially during the summer. In case you don’t know of anywhere to catch a show, we’ve compiled a nice list of some of the places we know of. As usual, there’s only a limited amount of space and we’re likely to leave some places out, but it isn’t intentional. This list should give you a pretty good backbone of venues to check out, and when you’ve hit all...
Jazz Sanctuary livens up the service at First Church
For many in so-called evangelical churches, scripture is seen as instructive in inerrant and clear-cut ways – every word literally “true.” On the other side are an increasing number of secular folks who feel that scripture is arcane, irrelevant and, frankly, dangerous when used to judge, shame, or “convince” others of what is right and wrong. On the ever-decreasing middle ground are members of mainline churches who, through the weekly...
Construction work on Heights community center has begun
As you may know, the city plans to develop a new city-wide community center at the site of the former Dame School located at 14 Canterbury Road. This $7.5 million facility will replace the interim community center which the city has operated at the property for the past few years. The new facility will be 31,000 square feet and will feature the following amenities: a high school-size gymnasium, a large multipurpose room with stage,...
Missed Connections: Look who’s trying to find love on Craigslist
We took to Craigslist last week to see who had been posting on the Missed Connections pages in our neck of the woods during the month of June. And we found a ton of great entries to share – and that we could print, unedited, of course. Irving gas station – m4w (Concord) – June 28 I know this is an incredibly long shot. The other day I stopped by the Irving gas station near I-89 and I-93 in Concord. It was fairly crowded...
Agway to host high-flying dog event
Nothing makes for a great summer like the sight of dogs flying 20 feet through the air and cannonballing into water, right? If that sounds strange (or accurate), you definitely have to check out what is sure to be one of this summer’s best dog-themed events. On July 7 through 9, Osborne’s Agway in Concord will be putting on a Splash and Wag DockDogs event that any dog lover won’t want to miss out on. The fun kicks off at 8 a.m. on...
Food Snob: Pastrami bomb sub from Chief’s Place
Generally speaking, when the name of a food item contains the word “bomb,” it’s usually a very good thing. Furthermore, whenever you have a sandwich that combines multiple types of meat with cheese and grilled veggies, you’re in for a great time. So you can only imagine our level of excitement when we saw a pastrami bomb sub on the menu at Chief’s Place in Penacook. Long ago, before this Insider was even a member of the Insider team,...
Go Try It: Paint Outside the Box at Rattlebox Studio
If you and your child are always looking for new and creative ways to get messy, look no further than Paint Outside the Box.The brainchild of Aaron Jones – the kid-focused musician known as Mr. Aaron – Paint Outside the Box is an art class for kids that’s all about exploring creativity in fun new ways.This isn’t your typical art class, in which kids have a set lesson and follow instructions closely. This one encourages kids to do...
On Display: 2017 Focus on Aviation photo exhibit at NHTI Library Gallery
The NHTI Library Gallery is now exhibiting some high-flying photos. The 2017 Focus on Aviation photo contest winners are on the walls of the library art gallery through July 28, and many of the shots were taken in New Hampshire. Head over to NHTI and check it out while you still can.
Bulletin Board
Science fiction at Discovery Center This summer, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center has lined up special staff picks for its Super Stellar Sci-Fi Series On Friday night at 7 p.m., the center will feature Pacific Rim, a movie about an epic battle between sea monsters and humankind. The following two movies at Super Stellar Fridays will be Galaxy Quest on Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. and 2001: A Space Odyssey on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Doors open on...
This Week in Concord History
July 4, 1820: The fare from Concord to Boston by stagecoach is cut to $1, the result of competition between two lines. July 4, 1842: Hooligans set a barrel of tar on fire in the State House plaza. “The tossing of fire-balls had begun when the police of this town interfered,” according to a city history. July 4, 1858: Congressman Mason W. Tappan reads the Declaration of Independence on the State House lawn. Solon Gould,...
Book of the Week: ‘F*ck Feelings’
F*ck FeelingsMichael Bennett, MD2015, 384 pagesNonfiction Sometimes, life sucks. For everybody. And, when it does, we all look for easy solutions to all our problems. We revere big names like Oprah and Doctor Phil, and I won’t even get started on magazine covers. If you’ve tried, though, and these sources ain’t cutting it – if you’re done with empty promises and the phony self-help craze, F*ck Feelings is an absolute must-read.This...
