Our Blog

June 19, 2012
Tales From The Music Hall Stage—From The Farthest Forests to Billy Bragg

By Peter Squires
On April 21st, my band, The Farthest Forests, was lucky enough to perform at The Music Hall. As local musicians, this was a distinct honor – how many of us ever get the chance to perform for hundreds of people in such a beautiful, historic setting? What’s more, we had the honor of meeting and sharing the stage with the fantastic Felice Brothers and the otherworldly O’Death, and as part of the first ever Portsmouth Singer Songwriter Festival, we get to say we shared a place in history with the legendary Merle Haggard and Roseanne Cash. We are extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity to play a part in such a momentous occasion.

June 4, 2012
Billy Bragg Celebrates Woody Guthrie on June 30

By Thérèse LaGamma

I’ve been listening to Billy Bragg’s music—especially his Mr. Love & Justice and Mermaid Avenue recordings—and I can’t tell you how excited I am to hear his performance at The Music Hall’s Historic Theater on Saturday, June 30 at 8pm. Arguably the U.K.’s most famous activist singer-songwriter of modern times, Billy’s first set celebrates Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday by exploring and expanding the Guthrie songbook—he was one of a handful of musicians who had access to the Guthrie archives. His second set will be pure Billy. I recently talked with the London-based star about his music, his politics, and his connection to Woody’s legacy. Read on for a fascinating conversation.