Every spring for more than 20 years, local homeowners open their kitchen and dining spaces for The Music Hall’s always popular kitchen tour. This year, the tour is back in Portsmouth on May 4, 2013 to tour chic homes in the Mill Pond areas, allowing privileged peeks into some of the most dazzling, inspiring, and innovative kitchens in the region.
To get the inside scoop, I spoke with Dominique Jackson, Special Events Manager at The Music Hall:
RB: Sustainable design is a huge trend. How is it reflected in this year’s kitchens?
DJ: Several homes have green details in their kitchens, from energy efficient appliances to countertops made from recycled materials. One home is only 10 percent on the grid, with elements like solar heat that is stored in cement flooring and then slowly radiates back into the house. Sustainability is very important to The Music Hall, and we’re excited that these homes reflect initiatives we feel strongly about.Read More
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I love catching the big name acts that come to the Music Hall—who wouldn’t swoon to Al Green? But I get even more jazzed about seeing emerging talent push musical boundaries—known to music critics and fans but new to me—like the infectious, high-energy band David Wax Museum, who played to a sold-out house at the Loft on Sunday April 7.
And, as a writer, I hate to miss any of the Writers on a New England Stage or Writers in the Loft events. It’s fascinating to get a privileged peek inside the heads of these authors, each with a singular voice and point of view.
So it goes without saying that I’m excited about the expanded lineup of the Portsmouth Singer-Songwriter festival this year, starting with the Pulitzer prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon with his book The Word on the Street: Rock Lyrics on Wednesday, April 17; and ending with a double bill of Aimee Mann and Sharon Van Etten on Sunday, April 21. (All appendages crossed that Aimee and Sharon will decide to sing a song or two together for us. . .)Read More
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Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes came into Portsmouth with one goal in mind: to bring the New Jersey rock to The Music Hall. Southside Johnny, who is sometimes referred to as the “Godfather of the New Jersey sound,” started playing just after 9 p.m. to a massive roar of applause. For over an hour and a half, Johnny & the Asbury Jukes rocked the crowd filling the Music Hall almost to its entirety. The fans sang along and clapped to every song, including their hit “I Don’t Want To Go Home.” The band also added a personal touch to their performance, interacting with the crowd during the entire show. The rock ‘n’ roll that echoed through The Music Hall was nostalgic for many people in the crowd, bringing them back to earlier days when they listened to Southside Johnny (and similarly Bruce Springsteen). The fantastic performance by Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes was felt all throughout downtown Portsmouth – something that is always welcome.Read More
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Jared Diamond is one of America’s most celebrated scholars. His arrival at The Music Hall on January 17 coincides with the release of his latest work, The World Until Yesterday. Diamond is a Professor of Geography at UCLA whose groundbreaking work, Guns, Germs and Steel won the Pulitzer prize in 1997.Read More
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Gift-giving fever is here.
But it doesn’t have to be stressful. My epiphany about gift-giving happened last summer, when I was rushing around Portsmouth looking for a house gift for cousins who live in a Maine farmhouse. I like to match gifts to the recipients and was thinking about their personalities. Mary is an extrovert. Terry is an introvert. They are both intellectually curious and read The New York Times every day. I had recently heard Susan Cain’s fascinating talk about her book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking at the Writers in the Loft series and it struck me: an autographed copy would be the perfect gift! I high-tailed it over to The Music Hall Box office to purchase a copy. I also bought them a box of Music Hall greeting cards so they could see highlights of the fabulous place I’m privileged to work for—and I could feel good about contributing a bit more to an independent arts organization that brings so much to the community.Read More
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Hearing music at The Loft is so groovy. The performers are up close and personal in a way that makes you feel as if they’re playing just for you. Live @ The Loft shows have become an intoxicating way for me to discover new talent—and also to reconnect with seasoned artists I haven’t heard for a while.Read More
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If you already have your tickets to see Gladys Knight at the Music Hall this Sunday, you’re in for a fabulous, upbeat evening with the great “empress of soul” and her amazing sidemen. If you’ve been on the fence, don’t wait until the show is sold out: visit http://www.themusichall.org to snag an incredible offer of $75 for all remaining seats.Read More
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The New Hampshire Film Festival is far more than just films, the weekend is filled to the brim with excitement from constant press and check-ins at Headquarters, to educational workshops, to extravagant parties. Take a look at what the weekend has to offer beyond the extraordinary cinema.Read More
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