Victoria Chertok
Funk night residency brings mix of music to area
When Guilford-based keyboardist Kris Yunker, 39, moved to the area three years ago, he said to himself "Brattleboro needs a funk night." He got in touch with Robin Johnson, and the owner of the Stone Church loved the idea.
The Stone Church's final funk night of 2023 will take place Wednesday, Dec. 6. The series will start up again on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.
‘Everyone’s struggle is the same’
‘You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy,’ says David Koechner, who will perform a comedy show at the Bellows Falls Opera House.
U.S. actor and comedian David Koechner brings his brand of stand-up comedy to the Bellows Falls Opera House on Sunday, Nov. 12. "It's a power-packed 90 minutes," says Koechner, 61, on a recent afternoon phone call from his home in Los Angeles. This is Koechner's first show back in...
Oasis for slow time
At The Poetry Studio in Marlboro, young people slow down and learn the unique language of poetry and visual art — and how the two art forms can bring to life ideas, beauty, and hope in a hostile world
The lead on one recent Reuters story was stark, announcing that dozens of states are suing Meta Platforms and its subsidiary, Instagram, "accusing them of fueling a youth mental health crisis by making their social media platforms addictive." Yet despite the reported negative effects of social media on our...
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Simple to the bone, straight to the heart
Walter Parks, the 65-year-old guitarist, composer, founder and band leader of The Unlawful Assembly, lives in St. Louis and says it's a great music town. He founded the band earlier this year and plays guitar and sings, along with Ada Dyer on vocals and Steven Williams, drummer and producer. The Unlawful Assembly reimagines and tributes historic spirituals and hymns that universally inspire, empower, and unite. The Commons had an extensive phone interview (where Parks sang and broke out his guitar...
Vocalist ‘comes home to the church’
Ada Dyer, vocalist for The Unlawful Assembly, has lived in Manhattan since 1981. She's currently on break from a world tour with Bruce Springsteen, where she sings in his E Street Band. She joined Springsteen in January and began touring in February. Her favorite two places to visit so far were Amsterdam and Spain. * * * Victoria Chertok: Thanks for finding time to chat during your busy musical touring life! What is it like to tour with Springsteen? Ada...
‘What? No vocals?’
Stephen Ulrich, guitarist, composer, founder, and bandleader of Big Lazy, grew up in New Haven, Connecticut and moved to New York City at age 17. He lived in Brooklyn and Manhattan for decades and now makes his home in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his wife and two teenaged children. The 64-year-old Ulrich formed Big Lazy in 1990. He plays guitar and composes the band's music. Big Lazy also features Yuval Lion on drums and Andrew Hall on bass. Both...
‘It’s a part of the cosmic download’
Bass player and band leader Samson "Sam" Grisman, 33, of Nashville, Tennessee, tells us how excited he is about touring with his new band, Sam Grisman Project. The band's upcoming tour will bring the four members to The Stone Church on Thursday, Oct. 26 for an "acoustic and electric set of timeless music," he says. That music pays tribute to the offerings of two friends: Grisman's father, David "Dawg" Grisman, 78, and the late Jerry Garcia, of the Grateful Dead.
A printmaking pioneer marks his 100th show
Dan Welden, master printmaker, painter, author, and educator, will exhibit his largest solo show to date - "Dan Welden: Solo 100" - of 15 paintings and works on canvas and paper at Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts. On Saturday, Oct. 21 - the show's opening day - the public is invited to the premier screening of a documentary film, Lasting Impressions: The Dan Welden Documentary, at 3:30 p.m., followed by an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The film, directed by...