This Thursday, Jan 23. at 8 p.m., the Pickle Barrel hosts one of my top shows from last year, New Hampshire’s own Roots of Creation (original reggae), which will be opening up for themselves, so to speak. Their other band, Grateful Dub, is the headliner of the evening, and if you can’t guess, they do…

History tends to demonstrate that humans aren’t too fond of change. Sure, we progress and adapt over time and with technology, but do we fundamentally change? Not much. Rather than change and actively work towards a better future, we tend to dwell on the past. Make sure things are great again. The good ol’ days,…

With home viewing becoming the preferred way to watch movies, it’s a rare delight to encounter a film that demands to be seen in a theater. Brady Corbet’s "The Brutalist" is one such film. This 215-minute epic, shot in stunning VistaVision and presented in 70mm, is a cinematic experience that makes the journey to the…

“How much longer until we get to where you are taking me?” I hear the voice reach out from behind me. We’d been skinning (or climbing uphill with our skis on) for about an hour when my ski sister finally decided to ask where we were going. We had started with some work road and…

In September of last year, I put my son on a flight to Australia, where he would spend the next month backpacking throughout t that country’s eastern coast. He then flew to Bangkok, Thailand, for another month, this time enjoying the jungles and beaches in the surrounding regions. Finally, he concluded his Pacific trek with…

In the late ‘80s, the rock band Van Halen was taken to task when journalists discovered that their concert contract contained a clause stating, “There will be no brown M&M’s in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation.” Immediately dismissed as the excess of party-band celebrity and unrestrained hubris,…

Walking along a dirt road last winter, I heard a collection of pleasant, sputtering trills coming from a stand of conifers and hardwoods nearby. I’m used to the winter conversation of chickadees around feeder and woods, the cawing of crows and blue jays in the yard, and the high-pitched calls of golden-crowned kinglets sounding from…

We’ve finally arrived at the point on the astrological timeline many would prefer to avoid: Mars retrograde in Cancer.  Not unlike any other astrological occurrence, you can choose to meet this head-on and remain open to the learning opportunity it provides. Another option is to whine and moan about it and eventually complain that nothing…

Regional music recap for 2024 2024 was another excellent year for music in our region. Always check the listings to see where our incredible local talent is playing because it’s all so good. We also have some fantastic national touring acts coming through our area. The year started with a great show and time at…

When a musical bio-pic like “A Complete Unknown” comes along, movie red flags always rise. Are we going to get another cookie-cutter, a paint-by-numbers retelling of a famous musician, lined with “magical moments” of inspiration behind the music numbers we know so well, heightened by a performance that is more mime than realistic by an…

South Korea’s limited series, “Squid Game,” became a national sensation when it debuted in the U.S. in the fall of 2021. Its combination of hyper-violence and reality show meets “The Hunger Games” proved the perfect blend of entertainment for an audience still dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and feeling that life’s many challenges placed their…

For thousands of years, the transition into the new year sees people take a moment for self-reflection. Traditionally, people come up with a resolution for something they would like to improve upon, bring with them, or leave behind them with this year’s fresh start.  The Latin origin of the word resolve, resolvere, has a few meanings, such as: to loosen,…

We came in early, which, if you know anything about Team PomPom, is a miracle within itself because we are usually about 15-20 minutes late. As much as I love coaching 5-and 6-year-olds, it is extremely difficult to move them about the mountain in a timely fashion. Bathroom breaks, emergency snacks, bloody noses…they all control…

I have always stayed awake on New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop in Times Square. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, for that final minute, I’m going to be glued to the television. It’s been a tradition of mine since I was a young child, and as far back as…

Well, the holidays are behind us and hopefully you enjoyed that special time of year. Once January rolls around, my mind gravitates toward spring and gardening. I want to forget that it’s winter. My apologies to those of you who still want to be skiing while I am tending to my daffodils! As many of…