2020 New Hampshire Magazine Holiday Gift Guide

S p ec i a l A dv ert i s ing s ect ion

holiday

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ᄓuidဢ Del ight family a n d f riends with g if ts from loc al sh o ps , artists a nd attrac tions

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’Tis the Season for New Hampshire-made music When coronavirus-related restrictions took hold late last winter, stages across the Granite State went dark. Musicians unplugged, loaded-out and went home. Some began streaming performances online. Others slid the guitar case under the bed. Against all odds, some released new music. Here are a handful of New Hampshire artists who have new music perfect for gift-giving this holiday season. by bill burke

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When Liam Bliven rolled back into Kingston after living away for a time, it felt welcoming and natural — a sense he communicates in his uplifting, shifting “Coming Home,” a proggy

instrumental ode to returning to the Granite State.

“It came to me right when I was moving back from Florida,” the soft-spoken multi-instrumentalist says.

“It’s a pretty straightforward song as far as the music goes. It’s in a major key, so it’s happier sounding than what I normally write. It felt like coming home.”

Bliven, a constantly shifting, slippery, challenging guitarist, gives the track a Joe Satriani/Eric Johnson vibe, playing all the instruments and recording it in his home studio.

Playing every part (guitar, drums, bass, assorted soundscapes) is a

theme not uncommon in his music — aside from when he collaborates with world-renowned musicians.

On “Conversations,” he brought in keyboardist Derek Sherinian of Kiss, Alice Cooper, Dream Theater and Sons of Apollo fame.

When Bliven goes, he goes big.

“That one’s all me except for Derek, who is a ridiculous keyboard player,” he says. “Which probably explains the number of plays I’m getting on the streaming services. He kills it.”

On “Conversations,” another mind-bending instrumental, Bliven goes on a breakneck tour from Latin rhythms (with a tasty nylon string

Chamberlain, and New Hampshire bandmates Dan Glynn and Jarrod Taylor, among others.

“It was pretty cool because I went into the studio thinking it would just be my band, just four people,” Drake says. “But it turned out that we ended up working with some great musicians because there were so many people coming in and out of that studio.”

Audrey Drake was halfway between New Hampshire and Nashville when inspiration struck.

Drake, a singer-songwriter from Holderness, was on an extended tour, during which she hoped to write a handful of songs. That’s when “The Next Best Thing” popped into her head.

“In 2009, I went on a six-month

tour across the country,” Drake says.

“My hope was to write a bunch of songs. I wrote one — and that was it.”

That one song, which eventually became the title track on her new CD, “The Next Best Thing,” was enough, apparently. A collection of songs featuring Drake’s shimmering, soulful vocals and lush harmonies, the CD — Drake’s second — is a powerhouse lineup from a songwriter confidently flexing her creative muscles.

Drake began recording the album in 2015 at The Recording Coop in Gilford, which was relocated and evolved into A Day in This Life, in Portland, Maine.

She brought a few friends along, including renowned Canadian multi-instrumentalist J.P. Cormier (who has played with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash), Nashville mandolin player and guitarist Charlie

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Pick a single: “Listen to ‘LA.’ It has a feel that gets people going. I feel like the energy of it makes people feel good. It has great energy and the message is powerful — follow your dreams and don’t give up.”

Buy it: It’s available on amazon.com and iTunes. Stream “The Next Best Thing” on all streaming services.

Learn more: facebook.com/ audreyjdrake, website coming soon

lead) to stop-and-start melodies that trip between major and minor keys, to slashing through some harmonic minor modes that Bliven has an admitted affection for.

“Yeah, that one might be more of a musician’s track,” he says.

Pick a single: “Definitely ‘Conversations.’ I think the production is better, but I think playing-wise it showcases a little more versatility with the Latin solo and then the heavier rock solo.

It covers more ground.”

Buy it: iTunes and amazon.com Learn more: facebook.com/ ResonationProductions

When he was growing up in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Zach Benton never really knew, or cared, what was conventional. And that’s what makes this musician/ author/entertainer/sci-fi storyteller so unique.

“I’ve never been into trends,” says Benton, who is more commonly known by fans as Melodious Zach.

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“Especially musical trends. I like to do what I like to do.”

That’s especially evident on his new album “20 Greatest Hits,” compiled from his four previous studio albums.

“I say it’s Motown/pop,” Zach says.

“It’s got the ’60s and ’70s sounds, and a soulful vocal and driving beat.”

The album includes an arrangement of the classic “Hello, Ma Baby!” but is mostly original compositions, including the instant ear-worm and (forgive the term) hummable, “Hum It,” which garnered the multi-instrumentalist a legion of new fans when it was featured on WMUR this past summer.

“I had a TV show for four years — music videos, comedy sketches — that ran on public access stations and even in Australia,” he says. “But the amount of feedback I got when that threeminute clip ran was more than I’ve ever gotten in four years in syndication.”

It’s easy to see why. The song, and the video, mainline Zach’s oddball, endearing characteristics, and deliver them with an irresistible hook.

“Every song on it was recorded in New Hampshire,” he says. “Some in my apartment, some in Loud Sun Studio, which is run by Ben Rogers.”

Melodious Zach plays 95% of the music on the album, collaborating with friend Dave Allen — his co-star on the “O! Melodious Show” video project — who wrote a string quartet piece for “Truer Love.” Drop in some synth and a healthy dose of his quirky creative sensibility, and “20 Greatest Hits” provides a taste of what the unusual world of Melodious Zach is about.

Pick a single: “By default, I’d say ‘Hum it.’ That path has been set for me. Apart from the obvious choice, I’d probably say ‘Give it a Shot.’ It’s a very strong song.”

Buy it: Order the “Melodious Zach: 20 Greatest Hits” CD on amazon.com. The album comes with an extensive set of liner notes, written and designed by Melodious Zach himself.

Learn more: youtube.com/user/ TheZachBenton

Had enough “Silent Night” this time of year? Bitter Pill may have the antidote.

Recorded at The Noise Floor in Dover, Bitter Pill’s “Desperate Times on the New Hampshire State Line” is a collection of smart, dramatic, visual, evocative compositions that cross genres and casts shades of Tom Waits and Shane MacGowan throughout.

Evocative of what? Loneliness, addiction, cons, poverty and desperation. But don’t think it’s an overwrought confessional. Billy Butler (vocals, cello and piano) and his

daughter Emily (ukulele and vocals) bring a wink, a nod and a giggle to the heavy themes.

“It’s satire,” Billy Butler says. “Satire works because it’s rooted in deep truth. If we can laugh at the awful things, maybe they’re not so awful.

Maybe it makes the pangs of awfulness a little duller.”

The Butlers are joined by fellow Pillers Jon McCormack, Michael McKay, Tomer Oz and Dave Hamilton on this tour of the band’s completely unique view on life as it is right now. Tracks were completed in February of last year, and on the second day of mixing in March, the world shut down.

“As they say, art reflects life,” Butler says, though the songs were written before the pandemic. Even the title of the record was dreamt up a year earlier. “It’s not like we didn’t see anything coming. We saw what was happening.”

“Desperate Times on the New Hampshire State Line” is the band’s second album, following up

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“Prepare Your Throats” — the soundtrack to Butler’s staging of Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus.”

“Lyrically, the new record is more about contemporary times,” Butler says. “It’s a real mixture of genres.

We like to play and write things that inspire us: rhythm and bluegrass, there’s a little rock, a little bluegrass, a little rockabilly, a little country — everything we love. We never say, ‘This record needs to sound like this.’

We play what we love.”

Pick a single: “I would pick ‘Alone.’

Emily is amazing on that. Being on stage and watching her sing it is incredible. That song and her singing that song definitely tells the story of who we are.”

Buy it: Order it at bitterpill.bandcamp.com. It’s also available on all streaming services. “Streaming is killing it,” Butler says. “But that said, stream it. It gets us out there.”

Learn more: bitterpillband.com

More Music Quick Picks Green Heron: “New Pair of Shoes” Betsy (formerly Green) Heron and Scott Heron are multi-instrumentalists that tear through a high-energy mash-up of old-time, folk, bluegrass, country, Irish folk and blues on “New Pair of Shoes.” greenheronmusic.com Bobbo Byrnes: “SeaGreenNumber5” A well-traveled storytelling singer/ songwriter, Bobbo has just released his latest — crafted to feel like this imminently authentic raconteur is playing just for you in your living room.

Think Springsteen, Joe Strummer, Paul Westerberg. thefallenstars.com Ruby & the Groove: “Let the Music Play” Ruby Shabazz, Bill Fee and Tom Bean create an upbeat R&B, pop, and soul sound perfectly illustrated in “Let the Music Play” — a musical ode to Nashua and the living, thriving arts community that helped inspire them. rubyandthegroove.com/music

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Gifts for the Holiday-phobic

By Rick Broussard

M

y dad was a good father, the primary wage earner and a generous man, so he was always a bit unclear why, on certain days of the year, he was societally compelled to go out and buy something for all the important people in his life.

He’d deal with this by making craft items to dole out, but the absolute perigee of his orbit around Planet Christmas was the year he bought a dozen bottles each of perfume and aftershave at a drug store. Then Dad gift-wrapped them to have a handy batch of generic gifts to offer in response to anything he might receive from coworkers and friends.

While I share some of my dad’s reservations about the economy-stimulating holidays, I do enjoy that feeling I get when I’ve found a gift that will prove I care about some person as a nongeneric individual. Such “thoughtful” gifts do not need to be expensive, but it helps to know where to look. Here are my suggestions for local target-rich shopping zones for the holiday-phobic.

INSIDER KNOWLEDGE: If you can’t find the perfect item, you can often get away with simply purchasing something from the perfect place. “Sure, it’s just a letter opener with a skeleton finger for a handle, but you should see the place I got it,” you might say when you give a gift from Deadwick’s Ethereal Emporium, the spooky Gothic sidekick to Pickwick’s Mercantile in Portsmouth. If you are sharing your secret shopping spot with the recipient, you are showing how much you care.

Deadwick’s Ethereal Emporium pickwicksmercantile.com

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RANDOM ANTIQUARIA: When hunting for an inspired gift, the roadside “junque” store allows a gift-seeker to turn off their minds, relax and float downstream through a phantasmagoria of cultural and historical associations reflecting every sort of passion or weakness. It’s in my hometown, so I’m biased, but I highly recommend Concord Antiques on Storrs Street.

Concord Antiques / concordantiquesgallery.com

CLOSE TO THE EDGE: If you have a friend with a twisted sense of humor, turn ’em on with a gift from Wicked Joyful in Manchester. This locally based idea factory takes pop culture icons (or obscurities) and turns them into collectible items, complete with satiric packaging, that will either delight (or, fair warning, offend) someone in a way that shows you know what turns them on (or off) with deadly precision.

Wicked Joyful facebook.com/WickedJoyful

LOCAL PRIDE: When Granite Staters gift someone with a local product, it’s a way to include a flatlander friend or relative with a taste of the joys of living in the best state on Earth. The shops (one at the I-95 N NH State Liquor Store exit and a new one just opened in Portsmouth) and website of NH Made are jam-packed with local goods, each with a local person on the other end of the purchase. Or just drop by the gift shop at the New Hampshire Statehouse for a curated batch of Granite State objects that will shout “Live Free or Die” with boughs of holly.

NH Made / nhmade.com

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Cranberry Orange Scones With Glaze Makes about 12 scones

Prep 1 hour (That includes 30-minute rest time in refrigerator.)

3 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1¼ tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon orange zest 6 ounces unsalted butter, frozen and grated with a box grater 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops before baking 2 medium eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 11/2 cups frozen cranberries, chopped Orange Glaze:

1¼ cups powdered sugar 6 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice Begin by whisking the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest together in a large bowl. Add the frozen grated butter to the flour mixture and use your hands to create pea-size crumbs of the butter. Place in the freezer (or fridge if you don’t have the space) while mixing wet ingredients.

Whisk heavy cream, eggs and vanilla together.

Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the cranberries, then mix together until everything appears moist.

Using a ½ cup measuring cup, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Form gently into round shapes and spread evenly about 2-3 inches apart onto a lined sheet tray and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

The Gift of Yummm!

Before baking, brush each scone with heavy cream. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and lightly brown on top.

ere's a wonderful recipe, courtesy of Culture Bread & Sandwich in Milford, that's great to make and give as a baked gift to friends and family. Make extras and have these treats on hand for your small group gatherings during the holiday season. If no one shows up, you can always freeze them until 2021.

Chris and Emilee Viaud of Culture offer great breads by the loaf (or try one of their creative sandwiches). Find sandwich bread, honey whole wheat and sourdough in addition to pastries such as cardamom whoopie pies, apple turnovers and the scones shown here. The bakery-style café offers breakfast sandwiches until 10:30 a.m., then switches over to the regular sandwich menu with classics such as roast beef, meatball and caprese — each coming with one of three spreads, a savory touch of herbed mayo, romesco or their own “River” sauce. Interesting salads and homemade soups round out the lunch offerings. They also offer catering services.

For the Glaze:

H

photo and text by susan laughlin / recipe by Emilee Viaud 92

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Whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together.

Add more sugar or juice to make it thick enough to coat the scones. Dip the top half of the scones into the glaze once the scones are cooled, or drizzle the glaze for a lighter touch. Sprinkle with zest of orange, if desired. Store at room temp in airtight container for 4-5 days.

Find It Culture Bread & Sandwich

75 Mont Vernon St., Milford / (603) 249-5011 Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Closed Sunday and Monday

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GIVE GIFTS THAT BRING JOY

Find your comfort and joy at Settlers Crossing in North Conway, NH. Indulge in flavors from local menus and revel in the holiday magic of the open-air mountain setting.

Come eat, play, shop and be merry at Settlers Crossing.

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SANTA CLAUS HAS COME TO TOWN!

Join us at Mill Falls Marketplace this holiday season where you will find gifts for everyone on your list. From books to candy, clothing, jewelry, accessories, home decor, hair supplies, restaurant gift cards and more. Locally owned and operated businesses.

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312 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith NH millfalls.com/shop

Sp ec i a l A dv e rti s i n g s e c ti o n

Holဴdƀys

cocktails fo r t he

f e st i v e d r in ks to c el ebr at e t h e s eas on

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cocktails for the

Bourbon Cider Ingredients:

1 part Maker's Mark® Bourbon 1–3 tablespoons sugar, to taste 2 dashes Angostura® Bitters 3 parts dry hard cider

Garnish:

Cherry and orange peel

In a champagne glass, stir together the sugar and the bitters until the sugar dissolves.

Add Maker's Mark®. Top with cold cider.

Garnish with a cherry and an orange peel.

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Holဴdƀys

Bourbon Milk Punch Ingredients: 3 parts whole milk 2 parts half-and-half 1.5 parts Jim Beam® Bourbon 1 part sifted powdered sugar Vanilla extract Garnish:

Fresh grated nutmeg and cinnamon stick

In a pitcher, whisk together milk, half-and-half, bourbon, sugar and vanilla. Freeze until slushy and ready to serve. Stir before serving it in a chilled glass, finished with a few gratings of fresh nutmeg. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Kiss Me Cocktail Ingredients:

1 part Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon ½ part DeKuyper® Razzmatazz®

Schnapps Liqueur 1 part passion fruit juice Sparkling wine

Garnish: Lemon peel

Shake all but sparkling wine with ice and strain into a chilled champagne flute then top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon peel, or place a strawberry on the rim.

Merry Berry Buck

Maple Old Fashioned

Bourbon Eggnog

Ingredients:

2 parts Knob Creek® Smoked Maple Bourbon 2–3 dashes of bitters Small pinch of raw sugar Splash of club soda

Fresh cranberries and lemon wheel

Ingredients: 750 mL Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon 1 quart milk 1 quart heavy cream 2 dozen eggs 1½ cups sugar

Garnish:

Garnish:

Add Maker’s, lemon and cranberry juice to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass over ice. Top with ginger beer.

Garnish with fresh cranberries and lemon wheel.

In a rocks glass, muddle the sugar and bitters. Add ice to the glass and pour bourbon over. Top with a splash of club soda, then garnish with the cherry and orange slice.

Ingredients:

1½ parts Maker’s Mark® Bourbon ¾ parts lemon juice 1½ parts cranberry juice Ginger beer

Garnish:

Orange slice and cherry

Nutmeg

Separate eggs. Beat yolks, whip in sugar and add Basil Hayden’s®. Beat whites until stiff, adding ½ cup sugar, if desired. Beat cream. Add whites, cream and milk to mixture. Add nutmeg to taste.

Garnish each cup with nutmeg.

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cocktails for the

Proper Irish Coffee Ingredients:

2 ounces Proper No. Twelve Whiskey 4 ounces hot coffee ¾ ounce simple syrup 2–3 ounces heavy cream

Garnish:

Holဴdƀys

Onxy Peach-loma Ingredients:

2 ounces Crystal Head Onyx ½ ounce peach liqueur ½ ounce lime juice 1 ounce grapefruit juice Club soda

Grating of nutmeg on top

In a shaker or jar, shake or whip heavy cream until slightly thickened (not completely stiff).

In a mug, add Proper No. Twelve Whiskey, hot coffee and simple syrup.

Stir. Carefully layer on top the thickened heavy cream until it covers the drink.

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Add all iningredients in a glass over ice.

Top with club soda.(Tip: No grapefruit juice?

Use a grapefruit soda such as Q mixers!)

Ciderhouse Mule Ingredients:

1½ ounces Ghost Tequila 1 ounce apple cider Ginger beer Juice of ½ a lime

Garnish:

Lime wheel Apple slice

Squeeze lime juice into glass. Add 2-3 ice cubes, then pour in Ghost and apple cider, top with ginger beer to fill. Drop in apple slices and garnish with a lime wheel.

Espresso Martini Ingredients:

2 ounces Tito’s Handmade Vodka 1 ounce espresso liqueur 1 ounce espresso ½ ounce simple syrup ½ ounce creamer, optional

Garnish:

3 espresso beans

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.

Shake and strain into a glass. Garnish with espresso beans.

Maple Old-Fashioned Ingredients: 1 ½ ½ 3

ounce High West Double Rye ounce High West American Prairie Bourbon ounce Sapling Vermont Maple Liqueur dashes angostura bitters

Hot Buttered Rum Ingredients:

Garnish:

2 parts Kraken® Rum 1 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon brown sugar Dash cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice 5 parts hot water

Add ingredients into an old-fashioned glass, add 1x1 ice, stir in the glass. Garnish with orange and lemon twists.

Mix butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice until blended and smooth. Add the rum and then hot water. Stir until the butter mixture dissolves.

Orange twist and lemon twist

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cocktails for the

Holဴdƀys

Broken Manhattan Ingredients:

2½ ounces Heresy Rye Whiskey 2 dashes Infuse Sassafras bitters 1 ounce sweet vermouth

Garnish:

1 amarena cherry

Fill a stirring glass with ice. Dash the bitters, add vermouth, and rye whiskey. Stir well, strain and serve up. Garnish with the cherry.

Horchata Punch Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Garnish:

Combine all ingredients and serve over ice in a wine glass

4 6 1 1 ½

parts Jose Cuervo Traditional® parts organic almond milk parts agave nectar parts cinnamon simple syrup tablespoon almond extract Dash of allspice Grated cinnamon

Combine the ingredients and serve in a chilled glass.

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Snowfall Spritz 1 ounce Grainger’s Deluxe Organic Vodka 1 ounce St. Elder Natural Elderflower Liqueur 1 ounce pomegranate juice 4 ounces sparkling wine

Peppermint Bark Martini

Pomeroy’s Sidecar

New England Royale Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

2 ounces The Quiet Man Traditional Irish Whiskey 1 ounce pomegranate liqueur ¾ ounce orange juice

½ ounce Flag Hill Cranberry Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, or Blueberry Liqueur ~5 ounces Flag Hill Sparkling Cayuga White

Garnish:

Garnish:

Lemon twist or cranberry spear

Shake and serve chilled. Garnish with crushed candy cane rim.

Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice.

Shake vigorously. Strain into cocktail coupe and garnish with orange zest.

In a champagne flute, add ½ ounce of desired Flag Hill fruit liqueur. Top off glass with Flag Hill Sparkling Cayuga White. Add garnish if desired.

5 ounces Zorvino Vineyards Peppermint Bark Wine 3 ounces 603 Double Chocolate Vodka 2 ounces crème de cacao

Candy canes

Orange zest

Garnish:

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