July/Mid-August Magazine

NOW MAGAZINE • JULY/MID-AUGUST 2021

Live Under the Arch

LYDIA LUCE 7/6 Live Under the Arch

MATT NAKOA 7/16* Intimately Yours

ISAIAH SHARKEY & LESLIE MENDELSON 8/5

SEASON SPONSORS

*ON THE COVER

CURATOR’S CORNER MAGAZINE

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAMMING TEAM, JAMES PAONE!

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Monte Bohanan

Hello! I'm thrilled to join the curatorial team as Programming Manager.

Wesley Lovell

After working in Front of House for four years, I’ll now put my musical

James Paone

background to use, bringing diversity in all senses of the word to the stage,

Tina Sawtelle

while maintaining a locked-in focus on top-quality music.

Sara Turner Gail VanHoy Carolan

I had the opportunity to curate this year's Live Under the Arch (LUTA) series, selecting the artists

Brittany Wason

for our upgraded Chestnut St. stage. The programming in the month of May was purposefully

DESIGN

and vibe of this year's set design. June saw an expansion into national acts gracing our open-air

Kaitlyn Huwe

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS

local and stripped down to allow our Operations team time to experiment a bit with the look stage. Artists like Midnight North came in from San Francisco, while Heather Mae and Crys Matthews traveled up from Washington DC for an incredible show.

Lydia Luce will be in town on Tuesday, July 6. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter released her sophomore album Dark River in February and has drawn significant praise from critics and fans alike. A highly sought-after session strings performer, Luce branched out with two fantastic solo albums as a multi-instrumentalist with exceptional songwriting chops. Do not miss this show—Luce won’t be playing stages this size for long!

On August 17, jazz heavyweight Miguel Zenón will bring his quartet composed of some of jazz's contemporary greats, with Zenón at the helm playing alto saxophone. He is an eight-time Grammy nominee, as well as Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundation fellowship recipient— we will be in the presence of true musical genius.

These are just some of the 30+ musical acts coming this summer to Chestnut St. Check out the Spotify playlist I've compiled at bit.ly/lutaplaylist to hear for yourself the diverse palette of music included in this year's Live Under the Arch series.

THE OGUNQUIT PLAYHOUSE AT THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS

DECEMBER 2021 GROUP SALES

Groups of 15 or more get 15% off.

Call the B2W Box Office at 603.436.2400 for more information.

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603.436.2400

ON SALE NOW

INTIMATELY YOURS MELISSA

Be the first to know about Just Announced shows!

Sign up for enews at TheMusicHall.org

INTIMATELY YOURS LINDSEY

ETHERIDGE

BUCKINGHAM

Sunday, September 12 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater

Wednesday, September 1 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Grammy Award winner Melissa Etheridge returns to The Music Hall.

Fleetwood Mac’s former guitarist and singer, Lindsey Buckingham is one of the most inventive and electrifying musicians of his generation.

INTIMATELY YOURS LETTUCE

GRATITUDE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Sunday, November 7 • 8pm • Historic Theater

Saturday, September 25 • Downtown Portsmouth Join us for a multi-stage outdoor music festival to thank our community’s first responders and frontline essential workers.

Hailed as one of the greatest modern funk bands, Grammy Awardnominated Lettuce combines funk with hip-hop, rock, psychedelia, jazz, soul, and go-go.

COVID-19 UPDATES We are incredibly grateful for all the support we've received from you, our community. For up-to-date information about what we're doing to keep you safe and what we're asking you to do when you visit, go to TheMusicHall.org/CovidProtocols

HERE & NOW

Visit TheMusicHall.org/Blog for more behind-the-scenes info!

Gratitude Music Festival

Vaccine-Nation!

In September, we’re throwing a multi-stage outdoor music festival

At the time of writing, the full-time staff of The Music Hall is

to benefit our community’s first responders and frontline essential

fully vaccinated! Several staff members received their vaccinations

workers. These folks kept us going through the pandemic and their

through a special clinic for Portsmouth hospitality workers. We

resilience and dedication inspired and awed us.

thank the City of Portsmouth Health Department for making this

The festival will kickoff right in front of the theater on our Live Under the Arch stage, before moving along to the Vaughan Mall stage, and further on to the Portwalk Place block. The festival

opportunity available to The Music Hall and others, the staff at the Portsmouth Senior Activity Center for being so courteous, and the Portsmouth Fire Department for their exceptional service.

will come to a close inside the Historic Theater with an epic

We are happy to be back at work, interacting with you, our members

performance!

and patrons, while doing our part to slow the spread. We hope to see

Join us along Vaughan Mall at one (or all) of our stages for great music and share in our gratitude for the frontline workers who kept the Seacoast going.

you in the Hall soon! For details about what we’re doing to keep you safe, and what we expect of you when you visit, please check out our COVID Protocols page TheMusicHall.org/CovidProtocols TheMusicHall.org

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ON STAGE & ONLINE WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN:

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

MEDIA PARTNER:

JULY/MID-AUGUST LIVE UNDER THE ARCH SERIES SPONSORS:

SERIES SPONSORS:

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH PAUL

DOIRON

Thu., July 1 • 6pm • Chestnut Street*

Maine game warden Mike Bowditch finds himself in a life-or-death chase in the new thriller by the bestselling mystery author.

EVENING SPONSORS: Petersen Engineering; Donahue, Tucker & Ciandella, PLLC

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH HOWARD

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH SOUL

Howard brings electronic pop and warm chamber-pop to the Portsmouth scene.

The rock reggae group has toured with legends like The Wailers and Sean Paul.

EVENING SPONSORS: Wells Fargo Advisors; Whole Life Health Care

EVENING SPONSORS: BANKW Staffing, LLC; Leone, McDonnell and Roberts, PA

Fri., July 2 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH LYDIA

LUCE

Tue., July 6 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street Luce’s music spans from her orchestral background and contemporary classical to roots, indie rock, and jazz.

EVENING SPONSORS: 4

603.436.2400

REBEL PROJECT

Sat., July 3 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Avery Insurance

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH OSHIMA

BROTHERS

Thu., July 8 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

The Oshima Brother’s infectious, roots-based sound can’t be beat.

EVENING SPONSORS: AARP New Hampshire; Market Square Architects *Check website for ticket package details

ON STAGE & ONLINE LIVE UNDER THE ARCH SERIES SPONSORS:

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN:

JULY/MID-AUGUST

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

MEDIA PARTNER:

SERIES SPONSORS:

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH GUMBO,

GRITS & GRAVY

Fri., July 9 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Blend together Americana, Celtic, Zydeco, soul, and acoustic Blues, and you’ve created the unique sound of Gumbo, Grits & Gravy.

EVENING SPONSORS: Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co.; Popzup Popcorn

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH PSO

BRASS QUINTET

Sun., July 11 • 5pm & 7pm • Chestnut Street

The Ports. Brass Quintet will present a program of Americana perfectly suited for a summer evening. Alongside marches, quicksteps, rags, and polkas, the quintet will perform several selections from Broadway.

WRITERS IN THE LOFT

CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE

Tue., July 13 • 7pm • Livestream The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Orphan Train returns with an instant bestseller, The Exiles, an emotionally resonant novel about three women whose lives are bound together in nineteenth-century Australia.

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH MATT

NAKOA

Fri., July 16 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street An award-winning songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, Matt Nakoa is a modern troubadour and appears regularly with folk music icon Tom Rush.

EVENING SPONSORS: Donahue, Tucker & Ciandella, PLLC; Northern Benefits

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH PETER

MULVEY

Sun., July 18 • 5pm & 7pm • Chestnut Street This veteran folk singer-songwriter has 18 albums, 1 book, 1 TEDtalk, and over 5,000 shows to his name.

EVENING SPONSORS:

L AKE S T R EE T A

D

V

I

S

O

R

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Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co

TheMusicHall.org

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ON STAGE & ONLINE PRESENTING SPONSOR:

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN:

JULY/MID-AUGUST LIVE UNDER THE ARCH SERIES SPONSORS:

MEDIA PARTNER:

SERIES SPONSORS:

WRITERS IN THE LOFT MEGAN

MIRANDA

Tue., July 20 • 7pm • Livestream

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest comes a new riveting suspense novel about a mysterious murder in an idyllic, close-knit neighborhood.

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH DAVID

WILCOX

Tue., July 20 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH THE

RAD TRADS

Thu., July 22 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Wilcox, by so many measures, is a quintessential folk singer, telling stories full of heart, humor, and hope, substance, searching, and style.

Brooklyn-based five-piece The Rad Trads are known for their eclectic take on rock n’ roll, which mixes punk rock energy, horn-drenched soul and precise musicianship with a lighthearted but sincere delivery.

EVENING SPONSORS: Harbour Women's Health; Wells Fargo Advisors

EVENING SPONSORS: Leone, McDonnell and Roberts, PA; Popzup Popcorn

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH KENNY

BROTHERS BAND

Wed., July 28 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Rooted in blues, folk, and unapologetic groove, the three brothers of Stratham, New Hampshire have found complete tranquility playing their funky folk-rock to audiences all over the country.

EVENING SPONSORS: Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co; Prime Buchholz & Associates, Inc.

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603.436.2400

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH BRAD

BYRD

Sat., July 31 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street From ferocious pop rockers and dreamy psych rock mid tempo cuts to intimate alt country/folk numbers, L.A. based Brad Byrd skillfully weaves a variety of sonic influences into a soulful cinematic sound.

EVENING SPONSORS: Troiano Wealth Advisory Group; Popzup Popcorn

ON STAGE & ONLINE

INTIMATELY YOURS/LIVE UNDER THE ARCH SERIES SPONSORS:

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH DANIEL

RODRIGUEZ

Sun., August 1 • 5pm & 7pm • Chestnut Street

JULY/MID-AUGUST

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH ALICE

HOWE WITH FREEBO

Singer-songwriter, Daniel Rod­­riguez turns to his acoustic guitar for memorable, melodic hooks to accompany his poetic and contemplative folk songs.

Sat., August 7 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

EVENING SPONSORS: Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co; Eastern Bank

EVENING SPONSORS: Northeast Delta Dental; oHive

INTIMATELY YOURS ISAIAH

Howe found the ideal collaborator on her much-acclaimed Blues album in Freebo, Bonnie Raitt’s bass player and folk-rock legend.

SHARKEY & LESLIE MENDELSON

Thu., August 5 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater

Award-winning musicians Isaiah Sharkey and Leslie Mendelson co-headline on our stage for a stellar musical experience.

TheMusicHall.org

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ON STAGE & ONLINE LIVE UNDER THE ARCH SERIES SPONSORS:

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN:

JULY/MID-AUGUST PRESENTING SPONSOR:

MEDIA PARTNER:

SERIES SPONSORS:

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH BILLY

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH TEOA

WYLDER

Sat., August 14 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Wed., August 11 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street TEOA, or The End of America, met while on tour as solo artists.

Together they weave three distinct leads into captivating harmonies over a solid foundation of folk, rock, and Americana.

EVENING SPONSORS: Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co; Piscataqua Savings Bank

This top-notch band weaves together American folk and rock with sensibilities from the Sahara Desert, featuring ancient African rhythms and art-rock textures.

EVENING SPONSORS:

Wells Fargo Advisors

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH

KATE SHAFFER & DEREK BISSONNETTE Thu., August 12 • 6pm • Chestnut Street*

The Pine Tree State’s active food community springs to life in the hands of Kate Shaffer, Maine cookbook author and chocolatier, and Derek Bissonnette, one of the finest food photographers in the country.

EVENING SPONSORS: Harbor Advisory Corporation

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH DEB

TALAN

Sun., August 15 • 5pm & 7pm • Chestnut Street Deb Talan was known as a singer and songwriter in her own right before forming Hummingfish and eventually the long-running duo the Weepies with Steven Tannen.

EVENING SPONSORS: 8

603.436.2400

L AKE S T R EE T A

D

V

I

S

O

R

S

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH MIGUEL

ZENÓN QUARTET

Tue., August 17 • 6pm & 8pm • Chestnut Street

Widely considered as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, Miguel Zenón is perfecting a fine mix between Latin American Folkloric music and jazz.

EVENING SPONSORS: TMS Architects; Whole Life Health Care *Check website for ticket package details

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Cheers to Years of Spirited Support!

When you make a purchase at a NH Liquor & Wine Outlet, you’re helping neighbors. It’s true; since its founding in 1934, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) has generated over $4 billion for the Granite State’s General Fund through wine and spirits sales at its 72 NH Liquor & Wine Outlets. These funds support essentials like education and health and social services. Plus, over the past five years, the NHLC has worked with suppliers and brokers to raise more than $3 million for nonprofit organizations including The Music Hall. The NHLC has served as our official Wine and Liquor Beverage Sponsor since 2017. The benefits of this partnership extend to you: discount coupons come with your tickets and you can sign up for the NH Liquor & Wine Outlets newsletter on our concessions site.

We congratulate the NHLC on reaching the $4 billion milestone. In celebration, for a limited time, they are giving away $1,000 gift cards to four lucky winners. Visit WhereDoesTheMoneyGoNH.com for your chance to win—and offer them a toast next time you’re enjoying a libation at The Music Hall!

To locate an Outlet, check for curbside and in-store pickup options (now available in 14 stores, including the Hampton Outlets on I-95), search for product availability, learn about sales, review wine tasting schedules, and sign up to receive significant savings with monthly Email Extras, visit LiquorandWineOutlets.com.

UPCOMING MEMBER EVENTS DIRECTOR'S CLUB:

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH PSO BRASS QUINTET Sun., 7/11 • 5pm & 7pm Chestnut St., Portsmouth

DIRECTOR'S CLUB:

LIVE UNDER THE ARCH MATT NAKOA Fri., 7/16 • 6pm & 8pm Chestnut St., Portsmouth

DIRECTOR'S CLUB:

JIMMY'S ON CONGRESS Wed., 9/8 • 5:30pm 135 Congress St., Portsmouth For more information, contact Wesley Lovell at 603.766.2182 or WLovell@themusichall.org

proud supporters of the Music hall

bringing the arts home...

The ArTs Are The Answer to vibrant and prosperous communities where we treasure our heritage, celebrate our diversity and nurture our ingenuity.

TheMusicHall.org

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AT A GLANCE

LEGEND: At the Historic Theater | Offsite/Online

JULY 2021

AUGUST 2021

Live Under The Arch

Live Under The Arch

Paul Doiron (Genre: Mystery/Thriller Novelist) Thursday, July 1 • 6pm Live Under The Arch

Daniel Rodriguez

(Genre: Acoustic Singer-songwriter)

Sunday, August 1 • 5pm & 7pm

Howard (Genre: Chamber Pop)

Intimately Yours

Live Under The Arch

Thursday, August 5 • 7:30pm

Friday, July 2 • 6pm & 8pm

Soul Rebel Project (Genre: Rock/Reggae)

Isaiah Sharkey (Genre: R&B) & Leslie Mendelson (Genre: Singer-songwriter)

Saturday, July 3 • 6pm & 8pm

Live Under The Arch

Live Under The Arch

Thank You, Thank You If you listen in on any of The Music

Alice Howe with Freebo (Genre: Folk)

Hall meetings or even in the hallway

Saturday, August 7 • 6pm & 8pm

of our Admin offices at The Loft,

Tuesday, July 6 • 6pm & 8pm

Live Under The Arch

one word that comes up daily is

Live Under The Arch

Wednesday, August 11 • 6pm & 8pm

“gratitude.” Gratitude for those who

Thursday, July 8 • 6pm & 8pm

Live Under The Arch

show up for us, send kind notes, smile

Live Under The Arch

(Genre: Maine Cookbook Authors)

Lydia Luce (Genre: Folk)

Oshima Brothers (Genre: Folk/Pop) Gumbo, Grits & Gravy (Genre: Blues/Americana) Friday, July 9 • 6pm & 8pm Live Under The Arch

PSO Brass Quintet (Genre: Chamber Music) Sunday, July 11 • 5pm & 7pm

TEOA (Genre: Folk/Pop)

Kate Shaffer & Derek Bissonnette

under masks or over Zoom; for those

Thursday, August 12 • 6pm

who donate their time as a volunteer

Live Under The Arch

or on our Board, or their funds via

Billy Wylder (Genre: Rock/World)

Saturday, August 14 • 6pm & 8pm Live Under The Arch

memberships, donations, or tickets.

Thank you to everyone who kept us

Deb Talan (Genre: Indie Folk)

open.

Tuesday, July 13 • 7pm

Live Under The Arch

If you can't tell by the list of shows

Rental Partner

Tuesday, August 17 • 6pm & 8pm

Writers in the Loft

Christina Baker Kline [Livestream] (Genre: Historical Fiction Author)

NHTP presents “The Rest I Make Up”

Sunday, August 15 • 5pm & 7pm

Miguel Zenón Quartet (Genre: Jazz)

to the left, we're open! Our theater and the outdoor Live Under the Arch

Wednesday, July 14 • 7pm

Live Under The Arch

Live Under The Arch

Thursday, August 19 • 6pm & 8pm

something for everyone’s interest

Friday, July 16 • 6pm & 8pm

Live Under The Arch

and comfort level: Indoor, outdoor,

Live Under The Arch

Friday, August 27 • 6pm & 8pm

and livestreaming music (with artists

Sunday, July 18 • 5pm & 7pm

Live Under The Arch

representing nearly every genre known

Live Under The Arch

Saturday, August 28 • 6pm & 8pm

Matt Nakoa (Genre: Folk/Pop) Peter Mulvey (Genre: Folk) David Wilcox (Genre: Folk)

Tuesday, July 20 • 6pm & 8pm Writers in the Loft

Megan Miranda [Livestream]

(Genre: Mystery/Thriller Novelist)

Tuesday, July 20 • 7pm Live Under The Arch

The Rad Trads (Genre: Rock ‘n Roll)

AJ Lee & Blue Summit (Genre: Bluegrass)

River Sister (Genre: Folk/Americana) Jocelyn & Chris (Genre: Blues-Rock)

SEPTEMBER 2021 Intimately Yours

Melissa Etheridge (Genre: Folk/Rock)

Wednesday, September 1 • 7:30pm Live Under The Arch

Thursday, July 22 • 6pm & 8pm

A Night of Sinatra with Rich DiMare

Rental Partner

Friday, September 3 • 6pm & 8pm

Great Bay Academy of Dance: An 1836 Portsmouth Nutcracker

Saturday, July 24 • 6pm; Sunday, July 25 • 2pm Live Under The Arch

Kenny Brothers Band (Genre: Americana) Wednesday, July 28 • 6pm & 8pm Live Under The Arch

Brad Byrd (Genre: Folk-Rock)

Saturday, July 31 • 6pm & 8pm

(Genre: Jazz/Pop)

Live Under The Arch

Kerri Arsenault (Genre: Investigative Journalist) Thursday, September 9 • 6pm Intimately Yours

to man); authors and writers stepping back on stage or Zooming in from afar; and more! Tune in or come on down— we can’t wait to see you!

We couldn’t offer any of this programming without the love and support of our sponsors, many of whom graciously continued their sponsorship, even when the shows or films weren’t playing. A huge thank you to Hampton Ford Hyundai who

Lindsey Buckingham (Genre: Rock)

waited in the wings for our film

Sunday, September 12 • 7:30pm

program to return and whose fantastic

Rental Partner

reel will soon grace our screens once

Wednesday, September 15 • 8pm

again. With friends like these, our

Live Under The Arch

future remains hopeful. This bunch of

Gordon Lightfoot: 80 Years Strong Tour Tiger Saw & The Reasons Why (Genre: Alt-Country)

B2W BOX OFFICE AT THE HISTORIC THEATER: 28 Chestnut Street

(LUTA) series are back! We’ve got

Tuesday, September 21 • 6pm & 8pm

Gratitude Music Festival (Genre: Pop/Rock/R&B)

Saturday, September 25

art professionals is thankful for every day we get to keep doing what we are passionate about. Thank you.

TheMusicHall.org

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PUBLISHED EVERY SIX WEEKS BY:

Friends of The Music Hall 28 Chestnut Street Portsmouth, NH 03801

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PERMIT NO. 609 MANCHESTER, NH

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 5

UPCOMING SHOWS

PAUL DOIRON July 1

OSHIMA BROTHERS July 8

ISAIAH SHARKEY & LESLIE MENDELSON 8/5 JULY/MID-AUGUST 2021