Weekend - June 06, 2024

SPRINGFIELD RESTAURANT WEEK

Eat around the world ...

... at home in Springfield

By Ashley P otter apotter@repub.com

Experience tastes from all over the world — right here in Springfield. That’s the idea behind Springfield Restaurant Week, an initiative by Dine Springfield and the Business Improvement District, returning June 7 to 16. Springfield Restaurant Week, now in its eighth year, started in 2015. That inaugural event featured just 18 restaurants, all in the city’s downtown and riverfront areas.

This year’s event boasts some 30 restaurants, with eateries from all over the city participating. Each restaurant comes up with a special menu and sets its own prices.

Business Improvement District,” Latorre said. “In the years that followed, restaurants in the surrounding neighborhoods expressed an interest in participating.”

The committee’s goal each year is to represent as many neighborhoods as possible.

“We want to have restaurants that reflect the diversity of our city,” said Juan “Jay” F. Latorre III, chair of the Springfield Restaurant Week Committee.

that responsibility previously belonged to Farrah Rodriguez — he has seen the event evolve with time.

Latorre has been involved with Restaurant Week since its inception, and in the five years since he took over leadership of the committee —

“What we’re so proud of is when we first put together Springfield Restaurant Week, it was strictly a downtown event, within the borders of the

“We want to use Springfield Restaurant Week as an opportunity for residents to get a little bit out of their comfort zone, maybe explore a different part of the city they don’t spend as much time in or visit that restaurant that they’ve always heard good things about but never have taken the time to check out,” Latorre said.

Above, clockwise from top left: Rose Lemonade and Chili Paneer Egg Rolls will be on the menu at Panjabi Tadka; Estefabua Peralto from the Student Prince Restaurant shows off the restaurant’s Fried Camembert Cheese; chicken kabobs are cooked on the grill at Nadim’s; an order of Pork Belly Ramen at BarKaya; “Leone’s Special” calzone at Leone’s Restaurant; and a specialty burger and fries at The Place 2 Be. (THE REPUBLICAN)

potential for a bigger-than-ever crowd, Latorre said: “It’s already very busy in the city, so people are in a festive mood, and we might capture new business from people that are just coming into Springfield for a special event.”

A complete list of this year’s participating restaurants includes: Family Pizzeria Europa, Cafe D’Jolie, 350 Grill, White Lion Brewing Company, The Student Prince, Saray Turkish Restaurant II, MVP.

pub, Panjabi Tadka, Frigo Foods, Leone’s Restaurant, Crunchy Fried Chicken & Pupuseria, Loophole Brewing, Eat, Nadim’s Downtown Mediterranean Grill, Bridge22, Plan B Springfield, Theodore’s, Costa, L’Amour, All American Sports Bar & Grill, Dewey’s Jazz Lounge, BarKaya, Urban Food Brood, The Place 2 Be, Palazzo Cafe, Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop, Del Rey Taqueria & Bar, Osteria, Tlalli Tacos & Mexican Catering,

Soulao’d Kitchen, MexiRico Restaurant, Ciro’s “A Tradition” and Juguitos. Details about what’s on the menu at those restaurants can be found online at springfield downtown.my.canva.site/ dine-springfield

Hungry patrons should keep an eye on @DineSpringfield on Facebook and Instagram.

“We have a vibrant dining culture in Springfield and we have to maintain it,” Latorre said.

Included in the lineup this year are restaurants that have been involved with the event since its inception — like The Student Prince at 8 Fort St. — and new restaurants, which Latorre said this year includes Juguitos Healthy Grab & Go at 133 State St., MexiRico Restaurant at 1021 Main St., Crunch Fried Chicken & Pupuseria at 30 Fort Pleasant Ave., and Soulao’d Kitchen at 606 Page Blvd.

Overall, Latorre said, Springfield Restaurant Week “adds to the culture of what people are looking for in a city as large as Springfield.”

And in all the excitement of preparing for this year’s Restaurant Week, Latorre was sure to mention the number of city restaurants that have shuttered their doors in recent months. Among them, The Artist’s Café at 1365 Main St. closed at the end of May, after posting on Facebook: “It is extremely difficult to run a retail business while also working a full time job. What many may not know is that I am also a VP at New Valley Bank. Additionally my mom was diagnosed with cancer which put too great a strain on my time to keep the cafe open at this time.”

Jackalope, which opened in 2022 on Worthington Street, served its last meals on April 30.

“It’s a lot of work to create and sustain a dining community,” Latorre said. “It doesn’t just happen and it’s not something

that we can take for granted.”

For its part, Springfield has made several initiatives to support restaurants, including $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding last summer to boost outdoor dining across the city.

Having the option to dine outdoors was part of the reasoning behind the Springfield Restaurant Week committee’s decision to move Restaurant Week to June.

Restaurant Week used to take place in late April, because it was a slow time of year and restaurants needed something to perk up business.

But after the pandemic that changed.

When Restaurant Week returned in 2022, it “just made sense” to shift the dates from April to June, Latorre said.

First, the committee needed to make sure people felt safe dining again following the pandemic, and giving people the chance to eat outdoors was a good way to make sure of that. A June date also allows the Restaurant Week committee to partner with events happening in the city. This year, Latorre said, Restaurant Week has partnered with IRONMAN 70.3 Western Massachusetts — returning to the city on June 9 — so athletes visiting Springfield for the first time are aware that Restaurant Week is happening.

This year’s Restaurant Week also coincides with other events, including high school graduations, Free Music Fridays at MGM Springfield and Father’s Day.

That all adds up to the

CONTINUES FROM PAGE D2

Todd Snopkowski of Loophole Brewing constructs “Pick Your Beef” sandwiches during a tasting event for Springfield Restaurant Week. (DON TREEGER / THE REPUBLICAN)

Country star talks music, storytelling Kathy Mattea to play Iron Horse Music Hall

By K eith O ’C onnor

Special to The Republican

One of the most respected female country stars of her era, Kathy Mattea will perform at the successfully reopened and rejuvenated Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on Monday, June 10.

Showtime is 7 p.m.

Tickets range in price from $45 to $60 and are available at ironhorse.org.

Hailing from South Charleston, West Virginia, Mattea has enjoyed great success in country, bluegrass and folk

music, including two Grammy Awards, four CMA Awards, four No. 1 country singles and five gold albums, as well as a platinum Greatest Hits collection. In 2011, she was inducted into the prestigious West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Her most recent album, “Pretty Bird,” was produced by her old friend, roots music wizard Tim O’Brien. The wide-ranging collection of songs chronicles a period of rededication to singing, digging back in with a vocal coach and emerging with a poignant and eclectic CD. In addition to creating and recording music and performing live on tour, Mattea is increasingly involved with public broadcasting, consulting and contributing on screen in Ken Burns’ 2019 documentary for PBS called “Country Music.” She recently replaced founder

Larry Groce as the host of the long-running NPR show “Mountain Stage.”

Answering what she referred to as “thoughtful questions,” Mattea recently took time to share her insights on a 35-year career as one of Nashville’s finest song interpreters.

Q. How did you find your home in country music?

A. I was like a musical sponge growing up. I fell in love with music and I would play with anybody in any form. I sang at our folk Mass at church. I did community theater singing Broadway and show tunes. I was in the chorale in high school. And I used to jam with a friend’s dad and his bluegrass band in the living room of our

met up with a bunch of young people who loved music as much as I did. They all had guitars and we would sit around on weekends and just play music for hours and hours. Crowds would form on the streets to the point where police would come on Friday night and block off the street. The police suggested that we call ourselves a band and play our music in local bars. And that is how my first band was formed. They played everything from pop to country and bluegrass to folk. I learned most of the songs across a circle in the true folk tradition, not from listening to records. That was my first introduction to bluegrass and country and that is where my center point began to form. I started writing songs with one of the guys in the band who decided to move to Nashville and wanted me to go along with him. I realized that if I didn’t take him up on that offer, then I would wonder for the rest of my life what would have happened. So, I had to go if I was going to have any peace in my life going forward.

Q. How would you describe yourself as an artist?

house when I was in high school. I didn’t really care and just want to swim around in the music with other people. While in college at the University of West Virginia, I

A. I think that I have an eclectic taste. My music is acoustic-based country with a focus on bluegrass, but really

SEE MATTEA, PAGE D6

(RETO STERCHI)

Pink Houses, Mellencamp tribute band, to play MGM

By Ashley P otter apotter@repub.com

There will be somethin’ to see at MGM Springfield on Friday, when Pink Houses — New England’s premier John Mellencamp tribute band — takes the stage for the casino’s Free Music Fridays concert series.

Mellencamp is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the 1980s with Top 10 hits like “Cherry Bomb,” “Hurts So Good,” and “Pink Houses” — for which the tribute band is named. He has amassed a total of 22 Top 40 hits in the United States and has sold more than 30 million albums nationwide — 60 million worldwide.

The key to Mellencamp’s long-lasting success is his storytelling, says Bob Anderson, Pink Houses’ frontman.

Anderson — who boasts strong vocals and a justas-strong resemblance to Mellencamp — leads the band, which also features Ken Morse on bass guitar and vocals, Don Uggiano on drums and vocals, and Matt Smith on keyboards and vocals. The band formed just two years ago in 2022, but have performed a slate of successful shows.

The show at MGM Springfield kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Anderson took the time to chat about Mellencamp, Pink Houses, and his other musical projects ahead of Friday’s show. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. Can you tell me a little bit about how Pink Houses got together?

A. We decided to do a John Mellencamp tribute because everybody was doing either Aerosmith or AC/DC or those types of bands. I naturally look a lot like Mellencamp, too, so that factored into it a

little bit as well, and we just loved his music. So, we put the fact that “geez, I kind of look like the guy!” and we love his music and he had so many popular hit songs that we decided “I think this is for us.” It’s been about two years now, and we’ve had some very successful shows.

Q. What do you think the key to success is for Mellencamp’s music remaining so popular?

A. I think he has a real devoted following, that’s one thing. The other thing is that he’s just such an extremely good songwriter — he is a rock ’n’ roll Hall of Famer. I think a lot of his success is that he really knows how to tell a story. Every song has meaning in it and a story behind it. He was coming up when all the ’80s hair bands were coming up, and he was sort of an artist that was in a place of his own (at the time). He wasn’t trying to follow any trends — he even says in one of his songs, “I never had no weird hair to get my songs over,” you know (laughs). He

River Roads Festival returns for second year

IT’S A GREAT SIGN when an inaugural event is successful enough to return for a second year. And the River Roads Festival is doing just that Sept. 7 at Millside Park in Easthampton.

was kind of bucking the system and it really resonated.

Q. Do you have big musical inspirations?

A. There are so many. I’m a big fan of all the bands that made it out of New England, just because of where I live, so Aerosmith is huge for me. J. Geils was huge for me. I love Zeppelin, I love so many different bands — and not all of them are similar to John Mellencamp. I kind of run the whole gambit. I like hard rock, I like soft rock, I like Rod Stewart. I’ve lived through so many.

Q. I saw on your band’s website that you have a pretty lengthy musical history. You’re the lead vocalist of several bands, is that right?

A. I do a Van Halen tribute called Fair Warning, of course I’m doing Pink Houses, and I’m also in a popular group down on the South Shore called Gunpowder & Lead.

The festival is produced in partnership with the Connecticut River Conservancy, which coordinates the annual Source to Sea Cleanup, one of the nation’s largest river cleanups.

This year’s lineup includes Dar Williams (who is the organizer of the

along with

event),

The second annual River Roads Festival, organized by and featuring singer Dar Williams, will be held at Easthampton’s Millside Park on Sept. 7.

George Lenker LIVEWIRE

Bob Anderson is frontman for Pink Houses, a John Mellencamp tribute band. (SUBMITTED / COURTESY BOB ANDERSON)

Mattea

the heart of the matter is that I try to make it about great songs.

Q. Why is storytelling such an important part of the genre?

A. Traditionally, country music fans were a little older than much younger pop fans. They were listening to the words ... to the stories. They had already lived their lives a little bit and were resonating with stories that echoed their experiences. I think that is why Taylor Swift has been so successful. She was writing country songs, but the lyrics were such that young people, especially young girls, could relate to — romance, heartbreak, Romeos, that guy who is going to be their first love, and all those experiences that young people are having. What I love about music with great lyrics is that when listening to the story and being drawn into what is being said, there is something in your own experience that wakes up that relates to it ... something that you might not have looked directly at or might not have looked at in that particular way that gives us insight into ourselves. One of the great things about “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” (Mattea’s No. 1 single in 1988) is that at the end of the day it’s all about a great love story, and isn’t that what we all want. The song was a true story written by two brothers whose uncle was a long-haul trucker. He retried and wanted to take his wife to all the favorite places he had seen on his travels. The song and its lyrics wake up a part of us that yearns for that kind of love. And to me that is what great stories do, they connect us to one another.

Q. Your career took a turn from focusing less on writing and more on being an interpreter of songs. Why?

A. Great question. I think I am wired for collaboration and not solo creation. My hus-

band is a songwriter who can go off by himself for days and just hang out with the music. For me, music saved my life. It saved my life when I found a guitar and it gave me a way to connect with people that I had never been able to do before. So, for me the driving force is that connection. I get bored or distracted when sitting alone trying to come up with something to write. I think that I could have been a great co-writer. But I chose to put my energy into singing rather than writing, because I felt that I already had a natural talent for singing which I wanted to continue to nurture. Singing is the most fun I can think of. I can write, but it is tedious for me.

Q. How did it feel and what did it mean for you to be inducted in 2011 into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame?

A. It was an unexpected, deeply moving moment. I wasn’t inducted into the first class, but I did have the pleasure of introducing one of the inductees during that show. It made me realize if the Hall of Fame had been around

“For me, music saved my life. It saved my life when I found a guitar and it gave me a way to connect with people that I had never been able to do before.”

Kathy Mattea

and were poor. Music was something that was done for fun, not something to make a career out of. The fact that music happened for me was kind of a fluke. There were these little tiny moments when I kept turning to music event though my parents would say, “Honey, we love you and you are going to get guitar and piano lessons, but that is your fun thing. You are going to be an engineer.” I did go to college and majored in physics, chemistry, and engineering, but I was always playing music in my spare time. So, I think that I might have gotten into music much earlier, even though I was 19 when I moved to Nashville.

earlier, and I had seen that show and been exposed to so many other West Virginians who had gone on to do well in music, that I might have had a different life path and gotten started in music much earlier. I never really thought of music as a possibility. Both of my grandpas were miners

Q. Garth Brooks was a turning point in bringing country tours into big stadiums. Do you think the music, the message, gets lost there as opposed to more intimate settings?

A. Interesting question. My first thought is that if you

have ever seen a video of Garth Brooks or Taylor Swift in concert at a big stadium, there is nothing lost. That is what is amazing. When music has good lyrics that reflect the lives of those in the audience, it can connect on any scale with a skilled perform. Personally, I love places like the Iron Horse where it feels like being in a giant living room. I can hear the audience, they can hear me, and I know they can hear all the words to my songs. Interestingly, I was talking on the phone recently with my first manager and he reminisced about asking me early on about what I wanted to do. My answer was that I didn’t want to play big arenas, and that I would rather find a theater where I could play several nights and be close to and reach out to my audiences. And I had forgotten until that phone call that this is the best way I respond to music.

Q. Who is your personal musical hero?

TUESDAY

Chicopee Elks #1849 431 Granby Road, Chicopee 413-592-1849

Bingo Tuesday

Doors Open at 4PM

2 Progressive Jackpots 6:15PM Early Bird 6:20PM Start

Min. Entry Package $15 Open Seating

2 Halls for Players Handicap Restroom 1st Floor

WEDNESDAY

Polish American Citizens Club 355 East Street, Ludlow, 583-6385 Bingo Wednesdays 6:30-9:30pm Doors Open at 4pm. Minimum Admission $50 1 - 1199 Progressive Betty Boop 50/50 Prize $900 2 - $500 Cover Alls 3 - $400 Special Games All regular games $100 with 80 people or More. All Cards are included with Admission. Prizes climb with additional attendence. Full Kitchen 4-6:30pm.

THURSDAY

Fairview Knights of Columbus 1599 Memorial Drive, Chicopee (413) 532-2011

DOORS OPEN 4:30PM

MASKS OPTIONAL Progressive Jackpot 6:15pm Early Bird 6:20pm Start

Min. Entry Package $15 Electronic Bingo Aval. Snack Bar, Open Seating, Handicap Restrooms

Kathy Mattea will play the Iron Horse Music Hall on Monday. (RETO STERCHI)

SPRINGFIELD RESTAURANT WEEK

What’s on the menu?

All American Sports Bar & Grill

459 Dwight St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: All American is offering a honey garlic fried chicken sandwich served with coleslaw and fries for $14.99 and a peach yellow card (peach vodka, lemonade) for $10. A full menu can be found online at allamerican sportsbar.com. Call the restaurant at 413-301-8337.

Cafe D’Jolie

1365 Main St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Cafe D’Jolie is offering 10% off orders for Springfield Restaurant Week. A full menu can be found online at cafe-d-jolie.square.site. Call the restaurant at 413-241-9408.

350 Grill

350 Worthington St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: 350 Grill is offering a fixed three-course meal at $45 per person. The first course will be pesto risotto balls, rice paper wrapped shrimp, or a side salad; second course will be beef medallions marsala with mashed potatoes and vegetable, country fried chicken with mashed potatoes, hot honey brown gravy and vegetable, or baked scallop casserole with rice and vegetable; and a chef’s choice dessert will be served as a third course. A full menu can be found online at 350grill.net. Call the restaurant at 413-439-0666.

Family Pizzeria Europa

715 Sumner Ave., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Family Pizzeria Europa is offering a threecourse meal with a choice of appetizer, entree and dessert for $24.24 per person. Appetizer choices include fried mozzarella or chicken tenders; entree options, served with soup or salad, include chicken parmigiana with ziti, chicken and broccoli ziti, or a two-topping personal pizza; and dessert is to be a chocolate cake or limoncello cake. A full menu can be found online at familypizzeriaeuropa.com. Call the restaurant at 413-736-9146.

Juguitos Healthy Grab & Go

133 State St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-363-2985 or go online to juguitosjb.com for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

By Ashley P otter apotter@repub.com

Springfield Restaurant Week, an initiative by Dine Springfield and the Business Improvement District, returns this year from June 7-16. With more than 30 restaurants from all neighborhoods of the city signed up this year, there is a deal for everyone to enjoy. Here is a preview of what restaurants are offering. Deals and availability are subject to change. A complete list of current special menus can be found on the Springfield Restaurant Week’s website.

Saray Turkish Restaurant II

1374 Allen St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Saray

Turkish Restaurant II is offering a $26.95 dine-in only special that includes soup and a choice of appetizer, entree, and desert. Soup is set to be lentil soup or the soup of the day; appetizer choices include hummus, haydar, antep ezme, or babaganush; entree options include doner kebab, iskender kebab, kofte kebab, adana kebab, chicken shish kebab, chicken adana kebab, chicken kofte kebab, or falafel dinner; and dessert options include two-piece baklava, rice pudding, kazandibi, or sekerpare. A full menu can be found online at saraykebabspringfield.com. Call the restaurant at 413-796-5505.

Ciro’s ‘A Tradition’ 904 Main St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-732-4767 or go online to cirosspringfield.

com for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

White Lion Brewing Company

1500 Main St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: White Lion is offering 10% off all food, excluding beverages. A full menu can be found online at whitelion brewing.com/kitchen. Call the brewery at 413-455-2072.

Student Prince

8 Fort St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: The Student Prince is offering a $40.24 prix-fixe menu. Appetizer is a fried camembert cheese; entree will be pork shank slow-cooked in vegetables, wine and pork stock, and served with spatzle and cucumber salad; and dessert will be sticky toffee pudding a la mode. This offer is dine-in only after 4 p.m. A complete menu can be found online at studentprince.com. Call the restaurant at 413-734-7475.

MVP.pub

Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel

Restaurant Week special: MVP. pub is offering a $24.24 prix-fixe menu with a choice of starter, main course and a dessert. Starter options include Rhode Island calamari, pan seared scallops, or fried Brussel sprouts. Main course options are pan seared crispy skin on halibut with mashed potatoes and baby carrots, topped with shaved asparagus, with a pink champagne beurre blanc; beef wellington served with demi glaze and grilled asparagus; or grilled pork loin served over freshly made linguine puttanesca. Dessert will be mixed berry panna cotta. Call the pub at 413-781-1010.

Panjabi Tadka

1688 Main St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Panjabi Tadka will be offering favorites from its sister restaurant, Motu Indian Kitchen, including crispy wings, chili paneer egg rolls, pani puri, masala mac & cheese, rose lemonade, and strawberry shortcake cookie. A full menu can be found online at panjabitadka. com. Call the restaurant at 413732-1453.

Frigo Foods

90 William St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Frigo Foods is offering an $11.99 box lunch featuring a water roll sandwich (choice of tuna, chicken salad, cold cut roast beef, or vegetarian) with a cookie, pasta salad and small chips. Also available is an $11.99 Italian combo featuring stuffed shells, homemade meatballs and sausage. A full menu can be found online at frigofoods.com Call the restaurant at 413-7325428.

Leone’s Restaurant

320 Cooley St (5 Town Plaza), Springfield Restaurant Week special: Leone’s is offering a three-course dinner with a choice of entree, house salad and dessert for $20.24. Entree choices include penne broccoli, fettucine alfredo, chicken parmigiana, or chicken francaise. Dessert choices are mini tiramisu or mini cannoli. A full menu can be found online at leonesrestaurant.com. Call the restaurant at 413-783-3398.

Crunchy Fried Chicken & Pupuseria

30 Fort Pleasant Ave., Springfield Restuarant Week special: Crunchy Fried Chicken & Pupuseria is offering a number of deals, including 10% off full menu; $1.99 pizza slices, all day availability; $0.99 pizza slice, daily from 10 p.m. to midnight; 10% off a Crunchy Box; and buy 20 pupusas, get 5 free. A complete menu can be found online at crunchyck pupuseriaspringfield.com. Call the restaurant at 413-310-7340.

Loophole Brewing

51-59 Taylor St, Springfield Restaurant Week special: Loophole Brewing is offering a $20.24 special for a starter, choice of entree, and dessert. Starter will be a Bavarian pretzel served with in-house beer cheese. Entree is a pick your own beef sandwich served with pub chips. Dessert will be Duryea Sin-A-Bundt, a bundt cake topped with toffee, caramel sauce and heath and candied pecan crumble, finished with fresh whipped cream. A complete menu can be found online at loophole. beer/home. Call the brewery at 413-478-6555.

Eat

609 Page Blvd., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Eat is offering a $14.95 Herbivore “Plant Based” menu with options including a cowboy burger with homemade fries; “chicken” Caesar wrap with homemade fries or chips; steak and cheese grinder with homemade fries or chips; BBQ grilled “chicken” salad; and a balsamic “chicken” and berry salad. For more information and

Brianna Loncrini from The Place to Be creates a serving of their French Toast Fritters that will be on their special menu during Springfield Restaurant Week. (DON TREEGER / THE REPUBLICAN)

Restaurant chains set sights on ‘value’

Hugh Robert Off The Menu

IT LOOKS LIKE THIS summer’s theme in the restaurant business is going to be “value,” with a number of major players in the fast food and casual dining spaces once again emphasizing the “bang for the buck” their menu supposedly delivers.

Quick service giant McDonald’s Corp. is planning a

four-week $5 Value Meal deal this summer with a planned June 25 start date. According to published reports, the meal package will feature either a McChicken or a McDouble and include small-sized McNuggets, soft drink, and fries. In order to protect franchisee profit margins, McDonald’s has prevailed upon its beverage supplier,

Coca-Cola, to kick in a $4 million-plus subsidy in support the promotion.

Burger King has also announced a meal deal at the $5 price point. The chain is bringing back its $5 Your Way Meal, which will include soft drink, fries, and chicken nuggets as well as one of three different sandwiches. Unlike the four-week availability

3 great Italian red wines for summer

LAST WEEK ON “Wine Press,” California chardonnays heated things up, just in time for summer.

The week before, cabernet sauvignon threw its weight around and showed why it’s the most popular red wine grape in the world.

This week, the drama continues …

OK, clearly I have been watching way too many advertisements for reality TV shows.

But if you are looking for exciting red wines for summer, I thought we might turn our attention to Italy.

Because seriously, who doesn’t love Italy in summertime?

And while I would advise against drinking a great Italian red wine on a really hot day (over 80 or 85 degrees) many Italian reds can handle the heat. Just make sure you don’t leave the wine in full sun. That will absolutely destroy all the subtle flavors. Keep red wines out of the hot sun and high heat. But enough drama for one week.

This week, you can learn more about three, outstanding Italian red wines from the northern part of Italy. They range in price from $25 to $60 a bottle so they’re more of a special occasion wine.

But why wait until July 4th or Labor Day to open these wines?

Simply opening one with dinner, family or friends is a special occasion itself. Hope you enjoy!

2020 Famiglia Pasqua Valpolicella Ripasso

Superiore ($25 Suggested Retail Price)

Region: Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy

Grapes: Blend of corvina, rondinella, corvinone and negrara

Tasting notes: Ripasso is one of the best, mid-priced Italian red wines year in and year out. I have written before about Ripasso wines. They’re essentially the wine made with leftover grapes used to make high-priced, amazing Amarone wines, but for just a fraction of the price. This particular Ripasso from Pasqua Wines has a wonderful, rich blend of subtle, earthy flavors and aromas, including hints of blackberry, plum, toasted almonds and dark chocolate.

2022 Volpolo Bolgheri by Sapaio ($36 SRP)

Region: Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

Grapes: Blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot

Tasting notes: If you tasted this wine blind, you might

Ken Ross Wine Press

While I would advise against drinking a great Italian red wine on a really hot day (over 80 or 85 degrees) many Italian reds can handle the heat.

think that it’s from France’s Bordeaux region. That’s because the grapes used to make this complex Italian red wine are the same ones often used in Bordeaux. But there are definite differences in general between wines from Tuscany and Bordeaux, even if they are made with the same grapes. And that surely comes down to the soil, the weather and each individual winemaker’s approach. (A winemaker once told me you could give the exact same grapes to 20

window for the McDonald’s deal, Burger King plans to run its $5 promotion for several months, with additional value packages already in test to follow it later in 2024.

In a similar fashion, casual dining chains like Chili’s and Applebee’s are promoting value packages of their own.

All this renewed interest in

different winemakers and they would make 20 different and distinct wines.) This particular red blend from Sapaio has a dark-red color and rich, velvet-like texture. Flavors include roasted cherries, cedar and plumb.

2018 Castel Giocondo Brunello di Montalcino ($60 SRP)

Region: Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Grapes: 100% sangiovese

Tasting notes: Italian wine labels can often be particularly confusing, in my opinion. And a prime example I have used over the years is Brunello di Montalcino wines. Often, you will never see the name of the grape (sangiovese) on the label. And while Montalcino is a place, the name of the wine

(Brunello di Montalcino) has more to do with how the wine is made. Brunello di Montalcino wines must follow several strict rules, including being aged in oak barrels for at least three years. Fortunately, you don’t need to know all those rules to enjoy this magnificent, complex wine. Its earthy yet elegant flavors and aromas vividly come to life in layer upon layer, including subtle yet intense notes of ripe cherry, blackberry, plum and black licorice. A truly outstanding wine, perfect for any time of the year. Cheers!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.

The three Italian red wines recommended this week. (KEN ROSS)

Jeff Goulet of Loophole Brewing talks beer, Worthy Beer Fest

IN THE SPANish-speaking world, Bruce Springsteen is known as “El Jefe” (“The Boss”).

But in the Western Massachusetts beer world, that title belongs to Jeff Goulet.

It’s difficult to imagine anyone who deserves that moniker more. Goulet is not only a founder of Downtown Springfield’s shiny new Loophole Brewing, he is also is a founding member of Springfield’s Worthy Craft Beer Showcase, the annual beer festival that will be held noon-4 p.m., June 15 this year on

Worthington Street. With Loophole now running on all cylinders after a gradual opening in April and the Worthy Fest right on the horizon, I figured it was the perfect time to ask El Jefe (a play on his name) a few questions.

The first thing you should know was that Goulet came to the beer table a bit later than a lot of folks – and it actually started with a frustration with beer.

“When I was in college, I really hated beer,” he said. “I drank gin and tonics and wine. What I think it was, was that I hated

Side dishes

value is a result of reports that lower-income households have been making fewer visits to fast food restaurants, instead choosing to eat at home. At the same time, those restaurants have increasingly focused on digital marketing, reserving deals and discounts as incentives to promote online ordering and loyalty program signup.

A recently released report by online loan broker LendingTree explored consumer attitudes about the cost of restaurant dining, and the results of that survey help explain why restaurants may be losing the business of lower-income household.

According to LendingTree’s research, nearly 80% of respondents agreed with the survey’s prompt that “fast food has gotten more expensive, and I now view it as a luxury.”

Many of those same individuals (56%) report that they are now relying more on making food at home.

The takeaway from such consumer attitudes may well be that restaurants at all price points, not just fast food places, need to pay attention to delivering value to an inflation-weary public in the months ahead.

• On Friday, June 28, the 1761 Old Mill in Westminster and BrickRoad Productions of Monson will be collaborating on a dinner theater experience entitled “The Brass Monkey.” A pirate-themed whodunit, the show involves a murder, a treasure map, and four miscreants. A bit of voluntary audience involvement helps bring the proceedings to a satisfactory conclusion.

The evening begins with a buffet dinner at 7:00 p.m.; the cost to attend is $50 per person. A cash bar will be available.

To obtain tickets, call 978874-5941.

• The annual Turkish Food & Cultural Festival is coming to Agawam’s School Street Park on June 8 and 9. Sponsored by the Peace Valley Foundation, the festival will be open both days from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

There will be plenty of Turkish specialties to snack on, including doner, dolma, manti, pishi, and stuffed grape leaves. Those with a sweet tooth will be able to enjoy baklava and profiteroles along with apple pie, cotton candy, and ice cream.

A series of workshops and activities will also be presented, including Turkish music and dance. There will even be a session on the art of making and enjoying Turkish coffee.

Telephone contact for the Peace Valley Foundation is 413-285-3259.

• Wednesday Night Lobster Buckets are back at the Still Bar & Grill in Agawam. Available on Wednesdays only, from 4 p.m. until they’re gone, the buckets are loaded with a half-pound of steamers, a whole lobster, and an ear of corn on the cob.

The bucket is priced at $31 and quantities are limited.

The Still Bar & Grill answers at 413-304-2795.

• Janine’s Frostee in Ware is once again hosting Polish Nights this summer. Held alternating Mondays through mid-September, the events, which run from 5 to 8 p.m., feature Polish music and a selection of Polish food specialties.

The Polish Nights are hosted by DJs “Andy B” and Fran Mitus; the next Polish Night takes place on June 10.

Mondays are also Senior Discount Days at Janine’s. Seniors 60 and older can obtain a Frostee Discount Card that entitles them to 10% off on their orders on Mondays.

The telephone number for Janine’s Frostee, which is located at 149 East St., is 413967-7950.

• Nadim Kashouh, the chef-owner of Nadim’s Mediterranean Restaurant on Main Street in Springfield, will be hosting the June edition

of “Cooking with Nadim” on Saturday, June 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

During the session, Kashouh leads participants through the preparation of selected dishes. The experience concludes with a tasting of the menu items prepared. Tickets for the session, which are $140 plus a convenience fee, can be obtained by going to Eventbrite.com.

The restaurant can be reached at 413-737-7373.

• During his June Cooking with Rico event, Enrico Giovanello of Table 3 Restaurants in Sturbridge will be focusing on “Traditional Marsala,” the popular Italian-America recipe conceit.

Giovanello will demonstrate two “Marsala” favorites, chicken and veal, as well as an assortment of Sicilian side dishes that are part of the Marsala tradition.

The event, which will be held at Avellino in Sturbridge, is $52, tax and gratuity not included. Wine, beer, and cocktails will be available at extra cost.

Prepaid tickets to the event can be ordered online at exploretock.com/the-duck-avellino/event/486290/ cooking-with-rico-traditional-marsala.

• Avellino in Sturbridge will also be hosting a “Mediterranean Menu Takeover” in the restaurant’s front dining

room from June 11 through 13 as Chefs Joe Milillo and James Cavallo present a selection of dishes that reflect traditional and contemporary food traditions within the Mediterranean basin. The two chefs will be expressing those traditions through dishes like grape salad, harissa spiced lamb meatballs, and shrimp tamarind.

The Mediterranean Takeover is being offered on an a la carte basis or as a four-course prix fixe priced at $60; Avellino’s regular menu will also remain available.

For additional details call Avellino 508-347-2321.

• Auction Acres in Brimfield is hosting the Pioneer Valley Wine & Beer Festival 2024 on June 8 and June 9 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m..

The event, which is organized by the Brimfield Winery, will include more than 16 different local adult beverage brands, a half-dozen food trucks, and an array of artisan and farmers’ market vendors.

More information on the festival is available by calling 413-245-3436.

Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.

Jeff Goulet, of Loophole Brewery, pours himself a drink at the 87th Mighty Oktoberfest on Fort Street in Springfield on Oct. 7, 2022. (HOANG ‘LEON’ NGUYEN / THE REPUBLICAN)

George Lenker Beer Nut

SEE BEER, PAGE D10

Beer

mass-produced beer. Dabbled a bit with some friends homebrewing beer and cider, mead, and cyser. That set the hook for me.”

Fast-forward many years later and Goulet found himself starting a beer festival. Again, it was irritation with the status quo that lit the fire.

“So a good friend of mine and I were pretty frustrated with brewfests. Nothing worse than spending tons of time waiting in line to get in, then waiting in another line for an ounce of beer, which you drink while in line for the next,” he said. “We wanted something to showcase the beers, not just consumption. We wanted something staffed by brewery owners, brewers, and brand ambassadors, not brewfest volunteers that likely know little to nothing about your beer.”

Goulet & Co. also interviewed the other side – the breweries themselves – to see what they liked and disliked about beer fests.

“Many brewfests later, many miles, and even a couple countries, we had a plan set to launch The Worthy.”

The Worthy certainly set itself apart with its limit of 60 brewers – 30 professional and 30 amateurs – highlighting their best concoctions. For Goulet, it’s the enthusiasm of the participants that gives him the energy to undertake the event each year

“Seeing the passion, talent, and aspirations of the home brewers. Watching brewers transfer from the homebrewer tent to the pro brewers tent,” he said when asked about his favorite part of the festival. In a bit of serendipity, Loophole just happens to be right around the corner from The Worthy site. In fact, this year, the festival will extend a bit to snake around the corner to Duryea Way, which abuts Loophole. Goulet attributes this to “fate, for sure.”

“We look forward to expanding the footprint of The Worthy this year,” he said.

“We originally started with just closing Worthington

Street. That spilled into Stearns Square, and now this year we’re utilizing Duryea Way as well.”

While that all seems like a beautifully executed plan, fate definitely seems to have had a hand in the result. Goulet said Loophole had already had several other potential sites fall through.

“Finding a home for Loophole, believe it or not, has been pretty difficult,” he said. “Finding a place that makes sense for a brewery is a much harder task. Over the past five years, there have been three other locations we were set on opening, but for all different reasons, that never happened.”

The brewery itself is large and spacious, with two floors, a beer garden, a rooftop space overlooking the garden and an upstairs room with a stage for performers. The capacity is 525 – 325 on the first floor and 200 on the second floor. There are 10 taps. John Geraci (formerly of Amherst Brewery) serves as head brewer, and Goulet has two other partners: Todd Snopkowski, and Aaron Saunders.

Goulet also said that the brewery has no specific targets as far as styles or market segment.

“No particular goals, no specific market segment. We consciously focus on being a well-rounded brewery, offering a variety of styles. We also offer nonalcoholic beer, wine, prosecco, and liquor. Something for everyone,” he said. What has surprised Goulet the most about his new venture?

“How many people can’t find the building and don’t know we are open. We are at 51-59 Taylor St. in Springfield,” he said. “It’s a giant 15,000-square foot building. Pretty hard to miss.”

Last but not least, which Loophole beer would he recommend to someone visiting the brewery for the first time?

“Easiest question so far –First Encounter. It’s our flagship, our first contracted beer, our first canned beer, etc. It was originally made for the 100th anniversary of Western New England University, back in 2019.”

CALENDAR

THURSDAY

2024 Concerts in the Park Series: Jake Manzi, Thu., 6:30 p.m. Forest Park, at the Forest Park Amphitheater and Carriage House. Those attending the concert may enter Forest Park through the Sumner Avenue or the Route 5 entrances for free after 5 p.m. Free. Sumner Avenue, Springfield. Florence Summer Concert Series: Thu., 6:30-8 p.m. Florence Civic Center, Deep River Ramblers. 90 Park St., Florence.

Marla BB’s Tales from the Trail across Alaska: Thu., 6:30 p.m.

BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity, local author Marla BB will read from her book while its illustrations are projected on the big screen for the audience to follow along and enjoy. $5-$20. 130 Pine St., Florence.

Open Stage Showcase by New Music Alliance: Thu., 7 p.m. Holyoke Media, featuring solo artists, duos, and trios performing their own original music. In order of appearance: Helen Hummel, South Hadley; Chris Goudreau, Greenfield; Kerrie Stelly, W. Granby, CT; RJ McCarty, Hadley; Brian Jarvis, Springfield/Enfield, CT; Adam Herrick, East Longmeadow; Amber Chaves, Templeton, MA. Host is Mark Sherry. Free admission. 1 Court Plaza (23 Suffolk St.), Holyoke.

FRIDAY

Rainbow LGBTQIA+ & Allies

Coffee Social Hour: Northampton Senior Center, Gay Men’s Group meets every Fri. at 1 p.m., 67 Conz St., Northampton. 413-587-1228 or northamptonseniors.com.

Silverthorne Theater Presents:

“The Broken Machine”: Fri, 7:30 p.m.; Sat, 3 and 7:30 p.m.; Sun, 3 p.m. Hampshire College Theatre. $5-$40. 893 West St., Amherst.

SATURDAY

7th Annual Good Music Makes Good Neighbors Festival: Sat, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Montague Common Hall, live music plus conta dance, Irish dance and swing dance sessions. $15-$20 suggested donation to support the performers. 34 Main St., Montague.

Forest Park Civic Association

32nd Annual Illumination Night: Sat., Florentine Gardens, old-fashioned block party will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civic Association’s founding in 1963 and will feature a groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration of Floral Park by the Parks Department, funded by the Community Preservation Act. The

Live Wire

children’s parade begins at 6 p.m. at Florentine Gardens, followed by the groundbreaking and evening festivities. All are welcome. For more information, email katherinempost@gmail.com or call 413-222-3023, Florentine Gardens Circle, Springfield.

Friends of Forbes 30th Annual Garden Tour: Sat, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Forbes Library, takes place in the Northampton/Florence area, rain or shine. Tickets $20 in advance at Forbes Library, Bay State Perennial Farm, Coopers Corner, Gardener’s Supply, State Street Fruit & Sugarloaf Gardens/ Sunderland. $25, day of the tour at Forbes Library only. Limited edition Northampton Garden Tour T-Shirts with original artwork available for $30. 20 West Street, Northampton. 413-587-1011 or forbeslibrary.org.

Old Grove Forest Walking Tour: Sat, 10 a.m.-noon Amherst History Museum, rain date June 9. Group size limited; registration is required. Meeting location and parking information provided upon registration. For more information or to register, visit amhersthistory.org/events/oldgrove-forest-walking-tour/, 67 Amity St., Amherst.

Silverthorne Theater Presents: “The Broken Machine”: See Friday listing ”Walking Tour: The Underground Railroad”: Sat., 10:30 a.m. Tower Square, The Underground Railroad with Sam Bradley, Executive Director, and Regine Jackson, Board Member, Pan African Historical Museum USA (PAHMUSA). The tour will begin at the Tower Square Lobby, near Dunkin and Big Y, Cost $10 nonmembers; members $5. 1500 Main St., Springfield. 413-7332171 or visittowersquare.com.

SUNDAY

Friends of the Stone Church Community Concerts: Sun, 2 p.m. The Stone Church, Weir River Jazz. Free, donations accepted. 283 Main St., Gilbertville.

Gala Concert - Great Piano Quintets: Sun, 4-6 p.m. Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, For more information or tickets visit cewm. org/event/great-quintets-dvorak-and-brahms/or call 413-5280100, $28, $52. 14 Castle St., Great Barrington, 413-528-0100.

Novi Cantori Presents “Even Such is Time”: Sun, 4 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Society, admission by freewill offering. 245 Porter Lake Drive, Springfield.

Silverthorne Theater Presents: “The Broken Machine”: See Friday listing

a host of other favorites, both regional and national: Paula Cole, Jill Sobule, Haley Heynderickx, Cheryl Wheeler, Gail Anne Dorsey, High Tea and Sunny War, among others.

“I’m amazed to be working with such a talented team in a region that’s so close to my heart!” Williams said on her website. “Our river roads connect us with all the life on our continent… some of my fellow musicians and I will be doing a water-cleanup in the Valley, the day after the festival. We invite you to join us and learn more about water justice issues, from clean drinking water to clean waterways that run through our cities and towns (not to mention access to water on voting lines), here and beyond.”

Proceeds from festival ticket sales will aid CRC efforts in stopping pollution, engaging communities in research and advocacy, and promoting enjoyment of the river and its tributaries. The community cleanup event in Easthampton that Williams mentioned above will indeed include festival artists joining the effort on Sept. 8.

The festival itself, which will run noon to 10 p.m., rain or shine, will also offer an array of locally sourced food and drink options, including local craft beer, wine, and cider from New City Brewery and Abandoned Building Brewery.

Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or low-back lawn chairs, sunscreen, bug spray and identification. Pets are not allowed, nor are glass containers (but reusable cups and containers are OK). Also, no tents, umbrellas (except the small handheld variety in case of showers), drugs, weapons or fireworks will be allowed.

Millside Park is located on the Manhan Rail Trail just behind the mill buildings on Pleasant Street in Easthampton. Tickets and more info are available at riverroadsfestival.com.

a complete menu, visit facebook. com/eatbistro. Call the restaurant at 413-276-0040.

Nadim’s Downtown Mediterranean Grill

1390 Main St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Nadim’s is offering a special menu priced at $29.99. Appetizer choices are Fattoush, hummus, or cheese roll-ups served with pita bread and zaatar dipping oil; for the main course, marinated and charboiled kabob offerings include chicken, kofta, turkey, or beef; and dessert choices are rice pilaf or Nadim’s Hashwee Rice (white rice and ground beef topped with toasted almonds and cinnamon). A full menu can be found online at nadims.com/ menus/. Call the restaurant at 413737-7373.

Soulao’d Kitchen

606 Page Blvd., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-316-3202 or go online to facebook.com/sou laodkitchen for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

Bridge22

2 Boland Way, Springfield Restaurant Week special: Bridge22 is offering a three-course meal priced at $42 per person, including house wine. First course will be a burrata salad or Caesar salad; second course will be pan

seared salmon with summer succotash, pea puree and gremolata or grilled pork chop with peach chutney, green and white asparagus and carrot puree; third course will be melodie chocolate cake or cheesecake raspberry coulis. For more information and a complete menu, visit bridge22restaurant.com. Call the restaurant at 413-251-6258.

Plan B Springfield

1000 West Columbus Ave., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Plan B is offering a $24.99 prix-fixe menu featuring appetizer, entree and dessert. Appetizer choices are cup of chili, garden salad, fried pickles, American Nachos, or Blue Chips; entree choices are Double Day Burger, Tavern Classic, Penne Vodka, Chicken Ranch, or Baja Bowl; dessert choices are Baby B Cup, Mini B Funni Bone, Local Draft, or Nip O’ Bourbon. A full menu can be found online at burgersbeerbour bon.com/springfield/. Call the restaurant at 413-285-8296.

Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop

929 Belmont Ave., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-209-8260 or go online to soupersweet sandwichshop.com for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

MexiRico Restaurant

1021 Main St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-317-7142 or

Birria Tacos will be on the menu at Del Rey Taqueria & Bar during Springfield Restaurant Week. (DON TREEGER / THE REPUBLICAN)

go online to mexiricorestaurant. com for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

BarKaya

278 Worthington St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-733-0000 or go online to barkaya.com for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

Urban Food Brood

250 Albany St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-351-7419 or go online to facebook.com/ TheUrbanFoodBrood/ for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

The Place 2 Be

1000 Hall of Fame Ave., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-342-4255

or go online to place2bect.com/ springfield for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

Palazzo Cafe

1350 Main St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-731-0011 or go online to thepalazzocafe.com for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

Theodore’s

201 Worthington St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Theodore’s is offering a number of specials, including maple sriracha pork belly burnt ends for $15.24; fried chicken and waffles made with spicy real maple syrup for $20.24; and strawberry cornbread shortcake with fresh-sliced local strawberries for $8.24. A full menu can be found online at theodoresbbq.com. Contact the restaurant at 413-736-6000.

Del Rey Taqueria & Bar

211 Worthington St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-273-1331 or go online to delreytaqueria.com/ menus for more information about Restaurant Week offerings. Dewey’s Jazz Lounge

232 Worthington St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: Dewey’s is offering a $17 truffle mac and cheese and a $10 drink, “Henny from The Block,” featuring hennessy, lime juice, passionfruit syrup, and a mini flower garnish. A full menu can be found online at deweyslounge. com. Contact the restaurant at 413-

301-8337.

Tlalli Tacos & Mexican Catering

309 Berkshire Ave., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-301-6883 or go online to facebook.com/profile. php?id=61557889920234 for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

Osteria

301 Bridge St., Springfield Restaurant Week special: Contact the restaurant at 413-455-2990 or go online to osteriaspringfield.com for more information about Restaurant Week offerings.

Costa

1 MGM Way, Springfield Restaurant Week special: Costa is offering a $39 prix-fixe menu. Appetizer options are Caesar salad, risotto al topinambur, or meatballs. Entree options are fettucine bolognese, branzino puttanesca, or chicken bucatini alfredo. Dessert options are tiramisu, lemon ricotta cheesecake, or olive oil cake. A full menu can be found online at mgm springfield.mgmresorts.com/en/ restaurants/costa.html. Call the restaurant at 413-273-5000.

L’Amour

111 Chestnut St., Springfield

Restaurant Week special: L’Amour is offering 10% off orders, dine-in only. A full menu can be found online at lamourspringfield.com Call the restaurant at 413-3015333.

We’re a classic rock band, we do a classic rock-country set. Those are really the three that I do.

Q. How do you balance being a vocalist of several different bands? What’s that musical process like?

A. It’s funny you say that because it does get difficult. You’ve gotta’ remember all these songs. I think they’re so different that, that helps, because you can get into the headspace of David Lee Roth and you’re in a totally different place when you’re doing a John Mellencamp tribute. It’s not like you’re sliding in between the two — you’re either David Lee Roth or you’re

John Mellencamp, there is no in-between (laughs). And like many musicians, I use a stage monitor to remind me every now and then “OK, this is what’s happening,” but I think that’s commonplace at this point. Most people rely on those types of things, not because they don’t love and remember the songs, but because they just did 30 other ones.

The process really is to get into the headspace of the artist that you’re doing. I almost picture myself when I’m on stage as being one of the artists.

Q. And you said you look a lot like Mellencamp, too, is that right?

A. I’ve been stopped — in fact, I have a story. I was at the Mohegan Sun Arena seeing

Mellencamp a few years ago, and I was stopped by one of the security people (laughs). He said, “Hey, do you think you should be out there?” They thought I was Mellencamp. And I’ve been stopped in supermarkets. I’ve been told that my whole life, for better or for worse.

Q. Do you personally have any favorite songs to perform?

A. Truly I love a lot of them, but if I had to pick a couple of favorites, I guess “Cherry Bomb” would be one. Everybody loves “Ain’t Even Done With the Night,” his first major hit. We do “Paper in Fire,” that’s another Top 40 hit that I really like. So many. And one that not everybody’s heard of is a song called “Minutes to

Memories.” That one tells such a great story. Like “Pop Singer,” that one was really about when he was just starting. He really didn’t want to be a pop star. He wanted to be taken as a serious writer, so that was kind of a poke at the music industry, but it’s got such a great groove to it

Q. Do you think that storytelling really helps set his music apart?

A. I do, and he does it so well. That’s his strength, to me, is his ability to take instruments, first of all, that you don’t hear in rock ’ n’ roll — he uses a lot of accordion, he uses banjo, he uses mandolin, he uses all these different things. A tambourine could carry one of his songs. Then he’s got the ability to tell a great story that resonates

with a lot of people and mx it all in with a lot of great dance rhythms. I think that really sets him apart and that’s how he’s made it last through all these years.

Q. What can audiences at MGM Springfield expect from Friday’s show?

A. You’ll hear a lot of his hit songs. I always hate when I go to a show and you want to hear the stuff that you listen to on the radio, and they avoid it. We don’t do any of that. We definitely play his hits – there are a few deep cuts that only real hardcore Mellencamp fans would know, but a lot of it is his Top 40 music or things that were popular. Whether you’re a Mellencamp fan or not, our hope and our objective is to make you one before you leave.

A. Emmylou Harris. For many women in my generation, we all look up to her. I remember early on asking myself if I wanted to pattern my career after Emmylou or Reba (McIntire). They are two really focused people with different approaches, but both have great careers. Emmylou is musically restless and she has always been based in songs and songwriters and great bands and players. She hasn’t taken the straight path and for her it has never been about being as big an artist as she could be. There were days when I would run into her and she would be telling me about this new song or songwriter she had discovered......she was always on fire about the next creative collaboration. And I thought that is what I want.....to follow that fire.

Q. Voices change over time, and there was a period in the mid 2010s when you felt that you were losing control over your voice, and you began to question if your amazing career was about to come to an end. But, you’re still here, thankfully.

A. I always said if I couldn’t sing anymore that I was going to walk away with my dignity. Then I bumped up against this moment when my voice, which I knew so well, didn’t perform in the same way that I was used to. And I thought that maybe it was time to quit. Then I began listening inward to find out what was the right thing to do. I thought to myself that I wasn’t just going to decide and walk away, and instead turned inward to see what was there. What I found was that I could still sing. I learned for some people, and I am an alto, that all the frequencies are wider and the vibrations of the vocal cords are slower at the lower tones. I heard someone say that your vocal cords move slightly, microscopically, fur-

“I thought to myself that I wasn’t just going to decide and walk away, and instead turned inward to see what was there. What I found was that I could still sing.”

Kathy Mattea

ther apart as you get older. If you are an alto, you are going to feel that more. So, I dug in and thought that if I get to the point where it doesn’t work and I’ve explored all the nooks and crannies that I would just walk away. Here is how I describe it. I used to think that I had this reliable Volvo, a car that was a classic and dependable and got the job done... not fancy but something you could count on. I began to think, well, maybe what I have is a vintage Ferrari and I just don’t know how to drive it yet. A vintage anything is going to take a little bit of finesse. So, I had to think about it differently. What I learned was that I had to change the key of some of my songs, but not others. I had no idea why. There was no need to change the key for “18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses,” but I needed a key change for “Where’ve You Been.” What I found was that I had to let go of my ego and be able to say to myself, “Where is the place where ‘Where’ve You Been’ feels like it always felt.” I changed the key to the song and nobody noticed. In the end, I learned it is not about walking away saying what a great singer you are, but about getting out of the way so that you can hear the songs. I had to slough off a bunch of ego that I didn’t know I had about being a great singer and not trying to prove that so much to others, but instead celebrating being able to sing these songs and being with others who know them. And that it what it is all about for me today - all of the baggage I didn’t even know I was carrying with me has fallen away.

BOX LUNCH DEAL

CHOICE OF: HAM, TURKEY, ROAST BEEF, CLASSIC ITALIAN, VEGETARIAN, TUNE OR CHICKEN SALAD ON A WATER ROLL. INCLUDES: STORE BAKED COOKIE, PASTA SALAD, AND CHIPS .