BOSTON
THE NEW NORMAL
3.2019
EG GA E ERICAN R M A E IS H T HOW Y CANNAB B D E L E U IGHT SCENE (F S BORN R A W ) E R U CULT H E H U B. HERE IN T
STYLE FILE
Two local corporate road warriors team up for sartorial glory.
DEBATE PREP
Choice nuggets to deploy in your next legalization argument.
PARADISE CITY
March is cold. The Turks and Caicos is not.
{plus}
SCENE PRISM ART DANCE PARTY PHOTOS
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 3
School of the Mysterious Knowledge Carried by the Wind
Myofu An Bujutsu Dojo The Soul of the Samurai Introduction to the Katana Warrior Arts
*CLASSES INCLUDE TRAINING SWORD
CLASSES NOW FORMING
  � �
4 MARCH 2019 Boston
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 5
6 MARCH 2019 Boston
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 7
8 MARCH 2019 Boston
ISSUE 3 // VOLUME 2 // 3.2019
FEATURE 28 Roots Down
A couple music journalists and a roots rock reggae label owner team up for a landmark project.
24 MA NUAL LO OK Taking on premium professional wear.
every issue 11 Editor’s Note 12 The Buzz 18 NewsFeed
12
WHISK AWAY BYOC on the water?
ARGUING AMMO
24 LifeStyle
A MOVABLE FIT
49 The Scene
PRISM PARTY
50 HereWeGo
ARCHIPELA-GO Sensi magazine is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2019 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 9
sensi magazine ISSUE 3 / VOLUME 2 / 3.2019
EXECUTIVE FOLLOW US
Ron Kolb ron@sensimag.com CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP
Tae Darnell tae@sensimag.com PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP
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EDITORIAL sensimediagroup
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Dan McCarthy daniel.mccarthy@sensimag.com MANAGING EDITOR, SENSI BOSTON
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Robyn Griggs Lawrence CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Dr. Angie McCartney askangie@sensimag.com sensimagazine
COLUMNIST
Jameson Viens
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A RT & D E S I G N Jamie Ezra Mark jamie@emagency.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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BUSINESS & A D M I N I S T R AT I V E Leon Drucker leon.drucker@sensimag.com PUBLISHER
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M E D I A PA RT N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy 10 MARCH 2019 Boston
ROUNDING UP
editor’s
420 Suites //
THE WHAT
Ardent, LLC // DECARBOXYLATOR
A string of studies came out in February and were picked up by
ADVISORY BOARD CANNABIS-FRIENDLY APARTMENT RENTALS
Beantown Greentown // CULTIVATION Boston Gardener // GARDENING SUPPLY Boston Green Health //
CONSUMER AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
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RECREATION, FITNESS, AND WELLNESS
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MEDICAL MARIJUANA EVALUATIONS
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Myofu An Bujutsu Dojo //
MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTION
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TRAVEL & TOURISM
Pro Garden Solutions // HARVEST CONSULTING
NOTE
various press, including Vice’s health vertical, TONIC, which commented on a large study out of the National Institute of Scientific Research at the University of Quebec. The research examined nearly 320,0000 patients with a history of “abusive alcohol use” and concluded that drinkers who use cannabis had “significantly lower odds of developing liver diseases”, including cirrhosis—something a presumably decent swath of you probably will find comforting in the month that St. Patrick’s Day built in Boston. Reports also circulated about some people in Texas who, while scoping a choice spot to squat and fire up a joint, discovered a live caged tiger in the abandoned house they were eyeballing for a session. Weird, sure, but call it a Litmus Test: If you find it weirder that people were ducking into a Lone Star State shanty just to smoke cannabis freely than the fact that it’s legal to own a jungle tiger in Texas (if you have a wild game permit) but smoking a plant for recreation isn’t, than it may be time to adjust that moral compass of yours. A bummer bit that hit last month was Boston’s celebrated Economic Empowerment Program, the first of its kind in the nation, has been delayed. Coupled with the later news that weed giant MedMen is working on a cavernous storefront in the heart of Fenway, it added up to a sour note for all, but especially those for which the EEP program was supposed to lift up. MedMen is currently facing a lawsuit by its own former CFO, alleging “racism, homophobia, misogyny, and financial misconduct” is the rule at the company (CEO Adam Beirman told the crowd at the NCIA “Seed to Sale” show in February the allegations were “absolutely silly and disgusting”), so absorbing both items in a short time has put a little hate in the heart of a lot of weed warriors around town. And expect more fireworks as the industry continues to grow. Sometimes they have dark connotations like the MedMen situation. Other times, it’s just the sparkle of the state raking in over $24 million dollars in the first two months of legal sales and all that suggests for the coming green rush headed to the Bay State. I loved reading about the CCC granting it’s first final license to a general adult-use cannabis applicant in February. It’s novel not only because it’s the first in the state that isn’t a former medical marijuana outfit going for the rec dollars, but also because it’s hyping a small, local, woman-owned business in a marketplace already unsettled by the encroaching shadow cast by Big Weed, and the (often) rich white men behind it. Remember the Mass Grass scene is just getting going. The power to shape and mold it in the best interests of the community who fought for years to legalize it—and the great swells of job creation and potential for social justice reform for the communities hardest hit by the failed War on Drugs—is still in the hands of the people willing to work together with aligned interests for true local solidarity. Let’s try to keep it that way.
Revolutionary Clinics // MEDICAL DISPENSARY Sira Naturals // CANNABIS PRODUCT INNOVATION Sprout //
CRM & MARKETING
Stalk & Beans // DELIVERY
Dan McCarthy
Tess Woods Public Relations // PUBLIC RELATIONS
SENSI BOSTON
M ANAG I NG E D I TO R
Vicente Sederberg, LLC // LEGAL SERVICES
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 11
Whisked AWAY
New Bedford couple launching BYOC South Shore Charter Boat Business When we heard there was a new cannabis charter boat service looking to shake up the South Shore’s fledging cannabis scene, we decided to reach out to the team behind it and get a sense of what the New Bedford business has up its sleeve in terms of big fun, social justice, and equity inclusion by way of cool weed boat experiences. Below, five questions with Ericca Kennedy, half of the husband-wife team behind the forthcoming Whisk & Jane. 12 MARCH 2019 Boston
Give me a sense of your background. Are you local? Have you been working in cannabis previously, either legal or grey/black market? We are majority female owned, we are majority black owned, we are social justice and equity inclusion advocates (UCGA), and we are here to sprinkle our magic all over the marijuana industry. We have begun to lay the foundation for our businesses in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and we are excited to expand our premier brands across the commonwealth. We look forward to continuing to build a team that sees our overall vision, but, as individuals have the fortitude to present their unique path to help our companies get there.
We believe all of the best, most knowledgeable cannabis businesses got their start and garnered their expertise/experience in the grey/black market.
What gave you the idea for Whisk and Jane (or is it Whisk & JANE)? Daydreaming like sisters often do, the name Whisk & JANE came a few years ago in my Nana’s living room while my sister and I were chatting about my husband and I finding a way to combine our passions. The Whisk comes from our passion to cook, JANE is the initials for our family (Justin, Aliana, Noah, Ericca) and just so happened to be a term for cannabis (admittedly another passion of ours). The timing wasn’t right a few years ago, but, when the state CCC [Cannabis Control Commission] created the Economic Empowerment program we knew it was our opportunity to untuck that really great name and burst onto the scene with our ideas to bring inclusion, empowerment, and equity to the cannabis industry by way of some kick-ass products, out-of-this-world dank dining, and unexpected elevated experiences.
How do you plan to deal with the town, permitting, and other hurdles facing your idea? Are there special issues you have to account for given the water/boat element?
IMAGES COURTESY OF WHISK & JANE
The conceptual design we have shared is to show the potential of our new coastal cannabis market and our innovative way to integrate into the marine industry—it is not an exact representation of our vessel(s). Whisk & JANE has worked with the City of New Bedford since July 26, 2018. We plan to tackle any hurdles that face our coastal cannabis concierge service the same way we have faced every other roadblock: head on. Businesses downtown are doing everything they can to generate consistent business, from game nights to big-name cover bands, and Whisk & JANE can directly impact increasing their traffic while supporting small shops, galleries, hotels, and local restaurants in our community (in addition to creating livable wage positions and prioritizing the use of local vendors for contractual needs). We have submitted our plans to successfully integrate into the working waterfront and become an equitable and inclusive marine industry. To bring our coastal cannabis charters to life, we will also take into consideration the laws of the sea. Whisk & JANE must stay within 3 knots off the coast of New Bedford to not enter federal waters. We must hire a professional captain. We must have insurance. Our vessel must be able to sustain winds over 25 miles per hour and waves of over 1 foot—as we will go into the open harbor. For the safety of our guests, we will guarantee that our vessel is Coast Guard-compliant and refrains from being unreasonably top heavy (to prevent capsizing).
Healing Tree Edibles strives to use organic ingredients whenever possible. We make both THC and CBD edibles and all ingredients are non-GMO, with gluten-free and sugar-free items also available. Edibles with CBD available for your furry friends too!
How are you going to be working with cannabis on the boat? Will there be sponsors for concentrates/flower/edibles/etc? Or is it BYOC? The vessel will be BYOC. Down the road we hope to work with businesses directly and indirectly related to cannabis on sponsorships for our charter vessels.
What do you hope for in terms of the experience customers will have? Charters will run six days a week (closed Mondays) with the exception of major holidays. All charters will begin at Whisk & JANE’s proposed premier coastal concierge facility to be located at 161 Popes Island. –Dan McCarthy
healingtreeedibles.com sensimag.com MARCH 2019 13
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Of the other matters covered in Mayor Marty Walsh’s State of the City address a couple months back, it’s worth highlighting one of the more cheery bits regarding the city’s jazz scene. Because the news that JazzUrbane Café will be coming to Dudley Square in Roxbury is made all the more awesome when it’s being helmed by Berklee College of Music professor and local record label owner Bill Banfield. The café will eventually open in the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal building. As for the high hopes beyond the flowing freestyles and improvisational solos that will abound, Mayor Walsh, during his address to the city, said: “We’re working to create opportunity in every neighborhood and every community in Boston, and the JazzUrbane Café will serve as a place for families and friends to gather for community conversations, civic meetings, entertainment and so much more. I’m proud to have this new venue in the Bolling Building and continue creating spaces and opportunities for all.” The new venue will be a 7,800-square-foot first-floor space with a range of food options for lovers of jazz and the ways in which a vibrant, inner city, mixed-use jazz haven and gathering point can unify a community. Owner Banfield said in a press release, “JazzUrbane Café is designed to bring neighbors together and celebrate through the shared love of food, art, and community in a warm and inviting venue.” A musician and seasoned ear in the world of soul, funk, jazz, and R&B, Banfield sat in on a regular gig at Darryl’s Corner Bar, a South End standard of live jazz matched only by the lauded Wally’s Jazz Café. There are high hopes all around for this one. Keep an eye on developments as they surface. –DM
MERCHANDISE PHOTO COURTESY OF CANNABIS RADIO NETWORK
It’s Your Weed in a Box CRN Insider Program brings the green to your door for the sake of data (and weed). It would seem logical that being involved in any form of “certified tester program” related to cannabis and cannabis products would be a dream job for many who hold this happy little zine in their hands. Which is why we thought it prudent to make note of how Cannabis Radio Network (CRN) has launched one very such program as a way to build membership and leverage its relationships with cannabis stores, grow shops, and different generations of companies to create a new value proposition and discounts for its members. CRN has has almost 100 members as part of the basic membership with its CRN Insider Program, which costs $150 to join. Members get access to CRN events, medical doctors and paid-for cannabis medical cards, and lab-testing/relevant cannabis data from participating suppliers. “We have different dispensaries we’re working with as a certified tester program,” says Jake Ganem of CRN. “You get a quarter ounce delivered to you each month with testing done via ProVerde labs, and we have a questionnaire to provide to our dispensary partners to know exactly what is popular where, and what people in different areas want for cannabis and related products.” In addition to a referral program, CRN is in the process of looking for a place to open a private members club and lodge this summer. “This will all be part of membership—access to our lodge, bake and paint night, ski trips, live bands—all that you’d want in a private cannabis lounge.” Ganem says they’re eyeballing the North Shore at this point, but while the lounge is worked out the Insider Program is off to a good start. “We’re in the process of building our CRM right now to track everything, so people in the program can take advantage of the ability to pinpoint strains dispensaries should grow in given areas,” says Ganem. The referral program pays members $10 up front and $10 every month a membership via referral is active. –DM Visit CANNABISRADIONETWORK.COM for more information.
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 15
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{newsfeed } by DA N Mc C A R T H Y and J A M E S O N V I E N S
NEWS TO USE AND ABUSE As the new normal sets in nationwide, it’s good to keep an eye on fresh facts and findings emerging about cannabis.
In a press statement, Weekend Unlimited President and CEO Paul Chu celebrated the symbol as a win for the company and Canadian cannabis as a whole: “There has been tremendous excitement generated globally for the POT symbol,” the statement read. “The POT lottery served
STOCK HARD
Canadian cannabis company basks in green after securing the coveted POT stock symbol.
to raise the profile of Canada’s leadership in legal recreational cannabis and we believe it will also serve to raise Weekend Unlimited’s leadership profile.” The cannabis lifestyle and wellness company touches multiple facets of the market in Canada as well as the
Stocks for the Vancouver based cannabis company Weekend Unlimited soared as much as 65 percent in ear-
United States, involved in grow sites, retail locations, brand building, and event planning.
ly February, following the Canadian Securities Exchange’s
The company’s previous ticker “YOLO” may soon find a
announcement that the company had been awarded the
second life also in cannabis, as AdvisorShares Pure Can-
highly coveted “POT” stock ticker.
nabis ETD has filed to use the symbol with the US Securi-
Previously trading under the symbol YOLO (see what
ties and Exchange Commission on the NY Stock Exchange.
they did there?) the recreational cannabis lifestyle brand
It remains to be seen if all this will be later seen as the
was awarded the symbol over 40 competing companies
motivation for similar ticker pizzazz featuring a mad dash
in the country’s first-ever ticker lottery.
by American cannabis companies to secure cheeky stock
Formerly belonging to Saskatchewan-based fertilizer man-
symbols similar to those kinds of dashes for desirable
ufacturer Potash Corp., “POT” was abandoned after Potash
web domains. Let’s hope whoever locks up “DANK” lives
merged into a new entity, leaving behind the desirable symbol.
up to the name.
18 MARCH 2019 Boston
—Jameson Viens
ARGUING AMMO
Here’s some hard science out of Michigan to whet your whistle for your next firey weed debate.
users, it said, “reported a greater degree of use of medical cannabis and a greater degree of trust in medical cannabis compared to mainstream healthcare.” While we wait for the pro-cannabis world to stop its furious nodding, observe the abstract’s nut graf, as we hacks
The findings of a new study in the Journal of Psychoactive
call it: “In comparison to pharmaceutical drugs, medical
Drugs, a respected peer-reviewed medical journal on psy-
cannabis users rated cannabis better on effectiveness,
choactive drugs that’s been around since 1967 (good year to
side effects, safety, addictiveness, availability, and cost.”
have started diving into the matter), were published in Janu-
Need a little more? Fine. “Due to the medical use of can-
ary under the banner, “Medical Cannabis Users’ Comparisons
nabis, 42 percent stopped taking a pharmaceutical drug
between Medical Cannabis and Mainstream Medicine. “
and 38 percent used less of a pharmaceutical drug.”
“This project assesses attitudes towards and utilization
Well alright. And with findings gathered from almost
of medical cannabis and the mainstream healthcare sys-
400 surveys with participants ranging from 18 to 71 years
tem among medical cannabis users” where “the majority
(median age = 29)–and race/ethnicity never assessed for
(78 percent) reported using cannabis to help treat a medi-
impartiality—conducted at the University of Michigan, it’s
cal or health condition,” the article abstract states. Medical
the kind of thing that’s a lot more of a solid than the latest sensimag.com MARCH 2019 19
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“cannabis cures cancer and makes unicorns real!” social
“Participants considered cannabis superior to phar-
media headlines that abound while carried on the wings
maceuticals across all aspects assessed…However, the
of dubious sources, to be sure. That said, let’s let them
current Schedule I status of cannabis interferes with the
hammer out why this was even launched to begin with.
conduct of controlled trials.”
“The purpose of the current study was to investigate issues related to the use of cannabis to treat health and/ or medical conditions, the perceptions of cannabis in comparison to mainstream healthcare and pharmaceutical drugs, and the impact of medical cannabis use on the use of pharmaceutical drugs.” Good. Needed. Thus, below you’ll find a nice easyto-skim collection of some of the cherry bits out of the bawdy study for use in your next debate, stimulating conversation, or plum bumper sticker if you know someone who makes those things. “Against the advice of the American Medical Association, cannabis was criminalized in the US by the Marijuana
Participants considered cannabis superior to pharmaceuticals across all aspects assessed.
Tax Act of 1937.” “As of January 2018, over 21 percent of Americans lived where recreational cannabis is legal at the state level, about 77 percent lived where some form of medical cannabis is legal at the state level, and less than 2 percent of the population lived in states with full prohibition of cannabis.”
“In the current healthcare system, self-initiated reductions or discontinuations of prescribed medications are
“An evidence-based approach is needed to shape pol-
interpreted as non-compliance. Medical cannabis users
icies and practices regarding medical cannabis to reduce
are making these decisions based on the perceived supe-
harm and maximize benefits to individuals and society.
riority of attributes in comparison to traditional pharma-
The medicinal use of cannabis is rarely covered in medi-
ceutical drugs.”
cal or public health curricula or addressed in public health
“Systematic and comprehensive comparisons (e.g.,
policy. There is a large gap between science and de facto
double-blind trials) will be needed to generate policy and
practice in the medical use of cannabis. Given the state of
practice recommendations regarding the relationships
the science of medicinal cannabis, even basic information
between conventional treatments, including traditional
about users’ attitudes and behaviors would be helpful.”
pharmaceutical drugs, and medical cannabis.”
“The most common conditions participants reported
“Cannabinoids may have an advantage over opiates in
treating with cannabis were pain, back problems, anxiety
the absence of classic opioid side effects such as respira-
or panic attacks, and depression or bipolar disorder.”
tory depression.”
“Echoing the results of previous research…the current
“Given the growing use of cannabis for medical purpos-
study found that people are using cannabis to treat a wide
es and the widespread use for recreational purposes de-
range of self-reported ailments. Four of the five most com-
spite criminalization, the current public health framework
monly treated issues or conditions (pain, back problems,
focusing primarily on cannabis abstinence appears obso-
depression or bipolar disorder, headache, or migraines) are
lete. Those working in public health and medicine have an
not currently specified in Michigan’s qualifying conditions
obligation to reduce harm and maximize benefits to the
for medical cannabis, though the state regulation also in-
health of individuals and society, and thus serious con-
cludes a clause that may be interpreted as including other
sideration and scientific investigation of medical cannabis
health conditions where cannabis provides some benefit.”
are needed.”
—Dan McCarthy sensimag.com MARCH 2019 21
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{lifestyle } by DA N Mc C A R T H Y
A MOVEABLE FIT
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MANUAL OUTFITTERS
Bay State professional road warriors target premium market for Mass-made professional wear.
NOTHING SOLVED THIS NEED OF HAVING MENSWEAR THAT FUNCTIONS IN AND OUT OF THE OFFICE, AFTER WORK SOCIALIZING, OR WORK TRAVELING, SO WE DECIDED TO GO BUILD IT. Jeff Gushard
When brothers-in-law Mike Patrick and Jeff Gushard had the “aha” moment that eventually led to their creating and launching Manual Outfitters, their premium line of Massachusetts-made professional activewear, Gushard says he was in a tight spot, as it were. “I was in an open stall in an airport bathroom after one of those 80-hour workweeks, to change out of work clothes for another three-hour flight to home,” he says with a laugh, describing the familiar move of balancing on the tops of one’s shoes in order to not have the fresh sock you’ve just changed into after the long trip touch the bacterial pleasure cruise that is your basic airport men’s room tile floor. “An absurd moment,” Gushard says, “where I thought, why is it that I have to deal with these clothes that I rip off the first chance I get?’” Something of a combination of one’s fight of fashion over comfort crossed with two guys seeing an opening in the market—where performance menswear and athletic outerwear befitting an Olympic athlete going for glory meet— the problem for Gushard and Patrick wasn’t that area of the market didn’t exist. It was that for them, it simply sucked. “Mike and I realized it all felt similar,” Gushard says. “All polyester and not really
professional-looking
enough,
nobody in that category using natural fibers.” And that result of constantly
Jeff Gushard and Mike Patrick
feeling, looking, and smelling like you had been at the gym after a full day of 100 percent polyester led to their concepting of what would comprise Manual Outfitters. “Nothing solved this need of having menswear that functions in and out of the office, after work socializing, or work traveling,” he says. “So we decided to go build it.” sensimag.com MARCH 2019 25
Both men hailed from non-manufacturing backgrounds;
actly proud to tell the stories associated with life and work
Patrick comes from advertising and local firm Arnold Mul-
there. Manual Outfitters is the opposite of that and works to
lenLowe, and Gushard spent years in consulting and ad-
embolden the Bay State manufacturing scene along the way.
vising for Fortune 500 and clients at Bain & Co. Yet the
Manual Outfitters sources from a range of the most
two were driven by a simple, relatable impetus.
technical fabrics in the world. “For us, that’s a lot of Europe-
“The stuff we wear to work we wear more than any-
an mills, and all our production happens in Fall River, Mas-
thing else in the closet,” says Patrick of people regularly in
sachusetts,” says Gushard. “No one has used these kinds
the 12-to-15-hours-a-day office-uniform threads, “but
of fabrics for these designs before, so we sat down with
we expect the least of work clothes than our other outfits,
teams of experts to figure it out. Every garment we make is
even those for the gym a few hours a week, so we want-
a ground-up new learning process for us and our sewers.”
ed to create performance-orientated workwear that can handle that kind of use.”
“Look at craft beer,” says Patrick. “People in that market love knowing the ingredients, all the stories and the
Often there’s the tendency for this segment of the market
people involved with making the beer, which is what the
to work with substitutes–say using outerwear and active-
‘craft’ market is about—paying more attention to the in-
wear gear from Lululemon or Nike, re-employed for the of-
gredients, where they came from, and so on. That’s what
fice/travel–but both Patrick and Gushard say it was nothing
we feel is happening in apparel.”
to get excited about. Their line focuses first and foremost on the professional setting but is just as fitting for the rest. “We’re really trying to recalibrate that very consumer expectation,” adds Gushard.
Patrick says it’s been a novel experience explaining their vision to industry experts. Many were taken aback hearing the duo planned to be fully open and transparent—and even celebratory—of the mills and fabric partners being used to
After going to top tradeshows around the world, the two
create Manual Outfitters, and the fact they planned on doing
began to see a way to sell stuff at price points comparable
so was a crazy notion by classic industry standards. Patrick
to Brooks Brothers versus the super high-end Canadian
says that’s where they hope to stand out in the pack.
Goose or Arcterx materials, “clothes made and marked up before reaching the consumer,” says Patrick. Patrick says they want to celebrate the mills they are
“We were shocked at how shocked they were,” he says. “To us it was like, what are you hiding by not telling people all about your sources?”
working with because many of the mills producing performance or professional active wear mills in China aren’t ex26 MARCH 2019 Boston
Visit MANUALOUTFITTERS.COM for orders and more information.
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 27
28 MARCH 2019 Boston
A couple of music journalists and a record label owner team up for a landmark project about the birth of American reggae in the Hub.
by DA N Mc C A R T H Y
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 29
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@statingthereal Madelyn Kanter, Realtor
RIGHT
AROUND
THE
TIME
JIMMY
CARTER
WAS WORKING HIS WAY THROUGH HIS FIRST TERM AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, STRETCHING ACROSS MUCH OF RONALD REA-
something novel was happening in the Hub. GAN’S AMERICA,
It seems amazing to claim, but while the country was focusing on the birth of reggae as a palatable music form attractive to local ears, the era was being defined by the sounds coming out of Jamaica, New York, London, and the other cities where the classic roots rock reggae sound were being attached to. However, as chronicled in the fantastic new locally born project, Take Us Home: Boston Roots Reggae From
1979-1988, one of the first outposts of the birth of a true American reggae scene was one of the first regions in the continental US to not only “get” reggae, finding a massive cult audience at first by way of 1973’s midnight cult classic The Harder They Come, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff’s landmark B-movie Rasta godfather flick, Boston suddenly was getting attention as the new proving ground for any international reggae act looking to tap into the popularity of the music taking root in America. But beyond the crossover appeal—largely fueled by white affluent college students aiding in what could be called one of the first truly gentrified cultural kaleidoscopes—the emerging scene was emboldened by both the love and interest in the music and culture and the connecting force cannabis had on both the students and the immigrant West Indian/Caribbean/Jamaican culture suddenly rising in the Bay State. The Hub was also becoming a lush new landscape for DIY self-production of reggae acts and music, backed by a network of clubs, singers, and local and international musicians that came together to form the early, organic Boston roots scene. That scene, as compiled, researched, and contextualized in Take Us Home, is backed by deep historical knowledge, archival material, and the boon of rich tales after the team tracked down many of the original artists from the era. And it’s all been pulled together via local music journalists Noah Schafer and Uchenna Ikonne along with Jeff Swallom, founder and owner of Cultures of Soul records. We caught up with Swallom and Schafer to talk how the project assembled, the challenges, the glory of a life spent deep in the back of local vinyl stockpiles, and how cannabis and music improbably connected two vastly different cultures together in Greater Boston.
This is such a unique slice of mostly forgotten local cultural and music history. What was the seed kernel that brought the idea to life? JEFF SWALLOM (JS):
I’m always trying to find local releas-
es I’ve never seen before. Always when I’m in a shop, or down in Washington, DC, or Pittsburgh, PA, always trying to find local releases I had never come across. In Boston I’m always looking for hyper local things and kept noticing a lot of reggae records that were new to me. Then I noticed they all had Boston-based addresses on them, which piqued my interest. I had never known there was such a robust local scene here back then, producing their own original reggae albums and songs, and from that, looking at labels and jotting down names led to tracking down the artists, getting more information about the time and place and stories from people we were contacting that would send in old flyers from the shows they performed at or attended. It was a realization there was this strong community for reggae back then that most people don’t even remember. NOAH SCHAFFER (NS):
It was a great era for reggae every-
where, for sure, but I think to a large extent the Boston reggae scene was ignored because the other cities were pumping out so much stuff. So, a lot of the reggae bands that were emerging in the US and Europe were focusing on their regions. Boston had two in the area, which were cornerstones for this project: Zion Intention, and the I-Tones. Both were from here but wound up finding wide regional audiences across the US.
32 MARCH 2019 Boston
THIS EXCERPT IS PROVIDED BY CULTURES OF SOUL RECORDS
JS:
I knew Noah from other folks in the area obsessed
REGGAE HIT THE TOWN
with vintage R&B world and reggae music in the area.
In February 1973, Jamaican director Perry Henzell’s urban outlaw flick The Harder They Come opened at the Embassy Theater in New York City. It received decent, if a tad lukewarm notices, pulled in modest box office receipts, and quickly disappeared from screens. At Cambridge’s Orson Welles Cinema, on the other hand, the movie was a crowd-rousing hit. The student counterculture of Boston and Cambridge instantly took to the story of the country bumpkin Ivanhoe Martin (portrayed with verve by singer Jimmy Cliff), who—after arriving in Kingston with stars in his eyes—fails as a singer in the city’s nascent reggae scene, only for his record to become a hit after he gains infamy as a gun-wielding badman known as “Rhyging.” But what entranced the Boston audience even more was the movie’s soundtrack, packed with an intoxicating, prickly new sound that barely even had a solidly accepted name at that point. Writing in The Harvard Crimson, critic Lewis Clayton does his damnedest to explain this new music to its new audience: “Jimmy Cliff, a Jamaican rock singer, plays Ivan, the country boy who comes to the city determined to become a top singer of ‘reggae’ [what polite Jamaicans used to call ragamuffin music; it is a sort of synthesis of American rock and Jamaican native sounds].” Thanks largely to its unique musical architecture, The Harder They Come played for 26 consecutive weeks at the Orson Welles before departing, and then returned shortly thereafter, becoming a fixture at the cinema for another seven years. In that time, midnight sceenings of The Harder They Come became synonymous with the Boston-Cambridge student experience, and in a short time Boston acquired the reputation as the one city in the United States that really got reggae. That’s why when Island Records boss Chris Blackwell was launching his newly signed reggae supergroup, The Wailers, in the United States with a view to positioning the band’s frontman and chief songwriter Bob Marley as a new Bob Dylan-meets-Jimi Hendrix-style rock icon for the college set, there was little question about the very first U.S. city they had to play. The Wailers headlined at Cambridge’s Paul’s Mall for a five-night residency in July 1973, playing to enthusiastic crowds in the house and many more listening to the live broadcasts of the shows on WBCN radio. After their star-making showing in Boston, The Wailers moved on to their tour’s next stop in New York (where they were downgraded to opening act for Bruce Springsteen, a rising rocker being pushed by Columbia Records as yet another “new Dylan”). Wailers bass player Aston “Family Man” Barrett would recall the Paul’s Mall shows as among the best the band ever played, and the Boston crowd as the most hospitable. Bob Marley & the Wailers would return to Paul’s Mall in June 1975, this time doing a seven-night residency, playing two packed shows per night.
for this project, and teaming up with Uchenna [Ikonne],
[Local music historian Brian Coleman] suggested him we became kindred spirits.
Was it just a supreme love of the music that created such a novel crossover community, especially on the heels of a very turbulent racial powder keg era known for "violent racial polarization,"� as you' ve phrased it? JS:
That, and cannabis (laughs). It was the music that
brought people together, the authenticity of the culture that came through, even more so when vintage clothing stores and Rasta culture food was being embraced by these college kids seeking it out after The Harder They
Come became a big cult classic here. It brought both groups together, absolutely. NS:
Carly Simon’s brother, a DJ and writer, photographer,
and reggae expert, was a big part of that emerging scene back in the day. I interviewed him, and the first thing he talked about was the scene coming together that otherwise wouldn’t know each other. And the thing that sort of caused the melting pot really was the ganja. What else
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 33
34 MARCH 2019 Boston
1
would have moved those white college kids to open their minds to something so foreign? And where else could you find good weed but the reggae scene, which was very much the center of the cannabis scene by and large, back then? JS:
[The reggae scene] may have been something they
were curious about and wanted to be a part of culturally and musically, but it coalesced via cannabis.
The compilation title. Explain. NS:
Danny Tucker. He was a tough one to find. He had
been a major local presence for a decade, then moved back to the Caribbean so it took a little digging, but once we found him (and others), everyone involved got really excited to be a part of it, could see what we were after. JS: We
used his song “Take Us Home” as the compilation
name. This idea of a stranger coming to a foreign coun(Story continues on page 38)
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 35
36 MARCH 2019 Boston
THIS EXCERPT IS PROVIDED BY CULTURES OF SOUL RECORDS
ZION INITATION Ras Ipa Fenton arrived in Boston in 1971, a few months shy of his 21st birthday. Ipa had grown up on the tiny island of Montserrat, listening to and singing the country and western and calypso sounds popular across the Caribbean. The country’s most famous musical export was Ipa’s friend Arrow, the soca star who originated the perennial party starter “Hot Hot Hot.” As was the case for Danny Tucker, it was family ties that brought Ipa to Boston. “I didn’t have nothing that make me want to come here. I never had America on my mind,” he says. But my brother was here, and he sent for me. I come into Kennedy Airport, and I see all these jetliners and fast cars—I came from a little island where you ride your donkey!” In Boston, Ipa met and communed with several Rastafarians, leading him to redirect his music to the conscious message that would be Zion Initation’s trademark. While the band’s exact date of birth is somewhat lost to the haze of memory, it was certainly playing community events in the Dorchester/ Roxbury area in the late ‘70s and the Boston/Cambridge rock and reggae club circuit as early as 1980. Ipa was joined by Ras Jackson, who helped with vocals and songwriting. “At the time, a lot of the guys didn’t know their instrument,” says Ipa. “So I work with them and teach them, and I got a few musicians that had experience to come show them what to do. Danny didn’t know his guitar but said he used to play saxophone, so I said go get your saxophone, and he’s still playing it today.” Zion Initation’s often-mispronounced name (“EYE-ni-TAYshun”) was “not a name that you’re going to choose to market yourself with,” laughs Baki. “Initation means meditation. It begins with an ‘I’ because all of us call ourselves I, and we are all the same; we are all I. So they wanted to meditate on the fact we are all the same and all part of Zion. This was a band that had something very deep and very spiritual to say, and you could hear that in the music.”
Ipa’s longtime musical partner, Iraka Reid, may have been a nascent bassist when the band started, but he also ran the popular Iraka Hi-Fi Sound System. “Because he had one of the hottest sound systems, he knew all the music, so someone would say start the song here, and he could play it! He knew all the songs,” says Baki. “Danny played his saxophone. Ipa was always a great guitar player. He was a true rhythm player. When Horace [Reid] quit the I-Tones, he joined Zion, and Iphius [Stilcott], who was also a great drummer, moved over to running the sound. There were no hard feelings.” “[Zion Initation] were hot for many years,” says Kevin Aylmer, who promoted reggae events at The Channel and other Boston venues throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. “They didn’t undergo too many personnel changes, and they had a real rootsy feeling. Although not all Jamaicans, they had a certain authenticity to their sound. There was a roots Rastafarian philosophy behind their works.” sensimag.com MARCH 2019 37
playing a video the band made for it. They got the crossover air and video play and began playing every club and college eventually living full time off playing reggae in Boston from all of it.
How hard was it exhuming such essentially lost material, music, old flyers and promos for the DIY shows, as well as actual anecdotes and tales from those who lived it? NS: The
main thing was locating the artists themselves.
We did some research via the David Bieber Archives, and I got quite a few things from the Boston Globe archives. But Jeff is a collector and has been collecting these Boston reggae records for years. JS:
I’ve been obsessed with music since a kid, was in a
few bands, then a DJ, then a collector turned obsessive for turning up vintage local music. I stopped listening to new music after 2006. I had so much music that had never seen the light of day to take in. NS:
Jeff came up with his dream list of songs he want-
ed, so to actualize it in terms of the historical record, interviewing them, as well as compensating them for the licensing of their work, Jeff found the songs and had to find the artists for us to do our part.
It sounds like these guys are finally getting their due and proper. NS:
Yeah, this project compensates those artists that
made this great music and helped build the culture, who most of the time didn’t do so well the first time around. They were either recording on other labels—in that era putting your own record out wasn’t that easy—so the fact try so different from his home and using music to take
is that a lot of these bands and artists did emphasize a
us there really distills what this project is all about. So
real DIY aesthetic that was basically the same for us and
many of these artists are immigrants from Jamaica who
this project.
wanted to work for a better life for their kids, and here’s Danny Tucker, a hard-working guy doing surgical tech at Beth Israel back then while playing music, then retires from his job and goes back to Jamaica to just chill and continue to make music.
What help did the scene get from the arbiters of cool in their heyday? DJs, critics, anything? NS: Well,
when the I-Tones broke into Boston rock radio,
it was WBCN that did it. Charles Laquidara made them a song of the week, and then local channel V-66 started 38 MARCH 2019 Boston
Was there one group or artist you connected with that sort of opened the Pandora' s Box for you? NS: It depended. One of the guys, Errol Strength, was easy
to find because he’s still singing every week somewhere in Boston. He has this loyal audience who comes to see him. But he’s one of the few, as when the music scene would pay less and less, people got day jobs or left the area, but Errol is one of the few still at it. Just loves to sing and needs a mic and his band. JS: The key connector to finding the artists that were part
of the scene and the realization that something bigger was there was Abdul Baki, who played in Zion. The enthusiasm and excitement he had was infectious, the stories he had made it encouraging that this was a project with a real story behind it, not just disparate artists playing on their own into obscurity. Once we started finding people, it confirmed there was a real scene there. And there still is today to a degree. NS: There’s still a good scene here, most often at Bull Mc-
Cabe’s in Somerville, who has two to three bands on a weekly residency. Lots of session players, brings people together from the Camberville Caribbean community who probably wouldn’t hang out otherwise. The tradition of reggae in Boston being a rare melting pot very much continues in its way today.
"Who would have imagined that Boston-Cambridge, with its thousands of white middle-class college students, comparatively small (10 percent) black population and penchant for folklie music, would at this moment be the North American hotbed of reggae?" —James Issacs, Rolling Stone, November 8, 1973
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 39
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REVOLUTIONARY CLINICS
Matching Big-City Demand with Big-Plan Aspirations CANNABIS HISTORY IS BEING MADE WITHIN ONE OF THE MOST HISTORICAL BUILDINGS IN THE STATE, ONE STEP AT A TIME.
In a former shoe factory, one cannabis business has found its footing.
common exercise for Cooper, a Harvard Business School MBA and classic serial entrepreneur who
“We planted our first seeds just over a year ago, after
worked in six high-tech startups in the Boston area
a five-year medical license hunt in Massachusetts,” Keith
over the last thirty years as CEO—growing them, taking
Cooper, CEO of Revolutionary Clinics, says. “We built out
them public, or selling them. His last bit as CEO was
half of this beautiful 250,000-square-foot brick shoe fac-
for a company in the digital health space just over a
tory, the former Cole Haan Shoe Factory building in Fitch-
year ago. Soon after, he began looking for his next gig.
burg, for cultivation, processing, and edible production.”
A business plan presented by Revolutionary Clin-
Equipment in the building includes a CO2 and eth-
ics caught his eye. “I wasn’t a cannabis guy before 14
anol extraction program to create distillates and other
months ago when I joined the company,” he says. “But
concentrates and geo-thermal water-cooled LED lights
I saw the scale of industry, the beauty of the plant, and
for cultivation. Recent renovations created a grow space
the needs of thousands of MMJ patients across the Bay
of 75,900 square feet, six times larger than the original
State. I saw that Massachusetts, as a limited license
grow space. They have also installed a 2,000-square-
state, was going to move slowly. But it had a robust
foot state-of-the-art commercial kitchen set up specifi-
economy and demand. So I thought that would be a
cally to produce high-quality cannabis-infused edibles.
great place to do this type of business and provide a
Revolutionary Clinics produces 110 products and
valuable service to patients in need at the same time.”
also licenses four brands from different states, with
To evolve as a dispensary business, he says, it’s simply
distribution to Revolutionary Clinics’ retail stores as
a matter of taking care of your customers—giving them
well as other medical and retail stores in the area that
superior products at a fair price with great service. “If
offer medical cannabis home delivery service as well.
you can do those things, like any other business, you
Customers can buy flower; pre-roll; distillate and CO2 vape cartridges; concentrates; edibles, including THC capsules; lozenges and fruit chews; tinctures; topicals; infused peanut butter and hazelnut/chocolate spread; olive oil; and specialty formulations for sleep and focus.
are going to create some great customer relationships, which is most important to us as a company.” For more information, visit:
REVOLUTIONARYCLINICS.ORG
The company has two retail stores up and running, including its original medical dispensary in Somerville and a second in Cambridge, serviced by a dozen patient advocates. A third store that will be 6,500 square feet is opening soon in the Central Square area of Cambridge. “It will be the largest and hopefully one of the most successful stores in Massachusetts,” Cooper says. Revolutionary Clinics is seeking affiliates for other retail locations. Getting into a chancy but promising industry is a sensimag.com MARCH 2019 43
Verilife Wareham now selling recreational cannabis.
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112 Main St, Wareham, MA 02571 | 508.538.9070 Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment with medicinal cannabis. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding your cannabis use. The information and materials provided to you by Verilife should not be used as a substitute for the care and knowledge that your physician can provide to you. ©2018 Verilife. All rights reserved. Medical cannabis is available in Massachusetts, however, it remains illegal under Federal law.
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SIRA NATURALS
Hacking Through the Obstacles and Cutting to the Chase ONE OF THE FIRST LICENSES FOR RETAIL CULTIVATION IN MASSACHUSETTS TALKS ABOUT HIS LONG, BUMPY ROAD TO SUCCESS.
As all lawyers experience at some point in their ca-
Dundas was able to secure initial funding, and began
reers, Michael Dundas, CEO of Sira Naturals, had seen
designing and building a 30,000 square foot cultivation
his fair share of turbulent deals and troubled clients.
and logistics center in an industrial park cul-de-sac in
Then, when medical cannabis was legalized in Mas-
Milford in early 2015. Dundas opened three medical
sachusetts, he became one of those guys involved in
cannabis dispensaries: one each in Cambridge, Somer-
turbulent deal making. He became his own troubled
ville and Needham in March 2017, September 2017,
client when he decided to move back from the Bay
and February 2018 respectively. Sira Naturals will also
Area to his home state in 2012, worked hard to get
be wholesaling cannabis for the recreational market in
a medical cannabis license, got lucky and got one of
the state, and will be converting their Cambridge and
the original licenses from the state, then set about the
Somerville dispensaries to both medical and adult-use.
task of getting investors and raising funds.
Sira Naturals has 65 people working on the cultiva-
“In those early days of medical marijuana business
tion side, growing a wide variety of strains, and 65 oth-
development, you were required to be a non-profit or-
ers spread out in the three dispensaries. In addition to
ganization,” Dundas says. “So capital raising was difficult
flower, Sira Naturals offers cannabis infused products
for a federally unlawful activity. It became clear to me
like chocolate bars, caramels, tinctures, along with con-
that fundraising was going to be the next big hurdle.”
centrates like pens and cartridges, shatter, and wax.
It was an interesting fund-raising pitch process, he
Did Dundas ever think he would be in this business?
says, in 2013 and 2014. “There was still an enormous
“Well, when the opportunity presented itself, I had
amount of stigma and questions around cannabis, es-
frankly no idea about the challenges I would face,” he
pecially in the northeast,” Dundas says. “What made
says. “But it turned out that I was ideally constituted
it even more difficult for my funding search was that
for those types of challenges. And there are very few
the high net worth people I was pitching to were all
industries that present the kind of barriers and obsta-
very curious about the industry. But once I sat down
cles you get here. Then after you fight a few battles,
to the table and laid out the lay of the land—no equity,
and you really invest your heart and soul it’s hard to
non-profit, no collateral on the loan, and the federal
extricate yourself. In some ways it is like walking into
legalization limits—the answer was no in every case.”
quicksand. Once you are in, you are in. It has been ri-
He finally found someone, after 30 or 40 meetings, who decided to take a chance on him. “It had to be someone who really saw over the hill and saw the potential of what this industry could be,” he says. “And this individual did that.”
diculously difficult. But it has also been exhilarating. No two days are ever the same.” For more information, visit:
SIRANATURALS.ORG
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 45
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48 MARCH 2019 Boston
PRISM GALA
Where: Boston Center for the Arts When: January 25, 2019 More Events: #SensiMag
Whether you strolled in unaware that impromptu dance mobs would be banging out choreographed routines, or entered the Cyclorama
PHOTOS BY LOREN IPSUM
to see the local cannabis companies, craft beer, and live art flanking the glimmering gala, no matter what if you were at the inaugural PRISM light and dance forward art party, you left on lighter feet.
sensimag.com MARCH 2019 49
{HereWeGo } by S E N S I S TA F F
ARCHIPELAGO Leave Boston for paradise because polar vortexes (and other reasons). Given the recent polar vortex stealing your will to live, we thought it best to fill this final page with some snapshots of paradise. One of the 40 low-lying coral islands that make up the godly string of Aquaman archipelagos in the Turks and Caicos, our focus is on Providenciales (or “Provo”)–the heavenly island with one of the best beaches in the world (Grace Bay) and the softest sand you’re likely to find this side of Willy Wonka’s overlooked “powdered sugar beach.” Behold: A quick once-over for why to go, where to go when you get there, and exactly how much fresh conch caught and carved out of the sea one can consume before turning into a shell-based ocean life form themselves. (The answer doesn’t exist, by the way; the stuff has a litashrimp can be prepared.) Let’s begin: 1. Get There: You’d be surprised the deals on Kayak and other flash flight sites. Caveat: once you’re there, everything is expensive. Think $40 for a 12-pack of Dos Equis. 2. Find lodging: We stayed at the luxurious Villa Camilla (VILLA-CAMILLA.COM), a private rental that looks like it was designed at the height of the Miami Vice color palate craze (with a splendid dash of local Haitian art and rooms leading to the pool) with architectural touches of the Fibonacci Sequence kind, sleeps up to 13 people across two different houses sitting on 6 acres of lush, protected ecological reserve fauna. Bonus: 300 feet of private dune paths lead right to the number one-rated Grace Bay Beach and all the sunsets that suggests. See: Powdered sugar, sand. 3. Get out on the island: Maybe it’s a jaunt to Turks Kebab for one of the best gyro sandwiches ever or Bugaloo’s Conch Crawl (BUGALOOSTCI.COM) surrounded by stunning views of the aquamarine shimmering south coast, right on one of 50 MARCH 2019 Boston
the island’s original three settlements. Or maybe just scoot over to the local fisheries and pick up some fresh spiny-tail lobster for the grill before nude night swimming and Bluetooth beats (#casualhedonism). 4. Find a boat: We found JT, a local captain of the Southern Cross charter yacht (and AirBNB on the water), who gave us a blazing sunset cruise just before we left. Don’t sleep on the snorkeling, though. 5. Embrace the breezy luxe sheen of the island: You’ll often find yourself rum punch in hand beachside, upending glass after glass while shoulder to shoulder with a guy who looks like Tom Hanks just before being rescued in Castaway, only to find he’s a billionaire who’s been living the good island life for the last 20 years. And Keith Richards. He’s around too, if you can spot him amongst the other weathered, wildly content faces. 6. Remember to go home: There’s a good chance you won’t want to.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KERRI LYN WALSH AND EDWIN DIAZ
ny of uses befitting a Bubbaesque rattling off all the ways
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