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Activism shows comedian Serenity Jones’ serious side
Comedian Serenity Jones is hosting a local radio show, starting a new comedy series, and helping to try and save The Bridge.
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Liz Fay
Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
Whether she’s advocating for Worcester’s youth at The Bridge Academy and Community Center, making you laugh out loud at One-Eyed Jacks, or campaigning for size matters on her comical talk show, “Stand Up and Stand Outs” at Unity Radio 97.9 FM, Serenity Jones is Worcester’s main squeeze, appreciated as both a sassy comic and passionate activist.
While comedy is a talent that comes naturally to her, it’s her role as a local advocate that sets her apart from the rest of the local comedy arena.
“I am not all talk about wanting to make a difference. I am about getting the job done and getting my hands dirty. I physically went into local homeless camps to hand out protective masks, sanitizer and food supplies into Worcester’s homeless tent cities. I’ve taken time to know these forgotten ones’ stories as to how they have ended up where they are. When I was made aware of The Bridge having their space possibly be taken away I was quick to jump into action. I reached out to fellow performers and asked them to step up as well”.
Originally from Marlboro, Jones’ appreciation for Worcester — including its diversities and inequalities — is what motivates her to keep fighting for the city’s underdogs all while making Worcester residents belly laugh as often as she can.
“Growing up in Worcester is a lot different from the suburbs where I grew up. These kids need safe places to go. We all don’t come from the same background and The Bridge can be some of these kids’ main support system. I know what it is like to struggle. I know what it is to choose to buy groceries or pay bills, which is why I run a monthly benefit show for Feed a Neighbor along with Steve Dembro of Stevie’s Eatery in Hudson. As of now, we have raised just under $2,000 and have been able to supply 370 meals to families in need.”
Billed as “Thick Chick Comedy,” Jones’ “Stand Ups and Stand Outs” has gained in popularity over the last six months since showcasing guest appearances by comedy headliner Jimmy Cash, nationwide act Mike Marino, and Boston’s own Dave Russo.
Jones’ success has carried her to her latest role as host for the exotic “Get Laid Luau” event on April 29 at One Eyed Jacks. Jones describes the event as a “Warm, beach-ready, anythinggoes comedy show extravaganza.” Worcester’s first Get Laid Luau will feature comedians Jamie Lee Simmons, Eoghan Gallivan, Liz Moniz and Casey Crawford as headliner, with DJ Coley Cole behind the sound desk. Doors open at 7 p.m. with a$10 cover.
Dark Desert Eagles, performing last year at Drive-In Live. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC HEMPLE
Northlands debuts May 14 with music and ‘pods’
Richard Duckett Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
After what Mike Chadinha, director of operations, said was a successful first outdoors summer season of concerts at the Cheshire Fairgrounds in Swanzey, N.H., last year, Drive-In Live is back — as Northlands.
The location is the same but the name has changed, as well as the seating arrangements.
The new season gets underway May 14 as Northlands debuts with the Vermont-based rock/jam band Twiddle. Shows will run to September.
Other upcoming artists include the acoustic duo Smith & Myers (May 15); Pink Talking Fish, a tribute fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish (May 21); rock band Dinosuar Jr. (May 22); Indigo Girls (June 12), Allman Betts Band (June 18); Get the Led Out (July 31) ;and country singer Lee Brice (Aug. 29).
“We’re adding shows every week,” Chadinha said.
Drive-In Live drew people from the Worcester area, and Chadinha is expecting the same for Northlands. The distance from Worcester to Swanzey is about 47 miles.
Instead of sitting in parking spots for vehicles to watch shows as they did for Drive-In Live, all attendees at Northlands will be in in their own “pods.” Each ticket purchase will be for a 10’ x 10’ pod for up to five people. A sixth person may be added for an additional fee. All pods are spaced at least six feet apart to meet CDC guidelines. Attendees will park in adjacent lots and then walk to one of two audience entrances.
Produced by M.E. Productions, Drive-In Live and now Northlands are concepts “totally birthed out of COVID,” Chadinha said.
M.E. Productions has been presenting national level concerts for two decades at various New England venues.
With COVID-19 last year, “Our whole industry shut down,” Chadinha said. “This type of thing came about because of the pandemic. We’ve got bands back playing, crews working, so we’re happy to do it this year too.”
Seth McNally, executive director of Northlands, said, “Drive-In Live was born out of the need to keep the music going in New England during the pandemic. Last year was about getting through it, and putting unemployed folks back to work. We’re here; we’ve grown up; and we’re here to stay.”
More bands are likely to be touring this summer as other outdoor summer venues are starting to re-open, including Indian Ranch in Webster.
Getting ready for the Northlands season, things were “going well,” Chadinha said during a recent telephone interview from the site.
Drive-In Live debuted last year in
Northlands
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July. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded shutting down most live music venues indoors and outdoors, one response to the situation was drive-ins for concerts, which first started popping up in Europe. When New Hampshire allowed its drive-ins to open, M.E. Productions looked at several sites including the Cheshire Fairgrounds and talked with the town of Swanzey.
Drive-In Live opened July 12 with Echoes of Floyd, a Pink Floyd tribute, and ran through Oct. 10. Other shows included Guster, Badfish, Blue Oyster Cult, and Allman Betts Band.
The bands were live on stage with screens to the right and left of the stage for extra viewing. Cars had 10 feet of space between them and were parked in a staggered fashion for unobstructed sight lines. People were able to bring lawn chairs and sit in the empty spot to the left of their vehicle. There were no concession stands “to alleviate any over-mingling.” There were restrooms and hand washing stations. People didn’t have to wear face masks in their designated space but if they left the space they had to put masks on. Food and beverages were permitted but no alcohol was allowed.
“It was quite a crazy experience,” Chadinha said. “People were happy we were able to bring them some entertainment and keep people safe. It was a wild ride but it was great. Just the fact that we pulled it off. Every artist was ‘What is this going to be?’ ‘How is this gonna go?’ They were happy. It’s a little different when you’re playing to a parking lot full of cars. It was just an interesting idea that worked out. By the end of last year we knew we really wanted to do it again, but we were learning every day.”
Chadinha knows what it’s like from the musician’s side of things. He was a touring drummer with Roots of Creation and had stints with Badfish. He has recorded with Stephen Marley, Melvin Seals, Marlon Asher and G Love, and worked with Bob Marley producer Errol Brown.
For 2021, “We weren’t exactly sure how we were gonna do it,” Chadinha said of returning to the Cheshire Fairgrounds.
But the idea was “just getting people closer to a traditional concert experience.”
One of our biggest goals in 2021 “is about scaling our production up,” Chadinha said. “Bigger stage, bigger video screens, improved sound system and lighting … The ‘pods’ system has allowed us to increase our capacity, which means we’ll not only be able to present bigger national artists, but also be able to provide more job opportunities for people in the local area. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the sup-
Badfish, performing at Drive-In Live. ERIC HEMPHILL PHOTOGRAPHY
Northlands
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port of our community, so we’re more than happy to give back by adding more jobs and welcoming local vendors.”
A beer garden is being planned for 2021, as well as inviting local food trucks to serve a mix of handmade local food and snacks. People can be mask-free within their pods, but will have to wear masks when they step outside.
A significant consideration for the producers is that the new pods system “raises our capacity,” Chadinha said.
There will be 590 pods, which if full with six people would mean a total maximum attendance for a concert of 3,450 people.
Chadinha expects that “a typical concert well sold show” would draw 2,500 people.
Last year Drive-In Live could accommodate 450 cars with a typical attendance of about 1,800, he said.
Ticket prices vary depending on the show. For Twiddle the range is $119 to $250. Indigo Girls tickets are $149 to $299. Those prices are per pod, not per person.
All shows will start at 6:30 p.m. Most concerts will be on Fridays and Saturdays, but to accommodate the tours of some artists, there may also be some Thursday or Sunday concerts “here and there,” Chadinha said.
The artists being booked for the season range from rock to acoustic, tribute bands to country, and more.
“That’s the goal, be as diverse as possible. If we can find something a little bit that everyone will like, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Chadinha said.
Northlands has built it, now we’ll see if people will come.
“We tend to draw heavily from Central and Western Massachusetts, as well as Vermont and New Hampshire,” Chadinha said.
As more people get vaccinated, Chadinha said he thinks more people will feel comfortable about being at a concert in-person.
However, “We’re planning on keeping the pod this season. A lot of people want to ease back in.”
But the pods system could be here to stay, with Northlands an annual summer concert series.
The idea of going to a show where Chadinha and his friends could have their own 10’ x10’ pod is something he said he would have gone for before the pandemic.
“So there’s a lot to like about it with or without the pandemic,” he said.
“We hope to continue this in some fashion in the foreseeable future. We think it’s good for the area,” Chadinha said “We’re hoping to turn it into a seasonal thing.”
More information, tickets, and guidelines can be found online at www.northlandslive.com.
Smith & Myers will be returning to Northlands, formerly known as Drive-In Live. ERIC HEMPHILL PHOTOGRAPHY
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Worcester County Poetry Association, the longest running poetry nonprofit in the country, announced it would take a three-month hiatus. GETTY IMAGES
WCPA takes break after incident
Veer Mudambi
Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
On Monday April 19, the Worcester County Poetry Association, the longest running poetry nonprofit in the country, announced it would take a three-month hiatus from all programs and activities. The decision was in response to an “ill-considered, offensive and disrespectful public engagement by a member of our board” on April 16. The break is meant to be a time to develop a “diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan” with the help of a third-party consultant.
Nonprofit organizations are not considered the most responsive of entities. So only three days between an incident and drastic response is news in itself. So why such a mea culpa? The statement is referring to a social media interaction between the VP of Programming for the WCPA and local poet (and former WCPA president) Rush Frazier. Citing lack of funding, the board member said WCPA could only offer a $25 honorarium to their poetry readers.
“Calling that appropriate for any poet over the age of 10 is insulting,” said Frazier, who took pains to clarify that this issue is not about inadequate compensation. “It is less a personal slight and more a response to a long track record of racist behaviors,” Frazier said, recalling their own time on the board. Frazier, who identifies as nonbinary, said that their work was being undervalued and declined the invitation to read.
Though the board member accepted Frazier’s answer, the board member then asked if Frazier knew any non-white, non cis, non hetero poets to send his way, since WCPA wants to raise the profile of BIPOC poets. In a now deleted comment, he stated that he didn’t understand Frazier’s “outrage at the amount,” going on to say that there is no money in poetry and he himself had done most readings for free and been “happy to do it.”
Representatives from the WCPA did not immediately return requests for comment.
Commodifying minorities for the purposes of appearing diverse, then paying a pittance and telling them to be happy to get even that much is not a good look for any organization. Let’s start with a simple truth — tokenism does not equal diversity. Frazier was told the board member was asked to step down from his position at the board’s request and members of the board reached out to apologize on behalf of the WCPA.
The general refrain, said Frazier, “was ‘he didn’t know who you are,’ which is just the point. If he is going to treat me like this, it stands to reason he sees other artists of color similarly.” As far as workshops for members, Frazier says, “I think that’s great, and I hope the people who need it most will show up, or will it just be more of the same but now with a certificate of completion of a DEI course? I really hope that is not the case and I wish those folks luck.”
The interesting thing is, the WCPA board recently approved several hundred dollars for the creation of a chapbook (small book of poems) on baseball — in honor of the new Polar Park stadium as a way to get some poetry out there. On its own, this is just fine — but when they’re simultaneously citing lack of funding, it raises some questions.
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Jones
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“This is such a fun lively venue, you feel like you’re on an island the minute you walk through the door. This is something I’ve been working on for the last month, and I’m especially excited to host after Dave’s (Thacker) business reopening since COVID.”
Jones says that for her, comedy is more than just a hobby, it’s a therapeutic form of self expression that quenches her thirst for thrill.
“Comedy is therapy, it allows me to express myself and say the things I can’t normally. There are thoughts that people have but just don’t have the balls to spit out. It’s a way to say what people think but aren’t comfortable enough to speak. I love the thrill before performing. I get a little rush of butterflies and adrenaline. The start of every show feels like when you’re about to get on a roller-
Comedian Serenity Jones is hosting a local radio show, starting a new comedy series, and helping to try and save
The Bridge. ASHLEY GREEN/ TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
coaster,” Jones says.
“The city shows me love, and I want to love it back.”
You can catch Jones on Unity Radio at 3 p.m. Fridays and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @thickchickcomedy.
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