Listen Up

Ghosts of Jupiter look back to see ahead on their new album

Victor D. Infante

Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

As a matter of policy, I try not to spend too much time comparing the bands I review to other, more famous musical acts. It’s usually a disingenuous enterprise to say So And So is the lovechild of Fiona Apple and Lou Reed, or something like that. At best it’s lazy and trite. Which brings us to “Keepers of the Newborn Green,” by Boston’s Ghosts of Jupiter, and the maddening fact that one does have to take a look back into musical history to get a grasp on this band: A little “Piper at the Gates of Dawn”-era Pink Floyd, a little Jethro Tull, but maybe less than you’d expect from a band that features a flute prominently. A little Beatles, maybe. Some Phish-style jam-band vibes, maybe some of Spyro Gyra’s better work. It’s not that Ghosts of Jupiter is aping any of these acts, no, but rather that the sounds of the past, of ‘60s psychedelia through contemporary jam-bands, haunt this album.

The band – which comprises Worcester-based musician Nate Wilson on vocals, keyboards, flute and guitar; Adam Terrell also on guitar; Thomas Arey on percussion; and Thomas Lada on bass; with appearances by Yahuba Garcia-Torres playing percussion on two tracks and Emma Watson on handclaps – leans into its roots, digs deep into them. This isn’t an album of about reinventing or even recapturing the past, it’s an album that tries to present what music’s past was always capable of, whether contemporary audiences believe that or not. That’s immediately apparent on the opening track, “The Undertaking,” with Wilson’s sweet, soothing vocals gliding over a fully-packed ‘60s folk-rock melody, flute winding in contrast to the singing. Things become more pointed with the hard, classic country guitar line of “Villains,” giving way to a flute-driven folk jangle, as Wilson sings, “And in the witching hour you’ll waken to find yourself downstream/Of all the poisoned war songs, imbeciles, peddlers and false schemes/ The villain on the TV leaves you longing for the silence that you used to know.” This is a modern lyric, referencing a modern phenomenon, and the stylings frame the picture, rather than obscure it.

“On Bended Tides” begins with a bracing hail of drums, and perhaps paradoxically, it feels like it’s the first song primarily moving in a forward direction, musically speaking, even as the lyrics denote a sense of drift: “Horizons without stars/In false directions I have wandered far/To cross an earth thrown on its side/a listless drift on bending tides.” The persona may be adrift, but the guitar solo kills, so there’s that. The album decelerates again with the smoldering, jazz-infused instrumental, “The Wandrian.” The end of the latter song becomes a bit of a stormy sea, before calming again to give way to the more straightforward folk number, “Northern Road.”

Throughout the album, there are oblique references to recent politics, which make the meaning of lines such as “On a northern road we passed a stadium/A chorus full of madness filled the air” rather self-evident, if you’ve been paying attention. That said, when “Sea of Madness” begins with a straight-up blast of prog-rock, blasting away even the pretense of stillness that the band’s gentle hand usually creates, it’s hard not to see that the album is aiming straight at the madding crowd: “Go on shout it out,” sings Wilson, “Though many voices still deny the obvious/Beyond any doubt/The Sea of Madness sends the tides that carry us/From the Light.”

The smooth, keyboard-driven instrumental “Battlekat” serves as a sort of caesura, more of a resting place within the album’s flow than anything, but “Imperium Waves” puts the listener back into the album’s emotional maelstrom, with a quickly shifting melody and lines such as “Warnings of the follies/of wasted time/and the old wars that never can be won” cutting a tad closer than one would expect, given recent headlines. It sets a dire mood, which is then upended by the fabulous flute meets funk of the instrumental, “Gustav.” Still, the album ends on an ominous note, with “No Direction,” which presents a sort of intertwined sense of defiance and hopelessness. It’s not a haunting ending, but it feels honest. It leaves the future a blank slate, which right now seems entirely appropriate.

Ghosts of Jupiter’s most recent album is “Keepers of the Newborn Green.” PROVIDED PHOTO

CONNELL SANDERS

There are plenty of ways to celebrate queer folx in Worcester for Pride

Sarah Connell Sanders

Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

“None of us are free until all of us are free and liberation does not come without the help of many hands,” declared the Queer Coalition of Greater Worcester, in preparation for 2021 Pride Week.

The Celebration kicked off on Wednesday with a Pride Flag raising at City Hall. This year’s pride week is more than just a series of parties and performances, although there will be plenty of opportunities for merriment.

“Celebrating Pride and the progress of our LGBTQ+ community includes recognizing the work of marginalized people, both in history and today,” said organizers. Worcester’s pride week will set itself apart in 2021 by centering the experiences of queer and trans people of color and other marginalized identities in our region.

Between pandemic isolation and the evocative periods of social unrest that unfolded over the last 18 months, we’ve all had some time for deep thought. I, for one, have attended my fair share of Pride events in the past without deeply considering my own allyship. Who can resist the call of foam, cascading from a Grafton Street rooftop on a balmy September evening? But, it’s not enough to simply attend Pride. As a white cisgender ally, I have a responsibility to acknowledge what queer folx know well: “The first pride was a riot.”

Strong allies should make an effort to offer financial support Pride online at the level they are comfortable with and uplift the most marginalized voices in the community. Start with Saturday’s block party on the Beer Garden’s main stage, downtown. Drag performers, dancers and speakers will continue the fight for equity, justice and equality from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Even the WooSox are getting on board, hosting a Drag Brunch at Polar Park from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday with proceeds benefiting the WooSox Foundation and its “pillar of social justice.” Pride organizers have also made a grand effort to ensure everyone feels included. Early on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., the Queer Coalition will lead a Queer and Sober Gratitude Meeting at Green Hill Park.

Come evening, just across town, another group of rising voices will be out in full force. Ladies Night Out Worcester kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 in The Higgins Armory’s Great Hall. More than 70 women-owned businesses will be represented, in addition to comedy performances by Cindy Gray and Zenobia Del Mar, there will be plenty of photo opportunities with Dale Lepage as Marilyn Monroe and Lady Sabrina as Wonder Woman. The local urban winery, Sail to Trail, will operate a bar, and “light bites” will also be available. Ladies Night Out is not part of the Pride Week festivities, I only include it here because I see it as another indication our community’s values are headed in the right direction.

Worcester has grown in population by 14% in the last decade, according to the most recent Census Bureau numbers, analyzed by MassInc. We become more diverse by the day, an attribute worthy of celebration. Let’s embrace this weekend as an opportunity to elevate the voices of those we have quieted in the past and carry that momentum into our future.

If you are out of town for Pride Week, you can stop by Redemption Rock Brewing anytime throughout the month of September and leave a tip. All taproom gratuities will go straight to Love Your Labels, a local nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ youth and families. Order a Yass, Honey! — the official beer of Worcester Pride. The brewery describes Yass, Honey! as a peach and honey Saison that pops with notes of peach, banana, lemon, clove and wildflower, coming in at a healthy abv of 6.3%.

Worcester’s Pride week will set itself apart in 2021 by centering the experiences of queer and trans people of color and other marginalized identities in our region. PIXABAY

Yass, Honey! (pictured) is the official beer of Worcester Pride. Redemption Rock Brewing will donate all taproom gratuities in September to Love Your Labels, a local non-profit that supports LGBTQ+ youth and families.

PROVIDED BY REDEMPTION ROCK BREWING