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Next Draft
Central Mass. breweries again celebrating Oktoberfest in-person
Matthew Tota Guest Columnist
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Perhaps too hopeful for these times, Shawn Rich booked a plane ticket to Germany months ago for this year’s Oktoberfest, lost in daydreams about what would be his 18th time attending the legendary folk festival.
Rich, co-founder of Bay State Brewing Co. in Worcester, would emerge from the gloom of 2020, arriving in Munich this weekend ready for the rowdy, but jovial crowds fueled by stein after stein of world-class lager.
“The whole atmosphere is wild, but in a way that involves young and old,” Rich said of Oktoberfest in Munich, held in the roughly 100 acres of open space near the city center known as “Theresienwiese.” “You get the whole European experience, the communal atmosphere. Everything that isn’t life in COVID.”
But in May, Bavarian Prime Minster Markus Söder and Munich's Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter announced Oktoberfest, scheduled to start this Saturday, had been canceled for a second straight year because of COVID-19.
Although disappointed, Rich will still celebrate the 187-yearold festival — first held in 1810 to recognize the marriage of Bavaria’s crown prince — albeit in Worcester’s Canal District.
After last year saw most if not all brewers alter or nix their regular Oktoberfest plans, Bay State is among a handful of breweries looking forward to celebrating the festival this fall with larger in-person events.
There’s not a beer festival I look forward to more than Oktoberfest, which is saying something because I’ve never been to Munich. It’s not an exaggeration to describe celebrating once again after a year off as a life-affirming experience. I will no doubt need a chaperone to monitor my imbibing and keep me from shoveling down an ungodly amount of golden-hued Märzen and plump bratwurst.
Much like the historic Oktoberfest in Germany, Bay State’s festival will run for two weeks starting 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at the brewery, 112 Harding St., and closing the first weekend of October.
Munich’s mayor traditionally begins the proceedings by tapping the first barrel of Oktoberfest. Bay State has invited Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty to tap its first keg of its fest lager, “BeckToberfest.” Petty tapped last year’s keg, too, at a smaller, socially-distanced kick-off.
Bay State’s taproom will have an Oktoberfest menu available —including beef goulash and chicken schnitzel — for the length of its festival. And each weekend the brewery has games planned, such as a stein housing competition, a classic Bavarian strength challenge. Most importantly, you’ll have the chance to buy “das boot,” a glass in the shape of a boot that can hold a liter of beer.
“Anyone who comes in dressed in Oktoberfest garb will get a free appetizer,” Rich noted.
For more than a decade, The Gardner Ale House, 74 Park St., Gardner, has been quenching its city’s thirst for German lagers. The restaurant’s brewery, Moon Hill Brewing Co., also hosts one of the region’s largest Oktoberfest gatherings. The party in the streets returns Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in front of the ale house, where you’re likely to see more than one person dressed in lederhosen.
Marlborough is another city that loves its Oktoberfest celebrations. For more than 20 years, an Oktoberfest was always the highlight of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual Heritage Festival. In recent years, the city’s three breweries — Tackle Box Brewing Co., Flying Dreams Brewing Co. and Lost Shoe Brewing and Roasting Co. — have taken up the mantle, hosting a combined Oktoberfest.
The Marlborough Brewers Association Oktoberfest will run from noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 25, outside Flying Dreams, 277 Main St. There is a $10 entry fee, which also buys you a commemorative half-liter stein.
By far my favorite Oktoberfest in the state takes place on Clinton Street in Framingham, inside the Jack’s Abby beer hall. I deeply missed last year’s edition, but am overjoyed to see it return Oct. 1 through Oct. 3 at the brewery, 100 Clinton St.
The festivities begin at 5 p.m. that Friday with the tapping of a special gravity cask of Copper Legend. On Saturday, the brewery will host a keg toss competition starting at 4 p.m., then tap a gravity cask of its Munich Fest lager. The final day starts at 2 p.m. Sunday with another gravity cask of Copper Legend.
Throughout the weekend, Jack’s Abby will be alive with German music and food.
Check social media for more information on the upcoming Oktoberfest celebrations planned at Bay State Brewing Co., The Gardner Ale House, Flying Dreams and Jack’s Abby.
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Mayor Joseph Petty taps the first keg at Bay State Brewing's Oktoberfest Sept. 16, 2020. He'll return again to do the honors for this year's expanded festival. ASHLEY GREEN/T&G
Blue Light Bandits offer groove with light touch on in ‘Honestly ’
Victor D. Infante
Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
There's a sort of effortlessness to “Honestly Glad it Happened,” the recent album from Worcester-born groove rock band, Blue Light Bandits. Even in its more serious-minded moments, the album has a remarkably light touch, grabbing the listener and gently guiding them from one song to the next, each transition seeming natural, almost inevitable.
The band – which currently comprises founding member Dan DeCristofaro on keys and vocals and Ethan Bates on bass and vocals, along with drummer Simon Adamsson and guitarist-vocalist Jay Faires –knows the vibe it wants to create, and knows how to evoke it: through gently lulling guitar lines; beautiful, three-part harmonies; and a percussion that can at times fall as softly as rain. There are moments where the band lets loose, certainly, but it's in its moments of restraint that it finds its power.
The album begins with the the infectiously vivacious “Hot Wax,” featuring Boston rapper Oompa. It's really hard not to get caught up in the groove, from the band's opening lyrics, “This just might be shaping up how we like, we’re heating up in the light and we’re moving,” which frames a rap by Oompa, where amid numerous fun rhymes – “I’m cute and, she cute and, we T'd up, we booming/Hot wax, on wax, Miyagi, we students, no worries here it’s lava, lil mama we can cool it” – she also takes a moment to introduce the band, one by one, giving each a moment to solo, as though we were near the end of a live show. It's unorthodox, but it lets each musician strut their stuff, and honestly, they're all such good players that the instrumentation is the album's biggest draw.
Things smooth out a bit as the band lulls into the light blues of “Every Day is a Holiday,” which was copenned by former band member and “Voice” finalist Ricky Duran. The song rolls with a sort of breeziness, lyrics such as “You know me, every day is a holiday, baby,” rolling into an arresting keyboard line and guitar solo. There's a slight tone change with the smoky, romantic “Without You,” also co-written by Duran, which has a sort of early '70s AM dial feel, especially in the bite of emotion on the chorus, the way the declaration, “I'm fine without you” feels a bit like denial. Indeed, the transition from that song to “Sweet & Easy,” and its opening lines of “Why’d it take me so long to write you a love song,” it feels, in the wake of what's come before, like a confession.
“I just had to let you know,” they sing, “That loving you is easy, and I been known to make it complicated, overthought, underappreciated.” It's a spare-seeming song, but it all fits together so tightly that it's impossible to find any flaw in its construction. These are, in a lot of ways, extraordinatally lean songs, ones which leave the band nowhere to hide. The listener flows casually from “Sweet & Easy” to the soulful “After Rain,” and really, there's not a place on the album where the tonal shift is abrupt enough to shake the listener out of reverie until one gets to “Cold Wayne,” a spare take on a dangerous-seeming character, in the tradition of Jim Croce's “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.” It's a slower-paced funk song, each part delivered with skill and feeling, and as enjoyable as it is, it's clear the persona has moved on to a different place here: “Cold cold Wayne,” they sing, “his wrist is made of diamonds, feathertop you better not ask him what the time is.” One imagines the character is badder than old King Kong, and meaner than a junkyard dog.
The song transitions the listener into a weightier section of the album, one marked by a heavier tone, especially with “Tell Me Where to Go,” which mulls on the idea of trying to fulfill dreams while time is passing you by. “They spoke of a time,” they sing, “time that I’d need, to learn and to grow into what I could be/Well I’ve learned and I’ve waited so patiently, now time is aging me.” It's delivered casually, but the listener can still feel the gut punch. Here, the band puts the focus on the heaviness of the past, the weight of “Tell Me Where to Go” fueling the nostalgia-laden, pop-friendly “How We Used to Love,” another one co-penned by Duran. That weight gives the soaring quality to the song's chorus some emotional depth.
“Would it be too much if I called you up, would you meet me at the place where we found each other,” they sing, “One more night, maybe we can work it out, can’t stop thinking 'bout how we used to love.” There's a particular bit of funk to the bassline between verses that counterpoints the song's poppier elements, a little bit of grit that subtly grounds the song. It's a nice song, and the sort of quiet musical detail that makes this album so compelling.
The album winds down with the penultimate song, the regret-filled “Punk Rock Dreams,” about someone who tries and fails to lose themselves in a the whirlwind of a wild musical. “How were you ever going to know that going back up wasn’t gonna bring you back somewhere,” they sing. “When did you lose control, turning your punk rock dreams into nightmares?” The song takes a heavier tone than most of the album, bass thumping, guitars squealing and percussion suggesting a touch of reggae with a syncopated rhythm. Still, it definitely feels like the persona looking back at wilder times, not someone trying to relive them, and that feels like a much more honest tack.
Duran himself actually joins the band on the final track, “She's Not the One,” a compelling drift of a song about loneliness. “She's not the one but she's somebody,” they sing, and there's something indelibly sad and empty about the affair. Like most of the album, it's beautifully crafted, and it simmers at the edge, but at the album's end, it brings a sort of melancholy that makes one listen to what's come before differently, returning to the beginning to find pockets of sadness in the more joyous and boisterous songs, and look: They were there all along, something indelibly human and vulnerable pulsing underneath the joyous melody.
Blue Light Bandits' newest album is “Honestly Glad it Happened.” PROMOTIONAL PHOTO
CONNELL SANDERS
Fall trend spotting at Brimfield Flea Market
Sarah Connell Sanders
Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
America’s oldest outdoor antique flea market wrapped up another run in Brimfield on Sunday, and let me tell you, the people-watching was out of sight. I didn’t encounter any celebrities, although I wouldn’t be surprised to read an Architectural Digest listicle in the near feature detailing who made the trip. Past attendees have included greats like comedian Ali Wentworth and even the elusive Olsen twins. Dylan Lauren — you know, daughter of Ralph — is also a frequent flyer. The eclectic mix of elite New Yorkers, flea market flippers, and small town locals is what makes Brimfield Flea Market prime for trendspotting.
Here are a few of the most memorable fall looks I witnessed while walking around the fields. My recommendations are just observations; you should wear what you love with confidence regardless of seasonal trends.
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Slim bootcut jeans were everywhere at Brimfield, including Bloom and Barter Vintage where proprietor Emily Briggs wore the perfect pair while working her tent in Central Park Field.
SARAH CONNELL SANDERS
Cowgirl Boots
I can remember meeting my college roommate for the first time in August of 2005. She pulled off a pair of sleek western boots all semester long, pairing them with everything from a leopard print dress to vintage track shorts. I borrowed them frequently, but never quite found her finesse. Flash forward to this summer’s Newport Folk Festival, where one of my favorite women about Worcester, Krysta Kowal, rocked a white pair of cowgirl boots all weekend long. She got compliments at every stage and I knew I had to have a pair of my own. Oughts accessories are back in a big way. At Brimfield, I got my wish. Christy Solomon made the trek from Georgia to hawk her vintage “Bootitude” boots and I could not resist. Follow her on Instagram at @bootitude_. Sleek, structured boots are in for fall and overthe-knee slouchy boots are sitting this round out.
Vests with a Vintage Tee
Sweater vests. Tailored vests. Quilted vests. Hack off your sleeves and be free. Vests are the perfect transitional piece for fall because you can layer them based on the weather. Vests are also a cute way to dress up old graphic tees, which come with the Brimfield territory. I was especially fond of Camille Kennedy repping an “Eat, Sleep, Worcester, Repeat” shirt at deadhorse hill’s taco truck.
'90s Bootcut Jeans
Slim bootcut jeans were everywhere at Brimfield, including Bloom and Barter Vintage where proprietor Emily Briggs wore the perfect pair while working her tent in Central Park Field. Briggs is a fixture of Worcester’s secondhand scene, participating in sidewalk sales and vintage markets throughout the year. Follow her on Instagram at @bloomandbarter.
Prairie Dresses Paired with Platform Sneakers
I went to a hot new restaurant in Williamsburg two weeks ago called Aldama. Looking around at the chic twenty-somethings shoveling plates of house-made tortillas late into the night, I noticed the women all had one thing in common. They wore floral prairie-style dresses with carefree messy buns, and pristine white sneakers. This look was prevalent at Brimfield as well, despite the occasional mud puddle.
Shaggy Locks
I cannot express the joy I felt to see Worcester native Jessica Gillin featured in the pages of last week’s New York Times. Gillin was a senior on the Doherty cross country team while I was a freshman. Aside from admiring her effortless fashion sense, I looked up to her as a mentor. Gillin is credited with popularizing the shaggy mullet and curtain bangs that I saw everywhere at Brimfield. According to the article, she and salon owner Jenna Perry tend to a long list of celebrity clients, including: Jennifer Lawrence, Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, Dua Lipa and Millie Bobby Brown. Follow Gillin on Instagram at @jessica_gillin.
Bloomers
When Worcester’s seminal stylist AJ “Sweet Jane” Setaro informed me she had begun wearing bloomers this summer, I thought she was out of her mind. Not only did she make them look like high fashion, but I began seeing them all over my social media feed from fashion’s top influencers. Dainty ruffles were on full display at Brimfield, proving once again that Setaro is a brilliant trend forecaster with super psychic powers. Follow her shop on Instagram at @shopsweetjanes.
Dark Academia
By far, the most surprising aesthetic I saw at Brimfield was the number of dark academians wandering the main drag. What is dark academia? Think Hermione Granger meets goth girl. Doc Martens, chunky chains, grommets and spiky belts added some flavor to this year’s market.
Did I miss any of your fall favorites? Let’s chat. DM me on Instagram at @sarah_connell.
