Worcester Magazine - December 31, 2020 - January 6, 2021

DEC. 31, 2020 - JAN. 6, 2021 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES

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A mask-wearing, social distancing, contact-free year in Worcester pop culture in review done from home and available for curbside pickup

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D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

D E C E M B E R 31, 2020 - J A N U A RY 6, 2021 • V O L U M E 46 I S S U E 18 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

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D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

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2020 A mask-wearing, social distancing, contact-free year in Worcester pop culture in review done from home and available for curbside pickup

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FEATURED

Carlos Odria Trio in ‘A New Year’s Eve Special’ online from Mechanics Hall RICHARD DUCKET T

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D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

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lthough, Lima, Peru, is on the Pacific coast, guitarist and composer Carlos Odria said he is not aware of being “close to the practice of fishing” while growing up there.

Walking the beaches of New England and seeing the sea was another matter, however, and something came together, perhaps a memory, that inspired his new composition “Fisherman.”

The number will have its world premiere when the Carlos Odria Trio is featured in a live streamed recorded concert “A New Year’s Eve Special” presented by Mechanics Hall on YouTube and Facebook at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31.

The concert, which will continue to be available on the Mechanics Hall YouTube Channel after Dec. 31, is part of the new Mechanics Hall Concerts Plus series.

It’s a long way from Lima, not only to the beaches of New England but also to Worcester, but Odria — musician and ethnomusicologist — has been enjoying casting a net here with his music over the past four years.

People have been reeled in with Odria’s expressive guitar playing and what we could call Latin American/jazz compositions with his trio (and solo, as a duo, and with a quartet) that are often basked in sunlight, are sometimes sultry, but not immune to occasional soulful shadows.

Although the pandemic has cast its pall this year, Odria ended up being busy in December.

There was a solo concert earlier in the month at the Renaissance Court of the Worcester Art Museum, a jazz jam for radio station WICN, and the Mechanics Hall performance, which was recorded there Dec. 11.

Besides Odria, the trio for that concert was bassist Tom Lubelczyk and drummer

From left, Kathleen Gagne, executive director at Mechanics Hall, and musicians Carlos Odria, Tom Spears and Tom Lubelczyk of the Carlos Odria Trio.

SUBMIT TED PHOTO

Thomas Spear.

“Actually, December has been pretty crazy so far but all positive things,” Odria said during a recent interview.

For the Mechanics H4all performance Odria also did a pre-concert interview with the hall’s executive director, Kathleen M. Gagne, that will air as part of the broadcast.

Odria has performed at

Mechanics Hall before as part of the Brown Bag series, but those were different days with a live audience present.

Without one, “It was strange.

It was the second time with my trio. The first time we got a good response. This time it was empty,” he said.

“It was strange because as a musician, especially with live music, you expect to have some

feedback from the audience and the feedback influences your play in a positive way. But it was a good test as a musician to keep a momentum and hopefully communicate something positive to people when they watch the concert on New Year’s Eve.” The concert features all original compositions by Odria.

Some like “Orange Dreams” have become popular at shows, while

“Fisherman” is brand new.

Odria has been described as a “breathtakingly talented musician … with an immense technical skill” and as a “guitar wizard.”

As for “Latin American/Jazz,” his original compositions and arrangements of jazz standards and Latin American tunes have been said to “deliver an exciting blend of international styles C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 7

FEATURED

WPI uses the ‘language of sound’ to diagnose COVID-19 VEER MUDAMBI

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Professor Zhang at work in his lab.

WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

in all parts of the world.

The result was a gantry based robotic platform. A gantry is a structure used to straddle an object or workspace, in this case, the COVID patient. Gantry robot systems provide the advantage of better positioning accuracy, which is the ability of the robot to maneuver precisely. They are easier to program, with respect to motion, because they work with an X, Y, Z coordinate system.

However, the prototype was not built at WPI in Worcester,

but in Tokyo, Japan. Zhang’s post-doc, Ryosuke Tsumara, had gone home for a visit but COVID travel restrictions prevented him from returning to campus.

WPI purchased all the materials and shipped them to Tsumara’s home in Tokyo. In fact, much of the project was done through international collaboration across three continents — Tsumara in Japan, Zhang’s team based in Worcester and collaborators at a hospital in Nigeria.

In 2016, WPI and the AfriC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 7

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during the pandemic.

The team received $300,000 from the NIH Common Fund, which is described as a program to “address emerging scientific opportunities and pressing challenges in biomedical research that no single NIH Institute or Center can address on its own, but are of high priority for the NIH as a whole.” The Common Fund received $30 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, 2020 to support new research to prevent or respond to the virus

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that can provide a full diagnosis of lung status.”

The project initially came about back in April during the first wave of the COVID-19 virus, when researchers around the world were engaged in battling the pandemic. Zhang’s team submitted an application for an NIH grant at the end of June. By that point, a sketch of the first prototype was already established. Zhang said, “the speed was unprecedented in my experience,” even when factoring in the pressing need for innovation

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

magine a robot platform that allows the user to remotely manipulate an ultrasound probe, maintaining a safe distance between healthcare worker and COVID patient, potentially reducing the risk of exposure and the spread of the deadly virus.

Healthcare workers, as we know, are the highest at-risk group during the pandemic.

According to affiliates of the World Health Organization, about 570,000 health workers had been infected as of September. Even with a priority ranking for vaccination in the U.S., they will continue to face the greatest exposure worldwide as they treat COVID patients.

“There is a high risk of transmission between healthcare workers and patients but robotics could make this procedure safer,” said Haichong Zhang, assistant professor of Robotics and Biomedical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Zhang, working with a team of researchers in Japan and Nigeria as well as here in Worcester, is developing a system that can visualize signs of respiratory infections in COVID-19 patients while allowing healthcare providers to remain at a safe distance.

Medical imaging technology is vital to examining the severity of each case — ultrasounds in particular have a high sensitivity to lung issues, more so than CT or X-ray, he pointed out, and are “an order of magnitude cheaper.”

The problem is the difficulty of administering an ultrasound while social distancing. To get a full picture of the lungs, there are multiple regions of the upper body that must be scanned — the anterior ( front), lateral (side), and posterior (back). Zhang’s team wanted a machine that could replicate this level of detail. “We don’t just want a system that can scan (one part) but one

FEATURED

‘Rage: Sounds Of A Riot’ raises money for Stone Soup, Abby’s House ROBERT DUGUAY

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D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

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ith 2020 being the most calamitous year of our lifetimes, it’s important to help those in need. People are struggling in numerous ways and a lot of folks could use a helping hand.

With this in mind, the hard-core punk ‘zine Cellar Door teamed up with local label Glue Man Records to put together the first volume of the compilation “Rage: Sounds Of A Riot.” The record features 12 tracks from various hard-core and metal bands from the Worcester and Central Massachusetts area. One-hundred percent of the sales will be going to benefit Stone Soup, an artist and activist collective located at 4 King St. in Worcester, and Abby’s House, which provides shelter, housing and advocacy for homeless, battered and lowincome women.

The man behind the linking up between Cellar Door and Glue Man Records is Jake Lutter, who runs the ‘zine independently. He’s friends with the guy who runs Glue Man and due to being inspired by the music scene they’re in, they created the compilation.

“The idea for this ‘zine came in a different time, it really was created in some of the DIY spaces that are written about in the first volume,” Lutter says on how Cellar Door started out. “The ‘zine was born in these basements, in crowded house venues and in the parking lot outside of Ralph’s Rock Diner. My friend A.J. Pottle, who runs Glue Man Records, and I were mixing in with these communities and making strong connections by playing music and sharing our passions.

We have worked together for a long time now in music projects including Death Defier, who are featured in this compilation. I was really feeling the warmth of being included in such a rising

Foxfires is one of the bands contributing to “Rage: Sounds Of A Riot.”

CONOR HOBBS

scene and I wanted to make a magazine that brought all of that to light.”

“I brought the idea to A.J. who was getting his label off the ground, which is based around community as well, and we just thought it was a perfect fit,” he said.

“In a whole, the record is a time capsule of this moment in Worcester metal and hard-core and to me it’s a reminder that there are artists still cutting against the grain and making noise. Creating ‘Rage’ and pushing against all the (expletive) that’s been going on for the past couple years. In this ‘Rage’ there

inclusion and there’s love, this love is what drove me to design this

is

thing in the first place and I hope that everyone can open this door and catch a glimpse of it.”

Along with Death Defier, thrash metal act High Command, post-hardcore quintet Foxfires and hard-core punks Mountain Man are some of the many local bands involved in the compilation.

“We were approached by Glue Man Records some months back and it was a no-brainer,” Foxfires vocalist and former Worcester Magazine entertainment editor Joshua Lyford says on how the band got included. “We’re proud to have been part of the Worcester

hard-core scene over the last decade and we’re happy to be a part of showcasing that. Whenever possible, we’ve tried to raise awareness for causes we find important, whether that’s a show to raise money for organizations doing necessary work in our communities, funeral costs for fallen friends or whatever we can do. We’re not in a hard-core band to make money, but we can use that tiny platform to do as much good as we can. With the digital proceeds of this compilation going to Stone Soup and Abby’s House, we think both organizations deserve as much notice and help as we can provide.”

“It immediately seemed like a great idea to catch a snapshot of what we have in our area at the moment musically,” adds Mountain Man guitarist and vocalist Jesse Menard. “It’s also a great opportunity to raise some money for both Stone Soup and Abby’s House, two important local organizations. We have lived in Worcester and the surrounding area our entire lives and any chance we get to give back and generate something positive for the community with our music is something we jump at. Some people may remember that the first ever Last Lights show, a prior band of our drummer Pat and I, was actually held at Stone Soup, so a chance to help them added an extra layer of meaning for us.”

With this being the first volume, there’s a good chance that further editions of the “Rage: Sounds Of A Riot” compilation will be released next year. To keep tabs on those developments, log on to Glue Man Records’ website at gluemanrecords.com. In the meantime, stream and purchase the compilation via the label’s Bandcamp page at gluemanrecords.bandcamp.com to help raise money for two great organizations that call Worcester home.

FEATURED

C A R LO S O D R I A

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4

such as bossa nova, Afro-Peruvian festejo, rumba flamenca, and Afro-Caribbean vibes with an improvisational approach inspired by the rich tradition of American jazz.”

Sometimes it is best to disregard definitions and just let the music take hold.

Asked how he would describe his music, Odria said, “It’s a question I have always struggled to answer. If I wanted to give you a general description I would say jazz. It’s a genre that has a lot of different influences, but we also do a lot of improvisation.” Jazz, of course, has improvisation built into its fabric.

Odria noted that his “first job” is as a musician and his second is as an ethnomusicologist (someone who studies the music of different cultures). He holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Florida State University, where he also obtained a Certificate in World Music.

From his research in that area, his compositions sometimes combine “elements from traditions I really enjoy as a listener and try to synthesize in my music. Sometimes I say ‘World Jazz’ as a way to include all the things that go into my music.”

Odria studied classical and Latin American folk guitar with acclaimed Peruvian guitarist Pepe Torres. Later on, he pursued advanced jazz studies with Richie Zellon, jazz guitar arranging with Leo Welch, and Venezuelan cuatro at the Jose Luis Paz Conservatory in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

He moved to the United States about 15 years ago to study at Florida State University — “they have a cool school of music there,” he said.

While an undergraduate and then a graduate student, he performed a lot in the Florida area as part of a guitar duet with Carlos Silva — “Carlos and Carlos “ — “that became pretty popular … When we graduated we took different jobs.”

He was also lead guitarist for the 2014 debut album of the ensemble Omnimusica, which was included on the official ballot for the 57th Grammy Awards, in the World Music category.

Odria met his wife at FSU — Naida Saavedra, a writer, literary critic and professor of Spanish literature. Odria taught music at Darton State College in Albany, Georgia, but then his wife was offered a position in the World Languages Department at Worcester State University.

The couple moved here in 2016, and currently live in Rutland.

“We liked the culture here,” Odria said.

Saavedra is still at WSU, and Odria also teaches there in the Visual and Performing Arts Department, has taught at Clark University, and is an associate lecturer at the Performing Arts Department at UMass Boston.

He’s performed at numerous venues and at events such as the Worcester Jazz Festival.

In 2019 the Carlos Odria Trio

released the album “El Rio” to fine reviews.

“Every day I spend here I’m convinced it was the right decision to move to the area. It’s a wonderful place for musicians,” Odria said.

“It’s a very welcoming music scene. There are a bunch of musicians who play different styles and they are all very supportive. I’m still learning performing with local musicians and it has been great for me.”

The Carlos Odria Trio was up for International Artist of the Year (along with Crocodile River Music of Worcester) at the Boston Music Awards earlier this month.

Layth Sidiq won, but Odria said, “at least we were nominated, which was a super deal.”

Speaking of international music, and given that Odria is an ethnomusicologist, is music a universal language?

At graduate school you would be told no, he noted.

“But if you think in terms of emotions and sensibility, most people can capture an emotional

WPI

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5

WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

use of it places the user at risk due to the lack of distance. That’s where the robotic platform comes in — minimizing the spread of the virus in a region like Africa, with limited resources such as PPE for healthcare workers, is crucial.

Zhang was clear that the primary goal of the prototype is to make sure this solution is useful and safe, after which, the team will address other issues such as making it more compact and reducing manufacturing costs.

Zhang stressed that the robot-

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Nigeria),” said Zhang. By making the more cost-effective option of ultrasound procedures safer for all parties, diagnostics and treatment of COVID-positive patients could potentially become far more accessible. Though ultrasound technology is cheaper, the

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

A model of the prototype designed by Professor Zhang and his team.

ic platform system would not replace nose swab/antibody/PCR tests, which determine whether a patient is positive or negative for viral infection. Those tests provide the diagnosis while imaging allows physicians to judge the severity and create a treatment plan.

Zhang said the one of the biggest challenges was managing the international collaboration during a pandemic where they had limited accessibility to the necessary resources. His lead researcher was stuck in Japan and their test operators were in Africa, so coordinating between the different locations became a logistical nightmare.

Meanwhile, work has already begun on a second generation machine at WPI, where additional human subject evaluations will be conducted and new functionality will be considered, explained Zhang. With the feedback from the hospital in Abuja, they will continue working to improve the existing model.

Zhang emphasized that the work was nowhere near over. ”We have a long wish list of what to add.”

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

can University of Science and Technology in Abuja, Nigeria, launched a program to encourage STEM education in African countries — Math and Science for Sub-Saharan Africa, or MS4SSA. Through this partnership, Zhang’s team was put in contact with the National Hospital Abuja, where the system will have its first field test in a hospital setting. It arrived in Abuja a little over three weeks ago.

The field test will provide necessary feedback on the physical dimensions and how the robotic platform would fit at a working hospital and how it would integrate into the workflow. Zhang explained the goal was to ensure the system was as non-disruptive as possible.

The engineering components of the system made it so that it was not as easy as unboxing the robot and getting it up and running. It had to be re-assembled, which requires specific technical knowledge.

“CT and X-ray imaging are prohibitively expensive (in

message,” Odria said.

“What inspires me as a musician and composer, it’s usually memories. Something sparks me. Memories that come out of my mind. That’s kind of my point of departure.”

Then comes “the flow process” and lots of “polishing, polishing, trimming the unnecessary stuff to get to the skeleton of what I want to convey. I have to spend months, years, to get to what I want to explain.”

There have been times when he writes music “that I can’t play.” So he has to work on his physical guitar skills to get there.

But he’s got to the point where he’s ready to record a new album with his trio next year.

“The compositions are already done.”

We can get a bit of a preview Dec. 31.

“Going to the beach inspired something,” he said. “’Fisherman’ will be a track on my next album.”

CITY VOICES

FIRST PERSON

POETRY TOWN

The Day After — The Internal Memos from Universal Music Group

POPE MARKUS

Jody: Our investigation turned up that DJ Bougie, doing his due diligence, came on Adele’s version of he Chairman of the “Make You Feel My Love.” Thought Universal Music Group it was the whole package. Lyrics, enters the board room, golden pipes, the works. where his executive vice Chairman: It’s the sound of president of A and R, Jody quietly vocal chords folded in nuclear vices waits. and cut with shearing scissors.

Jody: How was your flight, sir?

Jody: In one exchange, both Chairman: Good morning, Sheila R and DJ Bougie thought Jody. While I’m still calm, could you they were making an important explain to me how we paid $300 discovery and that once it hit Tik million for the catalogue of an artist Tok we would double our money. whose singing resembles a broken Chairman: Tik Tok? bell being humped by a rubber Jody: Double $12K, that is. hammer?

Chairman: It’s Mary Frank’s Jody Ross: If I may, Sir, as you division: when did it get to her? requested, we did an investigation.

Jody: As you know, Mary took The original suggestion was from that deal to live and work remotely Sheila R, who is relatively new. in Barbados.

She’s at a resort called She’s an aspiring producer in EDM. Margaritaville.

Apparently she was mixing Dylan Chairman: I know all that. I songs and thought the guy could was just there! sing. Her original memo says, quote, Jody: Well, as you know, they’re “the pipes were on par with Sam on a different … ummm … time Smith.” Our investigation turned zone. up she was mixing the Bryan Ferry Chairman: She said go ahead? covers of the Dylan songs.

Jody: She said if we couldn’t get Chairman: But his voice Jimmy Buffet, we might as well have sounds like a clenched sphincter ... the Dylan. Her memo read, quote, Jody: From there it went “we can make the song ‘Idiot Wind’ through DJ Bougie. the theme song of Trump’s 2024 bid.

Chairman: Bougie?

Jody: Also new, and to be fair, he We’ll double our money.”

Chairman: Mary said that? suggested we offer $12K. Standard Jody: Sir, she also sent a photo contract. He had never heard of Bob … Let’ s just say it didn’t look like you Dylan. and her were at your desks.

Chairman: Never heard of the Chairman: Whoever has that greatest songwriter of all time? Get photo I want in my office before me his résumé!

CBD. And besides, Mary’s buys don’t Jody: I will, Sir. As it happened, go through me, they go through Bill. and by coincidence, Bill poked Jody: Yes, well, Bill thought his head in. Ya know, he’s a little it was all a joke. His memo said, sweet on Bougie. Bill said Dylan’s quote, Dylan’s voice is more Smokey catalogue would be worth $300 Robinson than Sam Cooke’s, and million minimum. So that’s the we should follow by buying another number that was written down. croaker — Bruce Springsteen — Chairman: And this … Dj for $400 million. Sheila R. and DJ Bougie thought Dylan could sing?

Bougie took it to mean it was a go.

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D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

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They drew up the contract …

Chairman: And Bill signed off?

Jody: Bill lets Bougie sign all of his stuff. It’s sort of a mating game.

Chairman: But then … General Counsel? … Jimmy B? Jody: If you remember sir, over Jimmy’s door. He has the entire lyric to “Make You Feel My Love” carved in extinct poplar wood above his door. He is the Dylan fan club hall of fame. His office is a shrine. Jimmy told them to try for 300, but that priceless has no number.

Chairman: We signed off?

Jody: Dylan’s folks made the first announcement.

Chairman: But where was I? Jody: Well, sir, remember that photo from Barbados? It looked like you were having fun. Mary got your signature between the scavenger hunt and the late night masked ball.

Chairman: Get me accounting!

Nobody write another check!

Jody: Will do, Sir. In the meantime, should we make “Po Boy” the new company theme song?

Pope Markus is a musician and prone to envy.

‘Winter in Worcester’ ANYA GEIST When it grows dark early in the afternoon And the daylight is fading, full of crisp, crystalized air As we bundle up in coats to walk home from the bus Then it is the winter

A menorah is placed in Newton Square And all of the houses around the city are strung With little lights that twinkle in the dark, As if they are puffs of warm breath amid the deep, black night There is something sweet about the winter About the cold, fresh air That turns cheeks to a rosy shade That makes warm houses and crackling fires even more appealing And lends itself to laughter and life There are weekend days spent at the ice rink downtown Stuffing tight skates over layers of socks Wobbling out onto the ice As the speakers play holiday music And the trees all around the Common Have sparkling lights twirled around their trunks Snow days throughout the winter Where we wake up to a phone call from the superintendent And look out to see a world covered in delicate, shining Layers of snow, ready to be shaped into snowmen and angels Then we climb the hill to Bancroft Tower Where we shriek as we sled down the steep slope Tumbling over, brushing snow off of our clothes There is something special About that time of year Something that catches your breath And forces you to remember every single moment Of winter in Worcester

Anya Geist is in the ninth grade in the Goddard Scholars program at South High.

CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

No, the USPS didn’t ruin Christmas ...

VICTOR D. INFANTE

HEY, WAIT A MINUTE MR. POSTMAN: If, like me, you’re one of the numerous

Americans who are frustrated because you paid for priority shipping before Christmas and your package still hasn’t arrived, you’re not alone. According to the Washington Post, “Mail performance has plummeted: 75.3% of first-class mail, such as letters and bills, arrived within the standard one-to-three-day delivery window the week of Dec. 5, according to the most recent agency data available. This time last year, the mail service’s on-time score was about 95%.�

Part of the problem is the pandemic – the same article notes “Nearly 19,000 of the agency’s 644,000 workers have called in sick or are isolating because of the novel coronavirus, according to the American Postal Workers Union.�

The other part of the problem is cuts by the Trump-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, which have included not hiring enough seasonal workers, and not allowing overtime, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Point being, don’t take out your frustrations on your local postal worker or local branches, and certainly don’t blame the small businesses you ordered from. On Buzzfeed, one Etsy store owner saw her ratings plummet as packages she shipped out promptly didn’t make their destinations on time. “I’ll send 20 packages a day, and half of them will arrive on time and half of them don’t,� she said. No, this one is yet another failure of leadership, as the USPS knew well in advance what problems they were facing and did nothing.

You know, kind of like with COVID-19. So, yes, if an undelivered package ruined your Christmas, you are totally justified in blaming President Trump.

But try to have patience with the hard-working people on the ground, and think of late holiday packages as a little tiny bit of extra Christmas showing up in January.

MADAM RHUBARB SENT ME: As everyone braces for a mid-winter

FOR AULD LANG SYNE: Yeah, this has been a year for the record books. My

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New Year’s Resolution is to no longer have to start articles with the words, “Because of the COVID-19 pandemic...â€? Here’s hoping for a far cheerier 2021 ‌ one where we can go out for lunch or a beer, see a show, hug our friends and relatives and leave our homes for no other reason than because we want to.

Still miles to go, of course — even with the vaccines, things won’t get better overnight — but here’s hoping for a happy New Year for all of us. Except you.

You know what you did.

Reservations required

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COVID-19 lockdown as infections skyrocket even as the vaccines begin to roll out, I sometimes find myself having weird thoughts. Like, I genuinely hope that businesses and their customers adhere to the coronavirus guidelines, practice social distancing and shut down at the times they were ordered to, but part of me also kind of hopes the Hotel Vernon’s speakeasy reopened during those dark times. I have not actually heard about this happening, and if it did, I absolutely do not want to know about it, but there’s a part of me that hopes that the venerable Kelley Square watering hole, which secretly served liquor through Prohibition, has kept its streak for the state’s longest unbroken stretch of time serving alcohol to remain intact. This is the sort of thing you think about when you’re stuck at home most of the time.

ADMIRE THE LAKE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

THE 2024 ELECTION BEGINS: Speaking of Trump, there’s already speculation that he’s gearing up to run for re-election in 2024. I’m not sure I buy that, but it appears he’s not the only one who’s already lining up for our never-ending election cycle. Closer to home, a friend on Facebook noted, “So let’s see ‌ (Gov. Charlie Baker) refused to sign a police reform bill, then vetoed a bill providing increased abortion access. Hm. Someone’s thinking about being the moderate-but-still-clearly-Republican choice for president in 2024, I suspect.â€? So ‌ whattaya think? Is Baker running for president? Does he have a chance?

COVER STORY

A still from the movie “Honest Thief,” which was shot in Worcester, sums up the year 2020.

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2020: A mask-wearing, socially distant year in review of Worcester in pop culture!

CRAIG S. SEMON

I

t was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

Who am I fooling? It was the worst of times. Full

stop.

In many ways, 2020 was the year that never was and, hopefully, never will be again.

In 2020, terms like PPE and social distancing became part of the popular vernacular, while mask wearing — a fashion trend once exclusive to bank and train robbers — became commonplace.

We feverishly watched “Contagion,” “Outbreak,” “The Cassandra Crossing,” “The Andromeda Strain,” “The Stand,” “The Omega Man,” “Planet of the Apes,” “12 Monkeys,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “The Night of the

Living Dead,” “28 Days Later,” “World War Z,” and any film that we could get our hands on that remotely dealt with a pandemic to pick up pointers on how to survive in “the new normal,” only to find that no post-apocalyptical movie could have ever prepared us for the run on toilet paper at our neighborhood grocery stores.

The following are some of the highlights (and low points) of a year we will never forget no matter how hard we try.

Early Shocks In January, it was announced that “Rock and Shock” would be no more, but a new horror and hard rock convention from the show’s original creator would rise from the ashes. However, like all horror, pop culture and comic conventions, nothing was

John Cleese conducts a Q&A after a showing of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” Feb. 15 at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Art. DYLAN AZARI

happening this year, due to the coronavirus.

In February, the “Holy Grail” of

comedy was shown in all its glory at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. And John Cleese (one of the founding members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and one of the funniest men on the planet) wasn’t that shabby either. After the second screening at The Hanover Theatre in three years of 1975’s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the 80-year-old Cleese kept a packed crowd made up of young and old laughing up a storm and, quite possibly, might have raised Worcester’s collective I.Q. (or, at least, sense of humor) a few points. This would be one of the last stage shows in Worcester before the pandemic hit.

We should have known 2020 was going to be bad when WAAF 107.3 FM, the legendary rock radio station, was sold to contem-

porary Christian radio network Educational Media Foundation for $10.7 million and went off the air midnight Friday, Feb. 21. The writing was on the wall, or should I say, on the dial.

On March 1, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” heroine Susan Sarandon came stumping for Bernie Sanders at Electric Haze, 26 Millbury St. The personable star of “Thelma & Louise” (she played Louise) and “Dead Man Walking” ( for which she won her Oscar) showed off her communication and listening skills as she engaged a modest-size crowd made up mostly of millennials. Sanders did not attend. Apparently, he had better things to do than be caught dead in Worcester.

Then, on Friday, March 13, everything we love, everything we cherish, came to a dead stop.

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Comedy” and several “Comedy Studio” shows, while consummate songbird Cara Brindisi performed a “Live Stream Snow Day” filled with holiday songs and gathered 30 of the best musicians in Central Massachusetts (including Luparelli) for a four-hour-plus “Worcester Musicians Winter Solstice Concert” the Sunday before Christmas.

Even nationally known comedian and Worcester native Orlando Baxter adapted and did a series of free comedy shows on Zoom for the teachers and staff of various school districts.

Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton, center, visits WAAF radio personalities Mike Hsu and Mistress Carrie on their last day at the station.

JOSH DOLAN

his ability to be the coolest person in the room, while simultaneously being the sweetest, most loving, kind, and humble person you’ve ever known and, he did all of this wearing black clothes and sunglasses every day, and every night,” his obituary affectionately states.

No argument here.

On May 8, Paul Vuona, cofounder and keyboardist of the beloved ‘70s musical juggernaut Zonkaraz and longtime owner of the once-popular Firehouse Cafe,

died after a battle with cancer.

At a time when cover bands were starting to dominate the local music scene, Zonkaraz would pretty soon reign with their original, foot-tapping mix of folk, country, Latin American, blues and rock.

“In 1972, I had a band in Worcester, the Prairie Oysters, and saw Paul one time and talked to him about playing and then, six months later, he had the hottest C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 12

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released its eighth album, “We Lifted Ourself,” last year.

Featuring guitarist Daniel “Ruggy” McGee, bassist Neil Lucey and drummer Craig Wilson, Thinner were seasoned veterans of Wormtown’s rock ‘n’ roll trenches.

Before Thinner (which formed in 1996), McGee and Lucey were in Popskull together.

On April 21, McGee died of cancer, and the city music scene still mourns his loss.

“Danny’s greatest gift of all was

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

A Year of Loss Then, there are those who made a lasting impact on Worcester who we lost. The following are just a few that slipped off this mortal coil in 2020.

April 13 truly marked an end of era. That is the day Jeremiah “Jerry” Loconto died from complications of COVID-19.

A lifelong resident of Worcester, Loconto is the last of the eight Loconto siblings best known for Conte Brothers Formal Wear, Perry Conte Music Center and Conte Sound, as well as decades of playing live music.

Chances are if you rented a tux for prom in the 1970s and ’80s, or took music lessons during that period, Jerry Loconto or one of his siblings helped you out at Conte Brothers Formal Wear — where Loconto worked as the manager — or at the “family business,” Perry Conte Music Center, where he also worked for many years before he retired.

Jerry Loconto played drums and bass in the Jerry Conte Trio in various local clubs.

At an age when most people are thinking about retirement, the Jerry Conte Quartet — with Jerry Loconto on drums, his brothers Alfred Loconto on guitar and Peter Loconto (the founder and president of the Perry Conte Brothers Music Center, Conte Formal Wear, and Conte Sound) on bass, and Jack Dinsdale on keyboards — were still pounding out Swing Era standards every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in the ’90s at the Tudor Motor Inn Lounge in Shrewsbury.

Voted best punk band in the 1998 Worcester Phoenix Best Music Poll, Thinner was still going strong when the power-punk trio

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

Not Ready to Rock In 2020, there was no St. Patrick’s Day parade, no St. Patrick’s Day concert from the Dropkick Murphys (although they did a live remote at an undisclosed location with no audience), no St. Patrick’s Day. There was no debauchery or public urinating. Something was seriously wrong and it wouldn’t stop.

There was no spring concert season. There was no summer concert season. There was no winter concert season.

There were no shows at the DCU Center, the TD Garden, Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, The Hanover Theatre, Indian Ranch, the Xfinity Center, the Worcester Palladium or the Boch Wang Center.

There were no Rage Against the Machine or Black Crowes reunions. There were no Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard, New Order and the Pet Shop Boys, James Taylor and Jackson Browne or Journey and The Pretenders double-bills.

Aerosmith, Bad Religion, Billie Eilish, Bikini Kill, Bob Dylan, Justin Bieber, Bon Jovi, BTS, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Kenny Chesney, Dead & Company, the Doobie Brothers, Five Finger Death Punch, Foo Fighters, Liz Phair, Garbage, Godsmack, Green Day, Guns N’ Roses, Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Joel, Krokus, Lady Gaga, Alanis Morissette, Maroon 5, Pearl Jam, Rammstein, Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band, Slipknot, Steely Dan, Rod Stewart, Harry Styles, Roger Waters, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Weezer all pulled the plug on their respective tours this year, many of which were going to make their way to the Bay State. Even hometown hero Ricky Duran had to cancel his Hanover Theatre show.

But national and local musicians and performers persevered, getting their music and their art out to fans via Zoom, Facebook, Instagram and any way that they can.

For example, Worcester chanteuse extraordinaire Niki Luparelli — who just put out a digital “Bowie Tribute” album and digital “Quarantine Christmas” album — has been broadcasting online for months with a series of shows, including “Luparelli’s Lounge,” “Happy Hour” live from her “boozy kitchen” (think Julia Child meets Cheech and Chong), “Loopy

COVER STORY

Zonkaraz original members, Paul Vuona, keyboards, and Ric Porter, guitar STEVE LANUVA

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band in town and left everybody in the dust,” said Walter Crockett, who eventually joined Zonkaraz as one of its guitarists. “And that was as a trio (Vuona, guitarist Ric Porter and singer Joanne Barnard). They were a trio drawing 200 people to the Blue Plate (in Holden).”

At the end of its run, Zonkaraz grew to include Crockett, guitarist Larry Preston, bassist Jon Webster, drummer Tom Grignon and percussionist Spider Hanson.

But, it was Vuona who was always “the godfather” of the

songs and loved them,” Crockett said. “In terms of writing their own songs around here, Zonkaraz, by far, was the most original.”

Van Halen was the first act to play multiple concerts at the Worcester Centrum and on Oct. 22, 1982, the first to receive the key to the city. If you were lucky enough to score a ticket for any of the three sold-out shows on Oct 22-24, you were lucky. At $11.50 a ticket, I caught all three nights and my ears are still ringing to this day.

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band, Crockett said.

“Zonkaraz wasn’t a concert band. It was a dance band. It was a band where people danced all night long and they learned the

Roth-fronted Van Halen was the biggest group in the country and it wasn’t because of “Diamond Dave” (although that helped).

It was because of Edward Van

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Joyner Lucas And Ashanti appear in the music video, “Steam On Fall Slowly.”

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A Year of Change In response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a team of local artists and volunteers brought their creative skills to the Black Lives Matter movement in mid-June, using Major Taylor Boulevard as their canvas. Letters for the mural were painted on 15- by 26-foot blocks in the road next to the DCU Center.

The artwork within each letter was designed to the tastes of 18 artists who worked on the project.

One contains “I can’t breathe,” words said by George Floyd as he was dying while police knelt on him during his arrest.

Another pays tribute to the pro-

test of American runners Tommy Smith and Juan Carlos at the 1968 summer Olympics, Civil Rights activist Ruby Bridges, who as a child was the first African-American to attend William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana, the Black Panther Party, and American rapper and Nipsey Hussle.

Worcester’s Black Lives Matter mural quickly became one of the most acclaimed in the country, and attracted numerous visitors, including many politicians, notably then-Senate hopeful Joseph P. Kennedy III. Showcasing the artists who assisted the lead artists in the city’s Black Lives Matter mural, “Beyond the Paint: Artists of Worcester’s Black Lives Matter Mural” opened Aug. 14 at ArtsWorcester, giving the community another opportunity to discuss the cultural significance of the BLM movement, as well as to appreciate all those local artists who brought the message of unity to the city.

Two-time Grammy Award nominated rapper and Worcester native Joyner Lucas had a good year in 2020. His debut studio album “ADHD,” released on his self-owned label Twenty Nine Music Group, debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, with 39,000 album-equivalent units. The album features such hit singles as “Isis (Feat. Logic),” and “I Love,” both of which are RIAA platinum certified.

A hip-hop artist who made his name with issue-driven songs such as “I’m not Racist” took an accusatory tone with “Devil’s Work,” a one-sided conversation with the man upstairs where he rattles off a series of iconic

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

Halen, the best guitarists to come along since Jimi Hendrix.

While most hard rock guitarists sound as if they’re treading water, Edward Van Halen always sounded like he was making a musical motion to part the Red Sea. He was more than your typical guitar god. Edward Van Halen was a rock ‘n’ roll messiah.

The most brilliant part of Van Halen is how he would define and redefine guitar playing in the rock medium. Give him a routine structure, and he’ would obliterate it. Give him a tired riff, and he would reinvent it. Give him a common chord, and he would create a crusade out of it. Give him room for a solo, and he would turn all other guitar tricksters to dust.

Whether his hands danced in unison or he was knob-twirling and hammering his fret board at the same time, Van Halen’s innovative, awe-inspiring guitar playing was a true wonder to behold and the reason Van Halen is stamped with his moniker.

COVER STORY

COV E R S TO RY

Most likely, Abbie’s real-life brother, Jack Hoffman, would C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 13 have shouted “Yippie” in glee after rappers (including Tupac Shakur seeing the bio-pic but he never got and the Notorious B.I.G.) and a chance to see it. Jack Hoffman influential black leaders (includdied June 2 of the coronavirus. ing Martin Luther King Jr. and The Denholm Building was Malcolm X) whose lives were cut transformed into Jordan Marsh short by gun violence. Talk about in Boston’s Downtown Crossing perfect timing. (circa 1960s) for “Julia,” a new Joyner Lucas and Ashanti HBO Max series based on the life collaborated on the recent song, of “The French Chef ” Julia Child.

“Fall Slowly.”

Sarah Lancashire, best known for Lucas also released the extend- the British television series “Last ed play “Evolution,” which featured Tango In Halifax” and “Happy “Fall Slowly,” Lucas’ steaming Valley,” plays the title character, collaboration with Ashanti, whose while David Hyde Pierce (Dr. Niles accompanying video is so red hot Crane on “Frasier”) plays Julia’s that many fans are convinced that devoted husband, Paul. two artists must be a couple in Also in October, the Liam real-life, but word on that is mum, Neeson action flick “Honest Thief ” and we’re not the type to ask. opened in theaters.

Filmed in November 2018, Ready for Our Close-Up “Honest Thief ” is not the best In October, Sacha Baron Cohen movie ever to be filmed in made the ghost of Worcester’s Worcester. “American Hustle” curmost infamous native proud rently has that honor. But “Honest with his incredible, Oscar-caliber Thief ” is certainly the movie in performance of Abbie Hoffman which the City of Worcester gets in the riveting “The Trial of the the most airtime, so much so that Chicago 7,” a must see for anyone Central Mass. cinephiles might who takes pride in being from be wondering why Worcester Worcester. didn’t get second billing after the

Vintage mannequins popped up inside the Denholm Building for ‘’Julia,’’ a new HBO series on the life of Julia Child.

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68-year-old action star.

In the movie’s best scenes, Neeson’s character tackles a dirty FBI agent and the two go flying out of a three-story window of the AC Hotel by Marriott Worcester; a police cruiser in hot pursuit of Neeson driving a stolen bakery van gets sideswiped by another car at Salisbury and Lancaster streets, near the Worcester Art Museum; and Neeson gets the jump on another special agent on the steps of the Cathedral of Saint Paul on Chatham Street, with a great view of the Great Wall and Alpha Travel across the street, on Main Street.

While “Honest Thief ” will probably stand as the movie with the most scenes filmed in Worcester, “American Hustle” has strong competition as the best movie to have scenes filmed in Worcester with Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up.” Of course, it doesn’t have a cameo by Mayor Joe Petty and a mock-up of the Telegram & Gazette like Lifetime’s “Christmas on Ice.” Meryl Streep and James Corden played Broadway actors trying to salvage their careers in “The Prom,” the Netflix movie adapta-

tion of the Broadway musical.

Streep also visited Worcester in December to shoot a scene for the forthcoming movie, “Don’t Look Up,” at the DCU Center.

Streep plays the president of the United States, who has a chief of staff who is also her son, played

by Jonah Hill.

In the film, fellow Academy Award-winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence play star-crossed astronomers who discover a devastating meteor is on a collision course with Earth.

In the guise of the POTUS, Streep downplays the meteor and her faithful minions believe it to be “fake news” that Armageddon is just around the corner.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the coronavirus sues the Netflix people for infringement of copyright.

And with that, let’s end this year of reckoning with a mashup quote from the Who and the Beatles: I’ve got a feeling ’21 is going to be a good year … It can’t get no worse.

CITY LIFE

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

“Fire in the Distance”

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Gary Hoare studied painting at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a focus on abstract expressionism, receiving a BFA in 1995. He paints abstract watercolors with an anchor of realism, often in the form of landscapes, flowers and astronomical objects.

He is also a poet, and has competed in the National Poetry Slam for teams representing Worcester and Providence. He received a 2005 Jacob Knight Award for Poetry, and is the author of several chapbooks. His short films, “Sagittarius,” “Reminiscing about the Mars Landing” and “Harikikigaki,” appeared as part the Encyclopedia Show: Somerville. “Reminiscing…” and his short film “Cat” (directed by Joe Cronin) were lauded by the Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival. This painting, “Fire in the Distance,” is watercolor on paper painted in 2018. He can be reached at garyhoare.com.

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CITY LIFE

Meet My Sugar Angels SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

T

his year for the holidays, my grandmother gave me her personal copy of the family cookbook.

Some lineages pass down jewels, candlesticks or fine China. We hold dear our recipes for snickerdoodles and Great Nana Lucille’s pecan butter balls.

Grandma never eats what she bakes — grandpa, on the other hand, we lovingly refer to as the Cookie Monster. The year 2020 was enough for her to declare she was too old for the kitchen, but grandpa’s sweet tooth endured.

Guess who was left holding the ( flour) bag?

My first few attempts at preserving grandma’s sweet legacy were feeble. An explosive bread dough and a batch of deflated shortbread left me searching for professional guidance. I didn’t have to look far. Two local women sensed my baker’s bat call and took

me under their proverbial wings.

First came Rachael Lang. I’ve long loved Lang’s social media content, which is full of healthy and easy to follow recipes. She even whipped up expert appetizers at our wedding last year. Her newest endeavor, Balanced Bakes provides subtle substitutions in a tidy package that ship right to your door and taste delicious.

For my first attempt, Lang sent over her pumpkin spice cake mix, cake decorating supplies, and organic confectioners sugar to help me make my own cream cheese frosting. Her dry mix uses organic unbleached wheat flour, organic coconut sugar, organic cane sugar, and a blend of deep flavored spices.

All I had to do was add a can of pumpkin, some oil, and a few eggs. Before long, I had a cute little layer cake cooling on my counter.

Decorating was the best part.

My second sugar angel appeared in the form of Veronica Adams, better known as The

Cookie Lady’s Daughter. Like me, Adams’ baking journey began at the bequest of her family matriarch.

As one of five siblings, Adams always had great admiration for her mother who made weekly cookie deliveries to the car dealership where her dad worked. “She would truck us around the dealership like little ducks behind her, handing out cookies,” Adams remembers. “She would bring 10 or 12 dozen every week and pretty soon, she became known as ‘The Cookie Lady.’”

Adams earned her biology degree from Worcester State University and worked in the field for nearly a decade at AbbVie. When her creative passion for baking and decorating grew beyond a hobby, she decided to name her business “The Cookie Lady’s Daughter” as an homage to her mom.

Adams watched her cookie decorating kits take off during “My first few attempts at preserving grandma’s sweet legacy quarantine. “When I first started,” were feeble. An explosive bread dough and a batch of deflated she recalls, “I was just selling

shortbread left me searching for professional guidance.”

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cookies that I decorated myself.

But, classes and kits became an activity and I realized I could give people valuable memories.”

Decorating kits include blank cookies, sugar transfers, colored icing, and reference designs. You can place orders on her website, https://www. thecookieladysdaughter.com, and

pickup at the Cake Shop Cafe in Millbury every other Saturday morning.

Baking is equal parts science experiment, creative expression and nostalgia. What better way to ring in the new year? And should you run into any dessert disasters, Lang and Adams are waiting at the ready.

Central Mass native Rachael Lang recently launched her athome healthy baking kit business, Balanced Bakes.

SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

CITY LIFE

Brothers preserve recipes and quality at European Bakery & Pastry BARBARA M. HOULE

C

Casey Griswold stows fresh baked rye bread just out of the oven at European Bakery & Pastry on Millbury Street, which he owns with his brother Brett Griswold.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

Margaret Griswold of Woodstock, have provided a great deal of support to the point of even helping with a holiday delivery, he said.

Online at www.telegram.com, read more about Griswold, profiled in the Dining In column of Worcester Living magazine.

European Bakery & Pastry, 29 Millbury St., Worcester, is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday. Telephone: (508) 767-1651. Connect on Facebook.

On-street parking. Note: Polish newspapers and magazines are sold at the bakery. Rye breads, strudels, cookies, special occasion cakes and more!

Griswold stressed that “even though the ownership has changed, nothing else about the bakery has. ”It’s the same rye bread, made with the same recipe, ingredients and equipment, by the same people that have been doing it since the bakery first opened,” he said. “I think that when there’s a new business owner, people always look for things to change, and we’ve had a few comments about the bread being different, but I try to stress that it

Happy New Year!

I look forward to dishing more about local chefs and restaurants in the Table Hoppin column in 2021. I have to admit that meeting deadlines in 2020, writing and sharing good news about an industry devastated and struggling amid the pandemic hasn’t always been a piece of cake. During the past year, however, restaurateurs have emphasized how important community support has been. Curbside service, take-out and meal kits often have been the lifelines to remaining open.

As for 2021, online predictions for the biggest food trends include everything from comfort food, condiments and a joyful, over-the-top return to indoor dining. Look for more restaurant-style meals packaged for families and plant-based and healthy vegetarian dishes with seasonal ingredients.

Can’t wait for the local update!

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

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floor apartments to Edward Murphy of Westboro, according to The Worcester County Registry of Deeds and reported by Worcester Business Journal.

The dish with Griswold: He previously worked as executive chef at Becker College’s Leicester Campus operated by Chartwell’s Higher Education Dining Services and has worked at Sturbridge restaurants, including as executive chef at Cedar Street Restaurant, owned and operated by Table 3 Restaurant Group the Publick House and the former Rovezzi’s Ristorante. He also was executive chef at The Overlook in Charlton. He graduated from UMass Dartmouth, where he was enrolled in pre-law courses.

He and his wife, Katie, reside in Woodstock, Connecticut. Griswold said his wife has been super supportive in the new business.

“When she’s not at her full-time job as a veterinary technician in Connecticut, she’s usually at the bakery helping out, making Chrusciki (aka Angel Wings or bow ties), delicate, crispy little cookies, or working the front of the store,” said Griswold. His parents, Richard and

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Griswold, whose brother also helps with retail and wholesale, but devotes most of his time managing the business end of the bakery.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do what we have without the incredible level of support that we have received, especially in the last few weeks preparing for the holidays,” he said. “The work ethic of the employees who worked here before us has been just incredible. They are people that work until the job is done, no matter what time it is. We certainly could not have done this without them.”

Griswold said previous owners (Ziggy and Jerek) have been tremendously helpful. Ziggy originally opened the bakery in 1994, he said, and often shows up without a word, helping prepare babka, a Polish yeast bread that’s available year-round but a staple especially during holidays like Christmas and Easter. “Ziggy even has pitched in to help fix equipment and make wholesale deliveries,” said Griswold.

In 2019, Stanley Siudak and Zbigniew Surowaniec sold property at 23 Millbury St. that at that time included European Bakery & Pastry, European Café & Deli and nine upper-

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

asey Griswold honed his skills as an executive chef in local restaurants, but now with his brother Brett Griswold owns European Bakery & Pastry on Millbury Street in Worcester, a business that caters to a variety of international treats, focusing on Polish and Eastern European recipes. The new ownership became effective in August.

The chef said he never really thought about buying a business and that it was his brother who initially was interested in investing locally. “Brett asked me to check out the bakery with him,” said Casey Griswold. “Our wives joined us on the initial visit when we bought bread, etc. Brett and I concluded after more visits that we really liked the place. He checked the numbers, asked me what I thought, and here we are.”

Since its founding in 1994, the bakery has built a solid retail and wholesale business, selling products to markets and restaurants in and out of state. The new owners said they have worked to upgrade the bakery’s kosher status, and with the help of Eli Abramowitz, who does the bakery’s kosher inspections, parve items from the bakery are now certified Pas Yisroel.

Having a culinary background has helped Griswold navigate the food side of the business.

“I knew going into this venture that things would be kind of crazy at first, but I really had no idea how it would consume my whole life, especially during holidays,” said Griswold.

“Hopefully, it quiets down a little before Paczki Day in March, and then Easter,” joked Griswold, who with two overnight bakers and production and front-end employees (some of whom speak both English and Polish) have worked a busy holiday schedule. FYI: The traditional, authentic Polish Paczki are deep-fried doughnuts with sweet fillings such as jam and usually covered with powdered sugar, icing or glaze.

“We’re very fortunate to be so busy during the pandemic,” said

is the exact same bread, baked by the same people. We haven’t even re-decorated the place.” The owners, however, have refreshed the front end and made improvements here and there.

Griswold said a Yelp online review described the bakery as “dimly lit and utilitarian, but the bread is the best.” “I think I’ve come to embrace that,” he said.

Griswold is among local chefs who remain passionate and embrace the work they do, despite COVID-19 challenges.

Down the road might, Griswold and his team might expand some offerings, but for now the focus is to continue with the authentic Polish and Eastern European recipes on hand.

Griswold admitted he did try a new recipe for fig doughnuts and has even learned to speak a few words like hello, thank you and goodbye in Polish. “Anything more and I’m in trouble,” he said.

CITY LIFE

Filmgoer’s resolutions for 2021 JIM KEOGH

18

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

2

020 is done. May it rest in pieces. Like everyone else, I’m looking ahead to better times, and I hope that by sticking to a few simple resolutions I can remain of settled mind and spirit.

So in 2021, I resolve: To get myself back into a movie theater. I’m not sure what film will lure me out (maybe “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”) or where I’ll go to see it.

My longtime hometown theater, Showcase North, is a dark empty husk that I expect will return to life as a distribution center or for some other non-cinematic use.

Out of curiosity, I recently drove by the theater and noticed posters for upcoming movies in glass cases on the exterior walls, a frozen-in-time effect that left me feeling hollow.

The last movie I saw at Showcase North, “1917,” will surely be the last movie I’ll ever have seen at Showcase North.

To read the works of Walter Tevis. Until I read a recent New York Times profile of the late novelist, I was unaware he’d written the books that served as the basis for “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Hustler,” “The Color of Money” and “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”

I’ve recommended the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” to so many people that I’d love to tack on a recommendation for Tevis’ source material.

To remain unbothered by the following types of social media posts: •A terrible thing happened in the world today. You will now learn how it affects me.

•I am suffering Tom Cruise and Vanessa Kirby are set reprise their roles in the next from a.) insomnia b.) installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. sniffles c.) unreliable PARAMOUNT PICTURES cable service, and you will now suffer the just occurred in my life. I am being Please validate that I am an consequence of hearing all about amazing person. intentionally vague about what my private inconvenience in the To reserve judgment of Tom it is. Could be a murder; could be most public of forums.

Cruise following his on-set rant a broken shoelace. Please ask for •Something unpleasant has about adhering to COVID-19 details. Please express concern.

Showcase Cinemas North remains closed.

ASHLEY GREEN

restrictions during filming of “Mission: Impossible 7.” It was tough stuff — he threatened to fire crew members who violate protocols — but Cruise at least had noble motivation: He argued that any breach could shut down production and by extension jeopardize thousands of jobs throughout the industry. Compare his tirade to Christian Bale’s on the set of the 2009 film “Terminator Salvation.” Bale infamously reamed out a crew member for committing the high crime of wandering into his sight line during a scene.

To follow “The Office” from Netflix over to the Peacock streaming service — sort of. The first two seasons are part of the free tier, and the last seven seasons can be accessed through a paid subscription. I will remain very familiar with seasons 1 and 2, and

keep seasons 3 to 9 as pleasant hazy memories because I am a cheap bastard.

To refrain from piling on the Emily Blunt-Jamie Dornan film “Wild Mountain Thyme.”

I plan to stream this Irelandset romcom soon, despite the hilariously cutting reviews from the Irish press, who didn’t bother waiting for the actual release and instead preemptively trashed the trailer. The “Where’s me Lucky Charms” brogues apparently found disfavor (though Dornan is Irish), especially Christopher Walken’s stab at one. I love that at this stage of his career Walken is a zero-damns-given kind of guy, who probably decided at one point during pre-production that his accent was as good as it was going to get, and what hell, he doesn’t “do” accents anyway. So screw ’em.

CITY LIFE

Wormtown expanding Worcester taproom MATTHEW TOTA

W

Wormtown Brewery provides an artist’s rendering of what their new expanded space will look like, now that it’s expanding into the space formerly occupied by simjang.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

dining went away, we had to do something to allow for a bigger, more social distancing-friendly space for our guests,” Fields said.

The taproom’s size is hardly what makes it special, however.

Wormtown intends to use it to

19

Wormtown had been eyeing simjang’s space for more than a year. And the chaos created by COVID-19 only reinforced the need to move to a larger taproom.

“We really realized by the end of the summer, when outdoor

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

hen Wormtown Brewery’s Shrewsbury Street taproom opened on St. Patrick’s Day 2015, it carried an aura of coolness and originality that captured the essence the city’s first brewery in decades.

Sure, the taproom was small — but by design. Examining an early drawing of the taproom two years earlier, co-founder Ben Roesch and managing partner David Fields had deemed it too large, taking away valuable space for brewing and bottling.

“We both looked at each other and said, ‘What is that?

We don’t need that much space for our taproom. We need production space,’” Fields has said. “And we had them shrink our taproom by at least 50 percent, maybe more.”

It was a decision their future selves — having seen how taprooms have transformed the craft beer business — would have no doubt vetoed. And while the move in no way hindered Wormtown’s rise, Roesch and Fields still regret downplaying the importance of their taproom.

Over the past several months, though, they have quietly pushed to rewrite history. And Wormtown is taking over an additional 5,000 square feet of its building to build a new taproom and restaurant.

Wormtown has moved into the section of 72 Shrewsbury St. formerly occupied by simjang, the America-Korean fusion restaurant. The brewery has a final hearing next month with the city to extend its licenses to cover the new taproom.

The space, more than double the size of the brewery’s current taproom, comes with a full kitchen and two levels for dining and drinking.

“We had recognized at Wormtown, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, that, while this was a state-of-the-art taproom six years ago, first of its kind in Worcester County, it needed a facelift,” Fields said.

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

debut a new venture: distilling.

The brewery has already applied for a federal license to become a distillery, a process that will take between four to six months.

“We will be approaching the city of Worcester with the hope of becoming Worcester’s first distillery, much like we were Worcester’s first brewery, in generations,” Fields said.

Once it receives its federal license, along with approval from the city, Wormtown hopes to begin making its own line of spirits, offering them first as cocktails in the new taproom.

“The consumers will ultimately determine how it evolves,” Fields said. “Really, what we want to do is drink stuff that we make ourselves. We always start by fulfilling our own desires, making and drinking some cool stuff. Our team loves spirits, especially bourbons and whiskeys.”

Wormtown also expects to use the taproom’s kitchen to host pop-ups. Fields said a few local restaurants are already excited about the opportunity, especially given the struggles they’re facing now with COVID-19.

“It’s an opportunity for them put out a few more meals and help sustain their businesses, during a time where you have to find unique and creative ways to survive,” Fields said.

Wormtown’s new taproom is expected to open late January or early February. The existing taproom, now temporarily closed, will remain open after the move.

CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION

20

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.

WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 853-0030.

This beauty was found by a good Samaritan and brought to our shelter. Brie is an independent woman who can be aloof when meeting new people. She will come say a quick hello with a wagging tail and check your hands for cookies, but unless you’re familiar to her, she goes on her way.

Brie likes to go for walks and LOVES to roll in the grass. She isn’t much for toys, but this girl loves food and treats. She would enjoy doing food puzzles and enrichment toys to pass the time with her new family. Brie needs to be the only pet in your home because she does not like other animals.

Her new family will need to be savvy and keep her away from other animals when walking and out in public. Not having any previous history about her, she isn’t suitable to live with children. When Brie first got to the shelter she had some missing fur and skin sensitivities. She likely has some allergies that her new family will need to care for to make her comfortable. During her spay, the vet also removed a lump off of her that was a mast cell tumor. These tumors can pop up on older dogs and need to be removed. If you think Brie may be the one for you, please contact the shelter to schedule a meet and greet.

WARL COVID-19 Procedures As of Novemeber 9, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected.

• ADOPTIONS: At this time, adoptions are being held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. If you are interested in adoption, please visit our website worcesterarl.org/adopt/ to learn more about our available animals then call us at (508) 853-0030 ext.0 or email us at info@worcesterarl.org to schedule an appointment.

• Casual visits to the shelter are prohibited.

We will strictly enforce this in order to keep our animal care team protected while still maintaining the most essential function of our operation... finding homes for animals in need.

• ANIMAL SURRENDERS: Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance of surrendering a pet. Please call (508) 853-0030.

• SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off/pick up procedures.

• DONATIONS ACCEPTED except for open bags of food.

• Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our Amazon Wishlist - https://www.amazon.com/gp/ registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0

• Weekly training classes are going on for adopters.

• The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold. We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can.

We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community from the spread of COVID - 19 by minimizing face-to-face interactions while continuing to operate only core essential services. Please continue to follow our Facebook page for additional updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the shelter at (508) 853-0030 or info@worcesterarl.org.

Thank you for your continued FURiendship and support.

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

71 Initialism that became increasingly prevalent in 2020

Last week's solution

21

©2020 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1021

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Down 1 Shindig 2 “Bob’s Burgers” daughter 3 Downtempo R&B songs 4 Callous fellow 5 Word on Hawaiian license plates 6 “Blue” or “White” river 7 Efficiently 8 Crafty initials?

9 “Cleopatra” animal 10 Boxer Tyson 11 “Don’t hesitate!”

12 “Citizen Kane” actor Everett 13 Soaked up some sun 19 Game maker since 1972 21 Units of purity 25 “Batman Forever” actor Kilmer 26 Deserves 27 Defunct Houston hockey team 29 Approvals 30 Bale stuff 31 Winter driving needs 32 Rash action 35 Outburst usually acknowledged by others 36 Run at full speed 40 London hub

41 “Electric” fish 42 Calendar units (abbr.)

44 A Marx brother 45 Floppy followers 46 Gotten up 47 Blow up, perhaps 48 Mall pizza eatery 53 How errors may be noted 55 Words with “early age” or “impasse” 56 Like some odds 57 “Oh ___!” (song from the “Imagine” album) 59 Elizabethan collar 60 Home of Arches and Zion National Parks 62 Swabbie’s swabber 63 “Mamma ___!” (musical based on ABBA songs) 64 “Golden” time

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

Enjoy Fun By The Numbers puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Across 1 Time’s 2020 Entertainer of the Year 4 Goose variety 10 Go without eating 14 Catch a bug 15 Cover-ups 16 Daily Bruin publisher 17 ___-Caps (candy for moviegoers, when we went out to movies) 18 Country singer who donated $1 million to Covid vaccine research 20 Warmonger 22 “Over here” 23 Ronan of The Irish Tenors 24 Programming language with a coffee-cup logo 26 Ewe in the movie “Babe” 28 Square root of 2, rounded down 29 “Gone With the Wind” surname 31 Give a big hand 33 Got hitched 34 Pioneering Vice President Elect of the United States 37 Network (abbr.)

38 Digital watch maker 39 “That’s a relief” 43 Show with an unprecedented sweep of seven Emmy Awards 46 “___ longa, vita brevis” 49 Fine-tunes 50 Oven controls 51 “Cold Mountain” extra 52 Apple phone software 53 “It ___ what you think” 54 “Foundation” author Asimov 56 Evil-___ (witch and ally of Skeletor) 58 Drive-___ menu 61 Former British Army captain who walked laps for charity in April 2020, raising over 32 million pounds by his 100th birthday 65 Dull routine 66 Poet Pound 67 Noisy pig 68 “Death ___ Salesman” 69 Element #10 70 Buddhist temple

“Some Good Things From 2020”--it’s been a tough year, but...

By Matt Jones

CLASSIFIEDS

22

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

LEGALS Invitation For Bids The Worcester Housing Authority invites sealed bids for 275 Façade RenoInvitation For Bids in accordance with the vation at MA 12-05 Pleasant Tower Apartments The Worcester HousingbyAuthority bids for documents prepared Garofalo invites Designsealed Associates, Inc.275 TheFaçade work isRenoestivation 12-05 Pleasant Tower Apartments in accordance with the matedattoMA cost $8,300,000. documents prepared byisGarofalo Design Associates, Inc. The work is estiProject consists of but not limited to: Façade renovation including; ACM mated to cost $8,300,000. abatement, new EIFS assembly with metal framing, masonry restoration, Project of but issealants, not limited to: Façade renovation including; windowconsists replacements, electrical and fire protection work. ACM abatement, assembly with metal framing, masonry January restoration, General Bidsnew willEIFS be received until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 13, window electrical Department and fire protection work.

2021 at replacements, the Worcester sealants, Housing Authority, of Modernization, 81 General willWorcester, be receivedMA until 2:00at p.m. on Wednesday, January 13,will TacomaBids Street, 01605 which time and place all bids 2021 at the opened Worcester Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 be publicly andHousing read aloud.

Tacoma Street, will Worcester, MA 01605 at which time and placeJanuary all bids 6, will Filed Sub-Bids be received until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday be publicly opened and read aloud.

2021, and publicly opened and read aloud at the same address. Filed subFiled Sub-Bids will for be received until portions 2:00 p.m.ofon Wednesday January 6, bids will be taken the following the work: 2021, and opened and read aloud at the same address. Filed subSection 04publicly 00 01 MASONRY bids will 07 be 00 taken for the following portions of the work: Section 01 WATERPROOFING, DAMPPROOFING AND CAULKING Section Section04 0700 0001 02MASONRY ROOFING AND FLASHING Section Section07 0800 0001 01WATERPROOFING, METAL WINDOWS DAMPPROOFING AND CAULKING Section AND FLASHING Section07 2600 0002 01ROOFING ELECTRICAL Section 08conference 00 01 METAL A pre-bid willWINDOWS be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December Section 26at00 01Pleasant ELECTRICAL 30, 2020 275 Street at which time bidders will be invited to visAit pre-bid conference be held at Housing 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December the project site withwill a Worcester Authority representative.

Fail30, at 275 at which time be invited to visure2020 to attend orPleasant visit the Street premises shall be no bidders defensewill in failure to perform itcontract the project site with a Worcester Housing Authority representative. Failterms. ure attend or visit the premises shalland be no defense failure to perform Bidstoare subject to M.G.L c149 §44A-J Davis Baconinwage rates as well contract as other terms. applicable laws. General Bidders must be certified by the Division Bids are subject M.G.L c149 and §44A-J and Davis Bacon wage rates as well of Capital Asset to Management Maintenance (DCAMM) in the following as other applicable laws. General Bidders must be certified by the Division category of work: General Building Construction. of Capital AssetbeManagement and in theoffollowing Each bid shall accompanied byMaintenance a bid deposit (DCAMM) in the amount 5% of the category General Building bid priceof in work: the form of a Bid Bond,Construction. issued by a responsible surety compaEach bid shall by a bid depositorina the amount of 5% ny licensed tobe doaccompanied business in Massachusetts, certified check, orof a the bid price in the form of acheck Bid Bond, issued a responsible compatreasurer’s or cashier’s issued by a by responsible banksurety or trust company to do business in Massachusetts, or a certified check, for or athe ny,licensed made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority by bidders treasurer’s or cashier’s check issued by a responsible bank or trust compagreatest possible bid amount (considering all alternates). ny, to the Documents Worcester Housing Authority by bidders the Bidmade formspayable and Contract will be made available on thefor Worcesgreatest possible bid amount ter Housing Authority website(considering all alternates).

Bid forms and Contract Documents will be madeat available the Worces(http://www.worcesterha.org/currentbids.html) no cost.onHard copies ter Authority willHousing be made availablewebsite on December 23, 2020 at the Worcester Housing (http://www.worcesterha.org/currentbids.html) at no Street, cost. Hard copies MA Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Worcester, will be made available on December 23, 2020 atA.M. the Worcester Housing 01605 and thereafter, Monday thru Friday 8:00 through 4:30 P. M. Authority, Modernization, 81obtained Tacoma by Street, Worcester, MAin Copies of Department the contract of documents may be depositing $50.00 01605 andofthereafter, Friday 8:00toA.M. through 4:30 P. M. Authe form a companyMonday check, thru made payable the Worcester Housing Copies the contract be obtained depositing $50.00 in thority,offor each set ofdocuments documentsmay so obtained.

Theby amount of the deposit the of a company check, made the Worcester Housingand Auwillform be refunded to each person whopayable returnsto the plans, specifications thority, for each set documents obtained.

Thedays amount the deposit other documents inof good conditionsowithin ten (10) afterofbid opening. will be refunded to each person who returns plans,tospecifications and Bidders requesting contract documents to bethe mailed them should inother in goodincondition within ten (10) after opening. cludedocuments a separate check the amount of $40.00 fordays each set bid payable to the Bidders requesting to be mailed to themcosts. should inWorcester Housingcontract Authoritydocuments to cover mailing and handling clude a separate check in may the amount $40.00 for each at: set payable to the The contract documents be seen,ofbut not removed Worcester Housing Authority to cover mailing of and handling costs.

1. Worcester Housing Authority, Department Modernization, 81 Tacoma The contract documents may be seen, but not removed at: Street, Worcester, MA 01605 1.

Housing Authority, of Modernization, 81 Tacoma 2.Worcester F.W. Dodge, 24 Hartwell Ave.,Department Lexington, MA 02173 Street, MAData, 0160530 Technology Parkway South, Norcross, GA 3. ReedWorcester, Construction 2.

F.W. Dodge, 24 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02173 30092 3.

Construction Data, 30Unit Technology Parkway South, Norcross, GA 4.Reed Project Dog, 18 Graf Road #8 Plan Room, Newburyport, MA 01950 30092 Attention is called to the following: 4.

Dog,of18 GrafEmployment Road Unit #8Opportunity; Plan Room, Newburyport, MA 01950 1.Project Provisions Equal Attention is called to the following: 2. Provisions for payment of not less than the minimum wages as set forth 1. of Equal Employment Opportunity; inProvisions the Specifications; 2. payment14, of not than the minimum wages asSales set forth 3.Provisions Provisionsfor of Chapter Actsless of 1966, Imposing a Temporary Tax, in the Specifications; Section 1, Subsection 6 (d) and (k) exempting the Authority from the opera3.

Provisions Chapter 14, Acts of 1966, Imposing a Temporary Sales Tax, tion of such aofchapter; Section 1, Subsection 6 (d) and and pay (k) exempting the Authority opera4. Requirement to furnish for a Performance Bond from and athe Labor and tion of such a chapter; Materials Bond as set forth in the specifications, 4. to furnish and pay coverage for a Performance andproperty a Labor and 5.Requirement Insurance certificate indicating for publicBond liability, Materials Bond as set forth in the specifications, damage and workers compensation, in accordance with the contract re5.

Insurance certificate indicating coverage for public liability, property quirements, must be filed by the successful bidder upon signing of the damage contract.and workers compensation, in accordance with the contract requirements, be awarded filed by the successful bidder upon signing of the The contractmust will be to the responsible and eligible bidder with contract. the lowest proposed contract price including the dollar amount of all acThe contract will be awarded to the responsible and eligible bidder with cepted alternates. the lowest proposed price including the dollar amount72ofhours all ac-priQuestions regarding contract this project shall be submitted in writing cepted alternates. or to opening and emailed to Mod-Bids@worcesterha.org. Reference the Questions regarding thisinproject shall line. be submitted in writing 72 hours priWHA Job Number only the subject or to opening and emailed to Mod-Bids@worcesterha.org.

Reference the Worcester Housing Authority WHA Job Number only in the subject line.

Joseph P. Carlson, Chairperson

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Sudoku Answers

LAST CALL

Jimmy Kang

VP of Wu-Tang Management

J

How long have you been in Worcester?

I’ve been in Worcester for 19 years.

What does the role of VP entail?

I operate Protect Ya Neck Records, signing artists. I also facilitate distribution and Wu World Radio, as well as our DJ coalition.

You sound very busy.

Yeah, I also own Exclusives Music Meets Fashion in downtown Worcester. Two doors down from that, I operate a community media center called Str8up Institute. I like to help artists take their careers to the next level. I’m in the process of opening a convenience store in the neighborhood because all of the convenience stores downtown close after six.

Who are the artists you are most excited about?

BigNate Allstar out of Worcester.

Scott Isbell out of Acton. I’m excited Cappadonna from the WuTang Clan is also doing projects with our label. We recently got a major distribution deal from Sony Orchard. Now, I can push artists in the right direction and get them into the Sony Orchard portal.

I’m not familiar with the process. Can you walk me through what happens when you identify an artist you want to work with?

We look for artists with their own team — a manager, PR professionals, and independent financial backing. They understand I’m not going to put up all the money. If I’m going to help them distribute through Sony Orchard, then they need to push themselves to get support. Something like CD Baby is a great platform for small independent artists looking to sell thousands of records. With Sony Orchard, we’re looking to sell hundreds of thousands. We’re competing with the majors.

How do you feel about the impact TikTok is having on your industry?

I’ve seen some tiny artists just blow up because their song caught fire on TikTok. You can actually get into the Billboard One Hundred that way. The game has changed so much. Back in the day, it cost so much to record that people would only invest in certain artists.

Nowadays, it’s so easy to record.

There are so many artists out there. Everyone and their mom is a rapper. For real, I see stayat-home moms recording out of their houses, which is cool and amazing. But, we’re still here. Once they need a record mixed and mastered, they need to take it to a professional studio.

– Sarah Connell Sanders

23

What do you think happened to Worcester’s club scene?

Because of COVID, it obviously

died down. Before that, when I first moved here from Los Angeles, I remember Main Street was so busy. It reminded me of a mini Sunset Strip. All the businesses were booming and people came from all over to Worcester to hang out. Then, the club scene moved to Water Street where the city and the police felt like they could control things better.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Can you describe your career?

I came out here from Los Angeles to play hockey for the Boston Junior Bruins. I went to Worcester State and I got hired as a promoter at Club Red 1888. I worked there for eight years and eventually became the general manager.

That gave me the opportunity to hire more than a hundred people from Worcester and provide them with jobs. From there, I started my own record label while working with Krumbsnatcha, an artist connected to Gang Starr. I worked with Ed O.G. and Slaine.

We won a lot of awards at that time. Slaine is a movie star now; he was in “The Town” and “Gone Baby Gone.” From there, Wu-Tang Management scouted me and I worked my way up to VP.

DYLAN AZARI

D E C . 31, 2020 - J A N . 6, 2021

immy Kang has worked in the entertainment business for nearly two decades.

Originally from Seoul South Korea, Kang views Worcester as a rich hotbed of underground hip-hop talent. Kang was thrilled to strike a recent distribution deal with Sony Orchard, a music distribution platform that he believes will elevate his artists’ reach and pave the way for their mainstream success. The Orchard became a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment in 2015. According to their website, “The Orchard is a leading music distribution company operating in 45 markets worldwide with a comprehensive artist and label services offering including full-service marketing, sync licensing, video services, transparent data analysis, advertising, rights management, digital and physical distribution and more.” Kang’s Worcester outpost operates on Pleasant Street where he also owns the retail shop, Exclusives Music Meets Fashion.

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