HOLIDAYS OF APRIL Rita: April is full of a good variety of holidays, from the trickster’s delight of April Fools’ Day to the solemn Passover and Good Friday. Easter can get confusing when chocolate bunnies and hunts for colored hard-boiled eggs meet a spiritual leader returning from the dead. And then the days devoted to nature: Arbor Day (don’t forget to plant a tree) and Earth Day (please lay down on the ground – asphalt and cement doesn’t count – … Read More >>
A WOOLLY WINTER Rita: Wow—we in New England are glad to be rid of February—it delivered more snow than ever before. The snow hurt a lot of businesses and people in New England, while helping only a handful—like snow plow drivers. Let’s hope March will act more like a lamb than a lion. … LET IT SNOW Lolita: I grabbed a handful of musicians and asked them what they had to say about that beautiful fluffy stuff that magically falls … Read More >>
Rita: This being our first official issue of 2015 we’d like to take time to recognize those who have impressed us over the past year. In these pages you’ll find a number of top ten lists by the writers of The Noise. Lolita: We extend those top tens by asking musicians to share their top three music experiences from the past year. TOP THREE MUSIC EXPERIENCES Rita: Hey Mark—step right up here to the mic and let us know what … Read More >>
THE PERFECT GIFT Rita: The new year is here and it’s time to reflect on your life and give thanks for what you have—even if it doesn’t amount to much. At The Noise we like to think of it as a time to focus on our advertisers who support us. We’d appreciate it if you choose our advertisers to do business with. Support local businesses who in turn help support what is going on around you. Lolita: We don’t have … Read More >>
OOO YOU’RE A HOLIDAY Rita: Since this issue does come out right before the Day of the Dead we have one more chance to say how much we enjoy the history and celebration of Halloween. And yes, we look forward to the family feast coming up later in November, but we could do without the spotted, contrived story handed down in history books. Let’s just call Thanksgiving a day to be thankful for the people who are around us now. … Read More >>
OCTOBER IN SALEM MA Rita: Every year October is my favorite issue of The Noise. It brings the witch out in me. Lolita: Maybe it’s because Halloween in Salem, MA, is as big as Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Rita: It’s become a tradition that bands put on costumes and become other bands—just for the night. Lolita: Though Halloween in Salem runs throughout October—it’s so big that surrounding towns are benefiting from the spillover. … TRICK NOT TREAT Rita: Have you ever experienced a “trick” … Read More >>
SEPTEMBER FEELS NEW Rita: Something about September always feels like the beginning of a year. Lolita: Maybe it’s because The Noise was first published in September, 1981. Rita: Maybe because it’s the beginning of another new school year. Lolita: Maybe it’s because The Beatles started their first recording session in September. Rita: Or maybe because these classic performers were all born in September: Freddie Mercury, Loudon Wainwright, Roger Waters, Buddy Holly, Chrissie Hynde, Patsy Cline, Billy Preston, Otis Redding, Joe Perry, Maria Muldaur, B.B. King, Hank … Read More >>
IT’S SUMMERTIME Lolita: Besides our country winning its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britan in 1776, a lot has happened in July that is part of modern music history. BRIAN JONES (The Rolling Stones) drowned in his swimming pool on July 3, 1969, and exactly two years later JIM MORRISON (The Doors) died of a heart attack. But the month isn’t just filled with death (even if John Lennon’s mom died on July 15 and AMELIA EARHART disappeared over the Pacific on July 2)—look at the … Read More >>