Lookout: 60s band invades Arts Center Sunday

Take in an afternoon concert at Maudslay Arts Center on Sunday and travel back a few decades.

The Boston-based band 60s Invasion will perform the hits of the past at the outdoor performance venue at the state park in Newburyport during a 2 p.m. show. Meanwhile, on Saturday night, concert-goers can hear the Don Campbell Band play their country music. Tickets are $10 with open seating on the patio and lawn. Children age 12 and under are free.

The Don Campbell Band was the national grand prize winner at the Grand Ole Opry’s Country Showdown. The group has opened for numerous musicians, including Willie Nelson, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Keith Urban, Ricky Skaggs, JoDee Messina and Travis Tritt.

Saturday concerts begin at 7 p.m. Patio seating is $20 and lawn seating is $18. Bring your own chairs or blankets. Children 12 and under are free.

Maudslay Arts Center is located at 95 Curzon Mill Road in Newburyport. If it’s raining, concerts will be held inside the arts center barn. Concert-goers can bring a picnic to enjoy during the show.

To purchase tickets online, visit www.maudslayartscenter.org. Tickets also may be purchased at the gate (cash or check only) or by calling to reserve at 978-499-0050.

Way to the River plays in West Newbury

A summer of song continues in West Newbury tonight as the rock band Way to the River takes the microphone during the outdoor concert series at the Community Bandstand. The free concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. and runs until 8.

The bandstand is located behind the 1910 Town Office Building, 381 Main St. If it rains, the show will be held inside the town annex.

Concert-goers should bring chairs and bug spray. Concessions are sold to benefit the West Newbury Fire Company.

Music in Amesbury’s Millyard tonight

Also tonight, music fans in Amesbury can head to the Upper Millyard to take in some tunes by the acoustic/Americana/alternative country band Liz Frame and the Kickers. The Newburyport-based group will take the stage from 6 to 8 p.m.

The concert series is sponsored by Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank. Donations will be collected for Amesbury’s Our Neighbors’ Table.

‘Land & Sea’ art show reception

The Provident Bank’s Lobby for the Arts in Amesbury will host artists Brent Rotsko and Ann Johnson and their summer show, “Land and Sea,” through Aug. 31.

The public can meet the two artists during a reception tonight from 5:30 to 7 at the bank’s Amesbury branch on Market Street.

‘World Peace Diet’ lecture tomorrow

Educator and author William Tuttle will give a lecture at the First Religious Society on Pleasant Street in Newburyport tomorrow night. Tuttle, a composer and pianist who has performed through the country and overseas, will discuss his book, “The World Peace Diet” and share his thoughts on how food affects our health and well-being.

A former Zen monk and a 30-year vegan, Tuttle “is devoted to cultural healing and awakening.”

“He will explore the invisible connections between our meals and our broad range of problems — psychological, social and spiritual, as well as health and environmental,” according to the event’s description. His presentation will include a musical performance by Tuttle. He will begin his lecture at 7 p.m. in the church’s lower meetinghouse.

A reception with vegan refreshments provided by The Natural Grocer, Revitalive, Zac & Ani’s begins at 6. There is a suggested donation of $10.

Explore nature tomorrow at Maudslay

Nature enthusiasts are urged to visit Maudslay State Park tomorrow from 10 to 11 a.m. when a park interpreter will host a free nature walk. The group will use nets, critter tanks and hand lenses to explore their surroundings.

Meet at park headquarters. Adults must accompany children age 12 and younger. Participants should wear field clothing and walking shoes. There is a $2 parking fee or parking pass required.

The program is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Maudslay State Park Association.

Also, visitors to Maudslay State Park can take a guided tour of the former Moseley family estate on Saturdays throughout the month. The free tours will depart from park headquarters at 2:30 p.m. and last until 4.

Tour-goers will be able to view the site of the house, formal gardens and the farm complex, while learning about the history of the family and their estate.

Registration is not required. There is a $2 parking fee, or a parking pass is required. The walk is co-sponsored by the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Maudslay State Park Association.

On Sundays in July, visitors can take part in a Discovery Day at the state park. From 1 to 4 p.m., pick up a Discovery backpack — there are five types to chose from — and use it to explore your surroundings. Each backpack contains different materials, including binoculars, bug jars, magnifiers, animal tracking guides and books.

Backpacks are available at the park’s headquarters. Call 978-465-7223 to reserve in advance.

Mantra music and mystic poetry

The Yoga Center of Newburyport and Roots to Wings in Byfield are co-hosting a fundraiser for the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center and Pettengill House on Saturday.

A benefit concert, An Evening of Peace, Love & Healing with Sita & The Hanumen, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at First Parish Church on High Road in Newbury.

The evening will include world music, mystic poetry and mantra chanting (call and reply group chanting) with the Hanumen, a group that includes John de Kadt, Benjy Wertheimer, Gaura Vani and Purusartha Dasa. They perform a mix of original songs and chanting in English and Sanskrit.

“The Hanumen create a soulful and ecstatic celebration of Naada Yoga (the yoga of sacred sound and vibration) and Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of love and devotion in complete surrender) with an array of unique instruments from around the globe,” according to organizers. “They deliver a mesmerizing participatory event of chanting, world rhythm, poignant stories and mystic poetry.”

Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for children.

Maggie van Galen at bookstore Saturday

Little readers can visit with local children’s author Maggie van Galen at the Book Rack in Newburyport on Saturday at 1 p.m. as she reads from “The Adventures of Keeno and Ernest: The Banana Tree.”

The book, which is available online or at local bookstores, focuses on friendship and trust as it follows the adventures of Keeno, “a mischievous little monkey” and his best friend Ernest, “a clever and responsible young elephant.”

Piano concert at Belleville

Pianist and singer/songwriter Ross Varney will present a concert at the Belleville Church’s Meetinghouse on Sunday night. Varney, the pastor of the church, will be joined by several fellow musicians as he presents selections from his recent albums “meant to move and lift hearts.”

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at 300 High St., Newburyport. A free-will offering and silent auction will be held to benefit the church.

Port graduate earns attention in NYC

Newburyport High School alum Tom Wetmore is making a name for himself on the New York music scene.

The 29-year-old, who was active in the jazz band at Newburyport High, was often spotted around the city playing with his trio, The Three Jazz Men.

It was the “improvisational nature” of the genre that first appealed to him, Wetmore said. “It allows you to be creative rather than taking what someone else wrote for notes. There’s a freedom that allows you to play beyond the page.”

Moving to New York to attend college, Wetmore said the city is the prime location for jazz musicians. “There’s just no other place like it,” he said.

This weekend, on the heels of the release of his first album, “The Desired Effect,” Wetmore will return to Massachusetts when he brings his tour to Lily Pad in Cambridge on Saturday night.

Wetmore’s album is drawing accolades — and media attention. “It feels amazing, and it feels exciting,” Wetmore said.

Fans should expect his next albums to come soon, he added.

“I compose every single day,” he said. “I will do many albums.”

The Tom Wetmore Ensemble will begin playing at 10 p.m. on Saturday. Lily Pad is at 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. Admission is $10.

Sketchbook Club meets Sunday

The Newburyport Art Association’s Sketchbook Club will meet on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Water Street gallery. The group’s members will share sketches from their monthly challenge. The meeting is open to the public. Artists should bring drawing paper and favorite mediums.

Tea party at Whittier Home Wednesday

Take a step back in time next week when the Whittier Home Association in Amesbury hosts the first Old Fashioned Tea Party of the season. The summer tradition occurs in the Victorian garden of famous poet John Greenleaf Whittier’s Amesbury home on Friend Street.

The tea will run from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25, with a rain date set for the next day. Visitors can enjoy a menu of hot and cold teas, lemonade, a rich assortment of tea sandwiches and pastries. There is a $15 fee per person. Proceeds will benefit the maintenance of the museum.

‘Midsummer Concert Extravaganza” at Actors Studio

This summer just got a little cooler at the Actors Studio in Newburyport. The 50-seat black box theater in the Tannery Marketplace recently installed a new silent air conditioning system.

The new addition comes as the venue hosts “A Midsummer Concert Extravaganza,” an evening of song and music with vocalists Allyn Gamble and Steve Faria on July 27 and July 28. The duo will perform from “The Great American Songbook” as they are joined by several guest musicians including pianist Jack Senier.

The shows will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by calling the Actors Studio at 978-465-1229 or at www.newburyportacting.org. All proceeds will benefit the venue. Admission includes entrance to a reception following the show. The Actors Studio of Newburyport is located in the Tannery, 50 Water St., Mill 1, Suite 5, Newburyport.

New exhibit hanging at Firehouse gallery

Newburyport artist Leslie Aisner Novak will display a collection of her unique and whimsical drawings of faces at the Firehouse Center for the Arts gallery this month.

Novak began creating the body of work without even realizing it — during a visit to New York City in the days after Sept. 11, 2001. Walking along the streets of lower Manhattan, she passed rows and rows of black and white photocopied papers showing pictures of individuals missing and lost following the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers.

“The thoughts of those black and white posters remained on my mind, and I felt compelled to color between the lines. It’s not about actual faces,” she wrote in a statement. “It’s really the color, texture and lines that presented themselves to me. There is so much color to our lives…who we are, our work, our passions, our relationships. Every bit of us is color.”

“By the time I took stock of the drawings, they were pouring out of me — literally by the hundreds,” she added. “I was amazed when I stepped back and saw the body of work that I was developing, and continues to grow to this day. At last count, there are upwards of 3,000 faces.”

Novak’s show runs through Aug. 5. The public can meet Novak Saturday during a reception at the Firehouse from 4 to 6 p.m.

---

To submit a Lookout item, email it to klovett@newburyportnews.com, fax it to 978-465-8505 or mail it to The Daily News, 23 Liberty St., Newburyport, MA 01950. Follow me on Twitter at PortwatchNDN.

PortWatch

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Lookout: 60s band invades Arts Center Sunday

Site Map

Contact Us