#lowell

#lowell

"In the past, I've never really found a place that I would commit to staying for so long, and without hesitation, I was like, 'Where do I sign?' That's how much I love living here."

The quaintness has always been present, but the increased interest in Mystic, the evolution of its restaurant scene, the rise of social media, and the changes in how people travel have all contributed to its remarkable growth. The Delamar adds a luxury hotel and fine dining that enhance Mystic's charm while welcoming visitors to stay longer and experience the town more deeply.

Over five years, the pair gathered furnishings, art, and antiques to shape an inviting ode to the past-snug and soulful, sentimental and nature-filled, with earthy colors offset by bold, saturated moments of Americana. Like squirrels preparing a winter cache, they collected objects patiently, adding layers over time.

No single musician better represents that contribution and its nearly forgotten history than pianist Sidney Porter. From 1941 until his untimely death in 1970, he cast a 6'8" shadow over Portland's jazz scene as both a performer and nightclub owner. Two months after he died, more than 3,000 people filled the Hoyt Hotel in a 10-hour show of respect that included 20 bands and more than 160 musicians.

'I started crying,' Azar told me one afternoon last summer, as we sat on the sun-drenched porch of Gifford, overlooking the brick courtyard. Guests popped over to bid him hello, and he gently directed them over the lobby bar for a moment of respite from the heat. He continued the story: 'I was like, 'This is actually why I'm doing this.'

I've read books and watched Ken Burns documentaries, but my principal education in American history comes from our music. It's my pathway as I search for identity, for lineage and legacy, for community and for an understanding of this vast land, in all its confusing complexities and contradictions. I've learned that our music is a map of our history. It traces our roots and routes, and marks all the places where our journeys intersect to meet on common ground.

This is by far the biggest release week of the year so far. Amanda and I highlight 12 new releases below, and Bill tackles another five in Indie Basement, including Cardinals, Luke Temple & The Cascading Moms, The Paranoid Style, the Wall of Voodoo 1983 demos collection, and the expanded reissue of Velocity Girl's ¡Simpatico!. And in addition to these reviews, Dave and I talked a lot about all this new music on today's episode of BV Weekly.

I'm on a mission here. A collision with immensity awaits: the 2026 Moby-Dick Marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Programming, scholarship, and-the event's steadily droning core-a 25-hour cover-to-cover reading of the great book itself. Hundreds of volunteer readers, in five-minute increments, from noon on Saturday to 1 p.m. on Sunday. A test of my fortitude as a listener, of my ability to keep my behind in a seat.