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Boston, MA
At the inaugural Home Alone Fest, Boston artists aim to pack the house – The Boston Globe
“I experienced [pay to play] my whole career as an artist,” he says. “What do you get out of it at the end of the day? Nothing. You don’t even get to meet the headliner.”
That won’t be an issue at Home Alone Fest, which has no national headliner; instead, the bill stacks sets from heavyweights in the area’s hip-hop and R&B scene, including Neemz, Latrell James, ToriTori, Shaykh Hanif, and BML J.R. The lineup is an outlier for The Sinclair and similarly-sized venues in the area, which sporadically present all-Boston bills.
Home Alone Fest furthers the mission of Joey’s Home Entertainment, a business that Santiago launched with collaborator Ashley Lord to assist artists with services like management and brand development. The endeavor fuses Santiago’s expertise as an artist with 500-plus shows under his belt, and Lord’s experience working at venues like The Middle East, The Sinclair, and Roadrunner, where he’s currently venue operations manager.
Lord states that Boston’s concert market is “oversaturated” with acts from out of town, often because venues perceive national artists as less of a financial risk than locals. Factor in the reality that some touring groups adopt the pay to play model when selecting openers, and there’s limited room for area musicians to break into larger venues.
“Us doing a show at The Sinclair is because a booker at Bowery [Boston] decided they want to take chances,” Lord says. “They want to be outside of the box, they want to do something not ‘normal,’ especially within the city that has a whole bunch of talented artists.”
The Sinclair’s upcoming schedule reflects that mind-set, with a rare cluster of Massachusetts artists headlining shows throughout August: Club d’Elf, Bent Knee, and Coral Moons. If Home Alone Fest packs the house as intended, Lord and Santiago hope to repeat the event — and hopefully expand its impact while demonstrating that all-local bills belong on the calendar regularly.
“It’s not ‘just a show,’” Lord says. “A festival gives us a chance to grow as well and bring it to any space.”
GIG GUIDE
Beginning Friday, Phish jam through three consecutive nights at the Xfinity Center with their new record “Evolve.” Santana and Counting Crows head to the amphitheater on Tuesday for their “Oneness” Tour to blend decades of immersive Latin psychedelia and poppy roots-rock.
Fenway Park’s concert season reaches a fever pitch this week as Watertown folk favorite Noah Kahan performs the second of two shows at the ballpark on Friday. Country star Kane Brown returns to the venue on Saturday, followed by Foo Fighters’ Sunday performance, which will be their first local appearance since their much-delayed headlining performance at Boston Calling last year. On Tuesday, blink-182 make their Fenway debut and mark the ballpark’s final show of July.
It’s no less busy at Roadrunner, where The LOX will celebrate 30 years of shaping East Coast hip-hop on Friday, and New Bedford’s hardcore punks Have Heart will complete a small slew of summer shows on Saturday. Swinging Tennessee string band Old Crow Medicine Show round out the weekend on Sunday on the “Jubilee” tour supporting their 2023 record of the same name.
A global sampling of new tunes comes to Somerville this week, as Montreal’s Cola spin minimalist post-punk from their June record “The Gloss” at the Rockwell on Friday, while Seoul trio The Volunteers slip beneath a shroud of gentle alt-rock from their new EP “L” at Crystal Ballroom on Wednesday.
O.A.R. summon their best renditions of songs like “Shattered (Turn The Car Around)” to record a live album at Leader Bank Pavilion on Saturday; serial handclappers Fitz and the Tantrums open the performance, which will also be available for fans at home to livestream via Veeps.
On Thursday, Club Passim hosts a celebration for the release of “Mass Spiritz Vol. 2,″ a collaborative hip-hop record supported by Passim’s Iguana Music Fund. The performance will feature Terry Borderline, the Brockton artist who spearheaded the project, and Jamaica Plain rapper and hip-hop educator Paul Willis.
NOW SPINNING
Barns Courtney, “Supernatural.” When stuck in the doldrums of the COVID-19 pandemic, Barns Courtney flipped a doom spiral into a roller coaster. With his third album, the British singer-songwriter crafts a fast track of rock ‘n’ roll that whirs through dystopian and hedonistic themes, securing Courtney a coveted spot in modern rock alongside Cage the Elephant and The Black Keys.
Battlemode, “Playlist.” Love is a losing game for Boston trio Battlemode, who power down an old romance on their newest single. With every loop of an ex’s playlist, the electro-pop group treads a rut of abandoned love, tweaking the sound of defeat into an aching chiptune lament.
Lava La Rue, “STARFACE.” When Lava La Rue released their 2022 EP “Hi-Fidelity,” the suave project’s only flaw was its quick runtime. No one can say the same about “STARFACE,” an ambitious debut that doubles as a 17-track supernova of funk-flecked sensuality and Tame Impala-esque psychedelia. “Finna gravitate to greatness,” the London shapeshifter casually announces on “FLUORESCENT / Beyond Space” — or, as “STARFACE” demonstrates, perhaps greatness will gravitate to them instead.
BONUS TRACK
Good news for everyone who missed Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls at Boston Calling this year — the British folk-punk act will return to Massachusetts Aug. 24 to headline the 22nd annual Riverfest. The free festival from 92.5 the River will take over Salisbury Beach’s Broadway Boardwalk with performances from Turner, singer-songwriter Matt Pond PA, and Massachusetts-raised artists Ali McGuirk and Zola Simone.
Victoria Wasylak can be reached at vmwasylak@gmail.com. Follow her on X @VickiWasylak.
Books
Mass General nurse-turned-author Karen Winn brings Beacon Hill to life in her latest book. Add this to your beach bag.
Massachusetts General Hospital nurse-turned-author Karen Winn often writes in the Boston Athenaeum, watching tours pass by.
One day, in 2023, she joined one. And the seed for her next novel was planted.
“We passed by an oil portrait of Thomas Handasyd Perkins, a major benefactor to the Athenaeum in the 1800s. The docent alluded to this dark history as to how he’d amassed a large portion of his fortune in the opium trade,” she tells me.
“The tour group moved on — but I was stuck there thinking. I went home and fell down this rabbit-hole of research and learned, to my surprise, just how many of the Boston Brahman families made their fortune in the opium trade. It was fascinating.”
I went down a similar rabbit-hole. The Boston Brahmin opium fortunes are well-documented, including a past Harvard Art Museum exhibit, articles, books and website info including, speaking of Perkins, the Perkins School for the Blind.
Winn, who lives on Beacon Hill and was in a secret society (I asked) added bits and pieces from her own life into the novel-creating mixing bowl: What if there was a secret society built on old opium money in Beacon Hill, and a Mass General nurse was somehow involved?
“The Society” was born.
If you’re looking for a Boston-set page-turner — an “alternate universe Beacon Hill,” as Winn puts it — to kick off your summer reading, add this suspense to your beach bag.
Nutshell: The Knox, standing proudly on Mount Vernon Street in Beacon Hill, houses meetings of a secret society. Some in Boston believe it’s an elite social club — others believe it hides something sinister.
When Boston antique dealer Vivian Lawrence sees her family fortune vanish, she turns to a family legend that ties her to the Knox, seeking a way into the exclusive secret society.
Taylor Adams, a 20-something Mass General ER nurse who recently moved to Boston, becomes almost obsessed with old-moneyed Vivian, “a creature of wealth,” after Vivian lands in the ER one night. When Vivian disappears from Mass General without a trace, Taylor’s search for answers pulls her into the Knox and its dark history…
What interested me — before I knew anything of Winn’s backstory— was that it felt like it was written by someone who just moved to Boston and was in awe of the city.
Living here, we might think of Rachel Dratch and Jimmy Fallon and Denise and Sully in those old “Boston Teen” SNL sketches, or Casey Affleck as the “King of Dunkin” as summing us up, at least in terms of how outsiders see us.
But Taylor, the Mass General nurse, almost fetishizes Boston, and old-moneyed New Englanders she imagines walking down every street.
Example: when old-Boston-money Vivian lands in the ER: Taylor “swallows, a flurry of excitement building in her chest… she envisioned that the city would be teeming with these ladies… That she would get to move among their world, learn from them, drink in their fanciness… letting that old New England generational wealth rub off on her until she glimmered with something of its gold dust…It is Boston, after all: the city of cobblestones and beauty, of Harvard and MIT, of sophistication and history.”
Winn, who grew up in New Jersey, moved to Boston 20 years ago after meeting her Boston-native husband Gil at UPenn. They now live in the Beacon Hill area with their two kids and 100-pound (yup) Bernedoodle.
After two decades here, she’s still “in awe.”
“I grew up in a 5,000-person town in New Jersey. When I came to Boston, I was struck by this beautiful city. Beacon Hill is one of the most historic and charming neighborhoods,” she tells me. “Living here, one might almost be inured to it, but I have this awe. I’m always struck by the cobblestone streets and the gaslit lamps.”
Winn even started a TikTok account for @theknoxsociety, documenting life on Beacon Hill.
This is Winn’s second novel, after 2022’s “Our Little World.” But “I’m not an overnight success by any shape or form,” she says with a laugh.
“I was a nurse and a nurse practitioner, but always loved writing and wrote on the side,” says Winn, who left Mass General in 2010. “It’s a typical writer’s story: I had hundreds of rejections for short stories.”
One of those rejections — from JFK Jr.’s “George Magazine” in 2000 — actually landed her in Newsweek recently.
I called Winn to talk opium, strange graveyard tour, a terrifying house fire, TikTok, and more.
Taylor arrives in Boston with a burning curiosity about the city. “What is Boston? Who are these people?” questions swimming in her head.
“Absolutely. When I came to Boston, I was so struck by this beautiful city. In my head, I could very clearly see the Knox building: The front is on Mount Vernon Street, and the back, I imagined to look like Branch Street. Branch isn’t the back of Mount Vernon, so I gave it a fictional name.”
I love that level of detail, though. No one outside Boston — or maybe even Beacon Hill— would ever know: oh, Branch Street isn’t in back of Mount Vernon. You have other specific references, like dining at 1928.
“I almost wish I’d been a little craftier [with adding more]. For instance, at one point I had Taylor get her knives sharpened at Blackstone’s. And it was just too much detail, so I pared it down. But sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, I wish I kept that!’ [laughs]”
[laughs] That’s how it goes.
I don’t think I realized the effect each reference would have. There are book clubs now that tour Beacon Hill and go to spots mentioned. A few toured the Boston Atheneum, or dined at 1928. I didn’t realize how much people would connect to the sense of place. It feels like it’s been embraced by people in Boston, which is so fun.
Now 1928 has a cocktail named for your book. What are more specific inspirations that went into the novel?
“For the Knox, I took inspiration from The Somerset Club and The ‘Quin — the beautiful room with fireplaces and ornate details.
“And I was in a secret society in college: Tabard Society at UPenn.”
Wow, what was that like?
“I can’t tell you. [laughs]”
[laughs] Fair enough.
“But I loved that experience. When I was rushing [or trying to get in] you’d find out if you were invited by getting handwritten notes slipped under your door. I tapped into that with The Knox sending notes.”
You said your husband went with you on midnight strolls through Boston?
“Yes! I dragged him to some graveyard tours. We did one that —it was funny, because I’m not sure how I found it, but it definitely, like, wasn’t very legit.”
[laughs] OK.
“It was just us and this guy — we weren’t allowed inside any of the cemeteries. We’d watch the tours go on the inside, and the three of us would be standing on the outside. [laughs]”
[laughs] Amazing.
“My husband’s like, ‘Where did you find this guy?’ I don’t know.”
[laughs] This feels like a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode.
“It was quite an experience [laughs] And then, of course, I had to go back. We had to go back and do an official tour.
“And I toured the Nichols House Museum in Beacon Hill, which was neat to see another historic building and learn about family that lived there. I toured the Forbes House Museum in Milton. Forbes family was one of the Brahman families, they made their fortune in the opium trade.
“Also we had lived, at one point in the South End, and actually had a house fire. We were home at the time. Luckily, we were fine. But our house was a total loss.”
Oh my god.
“We each grabbed a kid and ran out at the door. It was pretty traumatic. Five minutes later, we would not have been able to go out that door. So, I tapped into that when I wrote the fire scene.”
Wow. That’s terrifying.
“As a writer, you store all these things up, and then go into your basket of experiences, and you get to use them.”
You also created a TikTok for the Knox. What sparked that, and how long will you keep that going?
“I’m having fun with it. I had no expectations when I started. I wasn’t big on TikTok. But having the account for the Knox itself allowed more creative freedom because I wasn’t putting myself out there — I was putting the Knox out there. So I’ve enjoyed creating these videos. Especially since the next novel is brewing in my head.”
What are you working on now?
“My next book focuses on a minor character mentioned in “The Society” — the bookstore owner, Nicholas. I was telling you earlier about those rejections — I actually wrote a short story about him years ago that was never published. It’s been living on my computer and in my head for all these years. I’m ready to tell the story. It will be another very Boston book.”
Catch Karen Winn on July 29 at Quincy’s Next Chapter Books & More.
Lauren Daley is a freelance culture writer. She can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagrams at @laurendaley1. Read more stories on Facebook here.
Boston, MA
Carjacking suspect killed by Boston officer had lengthy record with more than 17 criminal cases, court filings show – The Boston Globe
O’Malley shot and killed a suspect in a carjacking in March. The swift decision to prosecute has prompted outrage by the police union and law enforcement officials.
O’Malley, 33, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter for the death of Stephenson King, 39, who was shot March 11 while he allegedly tried to flee a traffic stop in a stolen car. Prosecutors determined that O’Malley had no justification for shooting at a moving vehicle.
“It is disappointing that the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is choosing to second-guess an officer whose only goal was to protect the public,” O’Malley’s lawyer, David Yannetti, said in an email to the Globe. “We will continue to vigorously defend this officer and this case.”
“The main issue in this case will be who the aggressor really was and whether Officer O’Malley acted in lawful defense,” Yannetti wrote in court filings.
On Wednesday, Yannetti filed several defense motions in the Roxbury division of Boston Municipal Court, in an effort to illustrate “King’s mayhem and reign of terror,” spanning nearly two decades and resulting in more than 17 criminal cases across Massachusetts, court records show.
Over the years, King has been charged with strangulation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carjacking, breaking and entering, gun charges, and resisting arrest, according to court filings.
At the time of his death, King was free on bail for at least three separate felony cases, and had active warrants for his arrest, court records said.
O’Malley is seeking King’s mental health, criminal, and court records from all of his past cases, recordings from police body-worn and dash cameras, the medical examiner’s file on King, along with statements taken from O’Malley and witnesses at the scene of the shooting.
O’Malley told investigators that when he shot King he feared for his own life and for the life of another office on the scene, believing his colleague was about to be run over.
Police had pursued King after he allegedly committed a carjacking outside a pizza restaurant in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. About 15 minutes later, officers stopped the stolen car less than a mile away, at Linwood Square in Roxbury.
The driver ignored “multiple verbal commands” as officers approached and tried to drive away, police said.
King opened the car window, but did not turn the vehicle off. O’Malley drew his Taser and shouted, “Bro, I’m going to [expletive] shoot you,” the police report said.
That’s when King backed into the cruiser behind him, then maneuvered the vehicle forward and back “in an attempt to escape the police,” according to the report.
As King started to drive forward again, O’Malley fired three shots through the driver’s window, striking King, the report said.
King’s family has contended that he was experiencing a mental health crisis in the hours leading up to the deadly encounter.
In court filings, O’Malley’s lawyer, Yannetti, said King gave “O’Malley no choice that night.”
“Any suggestion that this shooting was precipitated by simply a ‘mental health crisis’ completely misses the point,” Yannetti wrote. “When facing an extremely dangerous threat, there is no time for a police officer to hold a counseling session on the street or to sit down to discuss the feelings of a menace who is intent on using a motor vehicle as a deadly weapon.”
“If a man is going to assault and carjack an innocent woman then threaten the lives and safety of the public and a police officer, that man needs to be stopped — whether he is in his right mind or not,” according to O’Malley’s motion.
O”Malley’s next court date, a probable-cause hearing, is scheduled for May 21.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.
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