Arts

TV SHOW: “What’s New? Malden” for June 2016

Hosted by Sam Baltrusis from MATV’s Neighborhood View, the monthly program showcases Malden’s new restaurants, cutting-edge businesses and positive news emerging from the city. The June 2016 edition of Neighborhood View’s “What’s New? Malden” focuses on the booming made-in-Malden movie scene, thanks to Mark Wahlberg’s upcoming film “Patriot’s Day,” from business development officer Kevin Duffy. Get the lowdown on Ward 4 from the new councillor on the block, Ryan O’Malley. Still buzzing from the 10th anniversary of MATV’s Open House Showcase? Go behind the scenes of the annual event with our new co-host Sharon Fillyaw.

Arts

“Inside Malden” interviews musician Peter Moore

When asked what a song about Malden would be, singer songwriter, producer, performer Peter Moore gave the perfect answer, “It depends on who asks for it.” Peter Moore is as versatile, creative, edgy, and adaptive as artists get… able to bend styles, experiment with sound, inject quirks, and apply variety to the need. He intrigues listeners whether singing on stage with Blue Man Group or performing with his current rock band Count Zero, producing a kickstarter-funded rock opera, Heterotopia, writing songs that were picked up by video games such as Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero, or songs like Hire a Bird that rail against the destruction of the earth and reach the Top 500 Songs of All Time on Boston radio station WFNX. There is no doubt, Peter Moore could provide a number of songs for Malden in styles to suit our colorful demographic makeup and sensibilities. His voracious creativity and addiction to keeping himself and the audience curious and intrigued is what keeps him out of any one category. Yes, he writes pop […]

Arts

Young, a luthier in Malden, creates musical magic

When walking through the front doors of 190 Main Street, one is greeted at the intersection of two worlds: A wall display of shiny guitars in varied sizes and styles and a workbench with tools that mend and build guitars. This is the studio of R. Jeff Young, known as RJ, who is a certified Luthier (maker of string instruments, particularly guitars) as well as a teacher and performer. His music workshop contains a wealth of information and experience. After a tour of his studio, we got to ask a few questions about his career of guitar playing, repair and building. Growing up in New Jersey, Young had an older brother who influenced his interest in learning to play. Young graduated to formal lessons followed by excursions to Spain where he became enamored with flamenco music that he still favors this day. His musical interest has taken him around the world to study and play along well-known musicians. Young is a student disciple of Mario Escudero, a Spanish flamenco guitar virtuoso recognized among the best […]

Arts

Shelita Burke featured on “Release the Sounds”

April’s featured artist over at Release the Sounds is international phenom, Shelita Burke. Over the past two years the Seattle-raised singer/songwriter has become a true musical citizen of the world, bringing her fresh indie folk-jazz and what she dubs “emotional art music” on self-generated world tours that hit France to Japan. In between overseas stints, she’s also done Seattle to NYC tours. She recently visited our studios at MATV during a short stint in Boston. Her debut EP Transfixed was released in November 2015 and was the No. 14 best selling album on Amazon. This kind of success was completely organic, built one fan at a time, one show at a time. Release the Sounds is so glad Shelita was able to stop by the studio to play for us.  

Arts

Scenes from a holiday bazaar

The holidays may be long over but I’m left with a memory of a special event in my neighborhood, a pop-up (private) party featuring crafts from local artists in the basement of a home transformed into a Moroccan-style bazaar. On behalf of the seven artists that banded together to create this special event, I wanted to share photos and some video highlights that have not yet been shown to the public. Local artist and community activist Elena Martinez says it all started with a “WHAT IF moment.” She and local artist Bonnie Blanchard were discussing the lack of space where artists could collectively work together. As the holiday time approached, they were looking for venues to sell their work. They decided to hold a “pop-up” event in the basement of Bonnie’s home and invite guests to attend. It would be a small neighborhood event that would offer holiday arts and crafts for a two-day stint just before the holiday shopping frenzy began. It would also be a showcase for a handful of locally renowned artists […]

Arts

Anthony Savino featured on “Release the Sounds”

Providence-based artist Anthony Savino has been playing the guitar for about 14 years, and in that time he has developed a swift, craftsman-like fingerpicking style.  He has devoted much of the past decade to making and releasing original work, though his showcase with RTS features almost exclusively as-yet unreleased material, including a song which he wrote as part of the score for Spanish short film based on Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. His approach ranges from lively, gentle and bright as in Red Bird, to pastoral folk pacings that make me somehow homesick as in What You Read. New releases are in the works and soon to be added to his already extensive collection of albums and EP’s, available for listen, streaming and download HERE. Visit the Youtube channel for Release the Sounds HERE for more behind-the-scenes clips. Release the Sounds, airing on MATV (Comcast 3, Verizon 28) every Wednesday at 10 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 p.m., spotlights regional musicians every month.

Arts

Artist Marketplace at Luva Spa

The handiwork of a talented group of Malden artists is on display at the Holiday Marketplace at Luva Spa and Gallery, 379 Main Street.  Today (Thursday, December 18) was the first day of the two-day pop-up.  The marketplace will be open from 9am – 5pm on Saturday, December 19. For sale are beautiful handmade scarves, hair and hat pieces, tree ornaments, jewelry, cards, photographs, food items and more. Allison de Faria, the Events Coordinator for Luva Hair and Day Spa, extended the invitation to the Malden artists. Luva is a local business that has supported the arts in Malden since it opened in 2011. Along with their full day spa offerings, they feature rotating exhibits from local artists in their extensive gallery space. The artists whose work is featured in the marketplace are Bonnie Blanchard, Elizabeth Scorsello, Ginny Remedi, Ose Manheim, and Elena Martinez.   Elena Martinez comments, “We are very grateful and excited to have this pop-up marketplace. We want Malden to know that there are artisans in the community and we are actively looking […]

Arts

Profile of artist Stephanie Mahan Stigliano

“So many books from Baghdad’s libraries were flung into the Tigris that a horse could walk across on them.  The river ran black with scholars’ ink and red with the blood of martyrs.” —As written by Ian Frazier in the April 25, 2005 issue of the New Yorker, about the Mongols attacking Baghdad on January 29, 1258. The desert knows me well, the night and the mounted men. The battle and the sword, the paper and the pen. —Abu al Tayyib al-Mutanabbi (died 965 CE) “I love books and I think reading is so important in my life, important to culture and education and expanding your world view.” she said,  “I make books.  I love reading books.  I love libraries, everything about books, going to bookstores, sharing stories about books I’ve read.  So, I thought, ok, I can do this.” Malden artist Stephanie Mahan Stigliano’s thoughts about her invitation to participate in Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here: An Exhibition of Artist’s Books and Broadsides. On March 5, 2007, on al-Mutanabbi Street, Baghdad, Iraq, named for the […]

Arts

Homes for the fairies in Malden

“If you build them, they will come.” Fairies, that is. And gnomes, trolls, elves and other creatures said to inhabit the natural world. That’s the idea behind building tiny whimsical houses in the woods. And Malden is now prepared to welcome these creatures with a full selection of residential units. On Saturday, August 29, Pine Banks Park on the Malden/Melrose line was host to Malden’s first Fairy House event organized by Ward 5 Councilor Barbara Murphy in collaboration with Malden Reads. The event was attended by families and community members of all ages. Murphy says the event was inspired by the Fairy House Series of books written and illustrated by Tracy Kane. Building tiny houses for nature’s mythical creatures is an art that some say started on islands off the coast of New England and then spread throughout the country. Many community groups pre-built fairy houses which were placed along a walk leading through the woods and up a hill. On the day of the event, children and families built houses with natural materials found […]

Arts

Filming ‘Ted 2’ at Malden Public Library: An Inside Look

Perhaps unbefitting to the historical significance and elegant grandeur of the Converse Memorial Library in Malden, the interior of the library’s historic wing provides the setting for a scene in the recently released Ted 2 comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Amanda Seyfried. The scene was created and filmed over a two-week period in July last summer. Full disclosure: I’m on the Board of Trustees for the library and have an inside view for this story. The Trustees voted on the approval for the filming after the library was approached by the film company, Raging Bear, last June. There was some, but not much hesitation, on approving the deal. According to John Tramondozzi, President of the Library Trustees, “Our main concern was the safety of the building.” The library was offered considerable compensation for the filming, though the project would require a great deal of time and extra work on the part of the library staff. “Sure, we would have loved for the film to be a period drama,” says Dora St. Martin, the library’s executive […]