Music is great. Puppets are cool. And rescuing the planet is important.

And this Saturday, all three of these topics will come together when the Wicked Queer Puppet Theatre performs the musical, “Beauty Below,” at the Buttonwood Park Zoo.

Beginning at noon, a group of local musicians and students will perform the half-hour outdoor spectacle with a set of six songs detailing the environmental urgency of the plight of the North Atlantic Right Whales. Spearheaded by Hooly J Chan and Sarah Donner, the theme of the musical was inspired by the documentary film, “The Last of The Right Whales,” which the pair viewed last November while it was being shown at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Saturday’s performance will feature 10 puppets, including a 15-foot “Mama Whale,” which will be manipulated by a group of community volunteers, including students who are studying music with Donner.

“Beauty Below” features characters from three dimensions – the whales in the sea, the fisher people on their boats, and the mermaids who are in between these two worlds.

“Puppets are art that’s made by human hands, not something on a screen,” Chan says. “It’s visually interesting – they’re giant and striking, they grab people’s attention, they make people look and listen as they express an important message. They’re colorful and exciting for people of all ages, something you don’t see that often.”

Wicked Queer Puppet Theatre is a collective that formed early this year, inspired by Chan’s month-long education last summer at the Vermont-based organization, Bread & Puppet Theatre. Some of the puppets were put together by students at Our Sister’s School in New Bedford where Chan and Donner teach Songwriting.

“I’m proud to be a part of a community that’s telling this story,” Donner says. “It’s a continuation of a story that’s being told, so to have local musicians and artists come together to make the puppets and sing is a real honor and a joy.”

This is the second musical that has been written by Donner. She previously created the production, “Livestream,” in 2015 when she was residing in New Jersey.

“There’s something universal about most pieces of art and this story contains a lot of metaphorical imagery about love and life. It’s about creatures that deserve a chance,” Donner says.

The music of “Beauty Below” will be varied in tone and tempo as it expresses the experiences of being on the sea as well as being under the sea.

“The feel of being underwater will sound different from being in a boat on the water,” Donner points out. “The songs about the fisher people in their boats is more rhythmic and aggressive, while the underwater songs have a smoother, undulating quality.”

Performed on Donner’s piano, the score is a collaboration between Chan and Donner. But it had its’ beginnings with the inspiration of the film.

“The documentary we watched was an impactful call to action,” Chan says. “Humans have to do something if you want this species to survive and not become extinct. It’s an important part of the food chain and the underwater ecosystem. We want to survive and thrive in harmony with each other and the Earth rather than destroy each other and the Earth.”

“What resonated with me about the film is that the people who are on these fishing vessels are aware of the situation and they’re trying to do better,” Donner says. “It’s an industry, it’s a business and they need to make money for their families. It’s not just a criticism of the fishing industry, it’s a human problem and it’s something that’s going to take more than one person to fix it.”

The vision for “Beauty Below” is to have it expand into a much larger production with more music and puppets.

But Wicked Queer Puppet Theatre is also producing more musicals to be performed in the coming months. They will also be presenting “Unseen Tapestry” on June 24th and 25th at the Social Justice Music Festival at the Heron in Westport. The show will feature songs and poetry by members of the collective, addressing themes such as societal pressures and constrictions, death and rebirth, and freeing your artistic inner spirit.

“Puppets can be awe inspiring,” Chan says. “We hope they can give a voice to these large important creatures that need our help.”

You probably won’t hear Beethoven in a bar or speed metal at a symphony, so when Paul Caraher, “The Human Jukebox,” plays at Gallery X this Saturday night, he’ll be playing a set of instrumental jazz that is fitting for the setting of an art gallery opening.

​A native of Nashville, TN, Caraher is lauded for his ability to play guitar in almost any genre, a skill that has put him in a variety of performance situations. But jazz is one of his preferred fortes, and Gallery X guests will be treated to a two-hour set of classic jazz tunes as well as some selections from his catalog of original material. He will be performing from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Gallery X is located at 169 William St. in downtown New Bedford.

​Including Miles Davis, Chick Corea, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk, Caraher’s performance will be the perfect blend of mellow tunes to accompany an art opening.

​For a preview of some of Caraher’s original jazz creationsthat he will be playing Saturday night, you can visit his website, www.caraher.org.

​“Jazz is a natural fit for an art gallery,” Caraher says. “I may include some bluegrass and country-tinged stuff as well, depending on the feel of the room and the evening. I want to be able to appeal to the largest number of people in the audience.You’ll probably hear more John Coltrane than Lynyrd Skynyrd.”

​Caraher has lived in North Kingstown, RI, for nearly 20 years. He moved from the Nashville area to the northeast to have accessibility to the multiple large and smaller sized cities of the region, from Boston and New York to Providence, New Haven, and Worcester.

​Saturday’s show may also include Caraher employing his loop pedal and Octave Splitter to create bass lines and second guitar parts to “fill out the sound.”

​“I want people to come to the show with open ears and an open mind,” he says.

If you enjoy acoustic music and you’re looking for a unique listening experience, this Thursday’s AHA! Night offers a pair of unique performances at two downtown New Bedfordestablishments.

At 6 p.m., the father-and-son duo of guitarist Donn Legge and cellist Ian Legge will bring their smooth stringed ambiance to Gallery X at 33 William St. And at 6:30 p.m., Hooly J Chan and Sarah Donner will be at the Hewn boutique at 760 Purchase St. to perform selections from their personal catalogs as well as a half dozen songs from their new musical, “The Beauty Below.”

The Legges will be performing an eclectic mix of popular songs from the Beatles to Green Day, in addition to requests from audience members, making for a fun, classy vibe. Father Donn Legge will be playing the chords on his guitar while son Ian will be providing the vocal melodies on his cello.

For nearly a decade, the Legges have performed regionally as a duo. Both of the local residents boast music degrees in their respective instruments.

“We really vibe off of each other, we can read each other’s minds,” Ian says. “There’s a special chemistry that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

But as if this duo wasn’t unique enough, Ian has another musical identity – “The Punk Cellist.”

In addition to being a classically-trained cellist, Ian is also a punk rock drummer, having been the back bone of the local band, Half Hearted Hero. In recent years Ian has been able to meld his two musical passions to establish a reputation as an enigmatic performer – cello versions of punk rock songs – a gig that has taken him from orchestras to punk rock stages around North America.

“The Punk Cellist” originally started playing punk songs on his cello to entertain his family and friends, but the project got started in earnest when he posted versions of the songs online. The songs won the interest of some of the bands that wrote them, including the local punk band, A Wilhelm Scream, and the former Tour Manager of the iconic punk band, The Ramones. Eventually Ian was invited to take to the stage with the band H2O in Providence, followed by a show at “The Fest” punk rock festival in Gainesville, FL, followed by four shows in Canada and Colorado with Garrett Dale, the singer for the band Red City Radio.

“Being onstage at punk shows is so much fun,” Ian says. “It’s a lot of fun to be jumping around like a crazy person.”

But Thursday’s performance will not be crazy, it will be aesthetically rich.

The Legges first performed together for a friend’s wedding reception at Bittersweet Farms in Westport in 2014. Donn Leggeplays guitar with a plethora of regional outfits in a variety of genres, including Blues Train, NB Rude Boys, South Coast Jazz Orchestra, Matt Richard, October Road, and the Kareem Sanjaghi Trio.

“Ian and I have had a good camaraderie from the start,” Donn says. “We have a familiarity with each other.”

The Hewn performance featuring Chan and Donner will include songs from a musical that is based on the plight of the American right whales. Inspired by a documentary shown at the New Bedford Whaling Museum last November, the songs will also be performed at noon on Saturday, April 22nd at the Buttonwood Park Zoo for the “Party for the Planet” event. The zoo performance will be accompanied by more than a dozen puppets that were created by the local collective, Wicked Queer Puppet Theatre. Thursday’s Hewn performance will be strictly music and will not include puppets. 

The music of Hooly J Chan and Sarah Donner can be found on all major streaming services.

 

Millisa Henderson sees the value of being a musician in the South Coast.

​After graduating from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, this Oklahoma native took a job at Double Bar Music in Westport in May of 2020 as a guitar teacher, assistant manager and social media specialist. She fell in love with the area and has remained in this capacity for three years as well as accumulating a reputation as a performer with groups such as the Dave Alves Band, in addition to her solo performances.

​This Friday Henderson will play a solo set from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Interwoven maker space, located at 634 Pleasant St. in downtown New Bedford.

​“My music interests range from John Mayer to really heavy progressive metal, so I’m going to play whatever I feel like, whether it’s acoustic or electric guitar,” Henderson says. “I’ll primarily play covers with my own twists on them, including mashups and medleys. I may throw in some originals as well.”

​Raised in Muskegee, OK, outside of Tulsa, Henderson took to the guitar at the age of 12.

“Growing up, I’d see these picturesque images of New England, it’s such a cool place,” she says. “So I found that the South Coast, the area between Cape Cod and Providence in general, very much reminds me of home, except it’s a little more populated, for sure. Providence is a little bigger version of Tulsa – it’s kind of cool to have the parallels between weird, cool artsy cities. All of the towns I’ve been able to experience here have all these incredibly talented musicians and artists that I’ve been able to play with. There’s a really cool condensed area that’s full of amazingly talented people. There’s a strong sense of community, and that can be hard to find in the music industry sometimes.”

Dan Pevide is living a life devoted to metal.

​At the age of six, this Fall River native was introduced to bands like KISS, Motley Crue, Metallica and Megadeth. But before he reached high school he was a disciple of the intense sounds of death metal, a genre he describes as “brutal and extreme.”

​As the vocalist for multiple death metal outfits, Pevide has played throughout America with bands such as Head Rot, Anoxia, Deathlehem, and Leukorrhea. And since 1996 he has booked metal bands to play shows throughout New England, including many of death metal’s most prominent acts.

​Pevide is currently the vocalist for the bands Goreality and Deciphering the Algorithm, and since July of last year he has been booking the Metal Mondays concert series at Rasputin’s Tavern in Fairhaven, bringing in a variety of metal styles from throughout the region. The shows are free, and guests can enjoy food and drink during the evening.

​This Monday, Metal Mondays will bring the bands Voices Carry Spells, Dawn of End, and Sauriel to Rasputin’s. Voices Carry Spells and Sauriel are based in New Bedford while Dawn of End is from New Hampshire.

​But while Pevide is a devoted proponent of death metal, not all of the bands who he books for Metal Mondays are of that particular metal style. He also books bands that play black metal, thrash and hardcore. 

According to Pevide, death metal is an acquired taste, a language all its own. For the uninitiated, the guttural vocal delivery and significantly distorted guitars may seem like an indiscernible sheen of sound, but Pevide invites people to look into it a little further.

​“A lot of people don’t understand death metal until they start looking into it and get familiar with it,” he says. “They may realize that there’s a lot of talent involved in making this music. There’s a level of curiosity because it’s so odd and unusual.”

​Pevide got his start as a death metal vocalist in his freshman year at Diman Vocational High School in Fall River. He signed up to be a guitar player in an afterschool music program, but since there were so many students who wanted to play guitar, Pevide opted for singing. It was a decision that would affect the trajectory of his life.

​While the death metal genre is often affiliated with the demonic and the occult, Pevide claims that death metal bands sing about a wide spectrum of topics that include science fiction, hidden societies, sex, drug use and modern religion. 

​“A lot of people don’t understand what the singers are saying but if they know the lyrics they will start to get it.”

​Next Monday’s concert will be the second gig for Voices Carry Spells with their new vocalist Justin St. Pierre. The band is in the process of recording original material.

​This will be Sauriel’s second show since their recentreformation. Monday’s set will include three new songs and four cuts from their 2012 album, “Akasha.” The band splintered 11 years ago when the members pursued other life goals but regrouped in 2019.

​“The chemistry was great from our first time back, it was like we didn’t miss a step,” says Sauriel  vocalist Jon Helme. “We stayed friends after we broke up and getting back together was something that was always on our minds.” 

​

The Interwoven maker space in downtown New Bedford is proving to be a cozy and intimate setting for listening to singer/songwriters. And this Sunday two local artists will be treating audience members to new songs that are in the process of being recorded for upcoming albums.

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Hooly J. Chan and Kaiya Hope will be performing a free show as part of the monthly Stove Boat Concert Series at the 634 Pleasant St. location.

​Chan and Hope talked about the creative processes that areshaping their latest collections of songs.

​“My songwriting is a challenging and cathartic way to capture and portray specific emotions,” Hope says. “Songwriting has gotten me through the most intense feelings I’ve ever felt. The saddest feelings I’ve ever felt have turned into some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever written.”

​Hope allows her songs to develop on their own, and many times they become ambiguous for the listener.

​“Even if these emotions aren’t understood through all of the metaphors and madness, I don’t want to write something straight forward – I want it to transform into something of its own. Three different people may have different interpretations of the same line and that’s totally cool – take it however you need to hear it. I’ll tell someone what it means, but I like it better if they come up with their own meaning. It’s more exciting if a bunch of people are confused about it.”

Hope is in the process of recording a full-length record, “Hope Street,” with a targeted release of this May. The album will have her performing a variety of instruments, recorded on her computer at her East Freetown home, but on Sunday she will be performing the songs solo on an acoustic guitar.

​And for Chan, her next batch of songs has her putting asideher ukulele to write, record and perform on an acoustic guitar.She is recording in the New York City studio of her godfather, William Galison, who is also producing and performing on the album. She is anticipating a fall release.

​Chan’s Saturday performance will also be on acoustic guitar and will feature a set of the new unreleased material.

​“You can do more with an acoustic guitar than with a ukulele,” Chan says. “The challenge is that you have to get comfortable going up and down the neck. It has a richer, deeper sound than a ukulele because it has bass notes. I sing differently with a guitar which makes my songs sound different.”

​Chan’s next album will be her third. Her first two records were written and performed on ukulele.

​“On this album I’m wrestling with the self – the thoughts and emotions and difficulties of being human,” Chan says. “But then there’s a break through, a metamorphosis in the middle of the album – a breaking out of societal constrictions and expectations. The second half of the album takes place in the dream world. It goes into past lives and ancestry and history, and then into the future and possibilities – up into outer space and back again.

​“It’s pretty imaginative,” Chan says. “More contemplative storytelling – personal, political and emotional.”

​Hope has two singles available online, while Chan has two full-length albums.

​Chan has performed twice at Interwoven.

“Interwoven is a nice, small and intimate space, it’s a good location for performances by singer/songwriters,” Chan says. “It’s inclusive and always has a captive audience.”

​If you play a stringed instrument or you enjoy the sounds of stringed instruments, the Old Time Fiddle Sessions could make for an enjoyable afternoon.

​This Sunday, the Mattapoisett Museum will be the location for these monthly jam sessions, with an open invitation for musicians and music fans to attend for a few free hours of entertainment. The session usually draws more than a dozen players on instruments such as guitar, violin, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, upright bass, and more. But it is open to anyone who only wants to listen.

​The format for the performances is simple. After warming up with a pair of chosen songs, the musicians will sit in the round, with each player selecting a song of their choosing. Most of the songs are instrumental.

​The event runs from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. It is an opportunity to meet new people and learn new music.

​“You don’t have to be an expert to sit in and play this style of music,” says host and organizer, Jeff Angeley. “You can watch the hands of the other musicians and pick up on what they’re doing. Once you get more comfortable with the song you can hit it a little harder. You can jump in whenever you want. Most people get a feel for the song by the third or fourth time through it.

“We never know what songs are going to be played. It’s different each time.”

​The events are open to people of all ages, skill levels and instruments. The only requirement is that the instrument must be stringed. Participants have ranged from the age of nine to 90.Old Time Fiddle Sessions are held on the last Sunday of each month at the 5 Church St. location.

​“With this style of music, most people are ear musicians,” Angeley says. “It’s not unusual to hear somebody start a tune that some of the players recognize, but after four or five times around almost everybody is playing it, even if they aren’t familiar with it.”

​Old Time Fiddle music has its origins in South Appalachian culture, though it has been performed in various styles throughout America, from the Pacific Northwest to upstate New York. 

​Angeley launched the concerts in February of 2017. When the weather is accommodating they will be held outdoors at the Mattapoisett Museum or other area locations.

“I like that it’s a public event,” Angeley says. “I like that people who aren’t musicians want to listen. It isn’t for money and it isn’t just for players.”

You’ve almost certainly heard of Beethoven, but have you ever experienced his music in a live setting? Why is he considered among the greats?

​On Friday you can find out for free.

If you love beautiful melodies and appreciate excellent musicianship, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra may have something that appeals to you. A Saturday night performance of Beethoven by an internationally renown violinist will be proceeded by a unique opportunity for those who love classical music as well as those who are new to the genre. On Friday afternoon from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. the NBSO will conduct a Free Open Rehearsal at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in downtown – an excellent opportunity for those who have not been formally introduced to classical music. 

Saturday night’s concert and Friday’s free rehearsal will feature an extraordinary piece of music being performed by one of the world’s foremost classical musicians, Vadim Gluzman. In addition to one of Beethoven’s greatest works, his Violin Concerto, the performance will also include selections from two British composers – Anna Clyne’s “Masquerade,” and William Walton’s “Symphony No. 1.”

​“Seeing a rehearsal by an orchestra is similar to seeing a band at practice,” says NBSO President and CEO, David Prentiss. “They’ll likely start by doing a complete run-through so you’ll hear the whole piece without any interruptions, and then they’ll go back and play it again, but this time with some stopping along the way to work on some of the passages. It’s really kind of fascinating, you get to hear the amazing music and then you get to see how the orchestra and the conductor work to put a piece of music together. They’re doing the work that goes into putting on a concert.”

​The NBSO had a previous open rehearsal event in October of last year.

​“The response was great,” Prentiss says. “People were saying, ‘Please do more of this.’”

​The symphony plans to offer more free rehearsals prior to their April and May performances.

​“Beethoven’s violin concerto is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written,” Prentiss says. “There’s a real energy and excitement to it, and it will be played by a soloist who performs all around the world.

​“Beethoven wrote amazing melodies,” Prentiss says. “If there’s one thing we love as humans, it’s beautiful melodies, whether it’s the Beatles or Van Morrison. For any great songwriter, the heart of the matter is the melody, and this violin concerto is an example of that. You’ll end up humming these melodies after you’ve heard them.”

​Gluzman will perform Beethoven with a famous instrument – a Stradivarius violin that was built in 1690.

​“This violin has a sound of total sweetness, it sounds incredible,” Prentiss says. ”In the hands of Vadim Gluzman it’s going to sound amazing.”

“Beethoven invented a lot of new things, he looked at music in a different way,” Prentiss says. “There’s so much depth and creativity, The conductors and guest artists I talk to say that every time they go to play once of his pieces they see something new, something they’ve never seen before. It’s one thing to be creative and innovative in your own time, but he’s still considered one of the most creative and innovative composers of all time.”

The New Bedford band Picniclunch speaks a musical language that may not be understood by everyone.

​So if you’re in search of music that is unconventional and a little challenging, you may want to make it to the Paradise McFee Art Gallery in downtown New Bedford this Saturday night for a three-band bill with styles that are largely uncommon for this area.

​“The main goal is to bring bands to town that are a little different,” says Devin Byrnes, bassist and vocalist with Picniclunch. “You’re not going to see a lot of bills like this in New Bedford.”

​In addition to the “odd, noisy punk rock” of Picniclunch, Saturday night’s show will include two Providence-area bands – Minibeast and Germ House, who will also contribute to the evening’s avant-garde atmosphere.

​Picniclunch’s music may first impress someone as a dissonant, anarchist free-for-all, but it is actually structured,measured and rehearsed. Their style incorporates both discord and melody – seemingly aberrant instrumental music with a layer of vocal melodicism.

​The music of the evening will be fitting for the venue.

​“Ryan’s gallery is a cool little den with a warm, low-key vibe,” Byrnes says. “It has good acoustics with low lighting and a lot of cool art on the walls.”

​The Paradise McFee Gallery is located at 169 William St. Donations for Saturday’s concert are $5 or $10. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

​This will be the Picniclunch’s second show at the gallery. They first played there in October of 2019 as part of Byrnes’ 4752 Music Festival. Their last local show was last December at No Problemo restaurant downtown.

In addition to Byrnes, the band includes guitarist/vocalist Michael Ribeiro and drummer Mack Williamson.

Picniclunch is in the process of finishing their next full-length record, which will be their fourth. Their music can currently be listened to on bandcamp.com.