PORTLAND

The strange lights of Stratton
Visit the village near Sugarloaf and hear stories of the unexplainable, unbelievable, and downright weird - BY JOHN CRAWFORD

Pondering the Southworth Planetarium’s laser shows

Galaxy defenders
Every year as spring approaches, the Southworth Planetarium hosts its weekly Laser Fest, a 3-D bonanza of about a dozen programs that light up the dome theater with retro-futurist animation.

By: NICHOLAS SCHROEDER | February 22, 2012

Educated Advocates release their full-length debut

Back to the classics
This August will mark the 20th anniversary of the Brand New Heavies' Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 (there was no volume 2).

By: SAM PFEIFLE | February 22, 2012

Marcy's new owners step up, but not overly far

Preserving a treasure
Inheritance is the problem of the modern age.

By: BRIAN DUFF | February 22, 2012

Sixth-grader starts egg-ceptional small business

Entrepreneurship
Students in the Yarmouth public schools have been eating fresh, local eggs regularly for about a month. Each Tuesday a local farmer delivers about five dozen eggs for the school nutrition staff to use in each of the schools' cafeterias.

By: AMY ANDERSON | February 22, 2012

The second installment of a thriving Maine literary journal

Mixing old and New
Volume Two of The New Guard literary review is 140 pages longer than its predecessor, as though its creators decided to demonstrate its growing relevance by gleefully stuffing it with more material.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | February 22, 2012

Young actors take to the stage in Wiley and the Hairy Man

Finding courage
Deep in the Appalachian swamp, young Wiley (Luke Stickney, winningly) lives among tree toads, alligators, and plenty of magical spirits.

By: MEGAN GRUMBLING | February 22, 2012

Williams’s shattering Menagerie in Freeport

Fragile suffering
Tom's restlessness at home in St. Louis, where he's stuck providing for his plaintive mom and crippled sister, becomes particularly oppressive in the very architecture of the Freeport Factory Stage.

By: MEGAN GRUMBLING | February 22, 2012

Suit withdrawn; video series continue; new book emerges

Occupy Watch
As OccupyMaine activists withdraw their lawsuit against the city, they also continue to plan events and produce video installments of both OccupyMaine TV and The People's Mike for community-access television and online viewing.

By: PHOENIX STAFF | February 22, 2012

Will Harvey have his way with the Oscars again?

Beyond Help
Like Mitt Romney, the inevitable but unlovable Republican presidential nominee, The Artist looks like a sure bet for most of the top Oscars, which will be presented on February 26.

By: PETER KEOUGH | February 22, 2012

Elusive enshrinement

Balls, Pucks and Monster Trucks
In December 2010, I made a case for Portland boxer Pete Riccitelli's induction into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, in the snappily titled "The Case for Pete Riccitelli."

By: RICK WORMWOOD | February 22, 2012

Hail stars of the sea

Wax Tablet
Now that SUNSET HEARTS are a dominant presence in Portland progressive pop, fans might want to make sure to catch the final release by MARIE STELLA , the power-pop quartet from which Sunset Hearts took three members.

By: PROVIDENCE PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | February 22, 2012

Fader in the middle

Political trivia
Time for political trivia. For each correct answer, treat yourself to a beer.

By: AL DIAMON | February 22, 2012

Get in on the TV Show action

Lights, camera, action!
Each episode of TV Show, the multimedia collaboration between Bomb Diggity Arts and Shoot Media Project (itself a part of Creative Trails, a community support program for adults with intellectual disabilities), explores a diverse range of topics.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | February 22, 2012

Review: Ghost Rider 3D: Spirit of Vengeance

Movie hell
The filmmakers deliver some gorgeous landscape shots of Asia Minor and leverage the 3D perspective to good effect, but the time between such moments of relief can seem like an eternity of movie hell.

By: Tom Meek | February 21, 2012

School of Seven Bells | Ghostory

Vagrant (2012)
To enter School of Seven Bells' world, you have to share their refined sense of beauty.

By: REYAN ALI | February 21, 2012

Archers of Loaf | Vee Vee [Deluxe Remaster]

Merge
In all of indie rock there's no classic lyric more apt than Archers of Loaf's "Greatest of All Time": "The underground is overcrowded."

By: DAN WEISS | February 21, 2012

Memoryhouse | The Slideshow Effect

Sub Pop (2012)
When Evan Abeele and Denise Nouvion created Memoryhouse, they never intended to start a band.

By: LIZ PELLY | February 21, 2012

Hunx | Hairdresser Blues

Hardly Art (2012)
The idea of Hunx and His Punx's Seth Bogart doing a solo album is kind of silly.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | February 21, 2012

Sleigh Bells | Reign of Terror

Mom + Pop (2012)
At least three unrelated people we know responded to Treats, the 2010 opening salvo from this Brooklynian pop duo, with statements like, "It's drum loops that took five minutes to write, cock-rock guitars, a singer who usually sounds like she's parodying a porn actor faking an orgasm — and it's super cool?"

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 21, 2012

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[ 02/23 ] Coalsack in Crux + Heavy Breathing + Whip Hands @ Mathew's

[ 02/23 ] The History Boys @ Bowdoin College

[ 02/23 ] Ian Fitzgerald @ Blue

BLOGS

As predicted, Ron Paul is going full steam
About Town | February 16, 2012 at 4:10 PM

Today's birth control outrage
February 16, 2012 at 1:20 PM

Vote for a Phoenix art writer!
February 16, 2012 at 9:48 AM

Romney-Paul caucus brouhaha continues
February 14, 2012 at 10:14 AM

Chris Brown reactions: NOT OKAY!
February 13, 2012 at 10:28 AM