Lowell

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By | January 01, 0001

Massachusetts' crisis: learning a second language

Can English-language programs keep up with the surge in immigration?
Lucía López did not cross the border by foot, nor did she pay a smuggler thousands of dollars to get here. She took a plane to Boston from her native Peru, and hasn't left.
By MARCELA GARCÍA | March 28, 2011

By | January 01, 0001

Summer treats

Whether classical, jazz, pop, or folk, 'tis the season to get out and enjoy the music
From Andean to zydeco, pick your flavor and there's a summer music festival ready to serve it up.
By CLEA SIMON | June 18, 2010

Music for the love of it

From the Schemers to the Men of Great Courage, Mark Cutler’s songs have always gotten to ‘that special kind of place’
Whether driving his Men of Great Courage on a tune about a spooky midnight stroll, or gently declaring a deep camaraderie with “We Shall Always Remain Friends,” Cutler’s concocting a soundtrack to the feelings in the room.
By JIM MACNIE | May 05, 2010

Slam Dunk Season

How the Red Claws took Portland by storm
Back in the fall of 2008, WJAB sports guy Chris Sedenka hosted Red Claws bigwigs Jon Jennings and Bill Ryan Jr. on his afternoon radio show. They were solidifying their plan to bring an NBA development league basketball team to Portland, Maine, a scheme that — in other circumstances, under others' supervision — had been previously unsuccessful.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | February 03, 2010

Let's rock

The BSO, the Cantata Singers, Discovery Ensemble, and BCMS
WGBH radio has ended its 58-year tradition of live Friday-afternoon BSO broadcasts, and it doesn't seem that public outcry is going to change that.
By LLOYD SCHWARTZ | January 25, 2010

Ready to rumble

As the Senate race comes to an end, the challengers for Deval Patrick's job are sharpening their knives
Last summer, the upcoming race that got most Bay State politicos salivating was the run for governor.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | January 13, 2010

Bearstronaut | Broken Handclaps

Self-released (2010)
There's a distinct absence of wildlife or astronauts on Lowell electronica quartet Bearstronaut's latest release.
By DAVID BOFFA | January 13, 2010

The X factor

Come Monday, it's a one-week spring to the primary — and to capture the hearts of undecided voters.
Martha Coakley should be plenty thankful for the holiday weekend. The polls suggest that, if nothing significant changes between now and the December 8 primary, she should handily claim the Democratic nomination for US Senate.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | November 24, 2009

Noir comes to Providence

In Cold Blood
Former Providence Journal reporter Mark Arsenault’s new novel, Loot the Moon , is the second in a series focused on obituary writer, inveterate gambler, and investigator Billy Povich.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | October 28, 2009

Taking sides

The US Senate election is forcing Massachusetts pols to choose their team. Plus, Pagliuca’s plan, and the state GOP tries to get serious.
The stakes are high in the battle for Massachusetts’s first new US senatorship in a quarter-century.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | November 04, 2009

Play by play: October 23, 2009

Boston theater listings, October 23, 2009
Boston's weekly theater listings
By JEFFREY GANTZ | October 21, 2009

Review: The Invention of Lying

Gervais not inventive enough
In the world of this debut effort from Ricky Gervais, there are no movies. There’s only Lecture Films, a studio that produces pictures in which actors read from accounts of historical events.
By MIKE MILIARD | October 09, 2009

Play by Play: October 2, 2009

Plays from A to Z
Boston's weekly theater schedule
By JEFFREY GANTZ | September 30, 2009

You're all guilty!

In his new book, Three Felonies A Day , Harvey Silverglate dissects the corrupt justice practiced by federal prosecutors
Silverglate's thesis is as provocative as it is simple: justice has become sufficiently perverted in this nation that federal prosecutors, if they put their minds to it, could find a way to indict almost any one of us for almost anything. It is a truly radical notion.
By PETER KADZIS | September 28, 2009

Play by Play: September 25, 2009

Plays from A to Z
Boston's weekly theater schedule
By JEFFREY GANTZ | September 22, 2009

A Tale of Two Towns

Renowned for its roguish history, Charlestown is finally getting Hollywood's attention
Charlestown was baptized in bloodshed. Yet this unique, fertile turf has been generally overlooked by Hollywood, which has preferred instead its old rival South Boston, the primary backdrop for Oscar winners Good Will Hunting and The Departed .
By CHRIS FARAONE | September 29, 2009

Play by play: September 18, 2009

Plays from A to Z
Boston's weekly theater schedule
By JEFFREY GANTZ | September 17, 2009

Play by play: September 11, 2009

Boston's weekly theater schedule
By JEFFREY GANTZ | September 09, 2009

Play by play: September 4, 2009

Plays from A to Z
Boston's weekly theater guide
By JEFFREY GANTZ | September 02, 2009

Tormenting Teddy

Republicans threaten Kennedy reign
After 32 years in the US Senate, Ted Kennedy remains a force to be reckoned with, both for his legendary family history and his considerable accomplishments.
By BOSTON PHOENIX STAFF | August 26, 2009

Bacdafucup, indeed!

Remember Onyx? They’re still pissed.
There was a moment between the late ’80s and the early ’90s when hip-hop was cheerier than diaper commercials.
By CHRIS FARAONE | August 11, 2009

Hard times

A former junkie looks back at tough days in Lowell
"You just shit yourself — every muscle, every joint aches. Your entire body cries for heroin. Just one bag of heroin, you know that's all you need, and you'll feel better."
By MIKE MILIARD | June 08, 2009

Spite the power

This week in protest saw teens swarm the State House and tired bus drivers rally
While the economy has given us a collective jackboot to the groin, it has also seemingly stirred a civil discontent.
By CHRIS FARAONE | May 11, 2009

Tax time?

New taxes may be needed. Plus, why Massachusetts can take pride in the Serve America Act.
State House of Representatives leaders have served the Commonwealth well with their austere new budget: they have shown us the tremendous sacrifices we will need to make, and the drastic cuts that will be put into effect, if we don't raise new revenues.
By EDITORIAL | April 22, 2009

Interview: Louis CK

Boston's contribution to Conan, Letterman, and Chris Rock returns with a comedy special and a role in This Side of the Truth
"Boston is a great town to grow up in, but I really wanted to get out of there," says comedian Louis CK.
By MIKE MILIARD | March 12, 2009