One area of art in Lowell that I am less aware of but know is out there is the local music scene. The variety and quality of local bands and musicians of all genres is pretty astounding. In the midst of this we have Lowell and Behold, a project that comes out of UMass Lowell.
I’ve been browsing their Myspace page and the pages of some of the artists they work with, and there’s some fabulous music on there, something for everyone (maybe even the local James Taylorites who dislike Goth and punk.)
This is a press release talking about their recent CD release party, and their events at the upcoming Winterfest. (It was sent to the Lowell Sun but not published, so I gladly publish it here. There are some minor edits, primarily in paragraph breaks.) I recommend taking a listen via Myspace at the end, you might just find a new local band to love.
Local Music’s All the Buzz in Downtown:
How UML music students are taking over the city of Lowell
One early Friday evening in chilly November, downtown Lowell seemed more alive than usual. The fading sunlight cast shadows off of the half-cobblestoned streets and old brick mill buildings. People walking up and down the sidewalks seemed enchanted with smiling laughter, whispering plans about the coming night. The sky was a backdrop of warm yellow-green, a canvas in which Lowell was politely and historically painted onto. The Revolving Museum stood tall and welcoming on the corner of Shattuck and Middle Streets, with warmly lit windows and tiny previews of the odd, inspiring art homed inside.
Friday nights consistently make downtown Lowell a busy place. With a host of bars and interesting restaurants or cafes to choose from, there is almost always something to do; and if you chance to look hard enough, you can find a corner where the music and culture of Lowell come alive.
It was on this November night that Lowell’s community came together to celebrate the release of Lowell and Behold’s first CD. The Revolving Museum housed the event, a two-night benefit concert showcasing sixteen Lowell bands, aiming to raise scholarship money for Lowell High School students pursuing educations in music.
“Lowell is like a big pond, and the music just keeps splashing it,” said Nicholas Congelosi, co-founder of Lowell and Behold. “A lot of what Lowell has is stagnant. The music is what keeps it flowing.”
Started by two UMass music students, Lowell and Behold began as a community-building project that was designed to celebrate the musical culture of Lowell. More specifically, the project’s goal rested in showcasing some of the city’s youngest and finest musicians. “It was a culmination of desires,” said Congelosi. “I would like to see it expand out. In terms of the CD, we started where the roots were. UML.”
Lowell and Behold as a project defines a community of musicians and fans that are permeating the city of Lowell.
A variety of different kinds of music made by UML students can be seen at bars, coffee shops, galleries, museums, and restaurants throughout the city. “What’s most important,” said Seth Bailin of Nice Bass Productions and of Lowell and Behold, “is that you can find music you can’t define, music that you can’t tell what style it is.” The community is as diverse as it is talented. The CD that Congelosi and Bailin crafted helps to expose people to music they wouldn’t normally listen to.
“Lowell is such a rich source of music and of art. It’s known that it exists, but not so much that there is a place to go for it to be all under one roof,” said Jason Gibbs.
Gibbs is also a music student at the university. He and two friends started Audio Park Productions, the resource that helped to produce the Lowell and Behold CD.
While the smaller project of Lowell and Behold serves to get the city’s music heard for a good cause, the CD and scholarship fund are just a brainchild of a larger goal amassed by these Lowell students. “There is yet to be a centralized resource that everyone can use as a way to be aware of each other, regardless of genre,” said Gibbs.
“School is where the connections happen,” said Bailin. “It’s not so much what you learn, but who you meet.”
UML has been a catalyst of transition for many music students. While its pool of talent is vast, there is an ocean of more substantial connections lying outside campus bounds. It is because of these connections, and because of the large success encountered by the Lowell and Behold movement, that Audio Park Productions is rumored to make its first big moves on the city.
“In the last couple of years there’s been a real need for somebody to be an organizing force in presenting live music. What they’re doing allows that to happen in a way that it hasn’t,” said Peter Lally, professor at UMass Lowell and general manager of the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. With the help of Lally, Nicholas Congelosi, Jason Gibbs, and Brett Fermeglia of Audio Park Productions are in the midst of negotiating and finalizing their role in this year’s Winterfest.
“They’ve really been, more than anybody else, able to tap into making some successful events and promote them downtown in the last year or two. They had the best opportunity to come in and present that at Winterfest.”
The three students will be doing a showcase of original music at the Blue Shamrock on Friday and Saturday evening during the festival.
While Winterfest looks promising, the rest of 2009 feels like an exciting brew of possibilities for a group of students who never stop working for what they believe in. “What’s more important than what’s going on already,” said Gibbs, “is making sure it continues.”
If you haven’t already, you can pick up a copy of the Lowell and Behold CD at a number of locations, including Brew’d Awakening, Ron’s Recycled Records, and University Music. Local shows are constantly popping up everywhere so check in regularly to www.myspace.com/LowellBehold for more information.
