new year, old bills

The N.H. House was full of energy on Jan. 6 when representatives dug into 123 bills left over from last year. The debate was bound to be heated, noted Rep. Thomas Buco (D-Conway), since these are bills that legislators couldn’t agree on last year.

Meeting for only the second time since it took summer recess in June, House Speaker Terie Norelli (D-Portsmouth) had to remind the 400-member chamber to behave on several occasions when collective boos, cheers and jeers followed various speeches and votes.

Portsmouth has been declared the winner in its friendly competition with Keene for the N.H. Carbon Challenge. Between Earth Day on April 22 and Jan. 4, 275 Portsmouth residents took a 10-minute survey and committed to the Challenge, while 189 Keene residents participated.

Portsmouth also led all New England communities in households that took the Challenge within the last 30 days, edging Keene and Cambridge, Mass. Lee came in sixth on the list.

While my reaction to today’s music is not as severe as my father’s was to the Beatles, Miles Davis and Yes of my generation, I do find myself discouraged, if not completely disillusioned, with much of the work I hear from younger generations.

But in my list of the top recordings of 2009, which can be found at the end of this column, there is hope for the future of jazz in names like Etienne Charles, J.D. Allen, Gretchen Parlato, Jessica Lurie, Esperanza Spaulding, Danny Grissett and Miquel Zenon.

The 12th annual “Set the House on Fire” gospel concert will celebrate Martin Luther King Day on Monday, Jan. 18, with several spirited musical acts. The concert at Newington Town Hall will feature The Faithful Harmonize Jrs., The Funky Divas of Gospel and the Set the House on Fire Band.

And Sandpipers, the Seacoast Children’s Chorus, will present two upcoming concerts in honor of Martin Luther King Day. The shows take place on Saturday, Jan. 16, at Holy Trinity Church in Newington, and Sunday, Jan. 17, at Rye Congregational Church.

rated R

“Daybreakers” promises so much: visceral vampire action, clever world building, and a thoughtful tweak on the vampire mythos, all wrapped in an allegory about dwindling natural resources.

ARS Nova, 2009

Black Dynamite (White) is the baddest mutha around, and everyone—from the kids down at the orphanage and the pimps in the street to the pandering politicians and local militant groups—knows it.

your friendly local gallery tour kicks off 2010 with dozens of new works

The first Art ’Round Town of 2010 was a snowy and relatively slow night for Portsmouth galleries, but those who ventured out were rewarded with warm receptions at Nahcotta, Kennedy Gallery and Three Graces Gallery.

taking an economical bite of the Big Apple’s art scene

With an abundance of warm winter fires, fine restaurants, art, music, theater and friends right here on the Seacoast, locals might choose not to subject themselves to the tedious travel hours and various expenses of a trip to a southward, but equally chilly, metropolis. But, if you know how to do it affordably and efficiently, a weekend tour of New York City’s astonishing cornucopia of art museums is worth the hassle, especially when several not-to-miss exhibits are on display. 

Now in its sixth year, the annual Winter Wine Festival at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle has grown to provide more entertainment and education options in the historic grand hotel. It features both local wines and selections from around the nation and world. Events include grand vintner’s dinners, flight nights, rare vintage tastings, celebrity chefs and winemakers, classes, “Bubbles and Jazz” Sunday brunches, and educational seminars.

The author of “The Piano Teacher,” a New York Times bestseller, was born in Hong Kong to Korean parents and attended an international school there. Janice Y.K. Lee said she was already comfortable with American culture by the time she got to St. Paul’s School in Concord.

What Lee remembers most about adjusting to New Hampshire after having lived in Hong Kong till the age of 15 is not a culture shock, but the cold.