Harried Potter

One of the more pleasant CDs that has drifted across my transom at the Brattleboro Reformer is "Erik Satie:Music from The House with Four Chimneys" by a group of musicians with the mysterious handle of Eddy & The Esoteriks.

Largely the brainchild, I take it, of guitarist Ed Eastridge, the CD features music of Satie transcribed from piano to guitar, mostly, with banjo, mandolin, violin, cello, accordion, flute, harmonica, viola, oboe and voice. Local guitarist Draa Hobbs is one of the musicians on the CD, which is, I suspect, how it got to me. The other musicians are based on the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire and was recoded at Big Mo Records in Thetford.

Satie's music has always intrigued me. It has that particularly "French" sound - open, spare, innovative, minimalist - and Satie was a precursor to and influence on many composers of greater renown who came after him - Debussy, Ravel, Milhaud, Poulenc, even Stravinsky.

Satie's songs, all of which are short in duration, adapt well to guitar and are the ideal soundtrack to those quiet, reflective moments in life. The music leaves plenty of room for you to think.

Equally intriguing are the liner notes, which give you some impression of the sadly beautiful life Satie led. Alone and in abject poverty most of the time, Satie walked every day from his room in the House with Four Chimneys throughout Paris, and the CD is full of music which seems to have grown out of these walks. It is thoughtful and surrounded, yet somewhat insulated from, the hubbub of busy city streets.

This is ideal music for the end of a hard day or a rainy afternoon or a lazy Sunday relaxing with a second cup of coffee and the crossword.

For information on the CD, visit BigMo.com.

Attention old folkies! I just finished a book that you should check out. It's titled "Number 1," and in the interest of full disclosure, it's written by my cousin, Richard E. Noble, a teacher by trade, folk music fan by hobby and folk show DJ on the Worcester, Mass., Public Radio affiliate, WICN in his spare time.

The book details the unlikely rise to fame and fabled career and music of The Highwaymen, but it's more than that. It's a fun romp through that time, when folk music spilled from coffee houses and college campuses into the mainstream in the late '50s and early '60s.The book is perhaps most valuable as a trigger for memories of that time; it is peppered with stories and references not just related to the Highwaymen but to many of the musicians who made up what was called "the Great Folk Music Scare." As you flip the pages, you'll stumble across Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Dave Van Ronk, the Weavers, the New Christy Minstrels, the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, countless others.

It's the kind of book that will send you looking through your old vinyl, pulling out cherished, scratchy records you hadn't heard in a while. Of, if you're like me, a little too young to have gotten caught up in it the first time, you'll probably check a few things out on iTunes or through artist Web sites.

Wisely, my cousin's book does not simply dwell in the past, but carries the story into the present and shows how the Great Folk Music Scare echoes to this day. I bet not a week goes by where some musician who was greatly influenced by the time doesn't come through town. Or think of this: how many times this summer do you think "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" - the big hit for the Highwaymen - is going to be sung at some camp or vacation Bible school?

Published by Outskirts Press, "Number 1" can be found on Amazon and other outlets. Or visit OutskirtsPress.com.

I caught the debut production of Thespis Theatre Company Sunday afternoon in Brattleboro, and boy is it a good one. This new ensemble theater company does a fine job with Adam Bock's masterful 2007 play "The Receptionist."

Presented in Latchis 4 in the Latchis complex in downtown Brattleboro, an intimate place to see a play, "The Receptionist" is a marvelously well-wrought play, beginning on one level - often very funny - and ending on a stark, disturbing note. Thespis does a fine job with a challenging play.

The acting is superb. Don't let the fact that these are local folks on stage convince you that you have to lower your standards. The acting is a joy to behold - this is complicated material, and the cast of Jim Robinson, Nancy Stephens, Mo Hart and Eric Morgan Cutler handles it superbly. It's fine ensemble work, with a special nod to Stephens, who might just be my favorite local actor. In the title role of "The Receptionist" Stephens alone is worth the price of admission.

"The Receptionist" continues June 26 and 27 at 8 p.m., and June 28 at 2:30 p.m. You would be doing yourself a great disservice if you didn't catch it. For information on seeing the play or helping Thespis in other ways, call Larry Bramble at 802-387-4314.

As a fan of the short story, I should have a greater understanding of the power of the short film format. Yet, perhaps because films tend to reach mass audiences only in feature-length format, I forget the value and quality of shorter cinematic work.

John Scagliotti, a documentary filmmaker and a friend in the Brattleboro area arts community, let me look at few of the films coming to town for the fourth annual CineSLAM, Vermont's GLBT short film festival. I was so impressed by the ones I saw, so struck by the range they covered, so affected by the emotions stirred that I feel compelled to urge you go check out the films.

CineSLAM screenings are held Friday night, June 26, at the Hooker-Dunham Theater in Brattleboro at 7 p.m., and Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. at Tree Frog Farm in Guilford. Information is available at www.cineslam.com.

The film that made the biggest impression on me is "James" by Connor Clements. A fictional work, but one based on true experiences, "James" tells the story of a young teen struggling with his decision to come out - and the disappointing reaction he gets when he finally tells a trusted teacher his secret. Well-made, well-acted and completely engrossing, "James" is a gem, and one of nine films to be screened Friday.

In a different vein, but no less memorable is "and I am me," by Burlington filmmaker Alisan Segar. This simple little documentary features interviews with a lesbian mother and her adopted Ethopian son. Disarmingly honest and sweetly sentimental, the film asks and answers questions like "What's It Like to Be Gay?" :What;s it like to have brown skin?" "What's it like to have two moms?"

In all, CineSLAM features more than 30 short films, and a number of directors will be on hand to share their work. I probably don';t need to tell you this, but these are films that reach easily beyond the GLBT to wider audience. And you may never get a chance to see them or be exposed to the work of these filmmakers, other than through CineSLAM.

All that and New Yorker cartoonist Arnie Levin's hilarious animated look at "Gay Penguins," too.

I took my family to see the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company production of "Stuart Little" Thursday afternoon outdoors at the New England Youth Theatre, and what a nice show it was.

A crowd of 60-70 gathered outside on blankets and watched as six energetic members of Weston's Young Company brought E.B. White's classic tale to life. With plenty of charm, enough bright spots for grown-ups and loads of sights and sounds to entertain the young ones, I recommend it to any families. Best of all, it's free.

Performances of "Stuart Little" are scheduled at various places and times through July 5. Check out the schedule at www.westonplayhouse.org or call 802-824-5288. If they aren't coming to you, I recommend making the trip up to Weston to see it. It's a beautiful little town, picture, perfect, really, and it will be quite an adventure for all.

The true test of how memorable a production "Stuart Little" was came this morning - my 4 -year-old girl woke up and insisted we play "Stuart Little" this morning. That's the sign of a winning show.

Did you happen to read Alex Ross' thoroughly engaging story on the Marlboro Music School and Festival in the June 29 edition of The New Yorker.

I thought it really captured the soul of the place well. Marlboro is a magical, paradoxical place - a place where the highest ideals go to summer camp, where musicians at the top of the field cheerfully throw wadded paper balls in the cafeteria, then go on and explore Shostakovich together in earnest joy. Ross clearly had access few of us enjoy, and he made the most of it, with a story that skillfully weaves music, anecdotes and personalities.

I've had the pleasure of spending a day up there several times, and it's a marvelous look at the human side of this special place which most people only know from their concerts. Great as those performances are, they tell only a fraction of the story.

Though I suspect there is secretly a lot of burning desire to be picked to play in these concerts, the emphasis is on rehearsing, the deep exploration that comes from just playing a piece with other musicians, for a week, or two, or all summer if need be. That's why I've always relished the chances to go up, spend a day there and take in something of the real soul of Marlboro - the rehearsal process and the interchange between the musicians. That opportunity is available to you, too. Several times during the week, rehearsals are open to the public, up at Marlboro College. It's a great chance to heat amazing music - and also to see top-level musicians learn and explore together, to see what it is that challenges them and how they work through things on their way to something sublime.

To attend an open rehearsal, contact Marlboro ahead of time. For information, visit www.marlboromusic.org. In the meantime, read Ross' story in The New Yorker and get a taste with music clips which are available at newyorker.com.