Worcesterite

The Canalfest Committee met and due to the threat of being over taken by one of these ominous storms, we have made a unanimous decision to postpone Saturday's CanalFest. We will not be hosting it for Saturday 9/6/08

The good news is that we are staging it for Saturday, November 1st as a continuation of Halloween, and Canalfest festivities. We have 8 weeks to regroup and organize it so it is a spectacular event, combining the traditional Canalfest activities with Halloween "spooky" activities. And it will be an indoor, outdoor event utilizing the Union Station as well as the new garage.

Please let everyone know...and please extend to all vendors, entertainment, volunteers, advertisers, sponsors, supporters, and more that we welcome them to be part of the Halloween weekend event on November 1.

Please look for further information in the next week and plan to attend the planning meetings to ensure that the Canalfest is the most exciting festival this fall.

Well, I went and picked up Hey Now, Morris Fader's second album from the CD pressing facility earlier this afternoon. It looks amazing. Probably better than it sounds! We don't have any CD release bash planned as of yet, and being that I can't get any news outlets to return my inquiries and give us any press, this is my only way of letting people know! We posted a few new songs on our myspace:

www.myspace.com/heynowmorrisfader

Feel free to check 'em out. Let me know what you think (this means you Barry!). If you can't live without one, come see one of our shows (posted on myspace as well) or send me an e-mail at morr...@gmail.com

Main South Farmers Market launching THIS Saturday from 10am-2pm at 807 Main St. (corner of Benefit and Main). The market will feature booths from local farmers (including the YouthGROW Farm), Coffee/Tea and Breakfasty treats, soap and incense, kids art projects and live music.

From the paper itself, this afternoon:

Publisher Bruce Gaultney notified the staff of planned cuts and other changes in an e-mail to employees this afternoon.

The current workforce of about 600 will be reduced by 36, Mr. Gaultney said. Employees in news, advertising and certain other departments will be offered severance packages. If the buyout offer doesn’t reach its goal, the company will have an involuntary severance program, or layoffs.

[...]

The Telegram & Gazette has had previous rounds of buyouts, including two earlier this year.

Previously:

• Newspapers down 3.5%; T&G down 4%
• Newspapers down 2.6%; T&G down 5%
• Newspapers down 2%; T&G down 11%

We should expect the next T&G circulation figures in October or November.

The fading of the T&G is bad news all around. Local blogging has been on the rise in the past year, but still nobody's emerged to pick up the slack from the T&G.

Cross-posted at Pie and Coffee.

" Passages"

We're taking our oldest son out to dinner for his 18th birthday on this mild evening in late August.
Tomorrow, we'll help him move on-campus to begin The College Years.
This morning, he registered with the Selective Service a clever way our government connects financial aid with civic duty for its male citizens.
“ Make music not war,” my son's tee-shirt advises.
His school is thirty-five minutes away but my son, not a big proponent for change, views the transition like a trip to Uranus. His four sisters couldn't wait to spread their wings and fly off to college. My son likes to feel the earth beneath his sneakers.
“ When I grow up, I'm going to be a teacher, get married, have kids, and still live in my bedroom,” he told us when he was about fourteen.
Apparently, it was a strong sentiment.
I too have reservations about his departure. He is my namesake, my first boy after four beautiful but perplexing girls, and a relative joy to be around. We share a love for sports, 70's rock 'n roll, and dry quirky humor. I admire his calm almost somnolent demeanor and his pervading altruism.

read more

the greendale ymca is hosting a swim and run event this saturday.
1/2 mile swim in indian lake
3 mile run around the lake

starts at noon
$20 ( i think) registration
and they're taking registration the morning of the event too, though it will probably cost more that morning

i know we had some worcesterites at the danskin triathlon this july - is anyone planning to do this?

Hey guys,
My new band Miars just got their myspace "pimped" out and uploaded our tunes from our 3 song demo. Check it out and let us know what you think. We should be playing shows around Worcester by early October.

http://www.myspace.com/miarsmusic

Thanks,
Marcus

Hey guys,
My new band Miars just got their myspace "pimped" out and uploaded our tunes from our 3 song demo. Check it out and let us know what you think. We should be playing shows around Worcester by early October.

http://www.myspace.com/miarsmusic

Thanks,
Marcus

Say goodbye to the ink-stained wretches (to plagerize Paul Della Valle) of WoMag, a staff of dedicated, talented and loyal writers who loved two things: Worcester, and writing about Worcester. With a cold hard chop the Landmark team axed some of the area's most well-connected and experienced reporters. With the wipe-out goes years of contacts, carefully cultivated by Charlene Arsenault and Chet Williamson, musicians and performers both, whose knowledge of Worcester's entertainment world cannot be measured. Gone with their voices is the word "alternative"in any description of future issues. Having read the publications offered by the paper's new owners, I think it's safe to say that "safe" will describe the new mag. In negotiating the sale, Allen Fletcher failed to do two things: provide for his loyal employees, who were tossed out like expired milk, and require a name change. "Worcester Magazine" no longer exists. For it to be peddled under that title is a lie. Call it what it will likely become: The Central Mass. J. Peterman Catalog.

I need more Worcester friends on my twitter. I love reading the Worcester updates.
Anyone use it?

I need more Worcester friends on my twitter. I love reading the Worcester updates.
Anyone use it?

508 is a show about Worcester. This week some of the regular panelists are joined by former Worcester Magazine News Editor Noah Schaffer. We talk about the future of WM, traffic, and blogging.

">mp3, show notes

Hey,
The Fam and I are headed to Baltimore the weekend of Oct. 5th to catch the Titans womp the Ravens. We'll be there the whole weekend though and I know there are a few on here that make it down there on occassion. Besides local bars and clubs, are there any other sites that you would reccomend to see? (we might take the train down to DC, I guess it's only an hour away). oh, and if you happen to know of any cool skate parks in the areas, that would be cool too.
Thx,
Joe

http://www.worcestercanaldistrict.com
Since I am an out of towner in this city and a new resident I am not familiar with people around here. But I just received an email from Sean Mahoney who went to WPI and now is starting this website. With the amount of chatter in the last week about the CD, I thought I would share:
www.WorcesterCanalDistrict.com
I am sure a couple others may have received this email to because he is looking for people to promote the site, I sent him an email back and sent him the link to the post we had 56 thoughts about the CD

It's worth keeping an eye on this site. Looks like they are aggregating blog and website content and sprinkling in some original stuff. Looking nice.

they say that "If you don't check every day, you won't know Worcester."

that's a pretty bold statement but still, check it out.

www.realworcester.com

So most of the time, you play a gig and you're paid cash at the end of the night. I've had a number of gigs this past year that are actually going to 1099 me!! Oh no!! I've been told that you can write off most everything associated with being a musician - new equipment, gas to gigs, repairs.... I'm trying to keep some records of this stuff so I don't have to lose my shirt come tax time because the money has long been spent. I need some pointers... Will I have to do a schedule C saying I'm partly self employed? I'm in the process of pressing Hey Now, Morris Fader's second album, can I write that off? Should I just hire an accountant?

Help a brutha out.

via Wormtown Taxi

Here is a live recording from the Beatles second tour of the United States. Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis. September 3rd, 1964, afternoon show.

"Introduction"
"Twist and Shout"
"You Can’t Do That"
"All My Loving"
"She Loves You"
"Thing We Said Today"
"Roll Over Beethoven"
"Can’t Buy Me Love"
"If I Fell"
"I Want To Hold Your Hand"
"Boys"
"A Hard Days Night"
"Long Tall Sally (incomplete)"

Did anyone happen to notice this picture in Pulse Magazine?
So this article is all about the Canal Life " Worcester's Happening District", and this pic has a store that has a For Sale / For Lease sign in the window.

I am not from Worcester originally and I will probably get alot of crap for this but I don't really understand it. I don't really feel safe in that area but what do I know.... its "happening" so should I? Maybe.
I understand the history and how far it has come... I think it is great that that part of the city has alot going on, I guess I just naturally look at the city as a whole more.
It seems to me that the city switches gears alot.... Court House, Library, Downtown Plaza, Canal District...
Have these neighborhoods always been so separated?
Canal District:"I consider it the first emerging neighborhood that is branding itself,” said Andrianopoulos. “I believe it’s the first neighborhood in Worcester in a very long time emerging as its own brand identity, and other people are following.” Canalfest Commitee
I think we need to get the city of Worcester brand figured out first.
Since I moved here people have very strong feelings about each section of Worcester. Like they are all in competition or something.
I don't naturally have any major feeling or opinions about certain neighborhoods because I didn't grow up here. I just see what is here now. It feels like major segregation - like alot of little cities trying to figure it out on their own. Maybe I am just some crazy lunatic that has only been here for three years....anyone? Please rip this apart or help me out in anyway.

Any thoughts on renting videos from Blockbuster vs. Netflix? I'm a Netflix subscriber, but not for any good reason.

Found this interview with Blockbuster's CEO to be interesting. (via Wired and John Gruber, who writes "How does Jim Keyes still have the job as CEO?")

Hadn't realized that in movie rental there was "a $25 billion industry in store" and "an $8 billion industry by mail." Kinda disappointing to hear that "today we believe that the bigger demand is for the newer titles." For me, "random crap on the internet" has been rapidly crowding out "the new titles" for a couple years now. Tho I guess it would be hard for Blockbuster to get a finger in that pie.