Yeesun Kim says she and her Peregrino Zanetto cello, built in 1576, have a happy marriage. She accepts its shortcomings — its struggle, once, to project powerfully enough against an […]
Music
MUSIC
The String Queens Live Up to Their Name
The trio’s sound is bigger than the sum of its parts
The first time The String Queens showed up for a gig as a trio, they were hired by one of their own: Dawn Johnson, the violist, was having a birthday […]
STREET MUSIC
Punk Kids Playing Jazz
The Dirty Rotten Vipers bring New Orleans to Provincetown
Eight members of the Dirty Rotten Vipers came to Provincetown for the season last year, and the band made the alleyway next to Marine Specialties on Commercial Street their summer […]
GIVE/TAKE
The Living Sounds of Ukraine
At Payomet, DakhaBrakha deals in shades of memory and persistence
There’s a game elementary students used to play, usually in P.E. class, stretched out on the grass or the polished wood of the gym floor. It involved a rainbow parachute, […]
OFF BROADWAY
Betty Buckley Is in Focus
The Tony-winning actress and singer is coming to Provincetown Town Hall
Picture it: early ’90s, a cruise ship sailing down the coast of Mexico. I was but a squirrely young thing on my first RSVP cruise rushing to the cabaret room […]
VOICES
May Erlewine Makes Music to Make a Difference
Singing to spread the power of love
May Erlewine’s songs speak of love, loss, and life’s dilemmas. Some have supported social causes, expressed the pain of women’s history, and voiced political worries about “being lost in the […]
Once Again, Taylor Swift Exposes Herself
Fans often call Taylor Swift’s music “diaristic”: at their best, her lyrics feel like the delicate and sometimes ugly truths most of us don’t dare utter aloud. “And I hate […]
MUSIC
Indie Playlist: New Sounds
Music for a season of growth and wonder
For this latest installment of the Indie Playlist, we asked Independent staff and contributors to reflect on the idea of newness, especially as it relates to the season marked by […]
SOUND AND VISION
Indie Playlist: The Art of the Music Video
The Art of the Music Video
Previously in these lists, we’ve featured some of our favorite songs and the streaming selections that have kept us parked in front of our televisions (and laptops) for hours on […]
WHISPERS
‘Our Queer Elders’ in History and Song
Katie Castagno makes music by speculating about the past
Katie Castagno is a geologist at Provincetown’s Center for Coastal Studies by day who goes home and writes songs at night. She remembers the moment she learned that the marine […]
MUSIC
Indie Playlist: Songs for a Fresh Start
New Year’s picks from Independent staff and contributors
For this playlist, we asked Independent writers to pick a song for ringing in the new year. The result was songs across genres — NOLA jazz, Ukrainian folk, early aughts […]
TAKING BOWS
The Evolution of Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas
Violinist Elizabeth Chang and pianist Jiayan Sun will play the full 10-sonata cycle in Wellfleet
Between the years 1797 and 1812, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote 10 violin sonatas: pieces in three or four movements, composed for violin and pianoforte — each an endeavor of the […]
MASH-UP
Pop Songs, With a Classical Twist
Well-Strung, the quartet born in Provincetown, returns for a holiday show
The idea for Well-Strung, a singing and string quartet, was born in Provincetown. While visiting the Cape for a different show in 2010, violinist Chris Marchant was playing on the […]
LONG PLAY
Dolly Parton Does Rock and Roll
Rockstar is like a party with all the most famous rockers
Dolly Parton is already a rockstar? Or is she a pop star? Or a country icon? The 77-year-old, who has been performing since she was 10, has proved she can […]
ENSEMBLE
Allison Beavan Keeps the Outer Cape ‘Together in This Music’
A chorale that strives for fun and excellence prepares for its holiday concert
Allison Beavan stands on stage adjusting her microphone: “Check one, check two.” After a deep breath and a “haaa!” she flips the page and, facing the 118 members of the […]
