Raven Restaurant in New Hope gets a makeover, revamps menu, hires up

The Raven Restaurant is updating its look and menu during a month-long renovation, and will temporarily close its doors on April 14 to begin work on the transformation. Meanwhile, the Raven Bar will continue to serve lunch and dinner.

Complete article here.

Dean Ween Group came on ‘like a freight train’ at John and Peter’s Wednesday night

Micky Melchiondo aka Dean Ween and group at John and Peter's in New Hope (Photo: Ralph Smith)

By Ralph Smith

New Hope favorite son Mickey Melchiondo (aka Dean Ween) brought his Dean Ween Group to John and Peter’s in New Hope Wednesday night to warm up for their upcoming tour, which will kick off at the Otto Bar in Baltimore.

Having not known about the gig until reading about it on Facebook an hour before it was to start, I was not happy about going out in the rain and dragging myself downtown, but boy was I glad I did.
Considering the show wasn’t even announced till about 7 p.m., it was rather surprising that the place was so packed on a nasty Wednesday night, but when the band hit the stage at 10 p.m., it was standing room only.  

And what a night of music it was.

Leading his band through an evening of old and new tunes, Micky and the boys lit the place up for a banging 90-minute set of high-powered rock. Setting a blistering pace with the new killer instrumental Dickie Betts, an ode to the Allman Brothers guitarist by the same name, Mickey and guitar ace Joe Kramer wove a wonderful tapestry of harmony guitar parts. Joe’s thick Les Paul guitar backing Mickey’s Fender Strat tones evoked all the best of the Allman Brothers’ guitar work.  

The band whipped out a few more tunes four-piece including It’s Gonna Be a Long Night, eternal favorite Piss Up A Rope, Ode to Life, and My Own Bare Hands (all with Mick on vocals), then Moistboyz front man and long time collaborator Guy Heller popped onto stage for lead vocals.   
From there on, they tore through an evening of old and new material — Ween songs like a steaming version of Gabrielle and A Tear For Eddie, plus a number of new originals which I believe were being played for the first time in public like Night Crawler (written by Mickey and a John and Peter’s bartender), Bums, and I’ll Take It Break It (a personal favorite), I’m Gonna Get High, and One For Garry. And just for good measure, a few cover tunes, the best of which was a great Sweet Jane complete with a long guitar intro.

I can’t say enough good things about this band: Guy Heller’s naked-to-the-waist, chain-smoking, man-on-fire act is as strong as any other front man in modern rock and his lyrics are brilliant. This was the group’s first gig and they only managed two days of rehearsal, but they came on like a freight train. Ray Kubian on drums, and New York City’s favorite bass player, Dave Dreiwitz, are a sledgehammer rhythm section. Ray’s solid, trip hammer beat is the perfect engine for the act and Dave’s wonderful, spot-on bass cannot be surpassed.

And the guitar playing…well, it’s just too good and their styles so different. Mick’s claw hammer, all-wrong style of playing is perfectly backed by Joe Kramer’s perfect fingering and delicate technique.So different, and yet they play like they are joined at the hip.

I can’t recommend this band highly enough. Check out their upcoming shows and make one if you possibly can. You won’t regret it.

A portrait of the autocrat as a young mandrill

Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope announces summer lineup, details restaurant plans

Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope (Photo: Charlie Sahner)

By Charlie Sahner

Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope announced this week that its summer season for 2014 will include stage productions of Chapter Two, Deathtrap, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Playhouse officials also offered a glimpse at their new restaurant — a riverside cafe using joint arrangements with neighboring restaurants to offer small plates to accompany full bar service at tables along the Delaware River and Aquetong Creek.

The Playhouse’s production season starts with with Neil Simon’s romantic comedy Chapter Two, directed by Marsha Mason (who starred as ‘Jennie’ in the film version). Performances begin May 22 and run through June 15.

Running from June 19 through July 13 will be the comic thriller Deathtrap, written by suspense master Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby).

Later in July, Marilu Henner makes a return to the Playhouse in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang. Henner plays the narcissistic movie star Masha, who surprises her siblings at their Bucks County home. Sheryl Kaller directs this comedy that won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play. Performances run from July 17 through Aug. 10.

Lastly, come August the theater echoes with the songs of Fats Waller in Ain’t Misbehavin’. Directed by Hunter Foster and choreographed by Lorin Lotarro, the duo will attempt to recreate the Golden Age of Harlem nightclubs. Based on an idea by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr., the show runs from Aug. 14 until Sept. 7.

“We are thrilled to welcome Marsha Mason and Marilu Henner back to Bucks County this summer, and look forward to sharing these fantastic shows with our subscribers, neighbors and new friends,” said Robyn Goodman, executive producer of the Bucks County Playhouse, in promotional material posted to the organization’s website.

The Playhouse also provided greater detail on its riverside cafe, which will afford an outdoor dining and drinking experience along the banks of the Delaware River and Aquetong Creek. “We’re partnering with local restaurants in offering hot and cold small plates with our full bar before and after each show,” said the announcement. On a practical level, that means a portable bar will be moved out onto the existing rear deck of the building, which will serve as a staging area for service to customers at tables lining the waterways below, confirmed a Playhouse spokesperson.

First partner signed on? None other than Cafe Blue Moose, who will provide the food items in portable plastic containers. The system seems to neatly satisfy local ordinances and the county health department. Blue Moose is located within a few hundred feet of the Playhouse cafe, as is Nick Gialias’ much-anticipated eatery featuring small plates.

Playhouse officials also confirmed they will be featuring “an unplugged musical schedule showcasing local emerging musicians,” a move that should be well-received by municipal officials (it’s non-amplified and limited to the Playhouse front courtyard), warm weather music lovers, and local musicians looking for a new venue.

New Hope-Solebury School District Facility Committee attempts to define scope of campus revitalization

By Charlie Sahner, New Hope Free Press

While the Facility Committee of the New Hope-Solebury School District
discussed several items at their meeting Tuesday night, including
updates on Field 13, the UES outdoor ‘pavilion’ learning center, and a
potential parking space lease with the owners of the proposed Odette’s
boutique conference center, the center ring was clearly occupied by an
attempt to reach a recommendation on the “level of campus revitalization
project.”

At stake is a multiyear, multimillion dollar overhaul of the School
District’s main campus on West Bridge Street that would address student
needs, repair and conserve existing infrastructure, and initiate
construction of other sections that will improve the functioning and
security of the UES, Middle School and High School. Most everyone agrees
that improved maintenance and security are desirable.

But the direction, cost and scope of the project has been the subject
of heated debate for some time, with several school board members
clearly setting their long-term sights on NH-S moving up in state
academic rankings, others wanting to prioritize updating the school
system’s sports facilities to ease what they perceive as congestion,
shortage of fields, and gender-based access equality concerns, and a
vocal group asking what all the construction is about and what it will
cost the taxpayers.

In the end, the Committee, with Chair Jonathan Adar keeping a firm
hand at the helm, narrowed possible revitalization recommendations from
three to two.

Said audience member and New Hope resident Mel Brand, “A lot of this
building is basically going to Solebury Township — the head of parks and
recreation wants space, and it’s going to be for their stuff after
school, that’s what it is.”

“Our first priority is to take care of the students; recreational
should be whatever is left,” said Ed Duffy, former New Hope Borough
Council Member.

School Superintendent Dr. Raymond Boccuti said, “After years of
looking at short- and long-term needs of the district, last evening at
the public board meeting, the facilities and finance committees were
directed to work together to move forward. So, we’re now working through
three design options to address all of these needs, and we took a step
forward tonight by focusing in on two of those options. After the next
Finance Committee meeting, I think the Facilities Committee will be
gearing up to make a formal recommendation to the School Board.”