Response 2: Industry and Culture: Fostering Craftmanship Since 1820

            Built up by the working class to foster a local but impactful revolution, the mills and factories of Lowell united an entire generation in the blood, sweat, and tears of industry. Immigrants came in from everywhere in order to make a living wage in the factories and mills, starting from the very bottom with hopes to rise to the top. These are the roots of this city, what Lowell started as. And if Lowell, as a community, acknowledges anything, it acknowledges its own roots. And these roots are celebrated through the heightened sense of craftsmanship that bursts from the creative seams of Lowell, a craftsmanship that expresses itself in various ways. Some of the highlights of Lowell can be seen from this mastery, and I’ve had the pleasure of indulging in these crafts over the past couple months, whether as a customer, a spectator, or even a performer. Lowell’s rich culture leads to its rich sense of craftsmanship, meaning that the craft of trade ranges widely, whether it express itself through cuisine, music, or literal crafts. The three destinations I’ve visited and partaken in have been Simply Khmer, a highly praised Cambodian restaurant that revels in Cambodia’s rich culture within Lowell; The Luna Sessions, a weekly free jazz event hosted by The Luna Theater in Mill No. 5, offering the stage to all musicians for an open jam of jazz standards; and Lowell Makes, an up and coming Makerspace located in downtown Lowell that offers 24/7 access to its woodworking, metalworking, leatherworking, and laser cutting tools, as well as its array of 3-D printers. Each experience has been drastically different from each other, but one thing shared in common between them was an advanced level of craftsmanship that has been brewing within the long history of the city of Lowell.

Sam and Denise, owners of Simply Khmer

            The first destination I indulged in was the exquisite dining experience of Simply Khmer, a Cambodian restaurant gaining impressive reviews and a powerful traction as a force within the foreign food industry of Massachusetts, let alone Lowell. We were greeted with great service by one of the co-owners, Denise Ban, who also answered our questions regarding the type of fish in the tank, and more importantly, the cultural relevance of the paintings hung around the restaurant. One of the special things about Simply Khmer is the deep focus on its Cambodian history, which is represented through the paintings, depicting the countryside and other rural settings and their inhabitants. Also seen in the restaurant is how important Lowell has been to Cambodian immigrants, where thousands fleeing from the genocide at the hands of the communist government, Khmer Rouge, specifically under the command of Pol Pot, found sanctuary in America, particularly in Lowell. Both co-owners, Sam Neang and Denise Ban, fled Cambodia as children and entered refugee camps in Thailand before making their way to Lowell, and they met in 1987 and were married by 1990. Their closeness with their Cambodian heritage shines through in their food, which Sam Neang cooks himself, as the head chef. Their food tastes as authentic as it comes, which is a fact verified by publications such as The Boston Globe and Boston Magazine. I ordered the Bai/Sach-Jrouk Chien, a pork dish with rice and salad. Contrary to what a standard, Americanized version of this plate would taste like, this was actually rather spicy, including jalapeno slices in the salad and a Sriracha sauce for the pork and rice. However, the taste was rich and the texture tender, but not falling apart, and if I left the restaurant with anything but a clear plate, I would have been doing myself a disservice. Here, we can see the craftmanship shine through, onr that utilizes a cultural revolution to spur its own burst into the scene as the delicious cuisine it is. Still surging through Lowell is another source of craftmanship, and that’s the music scene here.

            Lowell’s teeming with a powerful sense of musical independency, which ranges from the vast assortment of underground music, the fact that UMass Lowell has a powerful music program, the Folk Festival put on every summer, and the various events put on by places like Mill No. 5. One of the events at Mill No. 5 is entitled The Luna Sessions, which is a weekly event inside The Luna Theater at the end of the hallway of Mill No. 5. At its core, The Luna Sessions are a free jazz performance put on by a rotating cast of musicians, mixing and matching bandmates to assemble a series that sometimes has never even met each other, allowing them to get to know each other in the coming hours through performing jazz standards. Each of these session musicians are extremely respectable in their own right, all highly experienced in the craft of jazz and performance, and they all always have their own chance to shine, as well. At each Luna Session that I’ve attended, each person has soloed at least once; even bassists, who don’t often solo, have the opportunity, which is a rarity that is highly appreciated. However, one of my favorite aspects of it is the “open jam” functionality of it all. While it used to be a once a month thing, now if you attend a Luna Session with your instrument, you have the opportunity to perform on stage with the session musicians of the night, a unique window into what it’s like to perform with professional musicians on a jazz stage. Joe Folan and I attended a couple weeks ago, and had a chance to perform with them, since Joe brought his guitar and I brought a pair of drumsticks. We joined the bassist and the trumpet player in a cover of Jelly Roll, originally recorded by Charles Mingus, and throughout the song both Joe and I had solos. Initially I refused the solo, not at all confident in my abilities, but I caved and accepted it in the end. In retrospect, working with the musicians at The Luna Sessions was an entirely unique experience for me, since they’re all leagues above me in terms of jazz musicianship, even Joe. They’re all masters of the craft, but the best way to learn the craft is by practicing with the masters, and I plan on attending far more often now. The process of learning a craft can also be seen in one more place in this city, Lowell Makes.

The mushroom created by Alex Gribov at Lowell Makes

            Lowell Makes is a Makerspace located in downtown Lowell, right on Merrimack Street. Visiting one of the open houses, I walked into the cluttered area and was greeted with all the different segments of the workshop. Essentially, the way Lowell Makes works is that you can pay a monthy membership fee and have all day, every day access to the building and its tools. The tools offered range from a full carpentry room including tablesaws and other woodworking materials, a metalworking area, a leatherworking area, a laser cutter, a bike tuning shop, and numerous 3-D printers including filament to use. They have a wide assortment of members already there that will gladly help you with any projects you have. One of the members, Alex, is a student here at UMass Lowell, double majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. He’s the one who recommended I check out the place, since I want to start making guitars soon, and he’s been thriving throughout his membership, even making projects such as a ten foot tall mushroom to bring as shade to music festivals and the like. He’s created many other projects, including guitars, and a project he intends to create soon is a synthesizer. Another craftman there is Castro, who is currently running a clockmaking business out of Lowell Makes, using all of the tools at his disposal to make unique clocks being sold on Etsy. In addition, he makes advanced costumes to attend conventions with. More crafters than just Castro and Alex work in the Makerspace, extending the skill range to include a leatherworker who can help you as well as a few others. Overall, it is the most literally about the craftmanship out of these, featuring masters of crafting and creation, all available to students for only thirty five dollars a month.

            The Industrial Revolution’s impact on the people of Lowell never relented, and the craftmanship that spawned from the clash of cultures and the passion for creativity shines especially through here in Lowell. Whether it be one of the many restaurants, one of the many music venues, or one of the Makerspaces, we live in a communiy of crafters, and it’s one with an extremely heightened sense of craftmanship.