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.

The Common Creative Assignment: Documenting the Colorful Beauty of Lowell

The selection of art I chose from The Common, Issue No. 9, was Teju Cole’s “The Sense in Turning Away.” A series of photos dictated with a narrative prior, it details the art of photography; from the purpose and reason of color to the relation it has with religion and music. The photos that followed were what struck me: eight photos highlighted specifically to embrace the color and nature of both the city and the natural landscapes of Switzerland. As one who partakes in artistic photography to a slight extent, this reached out to me on an artistic level, a feeling only heightened by the narrative written about the photos. As a result, I embarked to find some of the most striking landscapes in Lowell, whether natural or not, to emphasize the color and beauty of Lowell. After all, color is the relationship between the world and us: our perceptive reality allows us to see color, just like how an untouched instrument remains quiet, a point the essay points out. And after all, you never know what you’ll notice as a result of observing something you took for granted. The photos that follow document numerous trips through Lowell, all at different times, all following different circumstances, all in different places. However, they all share Lowell as the common factor, a shared history of immigration and industry shaping the formation of the city from farm land to what we know it as today.

The pictures were taken at Allen House during the late afternoon, overlooking the beautiful Merrimack River and the far-away Rourke Bridge on a sunny day with a sky almost as blue as the river, a view from the Merrimack Street Bridge of the hydro-plant floodgates opening, pouring the excess water from the past few rainy days into the rest of the river, creating a clash of colors that only emphasize the green and yellow trees shattering the monotony of the gray hydro-plant, the breathtaking blue, cloudless sky as seen from the ground on North Campus between Olney and Olsen halls, interrupted only by power lines and wind turbines, and then a series of photos taken from the top of the garage near Tsongas at sunrise and sunset. These photos highlight specific aspects of the sunrise, one of which capturing the sun directly as it peers between the cloudy sky and the smoke stacks that emphasize the industrialism of Lowell, another taken directly after sunrise, creating an especially notable horizon captured between the backlit clouds creating an almost blue hue and the cityscape of Lowell’s buildings taken from the top of one of the tallest garages in the area. The last one is almost a cynical interpretation of the clash between the stunning natural color of the sunset and the gray outline of the clouds and Lowell suppressing aforementioned nature. However, all these pictures emphasize the beauty inherent within Lowell and the interaction we can all have with Lowell to draw us closer to the spirit of nature and Lowell itself, an interaction emphasized by taking in the colors of the situation you’re in and appreciating the beauty in some form, whether through taking a picture, painting art, or writing a poem.

Response 1: The Performer's Blood Runs Through Lowell

The culture of a city defines its inhabitants, and it’s become very evident to me throughout my life that without its culture, Lowell would be anything but the city it is today. The culture of the performer runs through the blood of Lowell, made evident through its plethora of shows, whether it’s a musical, theatrical, or even a sport. Over the past two months, I’ve had the pleasure of attending many of these performances, including free jazz at the Luna Theater on Thursday nights, basement shows put on by students, the Jack Kerouac Festival, or other events put on by the immense underground music scene of Lowell. Even before attending the University of Massachusetts Lowell, since I lived in the Lowell area, I’ve been to countless cultural displays of Lowell, including Lowell Spinners games, the annual Lowell Folk Festival, various local Lowell businesses, and performances at Lowell’s Merrimack Repertory Theater, even having performed there once with the Dracut High Band, accompanying Scott Grimes. In short, the culture of Lowell has made itself evident to me through personal experience even more so than through legacy, despite having a rich legacy involving Jack Kerouac, as well as all the immigrants that brought their own culture into the melting pot. However, the three I’ll specifically mention here are going to be the one-man performance of a play entitled The Lion performed at the Merrimack Repertory Theater, a one-woman show performed by a method actress detailing the life of Worcester-native abolitionist and women’s rights activist Abby Kelley Foster, and my personal experience attending the UMass Lowell hockey games.

Ben Scheuer performing in The Lion

The first of these experiences, The Lion written and performed by Ben Scheuer, detailed the coming-of-age story of an aspiring folk musician. The play was actually a non-fiction story telling the story of the author’s (Ben Scheuer) life up to that point. Having said that, it was an emotional performance delivered in the Merrimack Repertory Theater, and the theater itself helped with the atmosphere of the play, since it was the perfect size to seem as personal as possible, but was also big enough to contain and entertain the setting of the musical realistically, since it portrayed his spoken interpretations of the places he traveled. The play was fostered here in Lowell, what with the creative development of the story being constructed here between the collaboration between Ben Scheuer and Sean Daniels, the director. In addition to the above, the play debuted here in Lowell, specifically at the Merrimack Repertory Theater. The shows we saw as a class marked the beginning of a national tour of the production, which is an honor in and of itself for the Merrimack Repertory Theater. However, that won’t be the first big production put on by Lowell’s theater. It’s been running shows next to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium inside the historic Liberty Hall for over three decades, putting on five to seven shows a season. These shows range from originals to revivals, but they’re all welcome in the 279-seat theater. The theater is an important reminder about the strong sense of culture inherent within Lowell’s history, having a lot to offer from the performer’s perspective.

Abby Kelley Foster

This sense of performance is carried through to the other excursion I’ll detail here, a show performed by a method actress detailing the life of Abby Kelley Foster. On October 14, 2015, Lynne McKenney Lydick acted as a window into the life of the revolutionary women’s rights activist Abby Kelley Foster, performing in Allen House in a one-woman play to depict the radical impact Worcester native Abby Kelley Foster had on the field of abolition and women’s rights, offering insight on the life of Foster. Lynne McKenney Lydick’s studies into Foster shine through her emotive performance that both entertained and informed the viewers regarding the life of Abby Kelly Foster. While I had never heard of her before, I learned that Abby Kelley Foster was a radical force within women’s rights, and one of the main reasons it started when it did, and that she stood up for what she believed despite the repercussions, which there were many of. She often had things thrown at her during her presentations and occasionally was thrown out of towns, yet despite these obstacles, she continued her lectures and helped spur the movement. She was also not recorded very heavily into historical texts, since she did not keep any personal journals, so as a result her legacy is often abandoned for other figures in her movement. The performance was housed within Allen House, a historic location on the South Campus of UMass Lowell, specifically inside the Spinola Gallery. This event furthers my point regarding performances: the culture of Lowell is heavily seeped in performances, which can be seen by the riveting performance put on by Lynne McKenney Lydick.

The performances don’t stop there though. Another kind of performance is an athletic one, and this is one that is specifically in abundance here at UMass Lowell. Particularly, hockey. Hockey games make up the majority of the sports followings at UMass Lowell, due to the high quality hockey team that has risen up in the ranks ever since being declared Division One fairly recently. They’ve made it to the Frozen Four numerous times in the past couple years, and they only get better. However, the biggest part of hockey here at UMass Lowell is the games themselves. Between the large crowd turn out at important games, the general atmosphere inherent in hockey itself, and the hockey pep band, the UMass Lowell hockey games have been a pleasure I’ve been indulging in far before even considering UMass Lowell as a college to attend, back when my father would buy season tickets for himself and one other, usually either my mother, a friend of his, or me. In short, the entire ensemble of the atmosphere is a performance, between the players’ impressive athletic displays and the hockey pep band, the jazz rock big band. The jazz rock big band is directed by Dan Lutz and Deb Huber and provides UMass Lowell home games with an extra element as their songs, which are anything from jazz to rock, blues to funk, and even a little fusion, add to the already buzzing atmosphere of the games. The band’s big brass sound, characteristic of jazz and blues songs, adds to the energy of the students, who cheer loudly from the student section. The saxophone section, reflected in the funk and ska pieces the band performs, adds a mellow vibe to the energetic brass section and the rhythmic force of the percussionists, which drive the tempo of the group and encourage the spectators. Since UMass Lowell has a fairly significant music program, music majors from all over are drawn to the hockey pep band, and they perform highly energetic shows every game, truly adding to the performance of the game, and feeding into the performer’s blood that runs through Lowell.

Lowell is a city of performer’s made evident through its Merrimack Repertory Theater’s significance, the plethora of talented actors and actresses scattered throughout, the music programs here at Lowell, the underground music scene, the folk festival, the art shows, and many, many more displays of talent. From its beginnings as a cultural hub, this blood has poured through the veins of Lowell and makes itself as evident as ever in modern times.

Exploring Mill No. 5: "Brown Road" Essay Prompt

      After turning the street corner onto Jackson Street, I saw the sign comfortably resting over a doorway on the side of the massive mill: a large, vintage-styled 5 rang out loud and clear in the light of the darkness, signaling to the world what kind of place it is. Even walking to the building, through the door next to the iron gate leading to the elevator, you can sense the definitive style that was set out to be crafted at Mill No. 5, between the various signs above the gate and leading passer-by’s to the entrance. And by entrance, I mean the elevator that leads to the fourth floor, where it all goes down in Mill No. 5.

     Over the past few years here in Lowell, Massachusetts, a strange cultural phenomenon has been occurring at one of the key hallmarks of this historic city. Mill No. 5 has been a unique shopping district of sorts, organized right within one of the mills the city of Lowell became famous for during the Industrial Revolution. It’s no ordinary shopping district, though. It has a style that it set out to achieve, and it certainly has accomplished this. In lieu of any stores like FYE or Starbucks, there’s instead Vinyl Destination and Coffee and Cotton. These are legitimate mom and pop joints, handpicked by the owner of Mill No. 5 to fit this niche environment.

      Walking out of the elevator onto the floor, the first thing I was greeted with was a large ring of people playing acoustic guitar together, being led and taught by a musician straight from Nashville who happened to be visiting Lowell. There were probably around ten to twelve guitarists, jamming and having fun at their own leisure. After that, the next most noticeable thing would be the floor, which remains the same from its time as a mill during the eighteen-hundreds. The creaks and uneven cuts aren’t just for style—they’re authentic. This gives even just walking down the hallway a flair to it. 

     Speaking of the hallway, that’s all Mill No. 5 is in a sense. It’s one long hallway, beginning with Vinyl Destination on the left, and a small hallway on the right entitled The Tone Loft on the right, where music lessons are taught. Further down the hallway there are various shops and studios including but not nearly limited to Coffee and Cotton, a coffee shop notable for its local brew; Tory German Photography, one of the photographers often hired for UMass Lowell; Corn & Company, a deluxe popcorn shop that offers many different flavors; Howl Magazine, a local magazine run out of Mill No. 5; and The Luna Theater, an independent movie theater that serves as one of the main attractions of Mill No. 5 and one of the recent reasons for its surge in popularity. 

     The first store I walked into was Vinyl Destination, being as involved with music as I am. I’d been there before, and have met the owner, Dave Perry, on numerous occasions. He’s one of my mother’s friends; they’d worked together writing for the Lowell Sun (a local newspaper) in the past, alongside Tory German, so when Mill No. 5 was started up, I’d already begun visiting. So I can say with honesty that it has been a constantly expanding scene, with the vinyl store recently moving into a larger space to accommodate the new selection available and the rising popularity of the store itself. There has been a steady flow of additions to the floor, with new stores and studios being opened every time I return. However, this time, I had arrangements to talk to Dave Perry about the start of Mill No. 5. 

      Dave is a really authentic guy, extremely relaxed but with a sense of duty, and as always he greeted me with open arms into his store, willing and ready to answer any questions I had about the store and about the mill to any extent possible by him. His store was one of the first ones in the mill, so I knew this story would be important in terms of the history of the mill. In February 2013, Dave was approached by Jim Lichoulas, a second generation developer and the current owner of the entire Mill No. 5 complex, and was asked if we wanted to make a record store in the space he acquired. Dave had been fascinated with records for most of his life, and had been collecting them prior, so with this opportunity, he thought he should check out the place. Walking into the space he was told he could have, he said that there was no way he could deny it. Since he gets around $4000 from a family trust every year to spend on whatever he pleases, he began buying records and organizing a store to be opened up. And in November 2013, Vinyl Destination was opened in Mill No. 5, and was one of the first stores to do so. 

     However, not just any store or studio can be opened there. Jim is very specific about how the space is allocated, wanting to keep a certain image to the place, and I can certainly say that he’s succeeding in that regard. Dave told me that the whole complex is essentially just small retail and mom and pop joints, which can already be seen in its eclectic combination of stores that sell vinyls and antiques, a coffee shop, studios, music lesson spaces, and even a yoga space. Eventually, Dave says, they’re going to start work on a bus from UML to Mill No. 5. 

     Leaving the record store after purchasing a couple Police records (I’m now one away from owning the entire discography on vinyl), I continued down the hallway, as Dave told me to come back whenever I wanted to and ask whatever I needed to. Walking through the hallway, I passed by Tory German Photography, a photo studio owned and run by Tory German. Talking to her revealed that she was another one of the first to make a business in Mill No. 5, and has enjoyed the entire time. One of her personal favorite projects she did in the mill was when she covered her entire studio in tinfoil and created a massive camera to take a picture of the Merrimack outside, but she also does freelance work and can often be seen at UMass Lowell taking pictures for the UML newsletters. Another key figure in the complex would be Rita Savard, the editor and publisher for Mill No. 5’s own Howl Magazine. My conversation with her unveiled that the reason she started Howl was to provide Lowell with an honest, non-sexualized magazine, as opposed to the tabloids we often see at CVS and other stores. And it succeeds in that regard. It’s a magazine whose demographic is primarily aimed at UMass Lowell students, and therefore a lot of the articles are actually about campus life and activities, centering around Mill No. 5 and other indie venues and activities. 

     Continuing down the hallway brought me to Coffee and Cotton, where I purchased an apple cider made directly in New Hampshire, and had a chance to look at the environment of the coffee shop. It was quiet and studious, speckled with UML students and business-persons reading and sipping on their coffee. In the back there was a slightly raised area with speakers and microphones, intended for the frequent shows put on by singer-songwriters. This isn’t the only place music is played there, though. Leaving the coffee shop and walking down the hallway led me past many more stores, including an interior decorating studio and an antique shop, but ultimately brought me to the current claim-to-fame for Mill No. 5, The Luna Theater. While independent or otherwise underground movies are usually shown here, on Thursday nights is the Luna Sessions, where an assortment of jazz musicians meet up and jam the classics for a free show, offering local brews as well. 

     This was how I spent the remainder of my trip to Mill No. 5, sitting in a comfortable chair, sipping local apple cider, and watching an illustrious jazz performance. At around 9:30, I realized I had classes the next day, so I decided to leave the show early and head on out the way I came in, through the elevator on the other side of the hall. And the hallway was just as remarkable on the way out as it was the way in, with the old creaking floor reminding you that the history of Mill No. 5 extends far past the multitude of unique stores and studios that it’s become known for over the past couple years, and it reminds you that the mill helped contribute to one of the most important revolutions in the history of civilization.