{"id":2267331,"date":"2026-02-05T01:57:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T01:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2267331"},"modified":"2026-02-05T01:57:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T01:57:38","slug":"highlights-upper-valley-musicians-accompany-silent-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/highlights-upper-valley-musicians-accompany-silent-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Highlights: Upper Valley musicians accompany silent movies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" width=\"100%\" height=\"130px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"perfmatters-lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_1PXy4HAJjlQ?ui_title_icon=headphones&amp;client=wp&amp;client_version=2.7.1\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_1PXy4HAJjlQ?ui_title_icon=headphones&amp;client=wp&amp;client_version=2.7.1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"130px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>The members of the Claremont-based band Phrogs think of themselves as a punk band, to one degree or another. Members of punk bands aren\u2019t famous for being agreeable, I\u2019ve heard.<\/p>\n<p>But a lot of Phrogs\u2019 work is melodic and a bit haunted, more in the vein of bands like Bauhaus than, say, Dead Kennedys. The band\u2019s eight records range from psychedelic rock that sounds a little like Nick Cave to short grubby songs that take a page from The Replacements\u2019 playbook. (If you\u2019re under the age of 50 and haven\u2019t heard of any of the bands in this paragraph, you\u2019re in for a series of treats.)<\/p>\n<p>The band\u2019s unusual breadth made Phrogs a good candidate to play alongside <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/uvjam.org\/event\/wrif-preview-phrogs-caligari-live-performance-screening\/\">Friday evening\u2019s screening<\/a> of \u201cThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,\u201d a landmark 1920 silent film, at JAM (Junction Arts &amp; Media) in White River Junction. The film starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are $5-$20 on a sliding scale.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The band Phrogs will be accompanying the 1920 silent film \u201cThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari\u201d  at  Junction Arts &amp; Media on Feb. 6, 2026, at 7 p.m. in White River Junction, Vt., as a preview for the White River Indie Festival. (Courtesy photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>JAM reached out to the band last fall. \u201cI think they had an idea of what our musical outfit could do with a score,\u201d Loren Howard, the band\u2019s drummer, said in a phone interview this week.<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Friday\u2019s screening is an element of a serendipitous spate on Upper Valley screens of movies either with live accompaniment or about musicians and music-making.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari\u201d is considered one of the first horror films. It tells the story of a crazed hypnotist who deploys one of his sleepwalking subjects as a murderer. It\u2019s probably available for free on the internet, since it\u2019s old enough to be in the public domain.<\/p>\n<p>Phrogs\u2019 sound \u2014 also available free on the internet, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/phrogs.bandcamp.com\/\">via Bandcamp<\/a> \u2014 fits the film\u2019s dark theme. \u201cFor a while I was pitching us as a gothic punk mariachi band,\u201d Howard said.<\/p>\n<p>The band is made up of singer and songwriter Edd Ferland, bassist Jake Ford, trombone and trumpet player Riley Dickinson, and Howard on drums, with additional contributions from Davis McGraw on guitar and keyboards. As Howard\u2019s description suggests, some of their songs are in Spanish.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"587\" data-attachment-id=\"252202\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/vnews.com\/2026\/02\/04\/phrogs-band-cabinet-caligari\/20260203-vn-caligari-002\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?fit=2400%2C1804&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2400,1804\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;A still from the 1920 silent film \\&quot;The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.\\&quot; The punk band Phrogs will be accompanying the movie at Junction Arts \\u0026amp; Media on Feb. 6, 2026, at 7 p.m. in White River Junction, Vt., as a preview for the White River Indie Festival. (Courtesy photograph)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20260203-vn-caligari-002\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A still from the 1920 silent film \u201cThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.\u201d The punk band Phrogs will be accompanying the movie at Junction Arts &amp; Media on Feb. 6, 2026, at 7 p.m. in White River Junction, Vt., as a preview for the White River Indie Festival. (Courtesy photograph)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?fit=300%2C226&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?fit=780%2C587&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=780%2C587&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-252202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=1024%2C770&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=300%2C226&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=768%2C577&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=1536%2C1155&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=2048%2C1539&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=400%2C301&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=1200%2C902&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=2000%2C1503&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?resize=780%2C586&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002.jpg?w=2340&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260203-vn-caligari-002-1024x770.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from the 1920 silent film \u201cThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.\u201d The punk band Phrogs will be accompanying the movie at Junction Arts &amp; Media on Feb. 6, 2026, at 7 p.m. in White River Junction, Vt., as a preview for the White River Indie Festival. (Courtesy photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The \u201cCaligari\u201d screening is a preview of WRiF, the White River Indie Film Festival, which is set for the first week of March.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>The Upper Valley has long been a good place to catch a film from the silent era with live accompaniment. The Hopkins Center and the related Dartmouth Film Society regularly screen silent movies, sometimes with guest artists. South Pomfret resident Bob Merrill has often played piano with silent films at the Hop. Both of those phenomena are on view in the coming days.<\/p>\n<p>Merrill will play piano to accompany <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/lebanonoperahouse.org\/events\/cameraman\/\">a screening<\/a> of \u201cThe Cameraman,\u201d a Buster Keaton classic from 1928, the waning days of the silent era, at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Feb. 12, in Lebanon Opera House (free).<\/p>\n<p>Next week is a big one for Keaton in the Upper Valley. The Hop <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hop.dartmouth.edu\/events\/general\">screens \u201cThe General,\u201d<\/a> from 1926, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, in Spaulding Auditorium at Dartmouth in Hanover, with live music accompaniment from pianist and composer Donald Sosin and singer and percussionist Joanna Seaton (tickets $9).<\/p>\n<p>The Hop performance is part of a Dartmouth Film Society slate titled \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hop.dartmouth.edu\/events\/film\/music-and-movies\">Music and the Movies<\/a>.\u201d The Film Society consists mainly of students and chooses films based on a theme each term. Usually there\u2019s a new movie or two that fits the theme, and the rest of the slate is built around what the society can get from archives or studios.<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>One of the more intriguing programs this term takes place this weekend. \u201cOmoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi\u201d screens at 7 p.m. Friday in Loew Auditorium, with the artist, full name Kaoru Ishibashi, present for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hop.dartmouth.edu\/events\/omoiyari-song-film-kishi\">a discussion<\/a> after the screening (tickets $12). The film is an exploration of the World War II Japanese internment camps, an era of ethnic segregation all too similar to what we\u2019re seeing today.<\/p>\n<p>Kishi Bashi, an indie-rock musician and multi-instrumentalist, performs in Spaulding Auditorium the following night at 7:30 (tickets $30).<\/p>\n<p>What we now think of as the silent movie era ended around a century ago. If anything, the screenings with live music coming up in the next week show us the staying power of culture that\u2019s well made.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First Friday in WRJ<\/h3>\n<p>Phrogs are playing as part of the monthly First Friday art walk in White River Junction. Galleries and shops are open, usually starting at 5 or 6, and host artist receptions or musicians.<\/p>\n<p>For example, The Y Lie and The Pilgrims, two bands associated with the Windsor-based What Doth Life collective, are playing from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rue &amp; Ren, a vintage clothing store on South Main Street.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Come on, Pilgrim<\/h3>\n<p>And if you can\u2019t get enough of The Pilgrims, perhaps the Upper Valley\u2019s preeminent rock band, they\u2019ll be at Windsor Station on Saturday night. Faux in Love opens; music starts at 9:30.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More music<\/h3>\n<p>Funky Flats, local exponents of 1970s funk, play Saturday night at Tunbridge Town Hall, one of the winter Shindigs that have run for years now. The show starts at 7 and the cover is $15 at the door.<\/p>\n<p>The popularity of the Grateful Dead has always been a bit of mystery to me, but the recent death of Bob Weir has hit the band\u2019s fan base pretty hard. Zach Nugent has made a career of paying homage to the Dead. The Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph hosts a Nugent tribute to Weir on April 4. I\u2019m telling you now because it will sell out pretty quickly, partly because there\u2019s nothing to sell. Tickets are free, though donations will be accepted through the ticket portal and at the door to benefit the Vermont ACLU, the Randolph Area Food Shelf and Chandler\u2019s free community youth and family programming.<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source vnews.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The members of the Claremont-based band Phrogs think of themselves as a punk band, to one degree or another. Members of punk bands aren\u2019t famous for being agreeable, I\u2019ve heard. But a lot of Phrogs\u2019 work is melodic and a bit haunted, more in the vein of bands like Bauhaus than, say, Dead Kennedys. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2267332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[439067,22672,379886,379888,379891],"class_list":["post-2267331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-claremont-nh","tag-latest-news","tag-lebanon-nh","tag-south-pomfret-vt","tag-white-river-junction-vt"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Highlights-Upper-Valley-musicians-accompany-silent-movies.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2267331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2267333,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267331\/revisions\/2267333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2267332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2267331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2267331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2267331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}