Thing in the Spring at Nova Arts May 16 through May 19

Keene's premier music and arts series, the Thing in the Spring, is back for a four-day festival at Nova Arts, Thursday, May 16 through Sunday, May 19. The venue, Nova Arts Block, is a shared space with Brewbaker's Café, Terra Nova Coffee, Billies and Tilli and Keene on Vinyl. It will host 35 bands on two stages, all at 48 Emerald Street in Keene. The Thing, as many refer to it, will be in its third year in Keene. It was previously held in downtown Peterborough for 13 years prior. "We are now presenting The Thing as a part of Nova Arts, and both of these endeavors are under the fiscal umbrella of Arts Alive. It's a pretty great organization and we are always working to make an impact on the community and to provide a safe space for listening to and engaging with new sounds and ideas. We feel really lucky to be able to present the Thing in the Spring here," said Eric Gagne, program director of Nova Arts, a nonprofit that hosts live music shows every week at Brewbaker's. Gagne founded the Peterborough festival in 2008 with his wife, Mary Goldthwaite-Gagne and Ryan Wilson. "We all were at this point where we really wanted to make something happen in the area, and we were excited about a lot of art and music that our friends were making, and wanted to share it with folks," explained Gagne. As usual, the Thing's programming offers audiences an eclectic curation of performances throughout the four-day festival, as well as within just a single day. Gagne spends a lot of time and effort finding a great lineup of bands for the festival. "I get really into dreaming big when it comes to these lineups, and sometimes I get an idea and just start firing off emails to agencies or artists. There is then an organic process that dictates the lineup; this comes from recommendations, queries from bands, friends, my listening and a general aesthetic that has developed over the last 30 years of actively engaging with music in this way." The great thing about the Thing in the Spring is that you don't have to attend every day of the festival to have a great experience. Each day of music is well thought out and has a great combination of renowned artists and regional acts. When you string all four days of the festival together, Arts Alive is really bringing a great musical event into the Monadnock Region. The festivities will begin with a kickoff party on Thursday hosted by Cooper's Hill of Peterborough. They will be emceeing the show which features eight performances from groups spread all around New England. The evening is headlined by the region's own band, Modern Fools. Friday's musical theme will be leaning toward jazz and avant-garde music, featuring jazz trumpet legend Wadada Leo Smith, pioneering hip hop producer Prefuse 73 and capped off by avant-garde guitar maestro Marc Ribot, as well as the Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis. If you attend the festivities on Saturday, you will see the very first New Hampshire appearance by stoner/doom innovators, Earth, as well as composer and master violist Jessica Pavone, Huntress and Holder of Hands and psychedelic lifers, Sunburned Hand of the Man. There will also be a deep poetry review and a book event with Chelsea Granger at The Toadstool Bookshop, on 12 Emerald St., in Keene. Sunday will feature songwriter, guitarist and singer Buck Meek, as well as singer-songwriters Nina Nastasia, Jolie Holland and Hrishikesh Hirway. There will also be a city bird walk led by the Harris Center, and celebration of the new book, "Rock Poster," by Dan Blakeslee. Both weekend passes and single day tickets are available at thethinginthespring.com and at Brewbakers/Terra Nova Coffee. It is advised to grab your tickets as soon as you can. "The closer it gets to a show, the faster the tickets sell. Buying tickets is a great way to support The Thing and Nova Arts and will help ensure that we are able to keep making these things happen here in the Monadnock region," added Gagne. The Thing in the Spring will occur Thursday, May 16 through Sunday, May 19 at 48 Emerald St. in Keene. For a complete schedule and more information, or to purchase tickets to individual shows or a weekend pass, visit thethinginthespring.com.