Chris Busby

1 week ago | thebollard.com | Chris Busby |Dan Zarin

photo/Dan ZarinMagissa91 Anderson St., Portland956-2902magissaportland.comOver the course of its 2,800-year history, Greece has made countless contributions to Western civilization: philosophy, the Olympics and democracy, to name just a few. With some of those innovations (that last one, in particular) losing a bit of their luster lately, this seems an opportune time to indulge in one of Greek culture’s most enduring exports: its cuisine.

1 week ago | thebollard.com | Chris Busby

Modern FriendshipTruth in the Gardenself-releasedThe humor novelist and culture critic Jason Pargin showed up in my TikTok feed a few weeks ago with some hard-won words of wisdom. “Here’s something they don’t teach you when you’re a kid: You’re gonna have to start your life over at some point,” he began. “Every single adult I know has had to do this at least once with their career or their marriage or their social circle or everything.

1 week ago | thebollard.com | Chris Busby

DungavenhooterFucked Into NonexistenceFiadh ProductionsOK, I think the album title and cover have turned or scared off pretty much everyone who’d cause us trouble. Now let’s get into some really wild radical shit…“Dungavenhooter emerges from the cold woods of Portland with Fucked Into Nonexistence — 8 tracks of reptilian death metal and grindcore to smash you into a fine dust with his powerful tail, and snort up your powdered remains,” the album’s unhumble press release reads.

1 week ago | thebollard.com | Chris Busby |Jessie Banhazl |Sara Hogan

Meeting Max Schubel of Opus One Opus One was a small, independent record label founded in 1966 with a focus on contemporary classical music, a focus that by its very nature would present challenges. At its peak in the late ’70s, the label’s catalog approached 200 LP titles, and Opus One continued into the digital age the following decade with about 20 releases on CD. A surprise connected to the label was its business address in the hinterland hamlet of Greenville, Maine.

1 week ago | thebollard.com | Chris Busby |Jessie Banhazl |Sara Hogan |Dan Zarin

photos/Troy R. BennettThe invisible artistry of Mark Turner, Portland’s kindest cook A long time ago, in a little Italian village far away from Casco Bay, there lived a boy named Pasquale who was enchanted by the magic of Hollywood movies. He’d sneak away from home or skip school to go to the cinema in Caserta, the capital city. His father, Giuseppe, and several other workmen from the settlement of Garzano lived across the ocean 10 months of every year, building roads in Maine.