New Manville Album Offers Sounds For The Season

Kirsten Manville, of Wakefield, and David Simmons, of Lynn, recently released their Christmas CD.

Two local musicians helped spread some holiday cheer this year with the release of a new album featuring original and traditional songs. Kirsten Manville, 39, of Wakefield, and David Simmons, 56, of Lynn, collaborated on their first Christmas album together [pictured]. Simmons also lived in Wakefield until five years of age. Recording from March through October with studio sessions three times a month along with writing material, the album, At Christmastime, features traditional Christmas songs, pop, folk and blues. Their CD release party was held back in November at Walnut Street Cafe in Lynn [pictured]. First introduced at an open mic at Lido Cafe in Lynn, the duo also released Dreams That Won't Let Go in October 2006 and Things You …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (7)

The Parent Yap

The Ke$ha Effect: Pop Music and Our Children

How do we just ignore it when lyrics suggest they brush their teeth with a bottle of Jack (Daniels)?

Holly DeSouza As first time parents, my husband and I discover we have a laissez-faire approach to a lot of things. Music is one of them. We have varied taste and we do not tend to care about how many times a particular artist has been to prison or how many times they have been on the cover of People and US Weekly. I don’t want people to judge me on something that will in no way affect them or their lives; I apply that same line of thinking to others and I don’t care how famous (or infamous, in most circumstances) they may be.  That being said, I have failed in monitoring the actual words my four-year-old is being subjected to when she is listening to the radio or XM. Case in point: when she was three, I asked her to please come with me so…

• Photos (1)