April 2024 - Digital Edition
As the weather gets warmer on Cape Cod, it feels almost essential to sit down for a meal of our best seafood. There are many local restaurants which provide this experience along the streets that line Wellfleet and Provincetown’s harbors, but for North Truro residents, the real feast lies in a small building just off the highway on Highland Road: Captain’s Choice. Seated comfortably in what you might generously describe as Downtown North Truro (or DoNo, if you will), co-owner Kristi Wageman describes the location as “unassuming”. But prepare to be surprised, because what lies within will blow you away.
Wageman and her husband Bob have been owners of the joint since 2016, but Wageman says that their role in the business has been a tremendously active one. She bartends and runs the takeout counter, while her husband works in the kitchen, doing all of the prep work for the restaurant. The two were owners of Pearl in Wellfleet for a number of years, but decided to sell their shares and get out, partnering with Chris King of Cape Tip Seafoods to open Captain’s Choice. They have since parted ways with King, and are now the sole owners of Captain’s Choice as of this season, but maintain their commitment to serving incredible, fresh seafood to the local community.
The menu at Captain’s Choice offers a wide range of options, from Cape Cod staples like their seared scallops, to Buffalo wings (Bob and Kristi are both Buffalo natives), sashimi, and soft shell tacos. It’s what Wageman calls the “quintessential Cape Cod restaurant.”
But like all quintessential Cape Cod restaurants, Captain’s Choice has battled its fair share of challenges — particularly in regards to staffing. “We had a pretty solid core staff for the eight years we’ve been here,” Wageman says, “[but] this year [2023] was a lot more difficult.” She says that getting housing for seasonal employees can be incredibly challenging, making it much harder for local businesses like hers to hold onto a solid workforce.
The restaurant usually stays open from April through early October, which Wageman says can also be particularly challenging when their available workforce drops sharply in September. But nonetheless the small crew persists and tries to stay open as late into the fall as possible, even if it means only serving takeout.
In addition to incredible food, Captain’s Choice brings a diverse lineup of musical talent to North Truro (second only to Payomet in that regard). Some of the phenomenal talent visiting this establishment includes prominent names in the local scene such as the Zoë Lewis Band, Woof Woof Meow, Johnny & the Value Leaders, Sarah Swain & the Oh Boys, the Cyclones, and the Rip It Ups — along with nationally touring groups like the Awen Family Band. Captain’s Choice is one of only a handful of restaurants in North Truro (and frankly, Truro in general) that offer regular live music.
Overall, Captain’s Choice is one of several lovely businesses bringing life to Highland Road in North Truro, which is in many ways the perfect spot for a quaint little establishment like this one. So next time you have some time to kill before you shuffle on over to Payomet Performing Arts Center, you might consider hitting up Captain’s Choice for some excellent Cape Cod cuisine and maybe even some music to get you in the dancing mood.
Wageman says that being a central part of this community is her favorite part of her work. “I love that people kind of feel like this is like their neighborhood place to go,” she says, “In a very seasonal sort of touristy town, I feel that we’ve made kind of like a home-feel connection with the customers.”
by Michael Fee
Teddy Thompson, son of British folk-rock aristocrats Linda and Richard Thompson, will make a rare local appearance at the Cape Cinema in Dennis on Thursday, May 9 for a Payomet Road Show. It is a wonderful opportunity to see this gifted performer in a truly intimate setting.
Teddy is a classic singer-songwriter and guitarist, adept in multiple musical genres including rock, folk and country. Since his first release “Teddy Thompson” in 2000 he has crafted nine albums, chronicling the musical evolution of a master lyricist who sings about failed love, sloth, partying, murder, and ambivalence over growing up in a famous family where parents were often absent.
His most recent work Heartbreaker Please (2020), My Love of Country (2023), and One More (2023), a collaboration with Jenni Muldaur, showcase an artist unafraid to both critically self-reflect, and revel in the simple joys of life, all through the lens of the Americana, country, and alt-country genres.
Thompson knows his blood roots are in British folk, but his voice reveals the influence of the 1950’s American pop and country that he fell in love with as a child. Teddy channels Sam Cooke, Hank Williams, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly, tempered with a healthy dose of 80’s British pop like Culture Club, Crowded House and Wham. Wow!
Teddy’s keen tenor, brutally honest lyrics, and innate ability to connect with his audience makes this a show not to be missed. See you at the Cape Cinema in Dennis on May 9!
Bringing young and young-at-hearts together, the Nauset MultiCultural Club collaborates with Payomet’s BIDE Committee for a first of its kind event on Friday May 24.
BIDE is an acronym for Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. In the words of Payomet board member, Melinda Krasting, “one sort of diversity too often missing in our daily lives on the Outer Cape is a diversity of ages.”
NRHS’s recently retired and beloved school teacher Lisa Brown reminded her fellow committee members that it makes good sense to let the young people lead while others of us from this new committee provide support. She spoke of a talented young woman who last year organized a multicultural week of events at the school led by MultiCultural Club members.
This year Kimesha Harriott, president of the club, has booked Cape Verdean singer Candida Rose as the featured act of a concert and social event at Chapel in the Pines in Eastham on Friday, May 24, from 6 to 8.
Sarah Burrill, another beloved local talent, has agreed to do a few songs as a warm up act.
The concert and multicultural food event will take place at Eastham’s Chapel in the Pines, home of Nauset Fellowship’s lay-led Unitarian-Universalists, and home of the First Encounter Coffee House which has hosted concerts there for 50 years this June.
Wellfleet musician and long time host on WOMR’s Fiddle and the Harp, Denya Levine, has told us that Patty Larkin has referred to the venue as the Carnegie Hall of Cape Cod.
Wellfleet’s Patty Larkin, acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist has spoken of the venue’s acoustics and history of hosting acoustic troubadours, dubbing it the Carnegie Hall of Cape Cod!
Members of the high school club who generated a zazzy poster for this represent a variety of cultural heritages. The mostly fresh baked food will represent Jamaican and Cape Verdean treats, as well as other international and multi cultural offerings.
The event will be free, underwritten by Payomet Performing Arts Center. Donations will be accepted to support the Nauset MultiCultural Club’s various activities. Better arrive early as seats will be limited.
By Jaiden van Bork
With winter behind us and spring off to a rapid start, now seems like a good time to set our eyes on the future. Last summer, Payomet Performing Arts Center changed the game with a wild, star-studded lineup of programming full of powerful grooves, massive laughs, and nights to remember — but this year, we’re ready to do it all again.
Our programming this year is already shaping up to be not only full of phenomenal talent, but also incredibly diverse and wide-reaching. From major stars to indie gems, from American icons to global phenomena, from virtuoso musicians to top-tier comedians — Payomet has it all. And amidst the chaos of the summer, the Truro Tent is here to let you in on the shows that you need tickets for NOW. Of course, we could hardly hope to cover everything coming this summer in one issue, so consider this just the beginning of our 2024 SEASON PREVIEW.
After a spring full of fun (which you can also read about in this issue), we will move into summer with an all-time favorite group on July 5th: The Wailers. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley & the Wailers’ iconic album, Legend which was released in May of 1984, the Wailers promise to bring timeless reggae classics to life. “The reggae artists,” said one Cape Cod Times reviewer, “who make it their mission to keep the spirit of Bob Marley alive, would have made the Rasta superstar proud.”
Another Payomet favorite, Mexican-American rock band Los Lobos of “La Bamba” fame joins us on July 14th for a show unlike any other. With a fifty-year career and an unimaginable amount of shows behind them, these seasoned performers promise to deliver their unique brand of Chicano rock and roll with a level of passion and technical skill that will have everyone on the dance floor.
Later in the month, Payomet takes a rather devilish turn with a visit from American auteur filmmaker and “Pope of Trash”, John Waters on July 25th at Provincetown Town Hall. A legend in the world of cinema for his transgressive cult films like Multiple Maniacs and Pink Flamingos, and a major name in the Provincetown community who can sometimes be spotted riding his bicycle up and down commercial street, Waters has had a profound impact on queer culture and has made a name for himself as a serious provocateur. We can’t wait to see what he has in store.
Joining many of the other Payomet favorites hitting the stage this summer, accomplished vocalist Ruthie Foster will also join us on August 1st for another performance that is guaranteed to be absolutely stellar. Foster’s vocal chords hold a unique strength and power to move that is rarely seen, drawing many comparisons to iconic soul music legends. In 2014, the Provincetown Banner reported that, “A singer capable of turning the Payomet tent into a revival tent, Foster’s Aretha-esque vocal power and passion are more beholding to the country church than the roadside jook joint.” We have no doubt that Foster will turn heads once again with her stunning abilities as a performer.
And speaking of Payomet veterans, virtuoso jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli will grace the tent just a few days later on August 5th. The Boston Globe holds Pizzarelli responsible for “…reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz” – but his repertoire is also vast and includes interpretations of the work of Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, and beyond — in addition to jazz standards. The Cape Cod Times called him “a seasoned entertainer [and] a passionate and highly inventive guitarist” and we’d definitely agree. Pizzarelli is a Payomet favorite for a reason, and you would be remiss to not get a chance to see why.
Then, a dark night in a coastal town that knows how to keep its secrets, and one man still trying to find the answers to life’s persistent questions: public radio legend, Garrison Keillor! The former host of Prairie Home Companion comes to Payomet for a magical night of humor, storytelling, and more on August 6th, along with famous segments like “News from Lake Wobegon” that will transport you to the wild and unfamiliar land of the midwestern United States.
Next up is Rosanne Cash, an artist whose musical accomplishments almost overshadow entirely the fact that she is in fact the daughter of that famous Cash. Performing alongside her husband, songwriter and producer John Leventhal, Cash will exhibit her remarkable talent as a lyricist and a performer, which has won her four GRAMMY awards (along with 12 other nominations). With impressive skill over the craft of musical storytelling, Cash’s work takes us deep into the soul of America with immense passion and limitless wisdom. Payomet is blessed to have both Cash and Leventhal performing under the tent for TWO NIGHTS: August 12th and 13th.
As August moves on, Carnival kicks off in P-Town, and the summer season reaches its peak, Payomet will welcome a very special performer with an energy that perfectly matches the intensity of this time of year. Martin Sexton, icon of the Boston-area music scene, comes to the tent on August 17th for yet another vibrant performance that is guaranteed to impress. Well-loved both regionally and nationally for his independent, DIY spirit and technical chops as a guitarist, there is a reason that Billboard calls Sexton “the real thing”. Whether he’s on a Boston street corner, on stage at Carnegie Hall, or inside the Payomet tent — the multitalented legend will deliver the exact same infectious experience.
Needless to say, everyone on the Payomet team is absolutely quaking with excitement for the summer to come. With phenomenal music, plenty of loveable personalities, and the same good vibes as ever — we’re sure that Summer 2024 is going to be another one to remember.
But as mentioned, the lineup is still unfolding, and we have so much more to tell you about between now and July. Right now, you can head to payomet.org to get tickets and to see what else we have in store for you, but stay tuned for our next issue where we’ll be covering even more exciting things to look forward to.
A Note from the Editor
I just recently had the pleasure of viewing the eclipse that greeted the United States on April 8th. While it was to me a relatively underwhelming experience (largely because I was outside of the path of totality), it was pretty inspiring to see so many people in my community coming out of the woodwork to view it together. There’s something innately human about the pleasure we get from just staring at strange things happening in the sky, the way in which we are perpetually fascinated by even the most visually basic spectacle (not to diminish the astrological coolness of the eclipse). We absolutely love to look at things, and we are so curious and eager to watch things — whatever things they may be — happen, especially when we can all be spellbound together. It’s kind of beautiful.
This made me think about live music; about the simple joy we get from watching others produce sounds. The kind of magic I feel watching a group of people collectively don their eclipse glasses to look up at the sun is much the same that I feel when I look at a sea of faces painted with lights under the Payomet tent, all of their eyes focused directly on the stage.
I also had the pleasure of attending a film screening on the Brandeis University campus recently — a documentary called Unfinished.wav directed by Jair Berzofsky, a senior film student. The film follows multiple student musicians attempting to write and record an album in twenty-four hours. Throughout the film, Berzofsky presses each of the musicians with questions about their post-college plans and how music will fit into their lives going forward, unveiling a deep sense of uncertainty amongst these college students, and a challenging tension between pursuing their artistic dreams and finding professional or financial security. But there is so much beauty in the ephemerality of this project, in these young musician’s endless desire to collaborate with each other.
I also felt so much energy from the crowd of students who joined together in the Mandel Humanities Center to watch the film, many of whom were actually in the film themselves. Having been mostly locked inside watching movies by myself all winter, I had forgotten the immense delight of seeing a film in theaters with other human beings.
I left the theater not only thinking a lot about my love of music, but also the incredible power of collaboration and of creative communities. I think that that’s something really beautiful about live music venues like Payomet — our ability to build community through these kinds of shared experiences. It is these moments that ground us in our shared humanity and bring us closer together. The potential is limitless.
Claire Adams (Co-Chair) is a chef and co-owner of Bagelhound in Wellfleet and Provincetown with her husband, Truro native Ellery Althaus, with whom she also shares two young children. The pair were the original owners who revamped the Salty Market in North Truro, a sandwich shop, grocery and liquor store, which they sold in 2021. Claire has lived and worked in Truro full-time since 2014 and also serves on the Board of Directors.
Alan Chebot (Co-Chair) is an Emmy® Award winning filmmaker and owner of Boston-based Parallax Productions. He has worked with many musicians including jazz legend Art Blakey, The Rebirth Brass Band, Yoko Ono, Aerosmith, Aimee Mann, Wynton Marsalis, and John Legend. His feature length films “Song for New Orleans” and “Outermost Radio” were screened at Payomet and his association with our organization has grown from there.
Jim Bisceglia worked for WMass Legal Services in Northampton, and then for the Worcester Housing Court for 40 years, combined. He has volunteered and attended scores of Payomet events and also served a term on the Truro Conservation Commission. Recently, he has been shellfishing for quahogs and oysters at Pamet Harbor at low tide on Sundays
Barry Bluestone is the former Stearns Trustee Professor of Political Economy, founding director of the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, and the founding dean of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. He has led research projects on housing, local economic development, state and local public finance, and the manufacturing sector in Massachusetts.
Lisa Brown is a Diversity and World Cultures teacher at Nauset Regional High School, and the runner-up of MA Teacher of The Year in 2018. She’s traveled the globe and spends time in Haiti doing educational outreach and liaison support with a community youth program and Nauset’s Human Rights Academy. She is a jazz drummer and world percussionist and a founding member of Wellfleet OysterFest.
Ellen Carno is the former president of the Lyric Stage Company of Boston and is the Vice Chair of the Board of Metalwerx, a metalsmith school and studio in Waltham, MA. She is a jewelry designer at Ellen Carno Design, and has worked as a political campaign manager and as a mediator in the Massachusetts courts and in private practice.
Oriana Conklin is a Cape Cod native with a deep love and appreciation for the arts and her community. She is honored to be the new owner of The East End Market, her neighborhood’s corner store. A resident of Provincetown, she presently serves on the Conservation Commission, Charter Compliance Commission, and the Chamber of Commerce.
Melinda Asman Krasting is a writer/producer who moved to Truro full time 10 years ago. Her deep love of dance and theater began while studying at Ithaca College and Cornell University, which led to her service on boards for several renowned theater and dance companies. She also worked with an organization providing medical and legal aid to artists, and her documentary film career traveled her around the globe.
Ellen Kumata is the managing partner at Cambria, and founder of their executive coaching practice. She has also served on the boards of for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and has received a Founding Fellow Award from the Harvard Institute of Coaching. She was an associate professor at California State University, Stanislaus, and has been admitted to the State Bars of Michigan and California.
David Lubin has more than 25 years of experience successfully founding and managing technology and consulting firms that have become world leaders. He currently serves as co-founder and managing director of Constellation Research and Technology, Inc., and has taught at both Tufts and Harvard University.
Bob Seay is an accomplished broadcast journalist who has been living in Eastham for 50 years. He spent most of his career covering Cape Cod for several radio stations, including WOMR in Ptown, Rhode Island Public Radio in Providence, and WGBH in Boston, where he currently works. Bob has also worked for several local theaters, most notably WHAT in Wellfleet.
Stan Sikorski is an enthusiastic fan of Cape Cod and the former innkeeper at the Land’s End Inn in Provincetown, where he and his wife owned and operated the business for 10 years. Prior to innkeeping, Stan had an accomplished career on the cutting edge of cellular network technology, leading teams for tech giants including AT&T, Verizon Int’l, GM Europe and Nokia.
Deborah Ullman is a 30 year Gestalt therapist trainer, supervisor, publisher and somatic practitioner. She spent her early career as a broadcast DJ in major markets across the country. Presently, Deb works as an advocate and activist for building relational culture. She co-led “Get Empathy”, an anti-bullying, story-sharing practice at Nauset HS. It remains important today. She also serves on the MLK Action Team.
