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The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

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Top Stories

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Nearby in Natick: NYE on rail trail; Plunging into Dug Pond; Why 100s of blue, pink & white flags are displayed

January 3, 2026 by Bob Brown

The latest Natick, Mass., news:
 
2025 hits the trails with New Year’s eve event

5th annual NYE on CRT brings out crowds.

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Brrr-ing in 2026 with Dug Pond polar plunge

Only for the brave and…
 
Why hundreds of blue, pink and white flags are displayed on the FCC lawn in Natick

Members of First Congregational Church of Natick installed hundreds of pink, blue, and white hand-held style flags symbolizing transgender pride on the church’s front lawn.

Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Natick Report

     

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Nearby in Natick: New TCAN director; NYE on rail trail; Deer culling at Broadmoor

December 24, 2025 by admin

The latest Natick, Mass., news:
 
Meet The Center for the Arts in Natick’s incoming executive director

When Associate Director Erin Basile unlocks the doors of The Center for Arts in Natick each morning, she’s never quite sure who will fill the red-cushioned seats that night…

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Photo by Yasmine Chang

 
5th annual NYE on Cochituate Rail Trail event on tap

The Friends of Natick Trails is organizing the fifth annual New Year’s Eve event on the Cochituate Rail Trail, complete with fire pits, spectacular lighting, food trucks, music, and best of all, your fellow community members. This is a family friendly event.
 
Natick’s deer population slightly culled at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Natick Report

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Nearby in Natick: Where’d the gazebo go?; Town-wide office candidates signing up; Frosty 5K races on

December 16, 2025 by Bob Brown

The latest Natick, Mass., news:

Where’d the gazebo go? (and other winter pics)

The gazebo, recently painted white, got a fresh coat from Mother Nature…

gazebo white winter

Town-wide office candidates signing up

Incumbents, newcomers in the mix for 2016 election

Frosty 5K races on

Annual road race benefits high school cross country and track teams, plus local charity.

Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Natick Report

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Nearby in Natick: 116-unit assisted living complex proposed; Pearl Harbor Day event; Zero Empty Spaces closing at Mall

December 5, 2025 by Bob Brown

The latest Natick, Mass., news:
 
116-unit assisted living complex proposed

Benchmark at Natick would be located between Lake Cochituate and the Stop & Shop plaza—and abutting a residential neighborhood.

Benchmark at Natick
 
Pearl Harbor Day ceremony being held on Dec. 7

The free event will take place at Morse Institute Library from 2-4pm.
 
Zero Empty Spaces closing at Mall

Offered low-cost art gallery rent in relatively high profile space.

Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Natick Report

Nearby in Natick: Girls & Boys soccer teams win state titles; Top taxpayers; Exploring hybrid Town Meeting

November 23, 2025 by admin

The latest Natick, Mass., news:

Twin Triumph: Natick High girls & boys soccer teams win state titles

The Natick High School girls & boys soccer teams won D1 state titles just hours apart over the weekend in Leominster. The girls have won three of the last five, while this was the first for the boys.

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Natick releases list of top 10 taxpayers

The names remain the same, including the Natick Mall’s owner, though the order is slightly different.

Natick begins exploration of hybrid Town Meeting

Seeks Town Meeting members to volunteer for new committee.


Read more Natick news on Natick Report.

Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Natick Report

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Nearby in Natick: Historic water fountain could return to Common: Soccer teams head to Final Four

November 18, 2025 by Bob Brown

The latest news from Natick, Mass.:
 
Natick volunteers thirsty for historic water fountain on Common

Backers to seek Community Preservation Act funding in ’26.
 

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Original water fountain alongside Natick Common
(Photo courtesy of Natick Historical Commission

 
Natick High boys and girls soccer teams in state final four

Both Redhawks teams play in Woburn on Nov. 18 for a shot at making the title game.
 
TCAN preview: ‘Guitar fanatic’ James Mastro to make Natick debut

James Mastro to open for Marshall Crenshaw.

Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Natick Report

Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, 2026

Nearby in Natick: Fall Annual Town Meeting in full swing; Haunted house history lesson; Farmers market heads inside

November 1, 2025 by Bob Brown

The latest Natick, Mass., news from Natick Report.

Fall Annual Meeting recap: CPA funds flow to 5 Auburn; Get ready for more downtown signs

Natick doles out its first Community Preservation Act funds and more.

Haunted House history lesson

The Haunted House of Bacon Brook (A new look at the land beneath Natick Community Organic Farm)

Farmers Market heads inside

The Natick Farmers Market has officially moved inside to the Common Street Spiritual Center for the fall and winter.

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Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Natick Report

Irish band Amble finds home away from home in Boston

September 11, 2025 by Bob Brown

At one point during fresh Irish folk trio Amble‘s show at Boston’s Royale on Sept. 5, mandolin-plus player Ross McNerney told the sell-out crowd that he’s been in Boston more than home in Ireland this year. While an exaggeration for sure, this did mark Amble’s fourth appearance in Boston since the end of May, and that included opening for Hozier twice at Fenway Park over the summer.

Amble has been topping the charts in Ireland, but it has certainly found a second home in Boston, and the band is getting more and more comfortable here as it goes along. Lead singer Robbie Cunningham could be seen pointing to familiar faces in the crowd, and mention was made of one band member’s family hopping the pond to attend.

amble at royale 2025
Amble at Royale

I first saw Amble outdoors at Boston Calling in May, where lead vocalist Robbie Cunningham, guitarist Oisín McCaffrey, and McNerney played a stripped down mid-afternoon set on the outlier blue stage without a backing band. The crowd was receptive, but most flocked to the festival no doubt to see headliners like Fall Out Boy and Avril Lavigne.

This time around, at what they referred to as their largest headlining show—Royale’s capacity exceeds 1,000 people—everyone was there to see Amble (I earned myself a Guinness after I gifted an extra ticket to an Irish lad standing by named McGonigle, who said he was nearing the end of his work visa in the U.S.). As was the case at Amble’s Fenway show, the band had backing musicians who amped up the sound.

When I told a relative the next day I’d just seen an Irish band in Boston she asked: “The Pogues?” While the post- Shane MacGowan Pogues actually also were playing in Boston that weekend, no, Amble is not the Pogues… nor U2…nor any of the more rocking bands Ireland might bring to mind. Rather, Amble charms with mostly original tunes in traditional Irish style, rich lyrics and memorable stories, sweet harmonies, and yes, some sing-along parts— that started with the set’s second song, the reflective “Little White Chapel,” and the line “Why walk when we can run.”

Amble’s members, who share songwriting credits, lead with acoustic guitar. Though McNerney frequently wields a banjo, mandolin or bouzouki (a member of the mandolin family), and once he gets ripping, the crowd eagerly whoops.

That was the case with “Of Land and Sea” and “Tonnta,” two of the grabbier tracks from the band’s debut album, “Reverie,” released in May. His banjo really kicked in on “One Man’s Love” between choruses of  “I have fallen for another lady/I’ve been searching through the rubble lately/We’re no ordinary lovers, baby,” and McNerney’s frantic picking brought the song to its end, too.

While Cunningham led most songs with his powerful and sometimes spiritual tenor, the band emphasized the instruments at the start or end of certain numbers. This allowed Amble to change pace and share a wide expanse of moods, from forlorn to amorous.

On “Sam Hall,” a classic chimney sweep ballad, Cunningham, McCaffrey, and McNerney slowed things down under sparse white lights and barely strummed their instruments at times,; the backing musicians took that one off.

While many fans came to celebrate music of the old country, Amble also worked in some country music, as in “Jersey Giant” from Kentucky’s Tyler Childers.

Amble’s catalog is small given that the band has only been around for a few years. But the crowd got an early listen of music from an EP called “Hand Me Downs” slated for release later this month. Cracking the setlist were the title track, an ode to the power of passing down stories, plus another newcomer called “Like the Piper” in which Cunningham sings “I’m amazed by your distraction/But you’re not amazed by me.”

Despite the big crowd, the concert had an intimate feel. The focus was on the timeless music, but short stories and anecdotes were woven in between songs by the three lead performers. We learned that they ditched their day jobs about a year ago to go all in on Amble.

 

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A post shared by Bob Brown (@oldguynewmusic)

The concert’s high point may have been mid-way through when Amble played nostalgic “Schoolyard Days” and “Mary’s Pub” back to back, with the opening chords of the former eliciting the loudest cheers of the night. “Mary’s Pub,” with its chorus of “And we watched time go by/Well I told her ask me anything/She asked me how to cry,” was sung full throttle by the crowd in sync with Cunningham.

Before the night was over, ahead of the encore, it seemed like a football (yes, that kind of football) game had broken out, with chants of “Olé, Olé, Olé” encouraging Amble back to the stage for two more songs before heading out.


More “Beyond Wellesley” music coverage:

  • Levitate Music & Arts Festival: Celebrating local bands, newcomers & the sun
  • Boston Calling Day 3: A return to its roots with indie favs & newcomers
  • Boston Calling Day 2: Emo rules & Wellesley sightings
  • Boston Calling 2025 Day 1: Cowboys & cowgirls get their fix, but it’s not all country all the time

Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Music

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Calendar

Upcoming Wellesley events

Upcoming Events

Apr 8
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Community Event: “Menopause Unlocked”

Apr 9
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

FREE Slime Time at the Wellesley Free Library

Apr 9
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Friends of Wellesley Free Library Book Sale, member shopping day

Apr 10
8:45 am - 9:45 am

Walk with a Doc, sponsored by Olive Tree Medical

Apr 10
9:15 am - 6:00 pm

Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries book sale

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Wellesley in Bloom starts May 2!

Wellesley in Bloom starts May 2!

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