Well, we made it to 2013 without the world ending. To celebrate, I’d like to look back at some of the musicians who left their mark on 2012. It’s impossible to discuss the seemingly infinite number of artists and songs we heard over a 365-day period in this column, so we’re going to need some sort of beacon to guide us through the sea of one-hit-wonders and talented bands. Ah, I’ve got it! The Grammy Awards! They’re supposed to single out the musicians who deserved the most praise over a year-long period, right? Let’s look at some of the nominees for the 55th Grammy Awards, which will air on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m. on CBS. (Disclaimer: I’m not really a fan of the Grammys. I almost never agree with their nominees or winners.) The main four Grammy categories are record of the year, song of the year, album of the year and best new artist. If you’re curious about the difference between a record and a song, here’s the answer from the Grammy website: “The record of the year category recognizes the artist’s performance as well as the overall contributions of the producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s) if other than the artist. The song of the year category recognizes the songwriter(s).” Nominated for record of the year are “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys; “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson; “We Are Young” by fun.; “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye; “Thinkin Bout You” by Frank Ocean; and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift. Nominated for song of the year are “The A Team” by Ed Sheeran; “Adorn” by Miguel; “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen; “We Are Young” by fun.; and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson. (Since Clarkson didn’t write the song, she’s actually not the nominee, which demonstrates the difference between these two categories.) Nominated for album of the year are “El Camino” by The Black Keys; “Some Nights” by fun.; “Babel” by Mumford & Sons; “Channel Orange” by Frank Ocean; and “Blunderbuss” by Jack White. Nominated for best new artist are Alabama Shakes, fun., Hunter Hayes, The Lumineers and Frank Ocean. My pick for all four of these categories is quite simple: fun. Their music, as their name suggests, is entertaining. Their lyrics are interesting. They’ve had three hit singles (“We Are Young,” “Some Nights” and “Carry On”) in a very short time span. I’d give them all of those shiny trophies. I’d also suggest going online to your favorite music streaming site (YouTube and VEVO have a ton of music videos) and giving each of these songs and artists a listen. Who knows, you may find something you like. I’d never heard of Alabama Shakes before, but it turns out I really like their song “Hold On.” So thanks for that, Grammys. And let’s be honest for a moment and admit that even though it’s not nominated, PSY’s “Gangnam Style” deserves to win all 81 Grammy categories. The song made history in December by being the first video to surpass 1 billion views on YouTube. The public has spoken.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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