As frontman Mike Bean explains, it was literally the arrival of sons—and daughters— that spurred a years-long live hiatus for his band Jacob’s Son.

“Some of us in the band were adding to our families, and it just made shows a back burner item for us,” he says. “But what not everyone knows is that we never stopped getting together and writing.”

Citing both an eagerness to unveil the sonic sugarplums that have been dancing in their heads and a desperately missed connection to a live audience, Jacob’s Son (myspace.com/jacobsson) mounts a club comeback at Chicopee’s Maximum Capacity this Friday, May 20.

Still running the original lineup as founded in 2005—vocalist Bean with brother Greg Bean on guitar, Nick Cosomini on the kit and Tony Levesque holding down the bottom—the Springfield-based band is also in process of recording what will be the follow up to 2008’s Goodbye To Reason at Slaughterhouse Studios with Mark Alan Miller.

“The new material is very slim and trim,” Bean reveals. “They express what we are trying to convey in a very efficient manner.”

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As Jacob’s Son experiences a career rebirth of sorts, another band has hatched upon the local landscape… although they ain’t no spring chickens.

The Chickenyard (thechickenyard.com) as a band may officially be a fledgling fivesome, but its members are all Valley veterans—having played previously with the likes of The Roosters, Horseshoes & Handgrenades, Sex & Candy and Poseable Action Figures.

While presently recording what will serve as their sonic calling card—a full-length CD tentatively titled Junebug that they hope to release this July—The Chickenyard speckles its roots rock/blues/country originals with covers ranging from Coldplay to Kings of Leon when performing live. And they’ll do just that in the form of a free show this Thursday, May 19 at the Storrowton Tavern, located in the Eastern States Exposition.

“Our philosophy is focused on not losing touch with the true roots of today’s music,” notes singer Paul Sticca. “Whether live, electric or acoustic, covers or originals, it should evoke the same feeling from our listeners.”

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In other news… what do you get when you have a music lawyer father who drags you out to local clubs as youth to see clients like Big Sixteen (who eventually became Morphine) and The Joe Perry Project, then you become the darling of the jam band set in your college years before moving on to write novels, as well as tunes that appear on Dawson’s Creek, Joan of Arcadia and Laguna Beach? You get the truth, according to singer/songwriter Stewart Lewis (stewartlewis.com).

“With my new CD, Stumbling For Truth, I am letting the songs speak for themselves,” the now New York resident explains. “After putting out some more pop-oriented stuff, I am now more interested in three chords and the truth.”

Lewis will celebrate the recent release locally when his national tour makes a stop at Easthampton’s Flywheel Friday, May 20 with openers Mal Blum and Simon Littlejohn in tow.

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Last but not least, the Travelers Golf Championship in Connecticut—occurring June 20-26 at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell—made its first “fore-ay” into Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum music when it inked performance deals with both Eddie Money and Huey Lewis & The News. The former is slated to play on Wednesday, June 22; the later, Saturday, June 25. Both shows will begin around 7 p.m., right after the last golfer finishes the last round of the day, and will be held a the Subway Fan Zone in the center of the course.

Admission to the concerts is included with the purchase of any one-day event ticket. For more information on ticket options, times and more, kindly point your browser to TravelersChampionship.com.

Send correspondence to: Nightcrawler, PO Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email: Garycarra@aol.com.