All Over the Place
Gypsy music is typically fiery, passionate and wandering. As part of the Close Encounters with Music program, numerous musicians, including cellist Yehuda Hanani, pianist Lydia Artymix, viola player Michael Klotz and violinst Vadim Gluzman, perform music in the gypsy style by classical composers like Brahms and Haydn. Metropolitan mezzo-soprano Lucille Beer also makes a cameo as Bizet’s Carmen. This classical-gone-gypsy concert takes place May 24 at 6 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, located at 14 Castle St. in Great Barrington. Call (413) 528-0100 or log on to www.cewm.org for more information.
Pottery Pants
Founded in 1976, the Asparagus Valley Potters Guild hosts its fourth annual pottery trail April 26-27. Participants are invited to meander through towns in Western Mass., including Shelburne Falls, Greenfield, Easthampton, Northfield, Amherst and Westhampton, dropping in on potters’ studios and taking a gander at their works. Potters include Mary Barringer, Stephen Earp Redware, Lucia Pottery, Angela Finn, Robbie Heidinger, Molly Cantor (whose work is pictured) and Donna McGee. For a map of the pottery trail, log on to www.asparagusvalleypottertrail.com.
Shock and Awe
During the late Cretaceous period, many Pachycephalosauruses roamed what is now the northwestern part of the United States. Roughly the size of a large car, the thick-skulled dinosaurs had tiny brains and front legs (but were no doubt still quite frightening). This spring the bipedal dinos, along with some of their more intimidating relatives—Tyrannosaurus Rex, Mosasaurus (a big, scary, crocodile-like dino)—are shaking things up in a big way. The panoply of these bygone beasts, including life-size robotic models, is on display at the Springfield Science Museum, located at 21 Edwards St. in Springfield, through May 11. Call (800) 625-7738 for more information.
Curtain Call
One-act plays by three award-winning students are featured in Smith’s spring festival. Winter Requiem by Rachel Lerner-Ley looks at the impact of global warming and yet another snowless season on a New England inn. Three individuals struggle for power in a famous Parisian salon in Isosceles by Lynne S. Brandon. And Darren Harned’s Ephemera tells the tale of fading Americana through the eyes of a 70-year old widow. This festival of one-acts takes place April 17-19 at 8 p.m. in Smith College’s Theatre 14. Call (413) 585-ARTS for tickets.
Life in the Burgh
A 30-year staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the country’s largest-circulating black publications, Charles “Teenie” Harris amassed a large body of work. Harris is best known for his photographs which shed light on life in black urban communities. This month through April 12, UMass-Amherst displays Rhapsody in Black and White, a retrospective of Harris’ work featuring 31 framed prints taken in Pittsburgh neighborhoods between 1936 and 1975. Rhapsody is on view in the Augusta Savage Gallery in the New Africa House on the UMass campus. Call (413) 545-5177 for more information.
Faith in Music
Formed over a decade ago with the goal of blending traditional wind quartet with African, Latin and North American musical traditions, Imani Winds got its name from the Swahili word “imani” which means faith. The group has had three releases on Koch International Classics, including its Grammy-nominated The Classical Ground. On April 30 at 7:30 p.m., Imani Winds shares its classical styles in Bowker Auditorium at UMass-Amherst. Tickets are $12-25—call (413) 545-2511.
Transvestite Nazi
Winner of both a Pulitzer Price and a Tony Award, I Am My Own Wife tells the true story of East German Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transvestite who miraculously eluded the Nazi regime during the height of its power. The son of a Nazi Party leader, Mahlsdorf struck his father dead with a rolling pin while he slept, following an intense argument. After being released after a period of forced institutionalization, Mahlsdorf began dressing in a feminine way and collecting items left behind as people, many Jews, were forcibly removed from their homes. The items eventually were the bulk of the holdings on view in Mahlsdorf’s Grunderzeit Museum. The Barrington Stage Company performs the play, written by Doug Wright, May 21-June 8 at Barrington Stage II, located at 30 Union St. in Pittsfield. Contact the box office at (413) 236-8888 or log on to www.barringtonstageco.org for tickets and showtimes.
Country Buzz
Nominated for her Grammy work with John Prine, country/gospel singer Iris Dement sings optimistic songs about navigating heartbreak and leaving childhood behind, influenced by her devoutly religious background. With hardly any support from mainstream country radio stations, Dement has released four albums and is starting to generate nationwide buzz. The songwriter brings her earthy style to Great Barrington’s Club Helsinki, located at 284 Main St., on May 4 at 8 p.m. Call (413) 528-3394 or log on to www.clubhelsinkiweb.com for more information.
Did He Really Just Say That?
Only mildly vulgar in his most innocent moments, comedian George Carlin is still sharp as a tack and armed with a whole new arsenal of material, thanks to the continuing follies of our culture, government and silly celebrities. Besides horrifying and amusing—sometimes simultaneously—audiences across the country, Carlin has also appeared in several films, including Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, done voiceover work in numerous cartoons, and released several comedy records. He brings his special brand of comedy genius to The Calvin Theater, located at 19 King St. in Northampton, on May 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $28.50-48.50. Call (800) THE-TICK to get them.
All That and Then Some
Each year, hundreds of artists from across the country convene in Northampton for the Paradise City Arts Festival. Goods for sale and on display include photography, leather works, metal objects, hand-crafted jewelry, photography, wearable art, paintings, fine furniture and sculptures. The event is held indoors and/or under tents, so even in case of rain the show goes on. Held on Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26), the Paradise City Arts Festival also features live jazz, a silent auction to benefit WGBY/PBS and yummy comestibles. The festival is free for kids, $8/students and seniors, $12/general and $15/weekend pass and takes place at the Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton. Log on to www.paradisecityarts.com for a sneak preview of work by participating artists.
Literary Fodder
Hillary Jordan’s debut novel, Mudbound, tells the story of a city-bred woman whose marriage brings her to a ramshackle Mississippi farm during the ’40s. Mudbound was awarded the 2006 Bellwether Prize and Jordan has been awarded fellowships from Columbia University, the American Association of University Women, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the La Napoule Foundation and Fundacion Valparaiso. She reads from and signs copies of her book May 1 at 5 p.m. at the Odyssey Bookshop, located at 9 College St. in South Hadley. Call (413) 534-7307 for more information.
Just Like a Photograph
Artist Jeff Kern paints still-life images featuring a vivid potpourri of antiques, collectibles and ordinary objects from past times. Oft described as trompe l’oeil, Kern’s landscapes offer a bird’s-eye view of natural settings. Kern’s depictions of Western Mass. locales like the Mount Holyoke Summit House and the Connecticut and Swift Rivers are on display through the month of May at R. Michelson Galleries, located at 132 Main St. in Northampton.
Seriously Prune-like
The members of Electric Prunes began their musical collaboration in the smoky haze of L.A. in 1965. They had several hits, including “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night),” and their music appeared in Easy Rider, during the LSD-induced scene of passage through a New Orleans cemetery. Sadly, the Prunes then lost control over the rights to their music and name. However, recently three of the original members were inspired to break out the day-glo and paint the town tie-dye once again. The Electric Prunes perform their tried and true psychedelic music at Northampton’s Pearl Street Nightclub, located at 10 Pearl St., on May 9 at 8:30. Tickets go for $20 a pop—call (800) THE-TIX.
From the Northwest
Hailing from Oregon, guitarist and vocalist David Jacobs-Strain plays a blend of blues, classics, roots and high-octane instrumentals. The young musician has shared the stage with the likes of Etta James, Roy Rogers and Taj Mahal and played a vertitable horde of festivals, including the DaVinci Days Festival, the Magnolia Fest and the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival. Jacobs-Strain is bringing his soulful music to Great Barrington on April 4, taking the stage at Club Helsinki, located at 284 Main St., at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15—call (413) 528-3394 or log on to www.clubhelsinkiweb.com.