Bay State quartet Darlingside have become veritable media darlings in their just over half a decade of existence. Their lush, harmony-laden amalgam of indie folk rock garners kudos as steadily and readily as “Dump Trump’’ petition signatures at a Cinco De Mayo party.
On Sept. 18, they released a new full length album, Birds Say. And here’s what critics are already saying about it.
“(We) couldn’t recommend listening to it highly enough.” — Popmatters.com
“Fresh, vital and organic acoustic music that’s pure and mysterious.” — Americansongwriter.com
“We wrote this record thinking about our childhoods, our transition into adulthood together and the complexities of life that we all have to grapple with now,” notes band guitarist Don Mitchell of the 13-tune effort.
This Saturday, Oct. 3, Darlingside will celebrate their latest sonic labor of love with two separate ticketed performances at the Iron Horse at 7 and 10 p.m. Beantown country-folk quintet The Novel Ideas are opening.
Tix are $12.50 in advance, $15 at the door in both instances.
Meanwhile, up in Holyoke, Mark Sherry is opening the Gateway City Live venue’s proverbial floodgates of performance opportunities for locally-located talent this weekend.
“Friday, Oct. 2., we’re starting a new monthly talent show that will occur the first Friday of every month and feature prizes and cool judges like Charles Neville, Roger Salloom, area mayors and the like,” Sherry shared. “The Valley Talent Showcase is open to any and all creative talent — from dancers, puppeteers … you name it. The next night, Oct. 3, Holyoke’s own will rock the canal when Hot Dirty and The Basement Cats take the stage.”
Tix for the latter are $5 in advance, $7 at the door. To obtain them — or more information in general on the newly reminted performance space — kindly point your browser to gatewaycityarts.com.
∎ Going for Baroque: Flute/recorder player Jesse Lepkoff and harpsichordist Gregory Hayes will present a concert of baroque pieces in the atrium of Brattleboro’s historic Brooks House on Oct. 2. Lepkoff is a Marlboro, Vermont, resident whose credits include recording for Radio France, appearing live on WGBH radio, and lecturing at the Smithsonian, New England Conservatory and Louisiana University, to name a choice few. Hayes lives in Goshen and is a longtime director of the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, and regular instructor at Cummington’s Greenwood Music Camp.
Suggested donation for this event is $12.
∎ Power to the papal: In preparation for the U.S. visit by the pontiff last week, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia reportedly reached out to 20 sacred music composers from across the country to craft a special hymn. Appropriately — or perhaps, by divine intervention — it was the work of a man from Mass that was ultimately used in three Masses celebrated by Pope Francis. That man was Normand Guin, assistant chaplain and director of liturgy and music at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.
His hymn is entitled “Sound the Bell of Holy Freedom.”
In related news, the Pope also received his own custom Spotify list for the visit. In addition to dozens of other hymns and psalms that were sung at liturgies he presided over, the three-and-a-half hour soundtrack also included “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys, “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men and a comedic bit by Jim Gaffigan.•
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.
