Ona Canoa EP Release Show at the Shea Theater // SATURDAY
Advocate Sessions alumni and folk trio Ona Canoa will be releasing their first record this Saturday, a debut extended play (EP) titled “Good Dream.” With that milestone in the bag, they’ll be celebrating the release in style at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls. If you’ve never seen Ona Canoa, this will be your last chance until this summer, as the band takes a winter and spring hiatus. With rich vocal harmonies and a combination of flute, uke, and guitar, Ona Canoa is one of the best contemporary folk bands in the Valley right now. Opening up the show will be jazzy folk rock artist Kimaya Diggs (who has also performed on Advocate Sessions.) Shea Theater Arts Center, 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls. 7:30-10 p.m. $12. — Chris Goudreau
Zoë Darrow at Progression Brewing // SATURDAY
Cape Breton and Celtic influenced fiddler Zoë Darrow has been playing music since the age of 12 and the Valley Advocate named Darrow and her band, “The Fiddleheads” as the best Celtic band in the 2007 Best of the Valley Readers’ Poll. Darrow, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College in anthropology and music, has played with the likes of Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck’s primary banjo player, as well as toured with local folk and Americana legend Tim Eriksen and percussionist Peter Irvine. Darrow will present her own take on fiddle music this Saturday in Northampton. Progression Brewing Company, 9 Pearl St., Northampton. 5-7:30 p.m. — Dave Eisenstadter
Mandolin Orange at the Academy of Music // THURSDAY
The celebrated folk/country duo Mandolin Orange from North Carolina might better have dubbed themselves Mandolin Blue; as guitarist and mandolin player Andrew Marlin, the group’s chief songwriter, said in an interview with the Daily Hampshire Gazette a few years ago, “The default mode for me is melancholy.” But Marlin also chuckled when he said that, and in fact he and fiddle player Emily Franz have crafted a wide range of songs that explore a gamut of emotions, all of them infused with beautiful harmonies and the spirit and tradition of Southern music. When they hit the stage in Northampton on Thursday, they’ll also be playing songs from their newest album, “Tides of a Teardrop,” on which Marlin has explored some fraught memories: the death of his mother when he was a teen. At 7:30 p.m., 274 Main St., Northampton. — Steve Pfarrer
(Sandy) Alex G at Gateway City Arts // SATURDAY
Twenty-six-year-old Alex Giannascoli, better known by his moniker (Sandy) Alex G, recently released his latest album, “House of Sugar,” and received shimmering reviews from critics praising his layered guitar soundscapes, sweet and sinister penmanship, and vocals ranging from falsetto to an honest croon. His recordings are often described as lo-fi “bedroom pop” due to his do-it-yourself approach to recording on his laptop with a microphone hooked up. He has also appeared on Frank Ocean’s 2016 album “Blonde” having recorded guitars on tracks “Self Control” and “White Ferrari.” Doors open at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. General admission is $17. Show is ages 16 and over. 92 Race Street, Holyoke. For more information, call (413) 650-2670. — Luis Fieldman
