The clatter of coffee cups and the unceasing shhhh-shhh of the milk-frother at work are not the only sounds which fill the decidedly debonair environs of Amherst Coffee. There is also a sampling of other sounds to go with the gustation. Every Sunday morning Rusty Belle (pictured) can be heard brewing up their chicory blend (10 a.m.) while Liberated Territory Collective steeps away every Thursday evening (8 p.m.). Though the extent of the musical menu doesn't quite match that of the coffee shops' brewed offerings (caffeinated and alcoholic), there is a specials card that features local acts performing sporadically. This month Steve Kurtz with Dan Belmont and Friends provide the entertainment (March 21, 8 p.m.). Amherst coffee patrons can sit with just a croissant and cup in hand or chip away at the keys of their laptops while they enjoy the added acoustic ambience—the feel is more coffee shop than musical venue. Morning or evening, cozy cup of tea or a few fingers of spirits, this place transforms itself from bustling java shop to evening jazz lounge and back.
Soundcheck: Jazz and Java
