Articles
Pick of the Day 5/20: The Rider
“No more riding, no more rodeos, if you don’t stop, your seizures are gonna get worse.” That’s kind of crux of Brady Jandreau’s delimma. Jandreau was injured in a riding accident curtailing his rising star on the rodeo circuit....
Pick of the Day 5/18: Red Flame
Jayme Timpson Winell performs this one person hour-long interactive dance-play. The play takes a look at the life and times of Winell’s grandmother Anne Burlak Timpson, known to many as the “Red Flame.” “Anne was a passionate organizer for...
Pick of the Day 5/17: Matthew Logan Vasquez
Matthew Logan Vasquez is a bit of a modern Bob Dylan … no really. He’s got similar qualities but his music is meatier and his vocals are better — which isn’t that difficult. Dylan insults aside, Vasquez brings his storytelling and agreeable sound to...
Local Calendar: Thursday 5/17- Sunday 5/20
THURSDAY 5/17 MUSIC CLICK Music Presents: Annie Patterson & Peter Blood: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Advance Sales $12, Door Sales $15. Join Annie Patterson & Peter Blood in an in evening of music and stories. CLICK Workspace, 9 1/2 Market St., Northampton....
VIDEO: Blame Cadence on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
Blame Cadence is a one woman chorus of looped soulful a cappella pop. Check out a teaser video of Blame Cadence’s Valley Advocate Sessions performance, which will be released this Friday.
Peace activists brave weather, demand Israel be held accountable for violence
Despite the violent rain and thunderstorms, about 50 activists, including some from the group Jewish Voice for Peace Western Mass, gathered on May 15th in Northampton to commemorate the exile of Palestinians 70 years ago and to bring attention to the Palestinian...
Pick of the Day 5/16: Rising Appalachia
Two sisters from New Orleans bring the sounds of the Appalachians to Northampton tonight. Multi-instrumentalists Leah and Chloe Smith pick, strum, drum and sing — nothing fancy but appealing all the same. It’s quiet music that expects you to listen to the...
Stagestruck: One Man, in Heels — “I Am My Own Wife” in the Valley
“I think she may be the most singular, eccentric individual the Cold War ever birthed.” So says one of the three dozen characters in I Am My Own Wife. He’s talking about Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, née Lothar Berfelde, Berlin’s most famous transvestite. In Doug Wright’s...
A Thrilling ‘Who Dun It’ in the Local Art World
A reader came in with an unusual request earlier this week: she had a piece of art work she bought at an auction in Greenfield nearly a decade ago and wanted to see if we could identify the artist. Arts and Culture Editor Gina Beavers, herself a local artist, looked...
Large scale hydroponic greenhouse Wellspring Harvest to open in Indian Orchard, Springfield
A new state-of-the-art hydroponic nonprofit 15,120-square-foot urban greenhouse called Wellspring Harvest at 121 Pinevale Street in Indian Orchard aims to offer fresh produce at wholesale prices year round. Fred Rose, co-director of Wellspring Cooperative Corporation,...
Pick of the Day 5/15: RBG
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 84 and many of us are praying she lives and serves until the age of 150. There’s a new doc out about her life and career and it’s playing at Amherst Cinema. It’s simply titled RBG. RBG explores...
Staff Picks: The Roches, Rachmaninov, and the Brubeck Brothers Quartet
Cajon, Honky-Tonk, and songs by the Roches at Luthier’s Co-op // THURSDAY, MAY 17 If you’re looking for an excuse to get your cowboy boots on, look no further. The Maypops, a honky-tonk and two step band, are hosting an evening of dancing and fun at Luthier’s Co-op...
Monte Belmonte Wines: The wines of Silicon Valley
“Our neighbor in France had a trained donkey and a goat. We noticed the donkey and goat were always together during the evenings. During the day the goat was around but the donkey was gone. He had trained his donkey to do weed control in the vineyard. The donkey was...
Podcast: An adult jump rope team! Jennifer Therkelsen talks about adult fitness and practicing in a bar
Jennifer Therkelsen had never jump roped as a kid, but now is one of the core members of the Pioneer Valley Jump Rope team, an all-adult jump rope team that practices weekly at The Taproom in Hadley. In our weekly podcast collaboration with Amherst Media, Therkelson...
The V-Spot: My Vagina is Ruining My Relationship
Hi Yana! I’ve been with my partner for about a year, and in most ways our relationship is everything I want. We communicate really well, we have a great time together, our sex life is amazing, and I always feel supported by him. The problem is my vagina. For the first...
Cinemadope: Academy of Music hosts history tour, two great films this week
Even in a New England town with a fair bit of history, the Academy of Music in Northampton has roots that run deep. Founded on the vision of philanthropist and Northampton native Edward Lyman, the Academy opened to the public in May of 1891 and quickly became a...
Local Calendar: Monday 5/14 – Thursday 5/17
MONDAY 5/14 MUSIC Jeff Holmes Big Band featuring Dawning Holmes, vocals: 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Jeff Holmes Big Band featuring Dawning Holmes, vocals. perform arrangements and compositions w/some of the best musicians from the region.121 Club at Eastworks, 116...
Pick of the Day 5/14: The Sea and Cake
The Sea and Cake is an indie band formed in the way back — 1992. They’re straight out of Chicago and they’re in Northampton tonight at the Iron Horse. Their sound is light and airy, a friendly flurry of melodies and hooks that are very hard to dislike....
How realistic is single payer in Massachusetts? A state Rep. and an activist to hold discussion at Odyssey Bookshop
The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley will be hosting a discussion between Deborah Levenson from Western Mass Medicare for All and State Rep. John Scibak (D-South Hadley) on May 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. about the prospects of creating a single payer health care system...
Northampton councilors chide mayor over lack of transparency in panhandling group
Northampton City Councilors Alisa Klein and Maureen Carney released a joint statement on May 9 that’s critical of Mayor David Narkewicz’s Panhandling Work Group for the lack of representative from panhandlers in the group and a recent online study regarding...
Free Will Astrology: Work on that PBJ recipe, Taurus
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to my assessment of the astrological omens, your duty right now is to be a brave observer and fair-minded intermediary and honest storyteller. Your people need you to help them do the right thing. They require your influence in...
Pick of the Day 5/13: The Invisibles
Welcome to Sunday. In June 1943, Germany infamously declared Berlin “free of Jews.” There were, however, still 7,000 Jews living in the Nazi capital. These terrorized people were hiding in attics, basements, and warehouses, “protected by courageous Berliners.” Only...
Pick of the Day 5/12: Mudbound at Mass MoCA
Netflix jumped into the Academy Awards this year with Mudbound, a magnificent film set in the Mississippi Delta during the years surrounding World War II. It’s all about southern race relations and that’s the only thing that ain’t pretty in this masterpiece. Lush and...
Pick of the Day 5/11: The Wailers
The legendary Wailers band is at Hawks and Reed tonight. Yep, Bob Marley’s bandmates Aston “Familyman” Barrett, Julian Junior Marvin and Donald Kinsey are in Greenfield to carry on what Spin Magazine listed as #4 in the “50 Greatest Bands of All...
Amber Belle on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Amber Belle is a singer-songwriter with a honey toned voice who performs original folk and country music. (To watch Amber Belle’s performance click on the video below) Interview with Amber Belle:
Down to Earth: A tree over the river
I sit on the twisted root system of a great tree, a shelf of exposed roots thrust out over the Connecticut River at the edge of the Northampton Meadows. I’m perched 15 feet above the olive water. The muddy bluff has been licked and sucked away under the tree by years...
Calendar: Thursday 5/10 – Sunday 5/13
THURSDAY 5/10 MUSIC Bellwether: Milford Graves Full Mantis w/ Director Jake Meginsky: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity St., Amherst. Live Music! Galvanizer: 8:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery, 36 Bridge St.,...
Pick of the Day 5/10: The Glass Menagerie
If you want a little Tennessee Williams with a twist, check out Shoot The Moon Theater Company’s production of The Glass Menagerie, Williams’ signature 1944 stage play. Let’s go over the plot before we get to the good stuff. Domineering Amanda Wingfield, has two adult...
VIDEO: Amber Belle on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
Amber Belle is a singer-songwriter with honey toned vocals who performs folk and country songs. Check out a teaser video of her upcoming Advocate Sessions video to be released this Friday.
Local Green-Rainbow candidates trying to make change at state level
“Why vote for the lesser of two evils, when you can vote for the greater good?” Juan Sanchez wants voters to consider this question when they enter the ballot box on November 6. Sanchez, 29, of Holyoke, is running for Secretary of State in the 2018 statewide...
Staff Picks: The Invisibles, Mudbound, and Christa Joy and Scott Meyers
Mudbound MASS MoCA // SATURDAY, MAY 12 Mudbound has been on my list of things to see since it first started making waves at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. While it is available to watch online, MASS MoCA is bringing in the director of the film Dee Rees for a...
Stagestruck: Words and music seek to heal a troubled world
The Red Guitar, John Sheldon’s brilliant memoir-in-music, was a runaway hit at last summer’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Riding on its success in that international nexus of alternative arts, the show’s producer, the Valley’s Serious Play Theatre Ensemble, is taking it...
Pick of the Day 5/9: Brand X at the Iron Horse
Brand X has been on the music circuit off and on since 1975, and they’re coming to the Iron Horse tonight. They’re “a multi-national jazz fusion band formed in London by the great Phil Collins and a couple of other blokes. They’ve recently...
The Soaring Beauty of Paul Goodnight’s Imagination
Given Paul Goodnight’s international stature, it’s difficult to understand the lack of fanfare and the dearth of coverage he receives when his work is exhibited at Rosemary Tracy Woods’ Art for The Soul Gallery in Springfield. Since 1984, Goodnight’s work has been...
Taking to the Streets: Local sex workers speaking out on how new anti sex trafficking law endangers them
Editors note: Many of the names of those quoted in the story were changed or assumed names were used because of the inherent danger and legal standing of some sex work. Wearing a green dress, pink tights, and a tiara, transgender woman and former sex worker Lorelei...
V-Spot: My Haircut is Dictating My Sex Life
Hi Yana, I have a sex question! Over the past year, I’ve noticed a pretty substantial shift in the way people think I like to fuck and I’m having difficulty confronting it. It’s probably a common experience that when people make a change to their outward appearance...
Letters to the Editor: RIP Charles Neville
Editor’s Note: Welcome to our letters to the editor page. Here you’ll find reader comments on Advocate articles and other news. We collect readers’ opinions from emails, letters, Facebook comments, and comments to valleyadvocate.com. Want to get in on this? Email...
Pick of the Day 5/8: You Were Never Really Here
It’s hard not to admire Jaoquin Phoenix’s work; he doesn’t just pop up any and everywhere and he actually acts. More importantly, he hasn’t morphed into a Marvel Comics hero … yet. So let’s celebrate him while he’s still free...
Senate President declines Northampton Mayor’s request to extend nomination paper deadline following Rosenberg’s resignation
Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz spoke with Massachusetts Senate President Harriette Chandler on May 6 requesting that the state extend the nomination papers deadline by two weeks for the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District following the sudden resignation of...
Podcast: Sex workers Bella Vendetta and Brook Rain speak out against SESTA
The federal anti sex trafficking law known as SESTA/FOSTA was passed nearly unanimously by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump earlier this spring, but local consensual sex workers says the law does little to stop sex trafficking while taking away...
Bizarro Briefs: ‘Mystery pooper’ exposed
‘Mystery pooper’ exposed On a daily basis, a New Jersey man eluded police detection and managed to relieve himself (i.e. poop) on school grounds at a New Jersey high school. Police finally caught up with the “mystery pooper,” as they called him, after setting up a...
Pick of the Day 5/7: Bob Schneider at the Iron Horse
Bob Schneider is a bona fide artist. Not only is this guy an award winning singer/songwriter, he’s a terrific visual artist, as well. The Dallas Morning News says of his musical stylings: Bob Schneider is “a musical omnivore eager to devour any genre that...
Local Calendar: Monday 5/7 – Thursday 5/10
MONDAY 5/7 MUSIC Bob Schneider: May 7, 7 p.m. Iron Horse Music Hall, 20 Center St., Northampton. We Made a Thing: A Tiny Audience Show: May 7, 9 p.m. – 9:45 p.m. Everyone is invited to this weekly super casual – and totally free! – “tiny audience”...
Free Will Astrology: Be inspired by melting cheese, Aquarius
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Torah is a primary sacred text of the Jewish religion. It consists of exactly 304,805 letters. When specially trained scribes make handwritten copies for ritual purposes, they must not make a single error in their transcription. The work...
Cinemadope: A courtside seat with Norotious RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsberg)
Celebrity is a funny thing. Usually, it charts along one or two familiar trajectories: the discovery of some young talent, followed by either the long work of career-building or the short decline of a crash-and-burn. But once in awhile, someone captures the public...
Editorial: Rosenberg resignation the right move to regain trust
We had been waiting a long time for it, but the speed of the events it set in motion once it finally arrived was breathtaking. The state Senate announced an independent ethics investigation of former Senate President Stan Rosenberg of Amherst in December. It took five...
Pick of the Day 5/6: The 16th Annual Anti-Racism Film Festival
Few will argue that there’s a real need for folks to bridge the racial gap that is yawning across the U.S. To do their part, the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church will be hosting an anti-racism film festival. At 1:30 Whose Streets? directed by Sabaah...
Pick of the Day 5/5: The Great Gatsby
Want a little drama on your Saturday? The Great Gatsby remains one of America’s greatest works of fiction, and it’s going to be staged by the National Players at the Wisteriahurst Museum in Holyoke today at 1:30. The Jazz Age never looked so beautiful and glamorous...
Valley Advocate Q&A with YouTube star and political song parodist Randy Rainbow
Randy Rainbow achieved Internet stardom with his series of political spoofs and song parodies satirizing mainstream media and conservative leaders such as Donald Trump through green screened mock interviews and now he’s set to bring his unique brand of song comedy to...
Pick of the Day 5/4: The Tattooed Man Tells All
The weekend has begun and you can take your pick of great events happening this weekend. My recommendation? The Tattooed Man Tells All. This solo stage piece was written by Peter Wortsman. Wortsman interviewed Holocaust survivors in the 1970s and distilled them into...
The Gaslight Tinkers on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
The Gaslight Tinkers perform traditional Celtic fiddle music mixed with Afrobeat, funk, reggae, and Latin grooves. Check out the band’s Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with The Gaslight Tinkers:
Following alleged assault, tattoo parlor looks at what it could have done differently
Following public backlash online, the owner of Off the Map tattoo Gabe Ripley says that he regrets not having a no tolerance policy for sexual harassment and assault in the shop four years ago, but that there is now a no tolerance policy in place. There was harsh...
So … that’s it for Rosenberg
Former Senate President Stanley Rosenberg will soon become former Senator Stanley Rosenberg. Following an ethics committee report made public Wednesday, Rosenberg announced Thursday he would be stepping down in his role as a state Senator effective the end of day...
Off the Map Tattoo facing public backlash over alleged in-shop sexual assault
Editor’s note: Off the Map Tattoo was recently recognized in the Best of the Valley Readers Poll, which is awarded by readers. The Valley Advocate is not affiliated with the tattoo parlor. Off the Map Tattoo is facing public criticism online over its continued...
The Beerhunter Abroad: Norway – Despite strict alcohol laws, a new generation of craft brewers is born
As a New Englander accustomed to long, cold winters, I had never put the Arctic Circle atop my summer vacation list. But in case you missed the billboards along Interstate 91, Norwegian Air now offers discount flights to Europe from Boston, Providence, and New York...
Calendar: Thursday 5/3 – Sunday 5/6
THURSDAY 5/3 MUSIC Honeysuckle: 7 p.m. $12 – $15. The Parlor Room, 32 Masonic St., Northampton. Live Music!: The Moores: 8:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery, 36 Bridge St., Brattleboro. Professor Louie And The Crowmatix: 7 p.m....
Pick of the Day 5/3: The Head & The Load by William Kentridge
My buddy Meg Bantle chose The Head and the Load as one of her Staff Picks. So I will defer to her for my Pick of the Day: “Check out William Kentridge as he and his 50 person theater troop end their two week residency at MASS MoCA with this work-in-progress...
Ethics probe finds fault with Rosenberg, recommends barring senator from leadership positions through 2020
The Senate Committee on Ethics has recommended former Senate President Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst) be barred from Senate leadership or leadership of any committee for the duration of this legislative session or the next. State Sen. Michael Rodrigues, who is chair of...
The Massachusetts State Police Troop embroiled in an overtime scandal has now been eliminated
State Police Troop E, which patrols the length of the Mass Pike, has been eliminated and absorbed into three other regional troops as a result of reforms initiated by Gov. Charles Baker. The change was in part a response to allegations that more than 20 troopers in...E-Edition
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