Articles
by Meg Bantle | Feb 9, 2018 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, O Cannabis!
Franklin County has a rich agricultural history, so it was no surprise that several different farmers spoke at the public forum hosted by the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) in Greenfield. The forum, which was hosted on Tuesday, is one of 10 public forums happening...
by Chris Goudreau | Feb 9, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Rabbi Raquel “Riqi” Kosovske of Beit Ahavah, the reform synagogue of Greater Northampton, told a crowd of more than 100 people during a frigid Feb.8 rally on the front steps on Northampton City Hall that the Jewish community in the Pioneer Valley stands with...
by Chris Goudreau | Feb 8, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Following four years of active duty in the Army during Operation Storm and a subsequent five years in the National Guard, Michael Collazo found himself spending nearly one year in a different type of harrowing circumstance: homelessness. Collazo, 50, was recently able...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 9, 2018 | Articles, Music
Kalliope Jones is teenage post rock band with lush harmonies and an eclectic spirit. The band previously performed at Green River Festival in the summer of 2017 on the Next Wave Stage along with other past Sessions bands, including Parlicium, Paper City Exile, Nomad...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Feb 8, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
A staff meeting on the topic of pay equity for women staff members has been postponed for a week, but staff members believe progress is being made. The meeting was scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8, at 4 p.m., but Gazette and Advocate publisher Michael Rifanburg wrote...
by Gina Beavers | Feb 8, 2018 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter, Review
Bernard “Ben” Banville’s life sounds as if it was an unfettered celebration of creativity. Born in Quebec, for many years Banville made his home in Greenfield. He was a musician, a photographer, and an artist who spent years on the Pioneer Valley artscape...
by Blaise Majkowski | Feb 8, 2018 | Articles, Blaise's Bad Movie Guide, Columns, Film, Newsletter, Review
It may come as a surprise to my faithful readers that I actually own a few classy movies — notably, the well-regarded “Pink Panther” series starring the great Peter Sellers as Detective Inspector Clouseau. After Sellers’ death, the producers unwisely decided to try to...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 7, 2018 | Articles, Music
Kalliope Jones is teenaged post rock band with lush harmonies and an eclectic spirit. Check out a teaser video for the group’s upcoming Valley Advocate Session to be released this Friday.
by Dave Eisenstadter | Feb 7, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
The Massachusetts State Senate voted to make Worcester Democrat Harriette Chandler the permanent Senate President today, as the investigation into the husband of former state Senate President Stan Rosenberg of Amherst continues. “I am confident that Senate President...
by Gina Beavers | Feb 8, 2018 | Articles, Arts, Film, Newsletter
Valentines Day, February 14, catch Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card. Romance and intrigue, Japanese anime style. South Hadley’s Tower Theaters, 19 College Street, South Hadley. 9 p.m. $12.50 in advance; $14 at the door. towertheaters.com. — Gina...
by Meg Bantle | Feb 7, 2018 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, O Cannabis!
As recreational and medical marijuana legalization laws continue to pass state by state, more and more people are curious about cannabis. As different people are willing to try cannabis for recreation or medicine, the image from That ’70s Show of a group of people in...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 7, 2018 | Articles, Bizarro Briefs, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
One heck of an explosive donation In Bradenton, Florida, authorities say a grenade launcher, loaded with a live grenade, was left with other donated items at a Goodwill store. The Bradenton Herald reports that The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says the store manager...
by Lena Wilson | Feb 7, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, Stream Queen
The year is already sailing by. I was celebrating Christmas, then I blinked, and now it’s February. I couldn’t be happier, though, as this is one of my favorite months! Valentine’s Day turns everything gooey next week, and we’re at peak Oscar season. Perhaps most...
by Chris Goudreau | Feb 6, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Members of the Jewish community, faith leaders, immigrant rights activist groups, and local area Dreamers will join together in solidarity to support the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act on Thursday, Feb. 8, with a protest outside...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 6, 2018 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter, Podcast
Recently, the Advocate wrote about President Donald Trump’s derogatory comments about Africa, Haiti, and El Salvador during an immigration discussion – calling them shithole countries. Now we are pleased to continue the conversation and simultaneously...
by Monte Belmonte | Feb 6, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Monte Belmonte Wines, Newsletter
Roses are red. Wine is red. Violets are violet. Let’s try some chocolate. Valentine’s Day, wine, and chocolate are like a magical ménage à trois. And like that other ménage à trois I was part of, you don’t want to realize in the middle of it all that you have made a...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 6, 2018 | Articles, Astrology, Newsletter
ARIES (March 21-April 19): British athlete Liam Collins is an accomplished hurdler. In 2017, he won two medals at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in South Korea. Collins is also a stuntman and street performer who does shows in which he hurtles over...
by Jack Brown | Feb 6, 2018 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns, Film, Newsletter
Review movies long enough, and you’ll hear the tale of Taste of Cherry. The 1997 film from Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami won the Palme d’Or at that year’s Cannes Film Festival, and was hailed by many as a masterpiece. But when it hit theaters in the U.S., there...
by Chris Rohmann | Feb 5, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, Stagestruck
It’s Black History Month — or as African-American actors I know like to call it, “Black Employment Month” — the time of year when many theaters make a point of programming shows by and about people of color. Some scoff at the perceived tokenism, and it does point up...
by Rob Brezny | Feb 5, 2018 | Articles, Newsletter
ARIES (March 21-April 19): At 12,388 feet, Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest peak. If you’re in good shape, you can reach the top in seven hours. The return trip can be done in half the time — if you’re cautious. The loose rocks on the steep trail are...
by Sarah Heinonen | Feb 5, 2018 | Articles, News
The auditorium at the Northampton High School was filled with students as Congressman Jim McGovern fielded questions in a town hall-style meeting on Friday afternoon. The students were engaged and their questions ran the gamut from what should be done about climate...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Feb 2, 2018 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
Sometimes the great teachers are role models to emulate, and sometimes they are the ones whose unfortunate actions you learn not to repeat. Poynter Institute, which touts itself as the world’s leading instructor for journalists, unfortunately fell into the...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 2, 2018 | Articles, Music, Newsletter
The Screaming Hearts is edgy alternative rock with indie soul. The band performed a special acoustic set on Valley Advocate Sessions. Check it out in the video below. Interview with the Screaming Hearts
by Gina Beavers | Feb 1, 2018 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter, Review
The great mysteries of the southernmost countries of Pan America lie in the enormity of its territory, its rich history, and the shroud of chaos and human suffering. But Nobel-winning Mexican poet Octavio Paz beautifully sums up the artistic heritage of these nations....
by Advocate Staff | Feb 1, 2018 | Articles, Newsletter
“Hairdressers Are My Heroes” by Artist Sonya Clark // WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7 The Cowsills sang, “There ain’t no words for the beauty, the splendor, the wonder of my Hair,” and as part of “Five Takes on African Art / 42 Paintings by Fred Wilson”, hairstylist Kamala...
by Chris Goudreau | Feb 1, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Cannabis isn’t exactly the first thing that you’d think of when the topic of holistic wellness is brought up, but a new Easthampton business called Chronic Trips hope to change some of the dialog about wellness and recreational weed. Seth Frappier, the owner and...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Feb 1, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Editor’s note: I have been employed by Newspapers of New England since 2014 and was working for the Daily Hampshire Gazette and then the Valley Advocate at the time that most of the events reported in this story took place. There is some inherent awkwardness of...
by Chris Rohmann | Jan 31, 2018 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
I grew up on Shakespeare and musicals, so what was I to make of Something Rotten!, the hit musical that mercilessly lampoons both? Love it for its origins or hate it for its irreverence? Having missed it on Broadway, where it earned a double handful of Tony...
by Chris Goudreau | Jan 31, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
A passenger rail service connecting Springfield to Boston is one step closer to becoming reality. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently released a draft of its 2018 Rail Plan for the state, which includes a study for rail service connecting...
by Chris Goudreau | Jan 31, 2018 | Articles, Music, Newsletter
The Screaming Hearts is edgy alternative rock with indie soul. Check out a teaser for the band’s acoustic set, which will be released in full this Friday.
by Gina Beavers | Jan 31, 2018 | Articles, Newsletter, Uncategorized, Wellness
Holly Woods has always loved the art of dance. When she was a young girl in Manhattan, her mother rented an apartment above Alvin Ailey’s studio. “I would go downstairs and hangout and watch the ballet dancers perform,” she recalls. “You would see Debbie Allen and all...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Jan 31, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Hello Advocate readers, You may have noticed that something is different here at the Advocate and valleyadvocate.com. We’ve been around for more than 40 years, and the way that people get their news and information has changed. That means we’re making some changes at...
by Gina Beavers | Jan 31, 2018 | Articles, Between the Lines, Newsletter
As a black woman, I cannot bring myself to seek refuge in the monumental arms of the #MeToo Movement. On the contrary, I often find myself feeling contempt and cynicism. But it’s not because I don’t empathize with the women who have come forward with their...
by From Our Readers | Jan 31, 2018 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
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...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Jan 30, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
I … I … I believe … I believe … I believe that we will win! … I believe that we will win! … I believe that we will win! … I believe that we will win! So went the call-and-response led by Springfield attorney Tahirah...
by Will Meyer | Jan 30, 2018 | Articles, Basemental, Columns, Newsletter
Elliot Hartmann-Russell, a local musician who has quite a big appetite for releasing lots of albums under different aliases and bands—including Sweat Enzo, Thee Arcadians, and Full Grown Cats—and Caleb Rosazza, who plays guitar in Lux Deluxe, have teamed up for a...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 30, 2018 | Articles, Bizarro Briefs, News, Newsletter
A new study by Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland shows that right-handedness is popular among female cats. Researchers worked with cat owners, collecting data on 24 male and 20 female domesticated cats. In a press released, the research team stated that...
by Chris Rohmann | Jan 29, 2018 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck, Uncategorized
Constellations, playing at TheaterWorks in Hartford through Feb. 18, looks at love and second chances through a prism of reflecting and refracting fun-house mirrors – or more accurately, through a spectrum of infinite chances. Nick Payne’s two-hander isn’t exactly a...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Jan 29, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Hello Yana, I’m a college student and I feel like I’m emotionally ready to seek out romantic and sexual relationships. The problem is, I feel like I have a lot stacked against me physically. I’m living with a pelvic floor disorder that requires me to do daily physical...
by Monte Belmonte | Jan 29, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Monte Belmonte Wines, Newsletter
I go to Mesa Verde, a burrito bar in Greenfield, pretty much every week and order take-out for the Belmonte family: blackened-chicken burrito with chipotle sour cream, Mesa salad, cheese quesadilla, large chips and guac and an unsalted margarita while I wait. A...
by Gina Beavers | Jan 30, 2018 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter, Review
The nondescript building in which Anchor House of Artists is located is misleading. It’s exterior is plain and white, sitting on the very edge of Pleasant Street seconds from the highway. There is no extra signage to alert visitors that they have, indeed,...
by Jack Brown | Jan 29, 2018 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns, Newsletter
A few years back, I spent most of my weekends running around Western Mass as part of an acoustic jazz band. We played parties, weddings, and a lot of restaurant gigs, but the place I was always happiest to see was the welcoming porch of Elmer’s Store in Ashfield....
by Rob Brezsny | Jan 29, 2018 | Articles, Astrology, Newsletter, Wellness
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In all of history, humans have mined about 182,000 tons of gold. Best estimates suggest there are still 35 billion tons of gold buried in the earth, but the remaining riches will be more difficult to find and collect than what we’ve already...
by Gina Beavers and Dave Eisenstadter | Jan 23, 2018 | Articles, News
Earlier this month, in a meeting with U.S. Senators and House members on immigration, Donald Trump, president of the United States, is widely reported to have asked why the government would want people from “shithole countries” coming to America? According to people...
by Chris Goudreau | Jan 26, 2018 | Articles, Music, News, Newsletter
Blues harmonica and singer James Montgomery is a blues legend. Growing up in Detroit, he learned the blues first-hands from blues harp virtuoso James Cotton, and has been a presence in blues music for decades with the James Montgomery Band. Valley Advocate Staff...
by Lena Wilson | Jan 26, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, Stream Queen
What’s the connecting thread between old jukebox music videos and Carly Rae Jepsen? What ties Swan Lake to My Strange Addiction? One word: camp. I’m talking about the particular aesthetic that marries high-brow and low-brow, producing art too grave to be serious. The...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 26, 2018 | Articles, Music, Newsletter
Darklight creates dark ambient electronic meditations and is this week’s Valley Advocate Sessions performer. Darklight is also set to release a dual song recording via Bandcamp on Feb. 1 called “Dyadic.” Interview with Darklight:
by Chris Goudreau | Jan 25, 2018 | Articles, Music, News, Newsletter
Charles Neville, Grammy award winning saxophonist and member of R&B, soul, and funk group, The Neville Brothers, has been battling pancreatic cancer for the past two months. He was born and raised in New Orleans, but has called the Pioneer Valley home for the past...
by Chris Goudreau | Jan 24, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin Cruz, will visit the Pioneer Valley and make a stop on April 25 at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke to speak about the transformation of her city and Puerto Rico after the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria....
by Advocate Staff | Jan 24, 2018 | Articles, Music, Newsletter
Darklight creates dark ambient electronic meditations and is this week’s Valley Advocate Sessions performer. You can check out a teaser for his performance set to be released this Friday. Darklight
by Jennifer Levesque | Jan 24, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Music, Newsletter, Valley Show Girl
I love it when music collides with a charitable fundraiser event, especially when that event involves human rights. The happenings at The O’s Music Bar in Sunderland last week were just that. Rise Up Productions, a liberal activist group of musicians and actors based...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 24, 2018 | Articles, Newsletter, Staff Picks
Marc Chagall and Friends: The Salon des Indépendants // Through Sunday Marc Chagall has been described as “the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century.” A pioneer of modern expressionism, Chagall’s work is a celebration of his Jewish...
by Meg Bantle | Jan 24, 2018 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, O Cannabis!
Despite the legalization of recreational cannabis use for adults in Massachusetts over a year ago, there is still no standard of measure or device to test people behind the wheel for marijuana intoxication. This presents a problem for law enforcement officers who...
by Chris Goudreau | Jan 23, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Eduardo Samaniego, a 25-year-old Hampshire College student and undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was one of hundreds of thousands of people to travel to Washington D.C. this past week to advocate for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM)...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 24, 2018 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
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...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Jan 23, 2018 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
It is beyond fitting that on the first anniversary of Donald Trump being inaugurated president not only does the government shut down, but huge numbers of people take to the streets to protest against his policies. Women’s marches took place across the country,...
by Gina Beavers | Jan 23, 2018 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter, Review
Walking into the genteel Von Auersperg Gallery, one is reminded that Western Massachusetts is truly a bastion for visual arts venues. One is also reminded of how many choose to host phlegmatic collections of New England landscapes rather than those that may court...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 23, 2018 | Articles, Bizarro Briefs, News, Newsletter
We’ve all seen the extravagant divorce celebrations: divorce cakes with decorations rivaling wedding centerpieces, “newly single” clubbing events that make bachelor and bachelorette parties look tame, and more. Now, you can throw axes as part of that celebration — so...
by Chris Goudreau | Jan 22, 2018 | Articles, News, Newsletter
By most accounts, Gov. Charlie Baker is popular with the people of Massachusetts despite being a Republican in a state that’s known to be one of the bluest in the country. Baker’s popularity has survived his mediocre environmental record and his bill mandating state...
by Rob Brezsny | Jan 22, 2018 | Articles, Astrology, Newsletter, Wellness
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anders Haugen competed for the U.S. as a ski jumper in the 1924 Winter Olympics. Although he was an accomplished athlete who had previously set a world record for distance, he won no medals at the games. But wait! Fifty years later, a sports...
