Articles
by Advocate Staff | Nov 20, 2017 | Articles, Bizarro Briefs, News, Newsletter
Many people know that the opioid crisis has been linked to over-the-counter pain medication being over prescribed by doctors. The problem is that there is not a practical solution for people with chronic pain. Brain scientists have been studying this question and are...
by Will Meyer | Nov 20, 2017 | Articles, Basemental, Columns, Music
Last week my colleague Jennifer Levesque reported on musician and rock documentarian Tanya Pearson’s efforts to challenge Wikipedia edits. While trying to revise entries on the free encyclopedia, Pearson discovered that many edits and entries weren’t getting...
by Blaise Majkowski | Nov 20, 2017 | Articles, Blaise's Bad Movie Guide, Columns, Review
As I type this column, it is not yet Halloween, but by the time it sees print the holiday will be over. I’m still in a scary-movie mode, watching such fare as “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” But maybe I should switch gears and see what’s available now on TV....
by Chris Rohmann | Nov 20, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, Stagestruck
Crimes of the Heart is an American classic. Beth Henley’s 1980 play garnered a Tony, a Pulitzer and a movie deal, ran on Broadway for over a year and has been a community theater staple ever since. Before catching Cate Damon’s lively production at the Majestic Theater...
by Jack Brown | Nov 20, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope
Pixar has had a remarkable run. Beginning in 1985, with Toy Story, the animation studio has produced a body of work that has set — and maintained — a high bar for mainstream animation. While the Toy Story franchise proved to be the gift that kept on giving (a fourth...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Nov 20, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Hi Yana, I’m a 20-year-old student at one of the local women’s colleges. I’m gay and have been out for five years, though I’ve never dated anyone. I figured that it wouldn’t be too tricky to find someone here, since there’s a pretty large population of people who...
by Rob Brezsny | Nov 20, 2017 | Articles, Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In alignment with the current astrological omens, I have prepared your horoscope using five hand-plucked aphorisms by Aries poet Charles Bernstein. 1.) “You never know what invention will look like or else it wouldn’t be invention.” 2.) “So...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 17, 2017 | Articles, Music
Ritmo Gitano is a local duo that plays traditional gitano and Romani music on fiddle (Zoe Darrow) and Spanish guitar (Tony Silva). Check out the group’s complete Valley Advocate Sessions performance in video below. Interview with Ritmo Gitano:
by Dave Eisenstadter, Meg Bantle, and Chris Goudreau | Nov 15, 2017 | Articles, Featured, News
In front of Northampton Market, employee Rilshad Azez shoos away potential customers as they pull into the lot. “No power,” he says. The mailman he welcomes, but he asks a question: “You didn’t bring the power?” “Sorry, not...
by Chris Rohmann | Nov 14, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Though it harks back more than 100 years, Jack Fry’s Einstein! shuns the usual retrospective approach to solo shows portraying celebrities. This one is both timeless and time-stamped. The title character appears to us “from the beyond,” complaining about the popular...
by Dave Eisenstadter, Chris Goudreau, and Meg Bantle | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Featured, News, Newsletter
Progressives had reasons to celebrate the morning of Nov. 8 more than at any point in the past year. Not only did the Democrats capture the big prizes of Election Day on Nov. 7 — the governors races in New Jersey and Virginia — but Democratic and progressive...
by Jennifer Levesque | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Featured, Music, Newsletter, Valley Show Girl
Tanya Pearson has been accumulating a continuous list of female musicians for her Women in Rock Oral History Project which she started at Smith College in December 2014. Accompanied by 29 video interviews (so far!) with some of them available on www.womenofrock.org,...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, Featured, News, Newsletter
Last week featured two news stories that rocked the political landscape in this country. The first was that Democrats and progressive candidates all but swept the Nov. 7 elections from coast to coast, and the second was that Republican Alabama U.S. Senate candidate...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Bizarro Briefs, News, Newsletter
The woman arrested for laughing at the hilarious statement that Jeff Sessions has a “clear and well-documented” record of “treating all Americans equally under the law” at Sessions confirmation hearing (Sessions in fact was rejected as a federal judge in the 1980s...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Staff Picks
Home Brewed Jazz // SATURDAY Hadley singer-songwriter Jacki Odess-Gillett already has a jazz album under her belt. In 2015, she recorded 10 original jazz tunes with local jazz masters, including Charles Neville, Miro Sprague, Dave Wertman (now deceased), and Billy...
by Chris Goudreau | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Music, Newsletter, Review
Northampton-based singer-songwriter Jake Klar has undergone a metamorphosis from an acoustic driven folk artist to an alternative rock-poet who fuses psychedelic instrumentation with his knack for lyrical storytelling on his newest record, Until the Wild Fire Become...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Hey Yana, I just read a list of codependent behaviors on the internet and realized a ton of them describe the ways I have navigated/still navigate my relationships. Particularly: getting upset/stressed about other people’s problems and trauma, abandoning my...
by Lena Wilson | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Stream Queen
We all have a bit of morbid curiosity in us. Some more than others — according to a 2010 study published in Social Psychology and Personality Science, women are more drawn to true crime literature than men. Maybe that’s because we like to know as much as possible...
by Letters from Readers | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
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 Monte Belmonte | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Featured, Monte Belmonte Wines, Newsletter
Thanksgiving: when (non-Native) Americans celebrate their favorite (made up) moments from (revisionist) history. A time when you will sit down to enjoy a feast (with historically incorrect menu), lovingly seated around the table next to your (mouth-breathing)...
by Dusty Christensen | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
When her four children go to sleep at night, Dora Gonzalez says her youngest, 8-year-old Lucy, often wakes up around 1 a.m. and says, “I miss my dad.” Her oldest son is graduating high school this spring, and Gonzalez worries his father, Lucio Perez, won’t be able to...
by Rob Brezsny | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Many people go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after,” observed Henry David Thoreau. The spirit of Thoreau’s observation is true about every one of us to some extent. From time to time, we all try to...
by Jack Brown | Nov 13, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns
As the days grow shorter here in the Valley, we begin to hear whispers of that famous annual December celebration. Children look forward to it for months, and adults go shopping early to make sure they get everything they need before the best stock is sold. I’m...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 10, 2017 | Articles
Hannah Rose is an electric rock singer-songwriter with plenty of soul. She plays with her band Sodada, but also performs solo material that’s geared towards indie rock. Interview with Hannah Rose:
by Advocate Staff | Nov 9, 2017 | Articles
Hannah Rose is an electric rock singer-songwriter with plenty of soul. Her band Sodada previously performed on Valley Advocate Sessions. Check out a preview of some of her soon to be released Sessions performance featuring her original solo material.
by Chris Rohmann | Nov 8, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Note: An earlier version of this article contained several errors. They have now been corrected. In 1999, Time magazine named its pick for “the song of the century.” That song was “Strange Fruit,” perhaps an odd choice from the songbook of the era that gave birth to...
by Hunter Styles | Nov 8, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Featured, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, News, The Beerhunter
Family-run business is the city’s first visitable craft brewery As the Valley’s local craft beer bubble continues to grow, Westfield looks primed for business. Downtown on Elm Street, Skyline Trading Company — a craft beer bar and homebrew shop — has proven a welcome...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles, Staff Picks
Brattleboro Film Fest // THROUGH SUNDAY I haven’t been to a film festival in awhile, but it only took one look at the lineup for this week’s sixth annual Brattleboro Film Festival to seal the deal. The festival takes place at the historic Latchis Theatre in downtown...
by Naila Moreira | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth
What do a public library and the great outdoors have in common? Because I write about nature and the environment, I’ve always made use of library books on nature. But it took me a long time to fully realize how closely and intimately libraries and the environment are...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 6, 2017 | 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 Chris Goudreau | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles
Many say that art is therapeutic; that it helps the artist reflect on their thoughts, actions and the world in which they live. But how does art impact someone who is incarcerated? “Inside Art IV,” now on display at Art Space in Greenfield displays photography and...
by Will Meyer | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles, Basemental, Columns, Music, Newsletter, Review
When I heard there was a local band called Landowner, I thought: “Surely, they’re joking. This is satirical, right?” But punk is weird these days — everyone is on Facebook hoping companies will sponsor them — so I wasn’t completely sure. I started asking friends,...
by Chris Goudreau and Meg Bantle | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles, Bizarro Briefs, News
The fear of robots and artificial intelligence taking away your job and your livelihood just got real, folks. A new AI bot created by Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology writes it’s own horror stories. The bot, “Shelley’, named after...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Hi Yana, My partner has struggled with a pornography/masturbation addiction since he was a teen. I’m not against self pleasure. In fact, I believe it’s important and wonderful for everyone to experience, even when partnered. We’ve been together for 4 years, and our...
by Hunter Styles | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter, The Beerhunter
If you weren’t expecting this craft beer column to start with a plate of silkworm larvae, believe me, I’m as surprised as you are. But there they were, next to my glass: half a dozen off-white baby bugs, each about an inch long and doused with a honey balsamic sauce....
by Jack Brown | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope
It’s a fool’s game to think that the past can’t be topped, but let’s play it for a moment: can there ever be another phenomenon like the Beatles? Whether you count yourself a fan or not, the band — their impact was never only about their music — set off a sea change...
by Rob Brezsny | Nov 6, 2017 | Articles, Astrology, Wellness
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Adriana Martinez and Octavio Guillen got engaged to be married when they were both 15 years old. But they kept delaying a more complete unification for 67 years. At last, when they were 82, they celebrated their wedding and pledged their...
by Chris Rohmann | Nov 5, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
The current world-premiere production at Hartford Stage (through Nov. 12) is “based on a true story,” according to the publicity, which is otherwise unforthcoming about its real-life inspiration. No matter. The premise for Sarah Gancher’s Seder is dramatic enough to...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 3, 2017 | Articles, Music
Lisa Martin writes original songs ranging from country to folk roots music, but with a dash of bluesy rock. Check out Lisa Martin’s complete Valley Advocate Sessions performance below. Interview with Lisa Martin:
by Advocate Staff | Nov 1, 2017 | Articles, Music
Check out a video teaser for Lisa Martin trio’s upcoming Valley Advocate Sessions performance, which will be released this Friday. Martin plays country, folk roots with a dash of bluesy rock.
by Chris Rohmann | Nov 1, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck, Uncategorized
As artists, how can one watch the millions of refugees fleeing Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, not to mention countries in Africa and Asia, and not want to address this issue? That question provoked the latest handmade production from Sandglass Theater, the world-class...
by Chris Goudreau | Nov 1, 2017 | Articles, News
Justin Orwat, 46 of Springfield, has been charged with aggravated murder and first degree arson as a result of a previously reported house fire on the morning of Oct. 27 in Townshend, Vermont. Orwat is currently being held at the Hampden County Jail in Ludlow for...
by Steve Musal | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Arts, News, Newsletter
Art flourishes in uncertain times. From the critical poetry of World War I and the post World War II Beat Generation to the innovative music of the Beatles and the Stones and beyond, during and after strife, creative types will make art. They rush to prove Jonathan...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
November has rolled around again, and no it’s not a presidential election year. But there are important elections both here and in other parts of the country this week you should be paying attention to. Since Donald Trump was elected president just about a year ago...
by Jennifer Levesque | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Music, Review, Valley Show Girl
Later this month, Chicopee’s Maximum Capacity will close and open at some point in the future with new ownership. Will there still be shows? If so, will they include metal/rock shows? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, you still have a chance to get to “one...
by Advocate Staff | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Bizarro Briefs, News
You know how when you used to stick your tongue out, your grandma would say that it was going to get stuck that way? One asiatic black bear, which are more commonly called moon bears, in Myanmar found this out the hard way. The bear, named Nyan Htoo, had to have an...
by Chris Rohmann | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Stage, Stagestruck
“Once upon a time / There was a boy or a girl / Who ran far away from home …” But this is no fairy tale. Runaways, which opens this week at UMass, is a grown-up musical about homeless children — kids who have fled from home and are living on the street....
by Meg Bantle | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Loretta Ross, an author, feminist, and expert on human rights and racism now teaching at Hampshire College, is clear on her views about President Donald Trump’s election: “The sky fell,” she said in a recent interview. But the point she really wants to drive home as...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Newsletter, Review
As I wait for Brattleboro artist Joan O’Beirne to arrive at her exhibit “The Scarf,” showing now through Feb. 11 at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, curator Mara Williams brings a museum guest into the showroom. She gestures to the (at least) 12-foot orange...
by Advocate Staff | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, News, Staff Picks
Inside Art IV // FRIDAY The Elm Street Think Tank is a group of incarcerated locals and community educators who meet weekly inside the jail to have discussions, raise awareness, and work on a collection of different projects. The fourth annual “Inside Art,” an art...
by Meg Bantle | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter, Wellness
Madeleine Vanstory was visiting her sister, Melissa Redwin of Westhampton, when they decided to come to Nourish Wellness Cafe in Northampton for lunch with Melissa’s newborn, Lucena. “I finally made the connection, after decades of bad eating, (between) how you...
by Monte Belmonte | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Monte Belmonte Wines, Newsletter
As we tiptoe toward the holiday season, you may find yourself with the opportunity to attend a wine tasting. A chance to try endless, free, tiny pours of wines and other alcoholic beverages in anticipation of having to endure the darkest and saddest time of the year —...
by Letters from our Readers | Oct 30, 2017 | 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 Yana Tallon-Hicks | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Dear Yana, I’m a 30-something guy in a long-term relationship with a bisexual woman. She’s got a high sex drive and wants to have sex almost constantly. My desire doesn’t really match up with hers but I wonder if the issue is really that her sexual techniques don’t...
by Jack Brown | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns
When my grandfather died, some years ago now, my mother and I spent the days that followed going through his apartment to sort through the belongings he’d left behind, trying to figure out what we should keep and what we could safely shunt along to the garbage heap....
by Rob Brezsny | Oct 30, 2017 | Articles, Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): America’s Civil War ended in 1865. A veteran from that conflict later produced a daughter, Irene Triplett, who is still alive today and collecting his pension. In the coming months, I foresee you being able to take advantage of a comparable...
by Jennifer Levesque | Oct 27, 2017 | Articles, Music, Uncategorized
Reverend Dan and the Dirty Catechism, Springfield-based preacher rock n’ roll with a side of post punk. BONUS: Reverend Dan and the Dirty Catechism interview: Check out our past Sessions performers, including Seth Newton, Old Flame, Shokazoba, and Tang...
by Advocate Staff | Oct 26, 2017 | Articles, Music
This week’s Valley Advocate Sessions artist is Reverend Dan and the Dirty Catechism, preacher rock n’ roll with a side of post punk. RD&tDC’s full Sessions performance will be released this Friday. Until then, here’s a teaser video.
by Chris Goudreau | Oct 23, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Jim Emerson, 53, wakes up at 5 a.m. three or four days out of the work week to make the commute from his home in Wilbraham to Boston. He’s typically out the door around 5:45 a.m. and is on the road driving east on the Massachusetts Turnpike for 50 minutes in his 2016...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Oct 23, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Editor’s note: This week instead of answering a reader question, Yana writes about an event she co-sponsored involving, well … read on! It’s not what you’d expect — this whole watching porn in a room full of strangers with your friends thing. On Saturday night,...
