Articles
by Advocate Staff | Jun 21, 2017 | Advocate Chat, Articles, News
The Advocate Chat is a recurring series where the Valley Advocate staff talks about a topic on their minds. The text below has been lightly edited. kristinpalpini (Editor-in-Chief Kristin Palpini): I’m pumped! Let’s talk Dems and Reps, donkeys and...
by Chris Rohmann | Jun 20, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
“Birds of a feather flock together,” as the saying goes, but that’s no excuse for these two avian-themed plays to be running at the same time in this area. They are entirely different species. The Birds, at Barrington Stage Company, is a claustrophobic thriller, while...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
When Sara Weinberger moved from her longtime community of Northampton to neighboring Easthampton three years ago, she mostly loved it. The worst part, she said, was changing congressional districts — going from being represented by Worcester Democrat James McGovern to...
by Chris Goudreau | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Faith leaders from six churches in Springfield have formed a “sanctuary network,” to provide shelter to undocumented immigrants in response to increasingly aggressive deportation tactics from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), including waiting...
by Chris Goudreau | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
Whether you’re a 20-something fresh out of college looking for work or near retirement age and can’t find a job at your skill level, the trials and tribulations of unemployment are very real. It’s an issue that most people face in their adult lives and an age old...
by Christin Howard | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter
Though he is commonly considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, due to Soviet censorship, Mikhail Bulgakov never saw his most famous work published in his lifetime. Now, more than 40 years after its publication, and 70 years after Bulgakov’s death,...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, Missed Connections, Newsletter
Compiled by Kristin Palpini The Missed Connections forum on Craigslist is a wasteland of terrible poetry, dick pics, and whining, but among the detritus are some truly fascinating, funny, and occasionally sweet entries. The following are highlights from the Western...
by Lena Wilson | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, Stream Queen
Feminism is a word that has puzzled/infuriated/strengthened so many people in this country. Debates over the goals of feminism rage on, while popular media outlets inject the word into their headlines for maximum clicks. Are selfies feminist? Is makeup feminist? Am I...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, Basemental, Columns, Music, Newsletter
Some might describe The Leafies You Gave Me as a “band,” but that would be an understatement. At least in the musical sense. Yes, they are musicians. And yes, they make music. But they are a band more like New Oxford American Dictionary’s second definition of the word...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
Already, trendy restaurants have offered customers dining experiences amidst roaming cats (and in one bold experiment, owls), but the art house San Francisco Dungeon has planned a two-day (July 1 and 8) experimental “Rat Cafe” for those who feel their coffee or tea is...
by Jack Brown | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns
There have been many eulogies given over the years for the American Movie Musical. And while the popularity of the form is certainly not what it was during its heyday — superhero movies, with their own kinds of acrobatics and wish-fulfillment scenarios, seem to have...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
I met a girl on a dating app. It was sort of an accidental swipe, but we started chatting and met up. She was really cool to hang out with, but physically, I didn’t find her very attractive. We kept talking and started spending time together. Now it has been a...
by ROB BREZSNY | Jun 19, 2017 | Articles, Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): There are places in the oceans where the sea floor cracks open and spreads apart from volcanic activity. This allows geothermally heated water to vent out from deep inside the earth. Scientists explored such a place in the otherwise frigid...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 16, 2017 | Articles, Music, Uncategorized
Check out local singer/songwriter and powerhouse alternative rock vocalist Seth Newton perform for the Valley Advocate Sessions recorded on May 30 at the Valley Advocate Offices. BONUS: Interview with Seth Newton Like what you’re listening to? Check out the Valley...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Music, News, Newsletter
Hot Gypsy Jazz Northampton’s annual Django in June is a week-long bonanza of Gypsy jazz workshops, concerts, and jamming with artists from across the globe. The event celebrates the musical stylings of Django Reinhardt. The music has been described as hot jazz or...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 15, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
By Kristin Palpini The late-Wednesday delay of the House vote on recreational marijuana legislation signals politicians are taking weed — and the up-coming weed tax — seriously. The House bill would have levied up to a 28 percent tax rate on recreational...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Arts, News, Newsletter
Pablo Picasso often painted himself as a bull. A fan of attending bullfights in his native Spain, the Cubist master saw himself as the hulking beast with big muscles, wild eyes, and swinging genitalia. In a piece now on view at The Clark in Williamstown, Large...
by Anita Fritz | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Arts, News, Newsletter
The Art of Rock, Paper, Scissors Take part in celebrating the newest sculpture in downtown Turners Falls — Rock, Paper, Scissors, a new work by artist Tim de Christopher. Christopher’s work was selected last spring as an addition to Avenue A from 30 proposals...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Get Out With Staff Picks, Newsletter
Led Zeppelin Acoustic Tribute • Saturday The Acoustic Led Zeppelin Tribute Orchestra Project (TALZTOP, of course) will be performing the songs of Led Zeppelin without the use of electricity. The show will feature Houses of the Holy and the band’s strangely...
by Chris Rohmann | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Stage, Stagestruck
It has been described as “theatrical mayhem” and “controlled madness,” “extreme theater” and “a mayfly” — the latter because it’s here and gone in a day. The popular annual event is simultaneously thrilling and terrifying for the dozens of theater folk who take part...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Jun 9, 2017 | Articles, Arts, News
The way Faith Manning Enuol tells it, she went to work one afternoon, and when she returned, the garden she was building with her husband Rich Enuol tripled in size. In actuality, Rich spent the day foraging for materials, finding everything they needed — including...
by Chris Goudreau | Jun 13, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
By Chris Goudreau “America’s Toughest Sheriff” Joe Arpaio — the controversial right wing former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, who is known for placing prisoners in tents under temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, forcing inmates to wear pink underwear, and...
by Christin Howard | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Across the country celebrations are taking place for national Pride month, and the Pioneer Valley is no exception. Franklin County and the city of Holyoke are hosting events to bring together the LGBTQIA community. This year marks the return of Franklin Country Pride,...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter
Current Bloomers Bloom is a loaded word. Stuffed with all the meaning we attach to it — hope for new beginnings, youth, mortality, inspiration — ‘bloom’ says more than its five letters. Gallery A3 is exploring this concept in their June exhibit: Bloom! Featuring two...
by Jack Brown | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns
This week, bicyclists (okay, you power walkers can come, too) get a film festival devoted to that sense of freedom when the Ciclismo Classico Bike Travel Film Festival comes to the Academy of Music in Northampton for a Thursday evening screening. Now in its eighth...
by Jennifer Levesque | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Music, Valley Show Girl
I walked into the entrance of The Arts Block Ballroom on Main Street in Greenfield to soundchecking and friendly, familiar faces. With a couple of hellos’ and hugs, I paid the $20 for the 2nd Annual Stoned To Death fest, put on by Promotorhead Entertainment, and...
by Warren Johnston | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Columns, The Pour Man
The Original Dark Horse is a gateway wine, according to a recently published article in Forbes magazine. The brand is designed to gradually wean inexperienced millennials from beer, cider and stuff that comes in jugs and hook them into pricier wine offerings. Once...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Featured, News, Newsletter
Are You Worthy? Yes, yes you are — if you’re 21 or over. The Worthy is back, ya’ll, and sudsier than ever for this year’s outdoors craft beer showcase. The Springfield brewfest, in the city’s most entertaining neighborhood: Worthington Street, is going down Saturday...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, News of the Weird
Brantford, Ontario, real estate agent Kyle Jansink, speaking for unidentified sellers, said he accepted the challenge of selling a meticulously maintained home “as is” — still packed with the sellers’ clown-related items (dolls, miniatures, porcelain statues,...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Columns, News, The V-Spot
Hi Yana! I’m a chubby cis-woman in my late 20s. I lately worked through struggling with my body image and relationship to food while healing from years of disordered eating. I’ve been doing really well lately, but sadly one of the things that used to trigger my eating...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
When a Holyoke City Councilor said, at a public meeting, “Don’t feed the animals,” in regard to homeless panhandlers, I figured I had a good idea for a fiery column defending people who beg for a living. It is vile to call any person an “animal” in a dehumanizing way...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers
Disappearing Signs in Easthampton Say a Lot In times like these it is more important than ever to focus attention on fair and equal access to freedom of expression. For the past two weeks, I have been witness to what seems to be the twice illicit removal of a Black...
by Chris Goudreau | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, MGM Springfield Casino coverage, News
Radames Lopez is a 24-year-old lifelong Holyoke resident with a six month old daughter. He’s unemployed and every day is a struggle to find work because of his felony criminal record. “They’re not going to call me back … I can’t even go into the Army even if I want to...
by Rob Brezsny | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You have to admit that salt looks like sugar and sugar resembles salt. This isn’t usually a major problem, though. Mistakenly sprinkling sugar on your food when you thought you were adding salt won’t hurt you, nor will putting salt in your...
by Chris Rohmann | Jun 12, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck, Uncategorized
As it happens, two different productions of the same show open on area stages on the same day this week. On Wednesday, Million Dollar Quartet premieres in the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, and the Majestic Theater in West Springield...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 8, 2017 | Advocate Chat, Articles, Newsletter
The Advocate Chat is a recurring series where the Valley Advocate staff talks about a topic on their minds. The text below has been lightly edited. kristinpalpini (Editor-in-Chief Kristin Palpini): To set the mood on this feminist convo, a story from our buds at The...
by Hunter Styles | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, Newsletter, The Beerhunter
Any out-of-towner who would guess Western Mass has a quiet craft beer scene is bound for a rude, brewed awakening. But even locals may be surprised at the scope of the second annual Western Mass Beer Week, which runs June 10-17. Last year’s series of events at...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter
An exhibit featuring Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol might seem like polar opposite artists sharing a space, but that’s selling both of these geniuses short. Rockwell is best known for a “wholesome” style that doesn’t have a hint of subversion. But a closer look at...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Music, Newsletter
In a new addition to the 30-plus -year-old Green River Fest, Signature Sounds has found the best local bands with musicians ages 18 and under to be featured performers Friday night on the Next Wave Stage. But wait there’s more! Friday night admission will be...
by Will Meyer | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Basemental, Columns, Music, Newsletter
Editor’s note: Jaclyn Walsh uses they/them pronouns. Valley musician, student, and DIY booker Jaclyn Walsh wants you to dump your boyfriend so much that they named their band Dump Him. On the surface such a statement might charm the misandrists and queercore punks...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 7, 2017 | Articles, Music, Newsletter
Spirit Ghost, an Amherst-based indie garage rock band with a splash of surf, came into the Valley Advocate Offices to record for Valley Advocate Sessions on May 23. The band’s full performance and interview will be available on Valley Advocate’s website...
by Chance Viles and Kristin Palpini | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Featured, News
Springfield, Massachusetts, was a big abolitionist hub during the days of the Underground Railroad — not that many people know this. When talking about Massachusetts history, Western Mass isn’t well represented in historical texts — they’re more focused on Boston. And...
by Jack Brown | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns, Film, Newsletter
Fans of filmmaker John Waters might be familiar with the director’s odd fascination with rats. They crop up with some regularity in his life and work — from the original poster for 1977’s Desperate Living, which featured a cooked rat on a restaurant dinner plate, to...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot
I’ve been with my husband for a long time and there’s one thing in the bed we did kind of once that I’d like to do again, but I feel weird about asking for it. Basically, I want to be rimmed, but as this is something I would not want to do for him, I feel like I can’t...
by Naila Moreira | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Down to Earth
As we struggle with tough questions surrounding science today, we could do worse than look for guidance to the great figures of the past. One such figure, it turns out, belongs to our own Pioneer Valley, and many argue he’s received too little attention: Edward...
by Blaise Majkowski | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Blaise's Bad Movie Guide, Columns
Sometimes the best laid plans go awry. First case in point: The just-released King Arthur was carefully groomed to be a blockbuster but flopped spectacularly at the box office. Second case in point: After I decided to review another movie of this ilk — Gods of Egypt —...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, News of the Weird, Newsletter
Reverence for the lineage of asparagus continues in epic yearly Anglican church festivities in Worcester, England, where in April celebrants obtained a special blessing for the vegetable by local priests as a costumed asparagus pranced through the street praising the...
by Chris Goudreau | Jun 6, 2017 | Articles, News
If you think riding a horse along a road in New England harkens back to the distant past with horse and buggies, think again. On Saturday, June 10, horse riders will take to the roads for the 6th Annual “Share The Road – Horses Paved The Way” event in the...
by Rob Brezsny | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you chose me as your relationship guide, I’d counsel you and your closest ally to be generous with each other; to look for the best in each other and praise each other’s beauty and strength. If you asked me to help foster your...
by Chris Goudreau | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, News
Despite unanimous approval at the Springfield School Committee’s May 18 meeting for a revised memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Springfield Public Schools and the Springfield Police Department, advocacy group Neighbor to Neighbor thinks the new document does...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Sticky Green Thumbs A few responses to the May 25-31, 2017 O, Cannabis column: “Growing Your Own Weed In Massachusetts: A How-To Guide” Editor’s Note: Marty Klein was quoted in the article for his growing expertise. A slight clarification re: number of plants allowed....
by Dave Eisenstadter | Jun 5, 2017 | Articles, News
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker just announced a low-income, free-tuition program for the city of Boston that sounds like it came from the progressive wing of the Democratic party. Four years of college education in Massachusetts public colleges without tuition or...
by Dave Eisenstadter | Jun 2, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
It probably shouldn’t have been a surprise. Donald Trump ran a campaign based on denying climate science, so his Thursday announcement that he would be pulling out of the international climate agreement represents a promise fulfilled. But the advantage of having a...
by Advocate Staff | Jun 2, 2017 | Articles, Music
Check out 11-string arch-guitarist virtuoso Peter Blanchette and violinist Kenny Butler perform 1500s French Renaissance folk music, and other classical gems. Also visit our Sessions page, with an interview with the artist an all of our other Sessions...
by Kristin Palpini | Jun 1, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Music
Can’t wait for Friday to see more Sessions? Check out some local bands now.
by Advocate Staff | Jun 1, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Featured, Newsletter
The Valley is home to a wealth of arts and cultural events. So many, in fact, that the Advocate prints four seasonal arts preview editions every year — and really we could do one every month. This edition is all about what you can expect to see in the Valley, plus the...
by Advocate Staff | May 31, 2017 | Advocate Chat, Articles
The Advocate Chat is a recurring series where the Valley Advocate staff talks about a topic on their minds. The text below has been lightly edited. dave.eisen (Managing Editor Dave Eisenstadter): This week we are talking about hidden gems. At the end of June,...
by Chris Rohmann | May 28, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
In my column in last week’s Advocate, a preview of the Valley’s summer-theater season, I reported that many of the area’s upcoming shows reflect, indirectly or explicitly, “the political landscape we are all traversing these days.” Sure enough, the first two summer...
by Advocate Staff | May 30, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Get Out With Staff Picks, Newsletter
Karaoke • Tuesday Singing karaoke with DJ Greg Reil sounds like a good way to belt out whatever is in my soul. I don’t take requests. Karaoke with Reil goes down on Tuesday nights, free, at the Platform Sports Grill and Bar, 125A Pleasant St., Northampton. — Dave...
by Jennifer Levesque | May 30, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Newsletter, Valley Show Girl
One of my all-time favorite venues to see local bands will always be Flywheel’s first location. The alternative performing arts space first opened in 1999 on Holyoke Street in downtown Easthampton. During the early 2000’s, it was my sanctuary. I met so many people in...
