Columns
by Will Meyer | Sep 25, 2017 | Articles, Basemental, Columns, Newsletter
Last Monday, I reluctantly went to a house show in Hadley. I was going ’cause my friends were going — probably, but I was also vaguely interested in seeing some band from Minnesota that was supposed to be good. Honestly, I had radically low expectations. I saw the...
by Chris Rohmann | Sep 20, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Two plays in the Valley this weekend couldn’t be more different but at the same time so close to the bone of our current national crisis of xenophobia and identity. Building the Wall, in Northampton, is a tense confrontation that touches on today’s headlines and then...
by Jennifer Levesque | Sep 18, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Music, Newsletter, Review, Valley Show Girl
For the last six weekends of summer, Millpond.Live puts on a free grassroots festival at Millside Park in Easthampton for all ages to enjoy. Produced by Laudable Productions, a creative agency in Easthampton that has a plethora of services including community...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Sep 18, 2017 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot
I know your column is mainly about sex, but for me, it’s all about the romance. I’ve been struggling for decades to balance my love of flowers, dancing, and candlelight with my love of a husband who struggles with intimacy (for good reasons) and who promises me these...
by Chris Rohmann | Sep 18, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
The area’s summer theaters have folded their metaphorical tents for the year, though three of the Berkshire companies are also mounting fall shows. For this critic, it was a Sergio Leone season: good, bad, and occasionally ugly. (An example of the extremes —...
by Advocate Staff | Sep 18, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns, Newsletter, Uncategorized
At the Headfort School in Kells, Ireland, two of the school’s most popular teachers are getting ready to retire. The husband and wife team have been educating and inspiring children for almost half a century, and their example — and what the possibility of their...
by Monte Belmonte | Sep 18, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Monte Belmonte Wines, Newsletter
Bordeaux: It’s the wine capital of the world. Even Thomas Jefferson, while keeping busy hypocritically impeding people’s lives and liberties, pursued wine happiness there. When most people think of Bordeaux, they think, “Dude, how the hell am I supposed to pronounce...
by Will Meyer | Sep 11, 2017 | Articles, Basemental, Columns, Featured, Newsletter
I used to think touring was excessive, stupid, and generally felt existentially conflicted about it. Why should I leave the house and use fossil fuels to do anything that’s trivial? Why should we impose our music on these seemingly nice people when there’s so much...
by Chris Rohmann | Sep 12, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
When Robert Freedman tells people about Silent Sky, the play he directs this weekend at the Shea Theater, they often think he’s talking about Hidden Figures, the recent movie about black women mathematicians who worked as “computers” for NASA in the 1960s. But, he...
by Hunter Styles | Sep 11, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The Beerhunter
Earlier this year, I reached into a friend’s beer fridge to grab something light and refreshing before heading outdoors for a hike (as far as I understand the rules, writing this column gives me free access to everyone’s beer). That afternoon’s chatter distracted me,...
by Lena Wilson | Sep 11, 2017 | Columns, Featured, Leisure, Stream Queen
Some documentaries exist to tackle big-picture issues, while others hone in on life’s finer details. The Breast Archives, by local director Meagan Murphy, attempts both tasks at once, as the film delves into the world of feminist body politics vis-a-vis the breasts....
by Jack Brown | Sep 11, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns, Newsletter
When September hits, the kids head back to school — and for film fans, that can be a great thing. One of the many film events that are hosted on area campuses is The German Film Series, presented by the Amherst College department of German on irregular Thursdays in...
by Naila Moreira | Sep 11, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, News, Newsletter
During the summer 12 years ago, I interned at Science News, a national magazine that reports on science for the public. As a young and inexperienced writer, part of my reporting included visiting the offices of my more experienced colleagues to ask them what good...
by Chris Rohmann | Sep 11, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
Fifty-seven years ago this month, agents of the Anti-Smut Unit of the Massachusetts State Police raided the Northampton apartment of Smith College literature professor Newton Arvin and discovered copies of “beefcake” magazines he had collected and shared with friends....
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Sep 11, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Editor’s Note: This column refers to sexual trauma responses. Hi Yana, My girlfriend and I have been together for four months, but lately I’ve been noticing we’ve only been having sex when we’re drinking. Nothing to put consent into question for either of us, of...
by Monte Belmonte | Sep 5, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, Monte Belmonte Wines, News
You are reading a wine column that was written by a non-expert: a rank novice who has never worked in the wine industry, or the restaurant industry; who has never been to France (outside of Charles de Gaulle) or to California (outside of L.A.); and who, frankly, has...
by Amanda Drane | Sep 5, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Third Eye Roaming
Google yoga images and you’ll find a sea of thin, white women who look as if the road rises to greet them. Their bodies are ideologically perfect. Their yoga attire and accessories are meticulous. They are serene and smiling. Gee — if they’re so perfect, then do they...
by Jennifer Levesque | Sep 5, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Valley Show Girl
Sometimes you wanna make it out to a show, but let’s face it life happens. Maybe you’re sick, or you can’t find a babysitter, or that snowstorm that’s fast approaching cancels everything and you are stuck inside. Have no fear! Documentaries galore are here! If you’re...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Sep 5, 2017 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot
I have a little bit of a problem that most people wouldn’t consider a problem, so there aren’t a lot of resources for me. I am extremely orgasmic. Now, of course, I’m grateful for this and all, but it’s to the point that I usually come like 10-plus times during...
by Jack Brown | Sep 5, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns
For all its ham-fistedness, the world of Star Trek has done an impressive job of putting important issues in front of its audience over the years. And while the first series was set sometime in the 2200s, it all began, in our world, during the late 1960s — and Star...
by Will Meyer | Aug 28, 2017 | Articles, Basemental, Columns, Music, Newsletter
I kept hearing that Ian (Thee Arcadians) and Androo (ex-Spirit Ghost, Nancy Drool) would disappear into different basements and jam on one chord for hours at a time. The roommates tolerated it (within reason), the neighbors were never “chill” to begin with. But that...
by Jack Brown | Aug 28, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns, Newsletter
One of the more disturbing things about cinema is the establishment of who is a hero and who is a villain. Most often this looks like a white man taking down a non-white man. The specifics may change with the era — from the villain being African-American to South...
by Blaise Majkowski | Aug 28, 2017 | Articles, Blaise's Bad Movie Guide, Columns
Allll aboard! Welcome to the Trans-Siberian express. I hope your journey is a pleasant one. Try not to be bothered by the marauding yeti in the baggage department. A bit of background may be in order so you can properly appreciate your trip. Spanish director Eugenio...
by Lena Wilson | Aug 28, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Film, Newsletter, Stream Queen
In this ever-expanding world of streaming platforms, it can be difficult to look outside the Big Three: Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Viewers mainly feel constrained to these options because of their connections with major networks, their buying power for big-name...
by Kristin Palpini | Aug 28, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, O Cannabis!
Rolling papers and Rodney Dangerfield have long had a lot in common: they didn’t get no respect. But as marijuana’s cultural cachet has risen, so too have the quality and variety of smoking equipment. The humble rolling paper has been elevated to prestige level with...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Aug 28, 2017 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot
Hi Yana, My boyfriend refuses to go down on me. As a bisexual woman who has been in long term relationships with women, it’s something I miss. I bring it up and he gets defensive about it. I’m always down to give the blow jobs and don’t believe in not doing so just...
by Jack Brown | Aug 21, 2017 | Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Featured, Newsletter
Shelburne Falls Pothole Pictures continues its summer movie series with something frosty: a screening of Frozen River. This 2008 film, written and directed by Courtney Hunt, was the hit of the festival circuit when it debuted, winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance...
by Jennifer Levesque | Aug 21, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Music, Review, Review, Valley Show Girl
The white supremacy horror show that happened earlier this month in Charlottesville really got to me. That Sunday, I barely left my bed. I mainly watched stupid chick flicks to occupy my mind with less meaningful things. After dinner however, I took my 6-year old son...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 18, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
If there is a genuine epic in American drama − its ideas as expansive as its scope − it is surely Angels in America, Tony Kushner’s two-part, eight-hour “gay fantasia on national themes.” And if there is a consummate example of cross-disciplinary provenance on the...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Aug 17, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Dear Yana, I’m a single woman in my late twenties, with no relationships on the horizon. But that’s OK, because I have a super intense, cordless Hitachi that I’m in love with. Problem is, recently, whenever I have attempted to reach orgasm, it never comes. I get the...
by Gary Carra | Aug 17, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Nightcrawler
The Who certainly aren’t kids anymore, but the iconic British rockers proved more than alright as they absolutely tore through a 21-tune, hit-laden set before a capacity crowd at Mohegan Sun (mohegansun.com) late last month. Catalog spanning radio staples like “I...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 14, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
A pair of two-handers, playing through this month and just next weekend respectively, examine intimate, intricate relationships between women. Harbor Stage Company, one of the region’s most reliably stimulating summer theaters, premieres its adaption of a cinema...
by Advocate Staff | Aug 14, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Basemental, Columns, Music, Newsletter
I first caught Nanny at the 13th Floor in Northampton this past March; one of my bands was sharing a bill with them. Earlier this summer, I saw them again and had that feeling I was starting to grasp the songs. It wasn’t long before I learned a debut EP was right...
by Advocate Staff | Aug 14, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Film, Newsletter
With the ongoing avalanche of reporting on Russia and that nation’s relationship with our current president, it feels almost quaint to look back on the days of the Reagan era. Certainly there was international intrigue then, but today, the jelly beans and faux...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 14, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Stage, Stagestruck
New Century Theatre is closing its summer season as it began — with “a full-out comedy,” as director Sam Rush puts it. This one is The 39 Steps, a jokey reconstruction of Alfred Hitchcock’s epic 1935 thriller. Or perhaps I should say deconstruction, since it’s...
by Will Meyer | Aug 11, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Basemental, Columns, Music, Newsletter, Review
I first caught Nanny at the 13th Floor in Northampton this past March; one of my bands was sharing a bill with them. Earlier this summer, I saw them again and had that feeling I was starting to grasp the songs. It wasn’t long before I learned a debut EP was right...
by Jack Brown | Aug 11, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns, Film
With the ongoing avalanche of reporting on Russia and that nation’s relationship with our current president, it feels almost quaint to look back on the days of the Reagan era. Certainly there was international intrigue then, but today, the jelly beans and faux...
by Lena Wilson | Aug 11, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Film, Newsletter, Stream Queen
Since its inception in the late 19th century, film has evolved from a seemingly trivial medium into one of the most wide-reaching and popular industries. Film criticism has grown right along with it, as academic and journalistic reviewers endlessly argue over film’s...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 10, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
The Fitzpatrick Mainstage on the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Stockbridge campus is the site of what I’m told is the country’s oldest continuously operating summer theater. For 89 years the building, converted from a former casino in 1928 by Broadway star Eva Le...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 8, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Review, Stage, Stagestruck
This is the title of the play now running at Barrington Stage Company (through August 27). But it might be more accurately called This and That. Melissa James Gibson’s script is a grab-bag of seriocomic situations, satirical barbs and personal anguish that harks back...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Aug 9, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Hi Yana, What can we do to build our case to hesitant doctors to perform vasectomies on young people (between 18-25 years old)? What would you recommend to someone interested in this procedure? I have been trying to get my GP (general practitioner) on board since my...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 7, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, Review, Stagestruck
Everyone needs something to live for. Some of us have a harder time finding it than others. Much harder. So … if you’re a young child and your mom has just tried to kill herself, what can you do about it? Well, you could give her a list of everything that makes the...
by Hunter Styles | Aug 4, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food Booze and Beyond, Newsletter, The Beerhunter
The thing to remember about summer in the Valley — aside from which SPF to use and which local farm stands sell the best corn — is that it will be over before you know it. Sure, the swimming holes don’t really warm up until September, and the cows at Cook Farm gamely...
by Jennifer Levesque | Aug 7, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Review, Valley Show Girl
Staind. Remember them? I think at one point in our late-’90s lives we were all blasting “Tormented” or “Dysfunction” and relating to the ultra-sensitive alternative rock that was birthed right here in the Valley. Well, times have changed, and people change. Aaron...
by Naila Moreira | Aug 7, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, News
One favorable consequence of always carrying binoculars in plain view is that they help create an international citizenry of nature lovers. I’ve just returned from a trip to England visiting family. There, we camped in the chilly, Scotland-like region of northeast...
by Warren Johnston | Aug 9, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, The Pour Man
Riojana; Rosé, 2016; La Rioja, Argentina, $6.99 Not only is Riojana rosé a very good wine that sells for an incredibly low price, but it is also a wine that you can feel good about drinking. Riojana wines are produced by La Riojana, a certified Fairtrade cooperative...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 3, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
What is it with all the Chekhov parodies? Just this summer Silverthorne Theater Company gave us Stupid Fucking Bird, Aaron Posner’s metatheatrical riff on The Seagull. There’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Christopher Durang’s Uncle Vanya mashup. And last year...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Aug 2, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Hi Yana, I always thought of myself as a monogamous person who sometimes dabbled with non-monogamy, but lately I’ve really been struggling to determine just what my “relationship paradigm” is. It started when I was in a non-mono relationship that transitioned to a...
by Jack Brown | Aug 2, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Film
For as long as stories have been told, they have been told about pairs: Odysseus and Penelope, Arthur and Merlin, Bugs and Elmer. It’s a rare tale that doesn’t focus, in some way, on that essential human desire to connect. It can bring us to ecstasy or despair —...
by Jack Brown | Jul 31, 2017 | Articles, Cinemadope, Columns, Newsletter
Summer Cinema Slam 2017 is taking place at the New England Youth Theater in Brattleboro this Saturday night. Featuring an all-Vermont slate of films and artists — the bill includes four shorts and one hour-long feature, with musical act Hungrytown providing ambiance...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 3, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
Two small-scale productions playing in the area this weekend have one thing in common. They both take place in the jungle. Apart from that, they couldn’t be more different. Slowgirl traces a tentative, emotionally fraught encounter between a motormouth teenager and...
by Chris Rohmann | Aug 1, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
A highlight of my summer theater season is always the magical change of pace afforded by Double Edge Theatre’s annual indoor/outdoor performance. This year, that peripatetic spectacle offers its own change of pace. Where previous seasons have given us captivating...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Jul 31, 2017 | Articles, The V-Spot
How does one respectfully remove themselves from a relationship that in fact does not have any huge problems? I’m with a righteous man who checks a lot of boxes but doesn’t get me excited. I enjoy his company, we have a great time and do a lot of cultural things. The...
by Warren Johnston | Jul 31, 2017 | Articles, The Pour Man
Don’t let the price of this wine put you off. It’s a bit expensive for my purse too, but it frequently goes on sale for much less, and it is an excellent and well-balanced New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that won’t drown you with overpowering grapefruit flavors or aromas...
by Chris Rohmann | Jul 31, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
At the beginning of At Home at the Zoo, Ann appears from the kitchen and says to her husband Peter, “We have to talk.” Then they talk for an hour, and by the time Peter leaves their apartment to have a quiet read in Central Park, we know a lot more about him than we...
by Chris Rohmann | Jul 28, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
I’ll get right to the point: Hold These Truths, at New Century Theatre, is possibly the most important play of the summer, with certainly one of the season’s most exhilarating performances. It’s not only searingly suggestive of our current national crisis, but is a...
by Chris Rohmann | Jul 27, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Intimate Apparel is all about fabrics. The silky fabrics draping the figures of elegant Gilded Age matrons and the coarser fabrics worn by their servants, delineating both economic and social standing. The deceptively comfortable fabrics covering the women’s corsets,...
by Chris Rohmann | Jul 26, 2017 | Arts, Columns, Featured, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
The classic sex farce is set in a large room with about half a dozen doors, in and out of which pop guilty lovers, jealous spouses and other staples of the genre, and behind which most of the shenanigans real and suspected take place. Alan Ayckbourne’s classic Taking...
by Chris Rohmann | Jul 25, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
The two mainstage programs at Jacob’s Pillow dance festival last week offered intriguing contrasts in modern dance envelope-pushing. And perhaps surprisingly, it was the simpler, solo show that delivered more variety and excitement. Aakash Odedra is an Englishman of...
by Lena Wilson | Jul 24, 2017 | Arts, Columns, Featured, Film, Newsletter, Stream Queen
Though digital media has forever changed the face of filmmaking, there’s still one key way independent filmmakers can premiere their work: by entering it into the festival circuit. Each year many films, spanning all lengths and genres, debut to those lucky minority...
