Music
by Gary Carra | Feb 14, 2008 | Music
Call it self-empowered punk. In an industry rife with pity, apathy and odes to slackerdom, L.A.'s Dollyrots and singer Kelly Ogden crashed the national punk party last year with a bold three-word response to any who dared to scratch the spiked hair on their heads...
by Tom Sturm | Feb 14, 2008 | Music
Perhaps it takes places like the Valley to keep something as pure and non-commercial as jazz alive; its clubs and coffee houses provide venues, its radio stations serve it up on the airwaves to discriminating ears, and its colleges and universities teach the art....
by Advocate Staff | Feb 15, 2008 | Music
Sheryl Crow Detours (A&M) There are a few really good songs on Crow’s sixth studio album, but things take a turn toward preachiness, lefty cliche, self-pity, shrill moralizing and general suckiness after track three. Crow has had high-profile...
by Chase Scheinbaum | Feb 21, 2008 | Music
The Iron Horse Music Hall has been a local fixture, providing live entertainment for 29 years, as of this week. In celebration of its birthday, the venue is presenting the 29th Anniversary Show in the Round, featuring Chris Smither, Kris Delmhorst, Peter Mulvey and...
by Matthew Dube | Feb 21, 2008 | Music
Certain television shows become national phenomena, fueling water cooler conversation and bridging the gap between strangers that can only be otherwise traversed by the benign and universal topics of weather and sports.Then there is the next level: programs that...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 21, 2008 | Music
Martin Hayes and Dennis CahillWelcome Here Again(Green Linnet)I've joked that I'd listen to Martin Hayes installing a new fiddle tuning peg. I was wrong. Welcome Here Again is a surprisingly lackluster effort. Part of the problem lies with poor track ordering;...
by Gary Carra | Feb 21, 2008 | Music
Like anyone who has enjoyed success in any one of the several industries he has already excelled in (including metal, movies, radio and reality TV), Dee Snider says he is often asked to lend his celebrity to various events and fundraisers.While many in such positions...
by James Heflin | Feb 21, 2008 | Music
Perhaps it's but a testament to boorishness, but I'm just not drawn to yoga. The word itself, with it's elastic-y Y and its glottal G, seems like the kind of thing a squid would say if a squid could say anything. And those who spend too long in poses...
by Chase Scheinbaum | Feb 21, 2008 | Music
Rudeboys/girls come together for the Western Mass Reggae Bash to “soulute” Bob Marley and the only things he may have loved more than soccer—reggae and ganja. Celebrated homegrown artists The Black Rebels, One Band International, Highah Seekah...
by Advocate staff | Feb 28, 2008 | Music
Various ArtistsSpirits in the Material World: A Reggae Tribute to the Police(Shanachie)Wait a second. A reggae tribute to the Police? I thought the Police were already sort of a reggae tribute to themselves. Anyway, this is pretty hit and miss. Mostly miss. The Police...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 28, 2008 | Music
Digital virtuosos N.E.R.D. cross genres at Northampton's Pearl Street Sat., March 1 at 8:30 p.m.
by Advocate Staff | Feb 28, 2008 | Music
Nnenna Freelon receives the Artist of the Year Award and performs at UMass-Amherst's Fine Arts Center Tue., March 4 at 7:30 p.m.
by Gary Carra | Feb 28, 2008 | Music
It's certainly not an uncommon sight… band members in a major label waiting room making pinky promises and crossing fingers, as Antigone Rising's Kristen Henderson and Cassidy were one fateful afternoon at Atlantic Records early last year. While most in...
by James Heflin | Feb 28, 2008 | Music
Bill Frisell is often dubbed a jazz guitarist, but it's quickly clear that his music is far broader than that limiting handle. Frisell's discography is evidence of journeys into American music of all kinds, and of a distinctive style of playing.Often armed...
by by James Heflin | Feb 28, 2008 | Music
Downtown Sounds is something of a Northampton institution, not the only music store in downtown, but the only one that's readily visible, tucked away just off the main intersection and next-door to Pleasant Street Theater. (The theater building is now owned by Joe...
by Salim Muwakkil | Feb 28, 2008 | Music
The rapper Nas has thrust the word "nigger" back into the limelight by making it the title of his new album. Such a move seems improbably provocative given the increased public scrutiny hip-hop has received recently in the wake of the Michael Richards and...
by Gary Carra | Mar 6, 2008 | Music
As chronicled in this column over the past several years, Springfield's Maxxtone has not only managed to somehow juggle multiple, simultaneous careers as an original, cover, karaoke rock and college campus act, they've achieved success in each incarnation.So...
by Chase Scheinbaum | Mar 6, 2008 | Music
Bill Gillum discovered his falsetto when he became a Beach Boys fan and realized he could sing the upper-register vocal parts. Now, as the frontman of Tigercity (pictured), he lays his vocals on thick over funk and rock, lacquering the music with a disco finish. The...
by James Heflin | Mar 6, 2008 | Music
Celia's an unusual singer who's performed in ethereal fashion with her own piano backing, and fronted a larger ensemble as well. That kind of experience has led her to undertake a venture of a slightly different kind, offering not old-school voice lessons, but...
by Kendra Thurlow | Mar 6, 2008 | Music
Longtime music devotee and former Valley Free Radio disc jockey Megha Amira, a.k.a. DJ megha, now hosts a bi-weekly hip-hop open mic night at Bishop's Lounge in Northampton, Meghawatt Mondays. The Advocate and DJ megha chatted via email this week about her new...
by Matthew Dube | Mar 6, 2008 | Music
Spend an afternoon in Bank Row Recording and subsequent trips to your local savings institution will never be the same. You'll look into the branch manager's office and imagine a drum kit. The loan officer's cubicle will house a stack of Marshall...
by Advocate Staff | Mar 6, 2008 | Music
SevendustChapter VII: Hope and Sorrow(7Bros/Asylum)While it incorporates pleasing elements (cool beats, industrial sounds, riffalicious guitars), this record is almost purely derivative. Soundgarden or Alice in Chains did the riffs and wah-wahs far better, and 311...
by Kendra Thurlow | Mar 13, 2008 | Music
It wasn't until he was in junior high school that Craig Eastman spent two consecutive years in the same school. Born in the Pioneer Valley, Eastman moved around the country a lot as a kid; his dad was in the Air Force. Eastman and his family eventually settled...
by Gary Carra | Mar 13, 2008 | Music
In America, St. Patrick's Day often seems both special and accessible to those of all ethnic backgrounds. And by that, your friendly neighborhood Crawler simply means that one needn't have more of a connection to the holiday's homeland than having used...
by James Heflin | Mar 13, 2008 | Music
The term hip-hop properly encompasses far more than the cartoon cliches of gangsta rap, and Hampshire College's Hip-hop Collective is a good example of why a broadened definition has taken hold. The group, a Hampshire student organization, believes hip-hop culture...
by Kendra Thurlow | Mar 20, 2008 | Music
In the early '80s, a new instrument was born. The brainchild of musician Peter Blanchette and the handiwork of luthier Walter Stanul, the archguitar has almost twice the number of strings of a standard guitar, and was inspired by Blanchette's need for a guitar...
by Advocate staff | Mar 20, 2008 | Music
Rusty Belle Rusty Belle(independent)The uglystick is a traditional mop-handled instrument of Newfoundland, made of a hodgepodge of noise-making devices, which creates a compelling cacophony. On Rusty Belle's self-titled album, they achieve a similar cacophonous...
by Matthew Dube | Mar 20, 2008 | Music
A band is setting up on stage. The night's lecturer is nursing a beer, going over his notes and readying himself for his impending interactive dissertation on the Mayan calendar. A local independent filmmaker is deconstructing a projector after screening his...
by James Heflin | Mar 20, 2008 | Music
It looks as if Celtic musicians at a session are all magically synchronized, intensely focused on the flurry of fast melodies and rollicking beats. Playing guitar in that setting is a surprisingly difficult thing—some tunes are straightforward and easily...
by Advocate staff | Mar 27, 2008 | Music
LúnasaThe Story So Far(Compass)If St. Patrick's Day leaves you yearning for more than guys in cable knit sweaters crooning "Danny Boy," check out The Story So Far, 16 gleanings from Lúnasa's back catalog. It's no exaggeration to...
by Gary Carra | Mar 27, 2008 | Music
Erected upon the chunky riffage of its band members' former projects—Palace In Thunderland and Artimus Pyledriver—and bonded with a new sonic sludge steeped in psychedelia, Black Pyramid is truly a modern metal marvel.While two of the architects behind...
by James Heflin | Mar 27, 2008 | Music
Special Ed and the Short Bus may be a bit backward in their thinking, but a good time à la 1930 is still a good time. And something along the lines of a 1930s good time might well be in the offing when a band's instrumentation consists of two banjos, two...
by James Heflin | Mar 27, 2008 | Music
Western Mass. musician Hal Benoit died earlier this month of a heart attack in Nashville, Tenn. Benoit was a talented blues guitarist and songwriter widely known and respected in the Valley's music community. He hosted open mics at the Basement (when it was...
by Chase Scheinbaum | Mar 27, 2008 | Music
The clatter of coffee cups and the unceasing shhhh-shhh of the milk-frother at work are not the only sounds which fill the decidedly debonair environs of Amherst Coffee. There is also a sampling of other sounds to go with the gustation. Every Sunday morning Rusty...
by Advocate staff | Apr 3, 2008 | Music
MonadeMonstre Cosmic(Too Pure)Ever wonder what happened to Stereolab? In the '90s, the band pioneered a synthy retro-futuristic pop, with the winning French lilt of singer Laetitia Sadier, who sounds a bit like a cross between Serge Gainsbourg and Aimee Mann. It...
by Gary Carra | Apr 3, 2008 | Music
Frontman Scott Lawson reports that his Orange Crush, after more than a decade establishing itself as one of the Valley's premiere cover bands, has recently made its first foray into the arena of original composition—squeezing out enough new material during...
by Chase Scheinbaum | Apr 3, 2008 | Music
Jonathan Coulton lived the drab Office Space reality of a desk-bound computer programmer working for Innitech. That is, until, like Peter Gibbons, protagonist of the aforementioned tale and hero of anyone who has ever wanted to smash a copy machine to bits, he quit...
by James Heflin | Apr 3, 2008 | Music
Many a Valley musician noted with sadness the death of luthier Frank Lucchesi last September. His name still adorns the shop he ran on Cottage Street in Easthampton, Lucchesi Vintage Instruments.The shop is still in business, and still holds much of the same charm for...
by James Heflin | Apr 3, 2008 | Music
Guitarist Charlie Apicella plays with two Valley bands: tango and Latin jazz group Cidade, and jazz/funk organ trio Iron City. We recently spoke with Apicella about the challenges of juggling two bands and playing different styles.Advocate: How would you describe your...
by James Heflin | Apr 10, 2008 | Music
Rock and roll seems to have always come with a heavy impetus for innovation. Now that some half a century of rock has come and gone, innovation has become a more nuanced matter. If you sound too much like something old, well, why bother? But if you only go for...
by Levon Kinney | Apr 10, 2008 | Music
One sure sign that summer is on its way is the sound of reggae propelling semi-intoxicated individuals in cabana wear into unnatural positions. Limbofest 2008 will make or break your back. Funky beats are provided by local bands including The Alchemystics, Shokozoba,...
by Advocate staff | Apr 10, 2008 | Music
DonovanThe Concert: Live in L.A.(MVD Visual)Watching the DVD of a 2007 concert by pop icon Donovan is like finding a 40-year-old Polaroid—the colors have faded and the luster is gone. The former Flower Child turned meditation guru still plays an energetic guitar...
by Chase Scheinbaum | Apr 10, 2008 | Music
It's mostly a typical rock-show scene—fans writhe about on the crowded dance floor, twisting their bodies to the band's rhythms. One or two lie passed out on the periphery. The floor is littered with debris and sticky with a sugary film from spilled...
by Gary Carra | Apr 17, 2008 | Music
Forgive your friendly neighborhood Nightcrawler if he has opted to embargo some of this month's breaking news until this April foolery thing shakes out.In addition to notoriously enormous egos and hearts, the musical community at large is famous for oversized...
by James Heflin | Apr 17, 2008 | Music
This week at The Elevens, you can catch some Brooklyn-flavored indie pop, courtesy of My Teenage Stride (pictured). Playing with the teen walkers are Mark Robinson, Public Record and MMM's Live Archive.Northampton-based MMM's Live Archive is an intriguing...
by Kendra Thurlow | Apr 17, 2008 | Music
Aussie Alicia Casey first heard the violin when she was three. Immediately smitten with the stringed instrument, the toddler began entreating her parents to let her play, or so she's told."I don't remember it, but my parents told me I just kept begging to...
by Chase Scheinbaum | Apr 17, 2008 | Music
In evolutionary biology, it's called divergent evolution: two species arise from common ancestry after becoming disjoined for one reason or another. One of those species might reach the end of its viability and be lost to extinction, while the other continues into...
by Gary Carra | Apr 17, 2008 | Music
For decades, Springfield native Jo Sallins has strapped on—or stepped up to—one of the nearly dozen instruments he has mastered and traded licks with world class performers the planet over. So why does his impending April 16 engagement at neighboring...
by Kendra Thurlow | Apr 24, 2008 | Music
Built in 1890, the Academy of Music Theatre (pictured) was given to the city of Northampton in 1892 by Edward Lyman, a Northampton native who spent most of his adult life in New York City, but viewed himself as a "trustee" of Northampton. The first...
by Gary Carra | Apr 24, 2008 | Music
His stint with the seminal jam band From Good Homes had already furnished Brady Rymer with years of invaluable industry experience. But as a man who's released records on major labels and shared stages with the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler and...
by Tom Sturm | Apr 24, 2008 | Music
Alex Johnson, sometimes known as "Freddy Freedom," and fellow Drunk Stuntman Steve Sanderson have been staples of Pioneer Valley music since moving to the area in the early '90s from eastern Mass. The Stunt-front boys have also recently become attached...
by Advocate staff | Apr 24, 2008 | Music
Big DipperSupercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology(Merge)How could Big Dipper have been forgotten? It's not fair. They were as big as other Bostonian late-'80s alterna-idols like the Pixies and the Lemonheads. Big Dipper offered a smart melodic and jumpy twist...
by Gary Carra | May 1, 2008 | Music
His band's moniker may be an homage to impaired faculties, but Drunk Stuntmen-fronter Steve Sanderson is notorious for his astute observations. Which is precisely the reason your friendly neighborhood Nightcrawler contacted him after learning that Sanderson had...
by James Heflin | May 1, 2008 | Music
When it comes to gospel singers, few figures are as influential as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who often led a traditional gospel choir while ripping up rock 'n' roll guitar solos on a Gibson SG (the same guitar played by AC/DC's Angus Young). Just after World...
by Chase Scheinbaum | May 1, 2008 | Music
Frogs and toads ribbit and peep to mark their territory, attract mates, or even to herald a coming rain. Sometimes certain types of frogs and toads ribbit out of pure, joyous revelry. Those kinds of frogs are marvelous merrymakers who possess an enchanting song. But...
by Matthew Dube | May 1, 2008 | Music
A local music retailer I know recently said that he had not lost enough money running a store, so he decided to start a record label. Perceived as a thankless and difficult job in any era, running an independent record label in the 21st century means facing...
by James Heflin | May 1, 2008 | Music
Rockabilly, that stripped-down combo of hillbilly picking and pomaded '50s cool, is a deceptive genre. A hayseed simplicity seems to lie at the core of its best-known songs—like "Blue Suede Shoes," "Be Bop A Lula" or "Mystery...
by Advocate staff | May 1, 2008 | Music
Anne FeeneyDump the Bosses Off Your Back!(Independent) Dump the Bosses Off Your Back! is a rebel’s fodder for May Day. Feeney, a longtime activist, has taken up the void left by Joe Glazer’s death as labors troubadour and, like social justice advocates...
by Kendra Thurlow | May 1, 2008 | Music
For his upcoming role, Lord Russ (aka Russell Brooks) has to shave his entire body. Although he's not baring the full monty, Valley musician Brooks will be more scantily clad than normal in his upcoming one-man show Queen Elvis—The Musical. Set in 1973, the...
by Kendra Thurlow | May 1, 2008 | Music
Berkshire Hills Music Academy is a spacious, 40-acre property in South Hadley, just minutes from downtown. The only private, post-secondary residential school for young adults with cognitive or learning disabilities as well as exceptional talent for music, Berkshire...
