Music
by Advocate Staff | Dec 21, 2012 | Music
Six Organs of AdmittanceAscent(Drag City) Often dubbed a member of the “new folk” genre, guitarist Ben Chasny indulges a full-fledged electronic experiment on his latest release. Recorded with backing group Comets on Fire, the album is the product of a...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 21, 2013 | Music
Hat Check GirlRoad to Red Point(Waterbug) If your idea of a cool country duo is the contrived drama of Lady Antebellum, steer clear of Hat Check Girl (Annie Gallup and Peter Gallway), whose Road to Red Point is populated by drifters, desperados, and losers who wallow...
by Michael Cimaomo | Dec 21, 2012 | Music
The term “pale rider” has a long history, referring both to one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death), and to the 1985 Clint Eastwood film of the same name, in which Eastwood plays a ghostly preacher possibly sent from heaven (or hell) to aid some...
by Gary Carra | Jan 21, 2013 | Music
He may not serve any rind before its time, but he does have an immediate occupancy opportunity for those seeking a two-bedroom rental in the West Whately area. Local concert promoter Paul Newlin checked in to solicit community input on both his 2013 Watermelon...
by Mark Roessler | Dec 21, 2012 | Music
Prior to seeing The Primate Fiasco perform a few years ago, I’d only once before considered the clarinet an instrument that deserved awe or packed much punch. It was years ago in middle school. A group of us sat in the hall, waiting for the first bell to ring....
by Gary Carra | Jan 29, 2013 | Music
They don’t exactly come from the land of ice and snow—rather, the home of the cheesesteak. And it actually hadn’t been as long as usual since Philly’s Get The Led Out had rock ’n’ rolled in the Pioneer Valley. Based on the success...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 11, 2013 | Music
Dawn McCarthy and Bonnie “Prince” Billy What the Brothers Sang (Drag City) A collaboration between Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables and singer-songwriter Bonnie “Prince” Billy, What the Brothers Sang combines folk and country with some elements of...
by Michael Cimaomo | Dec 21, 2012 | Music
Calling the Hampshire College campus in Amherst home, Valley act Kids Choice is more than just your average college band. In fact, the group, whose members—Angus Davidson (violin, vocals), Cooper Evans (keyboard, vocals), Mike Healey (guitar, vocals), Josh Keehn...
by Tom Sturm | Jan 15, 2013 | Music
The Fallen Starlets celebrate the release of their new CD with Arc City Angels and The Wheel. Jan. 19, 9 p.m., The Elevens, 140 Pleasant St., Northampton, (413) 586-9155.
by Advocate Staff | Jan 29, 2013 | Music
Lord Russ Heir of Mystery (Tchoupitoula Music) Russell Brooks, aka Lord Russ, has evolved over time into a fascinating musical creature whose DNA is rich in genetic material from David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Greg Lake, Justin Hayward, Marc Bolan, Syd Barrett and...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 18, 2013 | Music
Walter Strauss Planet Solitaire (Redstone) Walter Strauss is dedicated to stretching the acoustic guitar’s boundaries, most recently through explorations of African music. On half of Planet Solitaire’s tracks his six-string emulates the 21-stringed kora....
by Gary Carra | Dec 28, 2012 | Music
It’s shameless, really, the way members of the fourth estate utilize the holiday season to regurgitate copy published throughout the year under the guise of a Top 10 or some other thinly themed superlative just so they can hit the office party early. But far be...
by Tom Sturm | Jan 15, 2013 | Music
Elizabeth Chang plays violin with guest pianist Judith Gordon this week at the University of Massachusetts. Musical works include selections by J.S. Bach, Stephan Wolpe and George Enescu. Jan. 22, 8 p.m., Bezanson Recital Hall, 151 Presidents Drive, UMass-Amherst,...
by James Heflin | Jan 29, 2013 | Music
In the world of American jazz guitar, one name comes up again and again: Charlie Christian. In his day, the guitar went from rhythm to lead instrument, and, not coincidentally, from electric to acoustic. Much of the transition had purely to do with volume—no...
by Michael Cimaomo | Feb 18, 2013 | Music
For Northampton musician Eric Trabucco, the best rock music consists of ringing melodies, sing-along choruses, victorious guitar solos, reverb-soaked vocals and other elements. Since he had over 10 years of experience of playing in rock and metal bands throughout the...
by Gary Carra | Dec 28, 2012 | Music
He’s slung axe for Ozzy, talks sports on Sirius, and recently released a signature Guitar Apprentice instructional collection on DVD. Seated at his “Black Vatican” home studios in L.A., Zakk Wylde (zakkwylde.com) was willing to discuss all of this...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jan 15, 2013 | Music
Take one part former Grand Band Slam winner, one part classical and jazz trained tuba player, one part Warped Tour veteran, one part Berklee- educated cellist, and one part local rocker—throw everyone together, and what do you get? Well, if you live in Western...
by Michael Cimaomo | Feb 4, 2013 | Music
Despite joining forces in 2008, the rockers of West Springfield band Scrap Iron Sun possess a history that goes back further than just five years. Featuring members Scott Cleveland (guitar, keyboards, harmonica, lead vocals), George Condon (guitar, vocals), Ryan Bell...
by Tom Sturm | Feb 18, 2013 | Music
When one thinks of places where a creative soul might seek out inspiration, Florida doesn’t usually top the list. Known for its aesthetic involving flamingos, velvety black light posters and breast implants, the Sunshine State is often seen by New Englanders as...
by James Heflin | Dec 28, 2012 | Music
I turned on the stereo. Its 1979 bulbs yellowed into feeble life, the VU meters twitching. I put a hand to the perfectly weighted wheel that edges out of the front, and gouts of static rolled into the speakers, broken by babbling here, bad country music there....
by Valley Advocate Staff | Jan 15, 2013 | Music
The xxCoexist(Young Turks/ XL) As the follow-up to the band’s Mercury Prize-winning debut, this sophomore effort retains many of the same characteristics that made the xx’s first record so successful. Pulsing beats, hushed vocals, and understated...
by James Heflin | Feb 4, 2013 | Music
These days, plenty of albums get made in basements and bedrooms. Very good albums, even. The expense of a recording studio can be overwhelming, and investing the same amount of money in your own equipment can prove an irresistible temptation. Thing is, having the...
by Chris Rohmann | Feb 18, 2013 | Music
“I am on a sojourn in the desert, children, and God has given me the power to speak”: So sings the title character in Truth, a folk opera about the hard but inspiring life of the woman known as Sojourner Truth. Slave-born and illiterate, she became one of...
by Valley Advocate Staff | Dec 28, 2012 | Music
Cat Power Sun (Matador) On her first disc of all-original material since 2006’s The Greatest, Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) returns with a record that dabbles in several different genres. Discarding the more soul-influenced sound of her last album, Marshall...
by Gary Carra | Jan 15, 2013 | Music
Just as their Green River Festival runs through the heart of summer, Signature Sounds’ Jim Olsen, artist manager Carol Young and Elmer’s Store owner Nan Parati are looking to stake a claim on winter once again with their second annual WinklePicker,...
by Michael Cimaomo | Feb 4, 2013 | Music
“No Intention has existed as an entity since 1995,” says band guitarist and vocalist Jed Dion. Despite the longevity of its name, the Western Mass. punk group—which also features Craig Rivest (drums), Josh Thomson (bass, vocals) and Wayne Versace...
by Michael Cimaomo | Feb 25, 2013 | Music
With an origin dating all the way back to 2002, and its first-ever appearance on a Valley stage coming in 2009, the Western Mass rock group Zamia has worked for years to be recognized for more than just its musical efforts. In fact, the band—featuring members...
by Kathleen Broadhurst | Dec 28, 2012 | Music
Fusing traditional Mexican folk with American roots and indie rock, David Wax Museum has become one of the hottest new indie bands around. David Wax and Suz Slezak form the core of the band. Jan. 4, 8 p.m., $18, Colonial Theatre, 111 South St., Pittsfield, (413)...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jan 21, 2013 | Music
Having finalized its current lineup and started its career as a live unit in the fall of 2011, the Americana-inspired Paper Hill Casket Company is also one of many New England-based bands whose members claim residency in multiple states across the region. Evolving...
by James Heflin | Feb 4, 2013 | Music
On a humid night in New Orleans, there’s little finer than sitting on a worn curb in the greasy Vieux Carre, sipping a drink and listening to the sounds that leak out of nearby windows. Bourbon Street has its own soundtrack. It’s easy to bring it to mind:...
by Gary Carra | Feb 25, 2013 | Music
AC/DC may do do dirty deeds dirt cheap, but to accurately capture the sonic sugarplums that had been dancing in the heads of Bloomington, Indiana’s Murder By Death—and press the debut studio effort on vinyl—cost a small fortune, as the band quickly...
by Kathleen Broadhurst | Dec 28, 2012 | Music
This week the folks at Flywheel bring in a treat for lovers of the avant garde. Mixing experimental, minimalist instumentals with punk-influenced vocals, female-fronted No Wave band Priests brings a righteous fiery anger up from Washington, D.C, with support from...
by Gary Carra | Feb 25, 2013 | Music
Maybe Bon Jovi did it—as the title of their new single/current tour suggests—“Because We Can.” Perhaps there was also a dash of “because we were there anyway” sprinkled into the mix. But according to an official statement from the...
by Gary Carra | Feb 4, 2013 | Music
Scratching your head wondering how what is arguably the most enduring icon in American history is without a museum of its own? Don’t fret. According to its founder and developer, HP Newquist, the National Guitar Museum will open in a yet-to-be-determined...
by Gary Carra | Mar 4, 2013 | Music
Tru Entertainment founder/namesake John Tru said he was going to have an all-ages rock show on Sunday, March 10. And that’s just what he’s doing, despite, as he recently revealed to the Crawler, a fairly major logistical hurdle to overcome. “I had it...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jan 7, 2013 | Music
“We wanted a name that referenced music that comes from the hills, something that represented the old-time and bluegrass elements that are at the core of our music,” says Appalachian Still member Andrew Woodland (clawhammer banjo). “‘From the...
by Michael Cimaomo | Mar 4, 2013 | Music
Formed in 2011, the Western Massachusetts folk/ rock duo Indian Oven has never been a group to take itself too seriously. In fact, according to members Sam Carpenter (vocals, guitar, bass) and Griffin Bazzeghin (drums, percussion, harmonica, backup vocals), the...
by Gary Carra | Feb 11, 2013 | Music
In November of 1988, hair-band heroes Cinderella charted the highest ranking single of their career with “Don’t Know What You Got ’Til It’s Gone.” Less than three years later, a major catalyst for the band’s success—lead...
by Advocate Staff | Mar 4, 2013 | Music
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper Ripley Pine (Ba Da Bing) On her first album recorded in a professional studio, singer and songwriter Aly Spaltro (aka Lady Lamb the Beekeeper) cashes in on the potential of her bedroom recordings and demos. It’s a fully realized disc...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 7, 2013 | Music
Le Vent du NordTromper le Temps(Borealis) This is my top acoustic release of 2012. Le Vent du Nord offer everything Québeçois music should have: history, new tunes that sound old, seasonal songs, kitchen-style dance music, a soupcon of folklore, inspired...
by Advocate Staff | Mar 4, 2013 | Music
Richard Thompson Electric (New West) Richard Thompson’s new album, despite his nearly 50-year career and 40 albums, lives up to its title,Electric. Though there’s little he’s produced that I don’t admire, it hasn’t been since...
by Michael Cimaomo | Feb 11, 2013 | Music
In the fifth season of the popular cartoon series Family Guy, there is an episode in which several members of the Griffin family are forced to take on extra jobs in order to pay for son Chris Griffin’s tuition at a private school. To do his part, family...
by Advocate Staff | Mar 11, 2013 | Music
Scott WalkerBish Bosch(4AD) Scott Walker’s transformation from popular teen idol to uncompromising avant gardist is one of the most remarkable journeys in rock music. He’s recently been the subject of the documentary 30th Century Man and essay collection...
by Michael Cimaomo | Jan 7, 2013 | Music
In Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the lives of patients at an Oregon state mental hospital are turned upside down by the presence of a rebellious new admission who seeks to overturn the tyrannical reign of the facility’s head...
by James Heflin | Mar 11, 2013 | Music
Forget for a moment words like “good” and “bad” in relation to music, and cue up the sounds of Tanya Tagaq. Words that have to do with liking or not liking are inadequate to describe what she does. A Tagaq performance is hair-raising....
by Tom Sturm | Mar 11, 2013 | Music
Soul-jazz-folk diva Heather Maloney (pictured) celebrates the release of her new CD this week in Turners Falls, with special guests Poor Old Shine. March 16, 8 p.m., $12, The Shea Theater, 71 Ave. A, Turners Falls, (413) 665-4036, www.signaturesounds.com.
by Tom Sturm | Mar 11, 2013 | Music
Retro-country quartet ’61 Ramblers, fronted by longtime Valley bassist JimJoe Greedy , plays Springfield this week. March 15, 8 p.m., $7.50, Bing Arts Center, 716 Sumner Ave., Springfield, (413) 731-9730, www.bingartscenter.org.
by Gary Carra | Mar 11, 2013 | Music
Northampton-based singer/songwriter Heather Maloney says that if she didn’t write songs, she’d be covered in tattoos, because everything she writes is something “she truly wants to remember forever.” To the detriment of tattoo parlors the area...
by Gary Carra | Mar 18, 2013 | Music
Not surprisingly, Valley Classics Concert Series founder Dr. Rebecca Hartka takes her charge seriously. According to the mission statement, her annual concerts at Greenfield’s Arts Block should “make classical music—old and new—accessible to...
by Valley Advocate Staff | Mar 18, 2013 | Music
Various Artists The Rising Cost of Livin’ High and Lovin’ Hard: A Tribute to Kris Kristofferson (PIAPTK) Though perhaps not as celebrated as his fellow “Highwaymen” Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson has led the...
by Michael Cimaomo | Mar 18, 2013 | Music
Sometimes, when a member of a band is asked to describe his group’s sound, he answers by citing a specific genre like rock, pop, folk or jazz. Other times, if the band member is like percussionist Andy Mathey of the Greenfield group Something Else, the answer...
by Advocate Staff | Mar 25, 2013 | Music
The Raft Carousel (independent) Fusing jazz and funk with reggae, ska and island influences, The Raft presents a pretty eclectic and original blend of musical ingredients. Were it somewhere between 1975 and 1985, you could file them somewhere in the progressive...
by Gary Carra | Mar 25, 2013 | Music
Pittsfield-based troubadour Tony Lee Thomas has just put the wraps on his latest EP, Temet Nosce. The title is Latin for “know yourself,” and while Thomas is no slouch in that regard, he knows a lot of other people, too. With Temet, the man who has shared...
by Michael Cimaomo | Mar 25, 2013 | Music
“We never really planned to be a ‘band,’” say the members of the Amherst collective Kids On A Hill. “We were just a group of kids who enjoyed each other’s musical company and wanted to have fun playing likeable, danceable music for...
by Michael Cimaomo | Apr 1, 2013 | Music
Hear the term “free range” and most of us think of farming. Both free range poultry and free range livestock are common on farms in Western Massachusetts. But one has to travel to Florence to learn more about a much rarer subject: Free Range Cats. The new...
by Gary Carra | Apr 1, 2013 | Music
True to its name, the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival (JFF) focuses on the arts of moviemaking and storytelling. But as Festival Director Dyan Wiley is quick to point out, this year’s field of film offerings also appears to be laced with as much sound as...
by Michael Cimaomo | Apr 1, 2013 | Music
Every member of the Springfield band Crowrider is a music lifer. Whether by virtue of having played in previous groups, having written songs, or having recorded previous material, Chris Gaudreau (drums), David Buscemi (vocals), Nicole St. James (bass) and Dino Bambino...
by Advocate Staff | Apr 2, 2013 | Music
My Bloody Valentinembv(MBV) Rumored for decades, My Bloody Valentine’s follow-up to their classic Loveless has become nearly as mythical as The Beach Boys’ Smile. Twenty-two years later, it’s finally been completede_SEmDself-released by the band and...
by Tom Sturm | Apr 8, 2013 | Music
If you’re a musician or music lover and you’ve never been to Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival, you should without question add it to your bucket list. Touted as the biggest music festival in the country, the now...
by Gary Carra | Apr 8, 2013 | Music
On April 4, Steve Marion’s music was featured in Paper Mirrors, a documentary produced by UMass’ The Brio Life Arts collective that attempts to illustrate the common thread between sight and sound. On April 15, Marion leaps from the silver screen to the...
