Music
Local Calendar: Thursday 8/2 – Sunday 8/5
THURSDAY 8/2 MUSIC Amherst Downtown Beats – Flathead Rodeo & Colorway: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Free. The Amherst BID’s Downtown Beats Summer Concert series continues with a performance by Flathead Rodeo and Colorway.Kendrick Park, East Pleasant St., Amherst....
Staff Picks Week of 8/2 – 8/8
Valley Show Girl Presents at the 13th Floor Music Lounge // SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 The Valley Advocate’s own Valley Show Girl columnist Jennifer Levesque is curating a lineup of local acts at the 13th Floor Music Lounge in Florence, which includes guitar and synth driven...
Pick of the Day 8/1: Joe Purdy at the Iron Horse
Firstly: Welcome to August! We have now entered the eighth month of 2018 and it’s kind of hard to believe! Anyway, folk rocker Joe Purdy is in Northampton tonight. Purdy is prolific; he’s released fourteen albums over the last fifteen years. His music...
Local Calendar: Tuesday 7/31 & 8/1
TUESDAY 7/31 MUSIC Alceste: 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. 12 Senior/$14 General. Opera based on heartbreaking story narrated by Euripides: King Admetus is dying and his wife, Alceste offers Apollo her own life in exchange for that of her beloved. $South Hadley’s Tower...
Riley Duggan on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Riley Duggan is a poetic folk singer-songwriter with heartfelt melodies. Interview with Riley Duggan:
Valley Show Girl: A show/album review for Body/Head
I have been to a handful of noise shows at The Root Cellar in downtown Greenfield and I just love the vibe. So, I gave up my usual lazy Sunday night and made my way over to check out the happenings. I sat at the bar and finally had the pleasure of ordering a Coconut...
Basemental: Body/Head’s album could be a soundtrack for the end of the world … or capitalism
The experimental guitar duo Body / Head — Kim Gordon and Bill Nace — released their second studio album, The Switch, earlier this month on Matador. The band’s 2013 debut, Coming Apart, skewed closer to traditional songs, at least in the abstract sense. Gordon, who, of...
Pick of the Day 7/27: Elliot Street Block Party in Brattleboro
If you’re in Brattleboro, Elliot Street is the place to be on Friday. Celebrate food, the arts, and the shops with your green mountain neighbors. Get your grub on at the international food crawl, take your little ones to a concert for kids, and do your grown up thing...
Local Calendar: Thursday 7/26 to Sunday 7/29
THURSDAY 7/26 MUSIC A Little Night Music: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church will present “A Little Night Music” every Thursday during the month of July at 6:00pm. Free, donations accepted for all food items. Trinity United Methodist Church, 361...
Pick of the Day 7/26: Corazon de Granada
Ready to heat things up? Check out Corazon de Granada tonight as they bring their impeccable Flamenco music and dance to New City Brewery in Easthampton. You can expect “a passionate evening … steeped in tradition,” the event hosts promise. Corazon...
VIDEO: Riley Duggan on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
Riley Duggan is a poetic folk singer-songwriter with heartfelt melodies. Check out a teaser for Duggan’s upcoming Advocate Sessions performance, which will be released this Friday.
Pick of the Day 7/24: After the Rain at the Whately Library
Sometimes you just want to mellow out, right? So why not scoot up (or down) I-91 and check out an outdoor concert by After the Rain at the Whately Library. After The Rain performs acoustic and a cappella arrangements of everything from traditional Appalachian to...
Local Calendar: Monday 7/23 – Wednesday 7/25
MONDAY 7/23 MUSIC Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival 2018: MASS MoCa, 1040 MASS MoCA WAY, North Adams. Kitchen Jam – Local Music Rocks! Concert: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. 2nd performance of our Local Music Rocks! Concert Series. Happening rain or...
Christa Joy on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Christa Joy is a local singer-songwriter who writes bittersweet country folk songs about everyday life and impermanence. Watch her Valley Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with Christa Joy:
Pick of the Day 7/20: Valley Music Showcase
This Friday, the Valley Music Showcase will feature original local bands live onstage in a variety of genres as they compete for prizes such as recording time or a slot on our own Valley Advocate Sessions. The special guest for the evening is Advocate Sessions...
VIDEO: Christa Joy on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
Christa Joy is a singer-songwriter who writes bittersweet country folk music with songs about everyday life and impermanence. Check out a short video teaser of Christa Joy’s upcoming Valley Advocate Sessions performance available online this Friday.
Out of the spotlight: Sexual assault lurks in the Pioneer Valley local music scene
Author’s note: This article discusses sexual assault and trauma and includes personal stories from victims of sexual harassment, assault, and rape. The Pioneer Valley is unique for its thriving and diverse music scene with dozens of venues and hundreds of local...
Valley Show Girl: Family Fun Day at Green River Festival
For the past 32 years, the Green River Festival has taken over a weekend in July, spreading out over the fields at Greenfield Community College — three days filled to the brim with music, food, drinks, art, crafts, vendors, hot air balloons, and community. This year,...
Local Calendar: Monday 7/16 – Wednesday 7/18
MONDAY 7/16 MUSIC AMHERST JAZZ ORCHESTRA: July 16, 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. With vocalist Ethel Lee. Great food. Union Station Grand Ballroom, 125A Pleasant St., Northampton. 413-253- 1607. info@amherstjazzorchestra.com. Bang on a Can Summer Festival 2018: July 16,...
Pick of the Day 7/14: Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival
The Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA is a week of innovative music making dedicated entirely to “adventurous” contemporary music. For three weeks composers will have their new works performed, and musicians will perform in ensembles sitting...
House Sparrow on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
House Sparrow is an indie pop duo from the Berkshires that combines sleigh-bells and synth. Check out the band’s complete Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with House Sparrow:
Pick of the Day 7/13: Next Wave Stage at Green River Fest
My buddy Chris Goudreau made this his Staff Pick, so take heed: “Signature Sounds Recordings will continue its Next Wave Stage this year at the 2018 Green River Festival, highlighting up and coming teenage bands across the Pioneer Valley and northern Vermont....
Local Calendar: Thursday 7/12 – Sunday 7/15
THURSDAY 7/12 MUSIC Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival 2018: MASS MoCa, 1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams. David Krakauer’s Acoustic Klezmer Quartet: 8 p.m. Yiddish Book Center Members: $45, General Admission: $50. Delight in a performance emphasizing the beauty of...
VIDEO: House Sparrow on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
House Sparrow is an electronic indie pop duo with sleigh bells and synth. Check out a teaser of the group’s upcoming Advocate Sessions performance to be released on Friday.
A chat with medieval folk rocker Candice Night of Blackmore’s Night
For more than two decades medieval folk rock duo Blackmore’s Night has been performing its unique blend of rock meets medieval folk on authentic period instruments. The band is led by husband and wife duo Ritchie Blackmore (formerly of Deep Purple and Rainbow), who...
Pick of the Day 7/10: Whisper and Shout at Amherst Cinema
Okay, I know this the second movie in a row for picks, but this is special! Amherst Cinema is showing a free screening of Whisper and Shout, a 1988 documentary that explores the East German rock music scene in the late 1980s — on 35 mm! Well-established bands, like...
Local Calendar: Monday 7/9 – Thursday 7/12
MONDAY 7/9 MUSIC Monday Night Music – Robert Speth and Jay Letourneau: 7 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Tilton Library, 75 N Main St., South Deerfield. STAGE/FILM/DANCE The Closet: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown. ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. 1000 Main...
Pick of the Day 7/8: Asleep at the Wheel
Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel is swinging through Northampton tonight! The Iron Horse is playing host to the Austin based band that’s been in existence in some form or another since 1970. In that time, they’ve won 9 Grammys. Check them out and...
Pick of the Day 7/7: Valley Show Girl
You know her, you love her, and you want to support her! Jen Levesque, aka the Valley Show Girl aka the Valley Advocate graphics guru, hosts The Valley Show Girl premiere tonight at 13th Floor Music Lounge. Everybody who’s anybody will be there; she’s...
Emma June on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Emma June is a singer-songwriter who performs folk opera songs on guitar with lush vocal duo harmonies. Check out her full Valley Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with Emma June:
Local Calendar: Thursday 7/5- Sunday 7/8
THURSDAY 7/5 MUSIC Drop-in Traditional Music Sessions: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. $5. Friendly traditional music sessions. Moderate swingy pace. Adults and teens of all skill levels welcome – and not just fiddles. Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz St., Northampton....
Local Calendar: Monday 7/2 – Thursday 7/5
MONDAY 7/2 STAGE/FILM/DANCE The Closet: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown. The Sound Inside: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown. TUESDAY 7/3 STAGE/FILM/DANCE The Closet: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown. Make It Funny Open Mic Comedy: 8...
Pick of the Day 6/30: Cajun Dance Night at the Root Cellar
The Root Cellar is hosting a cajun dance night this month featuring two local bands. The first is Les Taiusts from Western Mass and southern Vermont, an old school electric Cajun dance hall band, followed by fiddle due drive group Terrible Mountain String Band. The...
Asia Mei on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Asia Mei is a Northampton-based singer-songwriter and virtuoso pianist with a dash of 1990s alt rock. Her complete Valley Advocate Sessions performance is available for viewing in the video below. Interview with Asia Mei:
Pick of the Day 6/29: Tuck and Patti at the Iron Horse
I saw Tuck and Patti at the Iron Horse in what seems like one hundred years ago. And one hundred years later, they’re in Northampton again. This dynamic duo is comprised of married couple guitarist William Charles “Tuck” Andress and singer Patricia...
The CDs You Gave Me: Colorway’s ‘These Are The Days’ will give you hope for humanity
Northampton-based pop rock trio Colorway embodies the spirit of summer on its new nine-track record, “These Are The Days,” with inventive shredding guitar solos and catchy earworm melodies that for better or for worse promotes a simple message of peace, love, and...
Local Calendar: Thursday 6/28 – Sunday 7/1
THURSDAY 6/28 MUSIC Children of the Falls: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Join us the patio for an evening of classic rock hits performed by Children of the Falls. 6 to 10 pm. All Ages. No Cover. Free. Luxe Burger Bar, 1200 West Columbus...
Pick of the Day 6/27: The Naked + Famous
The New Zealand indie electronic band Naked and Famous just played a sold out show in DC and they’re bringing their Stripped tour to town tonight at the Iron Horse. The band has been around since 2007 and has produced three albums. Tonight they’ll strip...
VIDEO: Asia Mei on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
Asia Mei is a Northampton-based singer-songwriter with virtuoso piano and a dash of 1990s alternative rock. Check out a teaser video for her Advocate Sessions video, which will be released this Friday.
Valley Advocate Q&A with Klezperanto – klezmer, surf, funk, Columbia big band music, and cop show themes all in one
Klezmer music is by its nature a joyous high energy form of music, but what do you get when you add in Mediterranean melodies, Romanian surf tunes, covers of cop show theme songs, and a funk groove? You get Boston-based band Klezperanto. They’re set to play...
Local Calendar: Monday 6/25 – Thursday 6/28
MONDAY 6/25 MUSIC A Very Intimate Acoustic Evening with Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo: June 25, 8 p.m. $71 – $141. Experience special arrangements from two rock and roll icons during A Very Intimate Acoustic Evening with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Mahaiwe...
Pick of the Day 6/25: Summer Concert in Turner’s Falls
Let’s dance! That’s what the Montague Community Band wants you to do tonight. A concert on the lawn at Peskeomuscut Park in Turner’s Falls will give you a dose of summer in New England. This week’s theme is, indeed, “Let’s...
Pick of the Day 6/24: A Voice for ALS Fundraiser
Here’s a worthy cause: A Voice for ALS features NBC Voice star Terry McDermott. Although the concert is free, contributions to the ALS Association are encouraged. For many with ALS losing their voice is connected with the loss of identity; here’s a great...
Valley Show Girl: Rock Like It’s 1794
For my last column, I wrote about The Stone Church in Vermont, a church renovated into a performance venue. What are the chances I happen to find another one of those without knowing it until I show up? Well, I did. Enter the 1794 Meetinghouse in the center of the...
Mamma’s Marmalade on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Mamma’s Marmalade is a jammy bluegrass group with old timey cheer. Check out the band’s Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with Mamma’s Marmalade:
VIDEO: Mamma’s Marmalade on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
Mamma’s Marmalade is a a jammy bluegrass group with plenty of old timey cheer. Check out a teaser video of the band’s Advocate Sessions, which will be released this Friday.
Local Calendar: Thursday 6/21- Sunday 6/24
THURSDAY 6/21 MUSIC British Dance Invasion: 7 p.m. Academy of Music Theatre, 274 Main St., Northampton. Colorway Album Release with Easy Weasel, Featuring Chris Collingwood: 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. $10 advance, $12 at the door. Colorway has been keeping the spirit...
Pick of the Day 6/22: Christopher Bekriges at the Bing
Got a personal note from Christopher Bakriges. He and whole bunch of heavyweights are in Forest Park tonight at the Bing. I’ll let him speak for himself: Pianist/composer Chris Bakriges will be “joined by his mentor at Wesleyan University, Jay Hoggard...
Pick of the Day 6/21: Vilray at the Parlor Room
There’s a lot going on tonight: Junior Reid at Hawks and Reed and Liz Longley at the Iron Horse. But I thought I’d let Vilray (pronounce Vil-ree) give his own shout out for today’s pick. He posted this back on 6/11. You can see him up close and...
Pick of the Day 6/20: Junior Brown at the Iron Horse
Okay, honestly, I can’t stand new country music; it’s a horrible thing. I absolutely despise it. So when somebody like Junior Brown blows into town, it’s an opportunity to hear country music done right. Junior Brown’s a country guitarist...
Pick of the Day 6/19: Mutlu at the Iron Horse
After last night’s wild and woolly weather, you need a de-stressor. Check out the smoothness of Mutlu at the Iron Horse tonight. He’s a real deal, a soulful singer-songwriter from Philly and a proud first-generation American of Turkish descent. He’s...
Local Calendar: Monday 6/18 – Thursday 6/21
MONDAY 6/18 MUSIC AMHERST JAZZ ORCHESTRA: 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Free. With vocalist Ethel Lee. No cover, free parking and great food. Union Station Grand Ballroom, 125A Pleasant St., Northampton. 413-253-1607. info@amherstjazzorchestra.com. STAGE/FILM/DANCE On...
Basemental: Wendy Eisenberg just wants to be a good person and make very complicated music
Wendy Eisenberg has made a name for herself in the amalgamated DIY, jazz, and improvisation scenes in New England and beyond. Coming via Rochester and then Boston, Eisenberg now lives in Amherst. Eisenberg has a variety of tactics in her artist’s toolbox. Among them...
Pick of the Day 6/17: Brooke Annibale at the Parlor Room
It makes my job easy when my picks make their own plugs! Singer songwriter Brooke Annibale posted this on Twitter Friday afternoon: “Playin in Northampton, MA this Sunday night@ParlorRoomMusic with Ben Jaffe! Everybody bring your dads cause it’s Father’s Day and...
Pick of the Day 6/16: Kevin Morby at Gateway City Arts
Kevin Morby rose to fame as bassist in the folk rock band Woods and as the co-founder of The Babies. It’s the one year anniversary of his fourth studio album City Music; it was released on June 16, 2017. He describes the album as a “listless...
Lisa Marie Ellingsen on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Lisa Marie Ellingsen is a Northampton-based Americana singer-songwriter who’s a little bit folk, blues, rock, and country. Her full Advocate Sessions performance is now available to watch in the video below. Interview with Lisa Marie Ellingsen:
VIDEO: Lisa Marie Ellingsen on Advocate Sessions Friday
Check out a short teaser video of local Americana singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Ellingsen. Her full performance will be available tomorrow.
Pick of the Day 6/15: Hot Club of Cowtown at the Iron Horse
The Hot Club of Cowtown is at the Iron Horse, swinging and twanging and doing their thing tonight. They’re celebrating their 20th anniversary by releasing their first-ever CD format of their very first recording, Western Clambake. Western Clambake has only been...
Pick of the Day 6/14: Albert Lee at the Iron Horse
English guitarist Albert Lee is at the Iron Horse tonight. Lee is known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. A Grammy winner, Eric Clapton says Lee is “the ultimate virtuoso. His skill is extraordinary, his ear is extraordinary and he’s gifted on just...E-Edition
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