Music
Tundra Toddler on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Electronic punk and glitch pop artist, Tundra Toddler, played a set for Valley Advocate Sessions on Sept. 20, which is now available to stream. Interview with Tundra Toddler:
VIDEO: Tundra Toddler on Sessions Friday
Check out the Valley Advocate Sessions teaser video for electro punk and glitch pop artist Tundra Toddler. Tundra Toddler’s full performance will be available for streaming online this Friday.
‘E’-asy Come.. ‘E’-asy Go: The Big E’s final weekend and more
Still haven’t secured your Maine baked spud or lobster-laden Mac N’ Cheese from the New Hampshire building? Better hurry. Its almost time to shepherd the Clydesdales back into the trailers and put the burlap sacks of the Giant Slide in mothballs. But that...
Court Etiquette on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Court Etiquette is a Northampton-based indie pop band fused with rollicking roots rock. The band performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on Sept. 5. Check out the band’s full performance in the video below. Interview with Court Etiquette:
VIDEO: Court Etiquette on Sessions Friday
Court Etiquette is a Northampton-based indie pop band fused with rollicking roots rock. The band performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on Sept. 5 and their full performance will be released this Friday. Check out a teaser for Court Etiquette on Sessions...
Mama’s Marmalade’s Goodbye, Black Velvet Reviewed
Mama’s Marmalade is a burst of sunshine that makes dark clouds dissipate with the band’s lush vocal harmonies and jammy acoustic newgrass blend of mandolin, banjo, violin, bass, and guitar. On June 2, the Northampton-based bluegrass quintet released its debut 10-track...
Lonely Whale on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Lonely Whale is an electric singer-songwriter with rock and indie folk influences. She played Valley Advocate Sessions on September 5 and her entire set is now available for viewing. Check it out in the video below. Interview with Lonely Whale: Like what you’re...
Pixies at Smith College
The Pixies rocked out a 31-song set, which was close to 2 hours of non-stop jams last night at the John M. Greene Hall, at Smith College in Northampton. Here’s a sample of some pictures and video from their show. — Jennifer Levesque,...
Valley Show Girl: Millpond.live Hosts Music Under the Stars
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...
Parlicium on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Local indie folk trio, Parlicium, performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on August 15. The band has roots in acoustic folk rock and was one of five bands to perform at the Green River Fest 2017’s Next Wave Stage. Interview with Parlicium: Like what you’re...
VIDEO: Parlicium on Sessions Friday
Parlicium is an indie folk trio from Western Mass with acoustic roots. The band is one of five to perform at the Green River Fest 2017’s Next Wave Stage. Check out Parlicium’s full set when it’s released this Friday. Can’t wait for Friday to see more...
Interview: Peter Wolf of J. Geils Band On Music, Art School, And Playing Western Mass
Peter Wolf, the dynamic rock and blue-eyed soul frontman singer for the J. Geils Band, who co-wrote some of the band’s most popular songs such as “Love Stinks,” and “Must Of Got Lost,” is gearing up to play the Academy of Music in Northampton on Oct. 13. Valley...
The Buddy McEarns Band on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
The Buddy McEarns Band is blue roots rock n’roll with a voice out of classic soul. The band performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on August 15. Bonus Interview with the Buddy McEarns Band:
VIDEO: Buddy McEarns Band on Sessions Friday
The Buddy McEarns Band is blue roots rock n’roll with a voice out of classic soul. The band performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on August 15 and their full performance will be released this Friday. Until then, here’s a teaser of the Buddy...
Interview: The Pixies On Music, Reuniting, And Annoying The Neighbors
There’s no band quite like the Pixies with its blend of dissonant noise pop, psychedelic hard rock, surf-drenched reverb, punk rock-ish DIY leanings, and surreal lyrics that cover bizarre topics from extraterrestrials to biblical violence. Since the band’s 1986...
Michael Ruffino of the Unband: All Rock, No Bullshit
Unband bassist Michael Ruffino doesn’t bullshit. Outside on the deck at Northampton Brewery, I ask the rocker with a new memoir about music, the Valley, LA, the creative process, his book; and he’s refreshingly candid. How do you feel about the music in the ‘90s,...
Tundrastomper’s Psychedelic, Math Rocking ‘O’ Reviewed
Easthampton-based basement rock band Tundrastomper is an experimental psychedelia mutant grown from a vat of math rock that explodes into a storm with manic ferocity. There’s more than a glob of progressive rock stylings thrown into the mixer with the band’s new...
Staff PICKS! Lady Snowblood in Amherst, Freak Folkers, Orchard Ballet, and Yucks
Lady Snowblood at Amherst Cinema // FRIDAY Ah, the classic story of bloody and brutal revenge. There’s nothing quite like it. Although many think Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films are the peak of stylized action in the sub-genre, there is another film...
Chris Goudreau on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Valley Advocate staff writer – Chris Goudreau – is this week’s Sessions performer. Goudreau sings with an operatic sounding voice and has plenty of 12-string guitar chops. Goudreau is also a member of 10-piece avant-garde pop/ experimental theatrical band, The Leafies...
VIDEO: Chris Goudreau on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
Our very own Valley Advocate staff writer – Chris Goudreau – is this week’s Sessions performer. Goudreau sings with an operatic sounding voice and has plenty of 12-string guitar chops. Goudreau is also a member of 10-piece avant-garde pop/...
Basemental: DIY All-Stars: Experimental Audio Damage & Research Control Groop
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...
Staff Picks: Three County Fair, Garlic Fest, mo’
Crash, Mmm, Moo, Whee! Sounds Like a Fair to Me It’s a few days away, but I can already smell a unique blend of corn dogs, funnel cakes, old engines, smashed buses, and livestock that can only mean one thing: It’s fair time, baby! The Three County Fair is...
On Repeat: DJs, Karaoke, and Open Mics, R-SU
THURSDAY 8/31 Buccaneer Lounge: DJ. 86 Maple St., Agawam. Christy’s Lounge: DJ. 278 Main St., Indian Orchard. Doc’s Place: Karaoke. 1264 Granby Road, Chicopee. Froggy’s Saloon: DJ karaoke. 846 Airport Industrial Park, Westfield. Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center:...
Jeremy Turgeon Quintet on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
The Jeremy Turgeon Quintet from Springfield, MA, is a funky jazz band set to an R&B and neo-soul groove. The band performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on August 8. The group released its debut EP, New Journey, in 2015 and is planning to record a future...
Staff Picks: Old Crow Medicine Show, ET, Tomatoes, and Reggae
THURSDAY // Old Crow Medicine Show The originators of the open mic sing-a-long phenomenon “Wagon Wheel” are upbeat bluegrass band Old Crow Medicine Show. Although the band’s single is well known, there’s more to Old Crow Medicine Show than just...
Chicopee Downtown GetDown All Weekend
Chicopee’s Downtown GetDown The Downtown GetDown is funneling people in this weekend to check out all the cool stuff going on in The Pee. This year’s GetDown will feature a Bike Rodeo, an event usually for kids under age 13 that teaches them good ridership...
Tease VIDEO: Jeremy Turgeon Quintet on Sessions Friday
The Jeremy Turgeon Quintet is a Springfield-based funky jazz band with an R&B and neo-soul groove that performed on Valley Advocate Sessions on August 8. The band’s full performance will be released on Friday. Until then, here’s a teaser of the band in...
Valley Show Girl: Music That Got Me Through White Supremacy News
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...
Did Justin Bieber Rip Off ‘Despacito’?
“Despacito” in Spanish means “slowly,” and the “ito” in “Despacito” adds a diminutive to the word that is impossible to translate. “Softly slowly,” perhaps? “Despacito” is the title of a record-breaking song by two Puerto Rican Reggaeton artists, Luis Fonsi and Daddy...
Old Flame on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Old Flame is rollicking bluesy garage rock mixed with folk protest music. The local band performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on July 18. The band released its debut EP – Wolf in the Heather – this year and are working on a follow-up EP. BONUS:...
Basemental: Nanny’s ‘Nowhere’ Reviewed
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...
Staff Picks: Transperformance, Leafies, Surf Rock God Dick Dale+
Top events of the coming week chosen by Advocate Staff: TUESDAY // This Must Be Heaven On Tuesday at Look Park you may be able to catch a glimpse of Cher, Kurt Cobain, a Beatle, Sharon Jones, Chris Cornell, Johnny Cash, or Amy Winehouse as this year’s Transperformance...
FRIDAY Classic Rap With Masta Ace
Living hip-hop legend Masta Ace blends classic rap rhythms with modern beats and messages, and he’ll be performing in Greenfield this weekend. A major player on the underground hip-hop scene since the ‘90s. His most acclaimed release is Disposable Arts, a concept...
SATURDAY: Boogaloo Bash is First in Free Concert Series Millpond.Live, Easthampton
The Millpond.Live Concert series is getting started in a big, booty-shakin’, celebratin’ kind of way this year by featuring a boogaloo bash. What’s boogaloo? A blend of mambo, doo-wop, R&B, and funk that was hot in the 1960s, but for some unthinkable reason (this...
Lady and the Amp Rocks SATURDAY
By Kristin Palpini Lady and the Amp Rock n’ roll isn’t a given; it’s born, nurtured, and cultivated into existence. And one of the best incubators of rock in the Valley is the Institute for Musical Arts. Now in its 30th year, the Goshen program to support girls in...
VIDEO Tease: Old Flame on Valley Advocate Sessions Friday
Old Flame is rollicking bluesy garage rock mixed with folk protest music. The local band performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on July 18. Here’s a teaser of Old Flame’s performance, which will be available in its entirety this Friday. Can’t wait...
Basemental: Nanny’s “Nowhere” Is Vulnerable Grunge Rock Not To Be Missed
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...
LISTEN Jack Dwyers’ Sessions Set: Blues, folk, n’ jazz
Click the image to hear Jack Dwyer’s style of jazz, folk, and blues in the spirit of Tin Pan Alley.
Tease Video: Jack Dwyer on Sessions Friday
Jack Dwyer is a local singer-songwriter who plays a nylon-stringed guitar with a mix of jazz, folk, and blues in the spirit of Tin Pan Alley songs from the 1920s and 1930s. Dwyer performed on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on July 18 and his full performance will...
Love, Hate, and Horniness With Sondheim’s ‘Company’!
Company, one of Stephen Sondheim’s early musicals, is a funny, relatable, and insightful look at marriage, divorce, and single life. The story follows Bobby, a single man on his 35th birthday, who is celebrating with his married friends — who are all in various...
Album Review: Pop and Punk Collide In The Prozacs’ Sci-Fi Influenced “Exist”
Back in January of this past year, the members of Westfield-based pop punkers, The Prozacs, parted ways. Formed in 2001 by Jay Gauvin (or better known as J Prozac), the band had seen many different line-ups of members throughout their time performing. Gauvin was going...
Stagestruck: A List Of Things To Live For in ‘Every Brilliant Thing’
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...
Staff Picks: Smell You Later in Williamstown
Smell You Later // Thursday The Osmotheque in Versailles, France, brings visitors to the museum on a journey of smells, cataloging the historic smells of perfumes. It’s name comes from the Greek words meaning “smell storehouse.” Now Williams College is taking a stab...
LISTEN UP: Krunkelstiltskin plays that heavy rock with humor for you (SESSIONS VIDEO)
Go see it, go see it, go see it, here.
Ray Mason, the Valley’s Neil Young, Playing Aug. 3
Ray Mason, the Valley’s Neil Young If there’s a mic and some place for him to plug in his old Silvertone guitar, you’ve got a good chance of seeing Ray Mason. The tireless musician gigs up and down the Valley several times a week and for good reason — he’s awesome....
Tease Video: Krunkelstiltskin on Sessions Friday
Krunkelstiltskin is a heavy electronic driven eclectic rock band with a sense of humor. The group played on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on July 12. Krunkelstiltskin’s full performance will be available online this Friday. Until then, here’s a teaser...
‘It Was Against the Law for Black and White Musicians to Play Together,’ Springfield Jazz & Roots Fest Seeks Justice
Music is never just some notes of a melody — it’s always something more, says legendary New Orleans jazz saxophonist Charles Neville. Neville, who grew up in New Orleans during the Jim Crow era, but now resides in Huntington with his wife and children, has seen music...
Outer Stylie on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Outer Stylie is a head-banging heavy psychedelic rock band with plenty soul. The four-piece group played on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage on July 12. Like what you’re listening to? Check out the Valley Advocate Sessions page for bands and artists, including The...
Tease VIDEO: Outer Stylie on Sessions Friday
Outer Stylie is a head-banging psychedelic rock band with plenty soul. The group played on the Valley Advocate Sesssions stage on July 12. Outer Stylie’s full performance will be available online this Friday. Until then, here’s a teaser showcasing the...
The Buddy McEarns Band Playing Friday
Buddy McEarns Your Musical Respect Good time, blusey bar band Buddy McEarns rocks with driving, classical guitar riffs and just the tiniest dash of hippie jam. There’s something comforting about The Buddy McEarns Band, like looking at an old friend named...
Get Out With Staff Picks: Hang Out With Master Beaders, or Hit Up ShenaNiFest
200 Master Beaders, 1 Project — ALL WEEKEND This weekend maser beadwork artist Darcy Rosner and beaders from SweetBananberry will be at Three Sisters Sanctuary in Goshen adding another whimsical art installation to the outside gallery. They’ll be assembling a...
Review: The Blues in Bloom, Lexi Weege’s New Album
Lexi Weege is the type of performer who draws you in immediately. She’s a blues and jazz songstress with a voice that combines intimate and heartbreaking cabaret singing, in the vein of French chanteuse Edith Piaf, with 1960s boisterous rock n’ roll frontwoman...
Valley Show Girl: Soundtracking Life with Eddie Japan
Ahead of their show at the Iron Horse, I plug my purple Skull Candies into my ears, and click play on the intro track to Eddie Japan’s Golden Age. The sound of static pulls me in, reminding me of vinyl, so I pretend I’m listening on a record player, not my computer at...
Tease VIDEO Feel Good Drift on Sessions Friday
Staff Picks: Harry Potter Inspired Music with Draco and the Malfoys
Draco and the Malfoys • Saturday I held out on Harry Potter mania for years, but finally succumbed when the last book came out in 2007. I read them all in a matter of months, but I didn’t go as far as these folks, who wrote albums of Harry Potter-inspired...
Cinemadope: ‘Wanna-Bes Need Not Apply,’ Documentary on Madonna’s Back-up Voguers
“Wimps and Wanna-Be’s need not apply!” That was the tagline of a print ad announcing an open audition for “FIERCE Male Dancers” who wanted to earn a spot on Madonna’s controversial, ground-breaking Blond Ambition Tour in 1990. It would have been a dream job for any...
Eddie Japan Bringing 60s Pop With 80s New Wave to Northampton Saturday
Cinematic Pop Music Boston/Western Mass’ Eddie Japan combines that feel good ‘60s pop with a splash of ‘80s alternative new wave that’s a blast. In 2013, Eddie Japan won Boston’s ultra cool Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble, and picked up a Boston Music Award for “Live...
Behind The Music: The People and Promoters Going Beyond IHEG
For years the Iron Horse Entertainment Group with its quintet of venues — Pearl Street Nightclub, The Calvin, The Basement, The Iron Horse Music Hall, and Mountain Park — reigned over the Pioneer Valley music scene. IHEG’s rule has irked some people. Frustration with...
At Play: All Things Scottish and Great
Get your Scot on at the 24th annual Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival Saturday at Look Park in Northampton. The day-long event is jammed with all things Celtic and “tidy” (that’s Scottish slang for excellent). The day will feature Scottish music, athletic feats of...E-Edition
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