Newsletter
by Jack Brown | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Featured, Film, Newsletter
All Ages Show For years now, the Academy of Music in Northampton has played host to the annual KidsBestFest film festival. It’s a free week-long event (donations are welcome) that mixes great kid-centric movies from around the world with a local event known as...
by Will Meyer | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Basemental, Columns, Featured, Music, Newsletter
December brought with it not one, not two, but three releases from Florence psych punks Thee Arcadians — Ian St. George on guitar, Nico Lapinski on bass, and Elliot Hartmann-Russell on drums. Sure, it sounds like maybe they just put up a mic in band practice, but...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Featured, Newsletter
If you’ve never checked out Craigslist’s Missed Connections section, you really should. The Western Mass forum is full of wistful near-meEts and longing. Below is a compilation of “missed connection” items from craigslist.org. Entries include post date. Fireman...
by Richie Davis | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter
Seeking the Sacred on the Farm at the UMass Fine Arts Center Seeds of Solidarity Farm is known by anyone who’s been there not only for vegetables and herbs, but for embracing art and being enveloped by a spiritual sense. Rows of vegetables, surrounding trees,...
by Hunter Styles | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
At the bottom of the stairwell behind my apartment building, a baby stroller sat for weeks. Every time I carried a laundry basket down the back steps, I had an opportunity to read the cardboard sign strapped to the side of the stroller. In rigid capital letters...
by Chuck Shepherd | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
On Jan. 31, doctors at Stanley Medical College and Hospital in Chennai, India, removed a live, full-grown cockroach from the nasal cavity of a 42-year-old woman whose nose had been “itchy” earlier in the day. Two hospitals were unable to help her, but at Stanley, Dr....
by Chris Goudreau | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Featured, News, Newsletter
Juan is a 40-year-old Springfield resident who is married with two children under age seven. He works construction jobs when he finds them across the state and had just arrived back in the city after working a job in Marlborough when he spoke with the Valley Advocate....
by Kimya Hedayatzadeh | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Not many people would characterize the town of Amherst as poor. The downtown is interspersed with homey coffee shops, ethnic cuisine, fine dining, boutiques, and independent cinema. But behind the hip shops and $4 coffees is a growing homeless population. Though firm...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
It’s cold and the icy, black slush is up to your knees. The wind rips across the thick white fields of snow, stabbing tiny icicles through your coat. Breath in and the hairs in your nose freeze. This is February and it’s lovely.Bye, Bye ResolutionsBy the time February...
by Warren Johnston | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food Booze and Beyond, Newsletter, The Pour Man
Legendary winemaker Agustin Huneeus started Estancia Estates at the old Paul Masson winery near Soledad, California, in 1986 with the idea of producing top quality wines at reasonable prices.And since Huneeus is a pretty smart guy with a sophisticated palate and a...
by Rob Brezsny | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Astrology, Newsletter, Wellness
ARIES (March 21-April 19): By my estimates, 72 percent of you Aries are in unusually good moods. The world seems friendlier, more cooperative. Fifty-six percent of you feel more in love with life than you have in a long time. You may even imagine that the birds and...
by From Our Readers | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Featured, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
What is Trump Doing in Holyoke?As a teacher at Holyoke High School, I applaud your positive news piece about the students at Holyoke High School working to bring about more awareness to stop violence in our school community (“Between the Lines: What Do You Expect From...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Feb 13, 2017 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, The V-Spot, Wellness
I’m a 19-year-old male college student. I just started to masturbate, but I don’t know how other people will react if I get into a relationship with them and tell them about this. I would like to know how to be fully comfortable with pleasuring myself as well as see...
by Lena Wilson | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Featured, Film, Newsletter, Stream Queen
Recommendations for a romantic night in Whether or not you’re settling down with a significant other on Valentine’s Day, you’ll probably end up watching something. That’s due less to our media-ridden culture and more to the fact that this year’s holiday happens on the...
by Hunter Styles | Feb 6, 2017 | Arts, Featured, Film, Newsletter
Quick Flicks February is typically rather bleak, and this year – once again – even Punxsutawney Phil can’t hack it. We don’t blame him. We’d be headed back to the burrow too, if not for a concerted effort up and down the Valley this year to make the coldest...
by Hunter Styles | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Featured, Food + Booze, Newsletter, The Beerhunter
Local brewers share their predictions and plans Last year, the Beerhunter offered some “brew year’s resolutions” to serve as a checklist for craft beer enthusiasts on a year-long quest to try new things. This year, it seemed prudent to put the question to the brewers...
by Lena Wilson | Feb 6, 2017 | Arts, Featured, Film, Newsletter, Stream Queen
There are few mediums more powerful than the moving image. Movies, TV shows, and even music videos can transport viewers to another time, place, or lifetime. I love cinema but, with so few compelling female/LGBT characters (my favorite kinds) in mainstream titles, I...
by Hunter Styles | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Film, Newsletter
Horror auteur M. Night Shyamalan returns to what he does best Spoilers ahead! A pumpkin won the presidency, the Power Rangers are returning to theaters, and the Pats came back from 19 points behind in the fourth quarter to win the Super Bowl. To this list of bizarre...
by Chance Viles | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Music, Newsletter
Heartstrings James Hill and Anne Janelle are set to bless Vermont with their folk music this week. Winners of the Canadian Folk Music Award for traditional album of the year, Hill and Janelle focus on traditional folk with an interesting twist. The low sounds of...
by Chance Viles | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter
Meditating with Marius Artist Marius Sznajderman will be hosting his third solo art show at the Jewish Community of Amherst through April 30. Sznajderman focuses on art highlighting “judaicas,” or artwork that reflects and comments on Jewish life and culture....
by Jack Brown | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Film, Newsletter
Every year at Oscar time we get a speech about the power of visual effects and their ability to “capture the magic in our mind” or some such thing, followed by a green-screen montage of dragons, space aliens, and transforming cars that are also space aliens. Don’t get...
by Kristin Palpini | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
In a warm cottage at the end of a dirt road in Jacksonville, Vermont, Brianna Harris and Amy McNeil discuss the “creepy” side of their relationship.The couple, a ski resort grounds keeper and an engineer who have been together for seven years, exchange knowing...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Feel like makin’ love? You could bang along to the radio Top 40, Advocate reader, but that’s probably not your style. If you’re not into Selena Gomez, Ed Sheerhan, or Calvin Harris — ugh — we’ve got you covered with alternative love songs. Because metal heads, rude...
by Chuck Shepherd | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
Field work is always challenging, explained Courtney Marneweck of South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal in a recent journal article, but studying the sociology of a white rhino’s dung meant developing a “pattern-recognition algorithm” to figure out “smell...
by Kristin Palpini | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
The Trump administration’s order that all presentations and publications by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency be vetted by political appointees before their release to the public sent a shot of pain down my neck.Doug Ericksen, the EPA’s communications director...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot, Wellness
I’ve been in an on-again/off-again, oftentimes long-distance, relationship with my for-now ex-boyfriend for six years. Right now we have a “when we’re together, we’re together” arrangement and we’ve defined our relationship as open in the past.Well, things are...
by Chance Viles | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
If you have a cellphone and the ability to access the internet,no one has to celebrate a Valentine’s day alone anymore. Now there is a separate outlet for specific needs to accommodate the growing culture of online dating. Want to find a date that definitely is into...
by Naila Moreira | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, News, Newsletter
Nurturing. It’s so often a feminine term, bringing thoughts of mothers, sisters, daughters; of Gaia, the Mother Earth. For a synonym, my thesaurus gives me “motherly.” It’s a term linked, too, with gentleness and tenderness, which in turn are associated with...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Newsletter
If you’ve never checked out Craigslist’s Missed Connections section, you really should. The Western Mass forum is full of wistful near-meets and longing. Below is a compilation of “missed connection” items from craigslist.org. Entries include post date. Someone for me...
by From Our Readers | Feb 6, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
Heroin Coverage Doesn’t Go Far EnoughThe reality is no one knows “how to get off heroin,” if that is defined as the final product of a treatment that has proven, predictable efficacy in creating long-term remission from opioid use disorders (“How to Get Off Heroin: An...
by Laura Holland | Jan 30, 2017 | Arts, Featured, Newsletter
Nick Cave begins his immersive installation Until with a question: Is there racism in heaven? Instead of providing an answer, he has constructed a sequence of experiences spanning a gallery the size of a football field at MASS MoCA. With the title, Cave pivots on the...
by Jenny Bender and Amanda Herman | Jan 30, 2017 | Featured, News, Newsletter
Editor’s Note: This week, we are delighted to collaborate with Jenny Bender and Amanda Herman, two active community members (one writer, one photographer) who set out this past year to do a citizens’ oral history project on our Muslim friends and neighbors. This...
by Chris Rohmann | Jan 31, 2017 | Arts, Featured, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
The two shows now playing at Hartford’s rep theaters couldn’t be more different, but they still share some core themes. They are Shakespeare’s rambunctious, large-cast Comedy of Errors, at Hartford Stage, and Dominique Morisseau’s small, intense contemporary drama...
by Jack Brown | Jan 30, 2017 | Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Featured, Film, Newsletter
Building a Wall Over the last few years, a regular appointment in Boston meant that I was frequently traveling along Route 2 between Franklin County and the Hub. It was more convenient than driving south to hook up with the Pike, and more picturesque, even if it did...
by Will Meyer | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Basemental, Columns, Music, Newsletter
When I started at Hampshire College in 2010, there was this cool band of upperclassmen that kind of blew my mind. They were called Pale Cowboy. They had jazz influences, but it was clear that making irresistible pop music was their thing. One song won me over, which...
by Hunter Styles | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter, Stage
Beyond the Burger If you knew only that Eugene Boris Mirman was born in the Soviet Union in the mid 1970s, you might be skeptical of the quality of his stand-up comedy. If you knew Mirman only from the animated FOX show Bob’s Burgers, where he portrays an 11-year-old...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
Wash and Dry (Easthampton) Wanted to comment on the man I saw at the laundromat in Easthampton on Tuesday afternoon. you have beautiful blue eyes. We were folding our clothes at the same time. Hopefully you will read this, I would love to hear from you. Jan. 24, 2017...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter
The Super Bowl is as mainstream America as an apple pie filled with mini U.S. flags and red Solo cups, so what is an alternative-type person to do at an upcoming super football party if he wants to keep it real? Represent. The pull to party with the people you love is...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Between the Lines, News, Newsletter
The first time I watched “Holyoke High Fight! Stop Violence,” I expected to see a video of a couple kids beating on each other or a message from a parent-teacher association pleading for peace.“Couple high school kids from Holyoke,” said an email from a colleague who...
by Amanda Drane | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Columns, News, Newsletter, Third Eye Roaming, Wellness
Brian Leaf wants you to pass gas, audibly, in yoga class at least once.Why, you might ask? He says the practice reacquaints you with your humanity.The barrier-breaking suggestion is one of many in a new book written by local author Leaf, The Teacher Appears: 108...
by From Our Readers | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News, Newsletter
One Week. Still Alive.My liberal friends are freaking over the prospect of the 45th president. But to be fair and balanced, I’ve decided to give the new president a chance. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. I think I’m going to enjoy the “post-reality era”...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Bad Vibes Dear Yana,I want a new vibrator. The problem is that my body is SO sensitive that even the first setting on all of them are way too intense for me. I could do it manually, but I’m lazy. Advice? — Vibrators Can Buzz Off Dear Buzz Off, First thing’s first:...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
Schools’ standardized tests are often criticized as harmfully rigid, and in the latest version of the Texas Education Agency’s STAAR test, poet Sara Holbrook said she flubbed the “correct” answer for author motivation — in two of her own poems that were on the test....
by Warren Johnston | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, News, Newsletter, The Pour Man
Broadside Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon; $12.99 Although it might be hard to tell from our contradictory weather these days, we’re in the dead of winter, a season that cries out for deep, rich red wines full of dark berry and plum flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon is one...
by Hunter Styles | Jan 23, 2017 | Arts, Featured, Film, Music, Newsletter, Stage
Reflective Collective What happens when eight talented women — all of whom are involved in creative communities across Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties — meet to make poetry and art together? In the case of Exploded View, they create multimedia exhibits and...
by Peter Vancini | Jan 23, 2017 | Arts, Featured, Newsletter
From Kuniyoshi to Cowabunga I have to admit that it seemed odd walking through a hall of classical Greek sculptures in the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum to visit an exhibit devoted to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book art. The whole thing felt suspiciously...
by Chris Rohmann | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Film, Newsletter, Stage, Stagestruck
Travels with a Masked Man, John Hadden’s compelling “two-character solo performance,” seems to fall squarely in the by-now-familiar genre of the one-person memoir, in this case exploring a rocky relationship with his father. Except that this one is not at all typical....
by Gary Carra | Jan 23, 2017 | Arts, Columns, Featured, Leisure, Music, Newsletter, Nightcrawler
After more than two decades delivering the music news in print, Nightcrawler moves online Editor’s Note: Scene stalwart Gary Carra’s Nightcrawler column has long been a fixture at the Valley Advocate — a history that goes back, as he explains here, to the bygone era...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 24, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Music, Newsletter
Metal Shenanigans at Shenanigans • Friday Once a month, Shenanigans in Westfield hosts a free metal night. A night full of metal, with a bar in earshot of the stage? Sign me up. But hey, since there is no cover charge, bring some extra cash in case you wanna buy merch...
by Hunter Styles | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Music, Newsletter
Spiritual Rez Setting in the West Self-released People love reggae songs for the same reason people hate reggae songs: every slow, delirious second laid down is in service to the beat. Everyone from Bob Marley on down has brought flair, trippy switch-ups, and...
by Jack Brown | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Film, Newsletter
The Man Upstairs Let me say this right up front: I’ve never acted a day in my life. The closest I came was tagging along with a friend while he auditioned for an open call for extras on a pirate movie, where my college-freshman goatee briefly attracted the attention...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
My impression of the Women’s March in D.C. was one of amazement, relief, and hope. At first, the prospect of joining the march was intimidating. I was unsure of my safety, of how the opposition would react toward the protest. We arrived at the rally site...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter
Art, Life, and the Connecting Corridor In last week’s opinion column “Between the Lines: Censorship or Good Sense?” editor Kristin Palpini asked readers for their thoughts on a painting depicting police officers as feral pigs, which was recently removed from a...
by Advocate Staff | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, News, Newsletter
From the Daily Hampshire Gazette editorial board Shortly after Donald J. Trump gave his inaugural address Friday, the Rev. Franklin Graham described the rain that began when our nation’s 45th president stepped to the podium as a symbol of blessing. After hearing...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Food + Booze, Newsletter, O Cannabis!
Recreational marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts on Dec. 15, 2016, but the state is in a legal gray area right now as a system to sell weed is established. The consumption of recreational marijuana is now legal, but the sale of recreational marijuana isn’t yet....
by Advocate Staff | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, Newsletter
If you’ve never checked out Craigslist’s Missed Connections section, you really should. Like all geographic designations on the forum, the Western Mass list is full of wistful near-meets and longing. Below is a compilation of “missed connection” items from...
by Chuck Shepard | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, News, News of the Weird, Newsletter
In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals finally pulled the plug on Orange County, California, social workers who had been arguing in court for 16 years that they were not guilty of lying under oath because, after all, they did not understand that lying under oath in...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Jan 23, 2017 | Articles, Columns, Newsletter, The V-Spot
Dear Yana, I’m a 19-year-old girl who has never had sex. I want to sleep with my boyfriend, 23. He’s had sex before, but doesn’t know I’m a virgin. I don’t really want him to know I’m a virgin, but I know I’ll probably have to tell him. The only reason I haven’t told...
by Hunter Styles | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Newsletter
We All Float On Leverett artist Susan Valentine acquired a kayak last summer. It was worth it. “Leverett Pond is a tiny walk from my studio,” she explains. “On the pond, I was inspired to slow down. I spent many a day on the water’s surface, tooling around and being...
by Will Meyer | Jan 16, 2017 | Articles, Arts, Basemental, Columns, Music, Newsletter
Roxy Leblanc has been a mainstay in the Hadley underground for as long as I can remember. She fronted the band Great Smokey, an earnest and groovy psych group that took a few forms between 2009 and 2016, before calling an indefinite hiatus last winter. Since then she...
