Mixtape: The darkness is coming: New releases from Burial Grid and Eyrie House Ruins
By Jennifer Levesque For the Valley Advocate Burial Grid “NORD Compendium” I’ve been following Adam Kozak’s musical career since we were both in high school. Dare I say, close to 25 years later, Kozak is still one of my favorite local musicians. His latest conquest,...
Magical gatherings: Welcome to The Realms, a medieval live action role-playing game held throughout New England
By EMILEE KLEIN For the Valley Advocate Ken Crowley, Kaitlin Haslam and Ally Crowley are just like any other Granby family. But when they cross a wooden bridge by a willow tree somewhere in the town’s forest, suddenly, Ken, Kaitlin and Ally are no longer. But on this...
New dispensary brings unique outlet model: Oz Club is Easthampton’s fifth cannabis shop
By Sam Ferland For the Valley Advocate The Oz (pronounced ounce) Club is the newest cannabis dispensary in Easthampton, a new branch from two owners who are already familiar with the cannabis industry. The dispensary located at 17 East St. not far from Route 5 has...
Brutalism’s legacy looms large: With Trump calling for return to classical federal architecture, concrete campus landmarks highlight beauty, function
By Samuel Gelinas For the Valley Advocate Love him or hate him, Donald Trump has a point: brutalism is “unpopular.” Last month the president and former luxury real estate developer issued an executive order calling for future federal buildings to steer clear of...
Monte Belmonte Wines: Everything you ever wanted to know about cork taint: To wine snobs, cork taint smells like wet newspaper
By Monte Belmonte For the Valley Advocate Cork taint! It’s just fun to say. But when it comes to drinking wine, it is a less fun experience. When casual wine drinkers think of wine “going bad,” they often talk about it turning to vinegar. If wine is way too old or...
Theater Matters with Jarice Hanson: Berkshires close an outstanding theatrical season: Signs of rich regional productions ahead
By Jarice Hanson For the Valley Advocate While the Berkshire Theatre Critics’ Association will be doling out the “Berkies” for outstanding performances and productions early next month, three of the major Berkshire theater anchors are concluding the 2025 summer season...
Mixtape: ‘Let the Good Times Roll’: Eddie Japan with Greg Hawkes, playing the music of The Cars
By Jennifer Levesque For the Valley Advocate There are some bands whose music stand the test of time. Whether it’s their toe-tapping melodies or poignant lyrics, some songs always resonate with new audiences. In the late ’70s when rock and pop music were getting a...
Painting into the depths of motherhood: ‘How to Bear the Unbearable Body: The Artwork of Emily Orling’ is at the A.P.E. Gallery through Nov. 1
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer A colorful exhibition of surrealist artworks layered with personal and cultural symbolism, “How to Bear the Unbearable Body: The Artwork of Emily Orling,” is up at the A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton through Saturday, Nov. 1. Though the...
You are what you ink: UMass exhibition blurs lines between art, tattoos, and identity
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer It’s not often that you see tattoo art on display in an art gallery, but a University of Massachusetts alum will soon change that with an upcoming exhibition. Alex Leon Sherker’s art show “Who Are You? Who Am AI?” will be at the Augusta...
Apples and art, the perfect autumn afternoon?: Eighth biennial Art in the Orchard on view at Park Hill Orchard
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Park Hill Orchard in Easthampton will host its eighth biennial Art in the Orchard exhibition, a half-mile sculpture trail on the orchard’s grounds, until Sunday, Nov. 30. The orchard itself is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, but the...
The battle for equality goes back nearly two centuries: New book examines efforts by Black Americans to fight segregation in public transport
By STEVE PFARRER For the Valley Advocate Along with Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Kwame Ture, Rosa Parks is one of the celebrated names of the civil rights movement: the Montgomery, Alabama woman who refused to move from her seat on a bus in 1955, sparking a...
Sessions
Check out our most recent performances in the playlist below, or click here to dig into interviews and related material!
National Marijuana Company GTI First to Open Medical Dispensary in Amherst
“The very thing that catalyzed their difficulties is now catalyzing their opportunity,” Kadens said. “We just want to be active and involved in our community.”
Mixtape: Three psychedelic trips to ease your musical soul: New releases from locals: Gold Dust, Princess Ghoul and Bunnies
By Jennifer Levesque For the Valley Advocate Gold Dust, “In the Shade of the Living Light" Gold Dust originated as a solo project for Stephen Pierce, a local punk musician who wanted to step outside of that genre and into traditional folk and psychedelia. After...
The V-Spot: Can I Ask for More Sex Without Being a Creep?
Ask your partner about their boundaries, respect the boundaries that are set, hold space for discussing each others needs with consent and optionality always on the table and you’ll be avoiding the very behaviors that make a sexual predator predatory.
An exhibit that flows like water: “Boundless” at Amherst College showcases over three centuries of Native American art and writing
By STEVE PFARRER Staff Writer From the pages of a 17th century Algonquin-language Bible, to a 2021 painting that celebrates the majesty of whales, a new exhibit at the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College devoted to Native American art is built around the theme of...
Western Mass Beer Week is Back! Here’s what’s happening
Here are just some of the events we’re looking forward to between June 8 and 15.
Stagestruck: Roots & Wings
Sandglass Theater’s biennial international Puppets in the Green Mountains festival brings together a wide variety of performances under the theme “Roots & Wings.”
