Reaching for the stars: Thirteen-year-old Florence singer Victoria Narvaez shines with new song
By Carolyn Brown For the Valley Advocate Thirteen-year-old Victoria Narvaez of Florence knows she’s a star — and she has a new song to prove it. Narvaez released her debut single, “I’m A Star,” at a listening party at her family’s business, Goodworks Coffee House in...
A feeling you can’t replace: Body slams and feisty feuds, Pioneer Valley wrestling has it all
By Hannah Bevis For the Valley Advocate All hope seems lost. The hero, the crowd favorite, Pedro “The Shot-Caller” Dones, lies defeated in the center of a wrestling ring. The crowd lining the walls of the upstairs room of the Pulaski Club in Easthampton is hushed as...
Monte Belmonte Wines: Ruminating over wine knickknacks: How far we have fallen culturally when we have replaced Syrah with schwag
By Monte Belmonte For the Valley Advocate The somewhat suspect science that has told us for many years that “a little wine is good for you” seems to be going the way of leeching. When it comes to reliable medical advice, there has been some bad news for wine lovers....
Theater Matters with Jarice Hanson: Breathing fresh life into ‘old chestnuts’: Classics made new (but not too new)
By Jarice Hanson For the Valley Advocate One of the most common terms in theater parlance is the “old chestnut.” This is a type of show that has been around a long time and often has themes, music, or values that are guaranteed to encourage potential audiences to...
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...
Before Salem, there was Springfield: New exhibit explores ‘Witch Panic’ in mid-1600s western Mass
By Emilee Klein Staff Writer Around 50 years before the infamous Salem witch trials, fear of witches first plagued the colonial people of western Massachusetts. In the enterprising settlement of Springfield, founder and fur trader William Pynchon and his colleague,...
How to grow a creative community: Meet the eight artists selected for CitySpace’s 2025 Pay It Forward program
By SAM FERLAND Staff Writer CitySpace’s Pay It Forward Program offers performers funding to produce a show. But it is also building something greater that cannot be staged: a tight-knit artistic community. The Pay It Forward Program is in its fourth year, and will...
Voices ‘In Defiance’: New book highlights 20 lesser known abolitionists
By TINKY WEISBLAT For the Valley Advocate Readers will no doubt be intrigued by the title of a new book from Olive Branch Press. “In Defiance” (248 pages, $25) is subtitled “20 Abolitionists You Were Never Taught in School.” True to the title’s promise (or almost so),...
Statement pieces: Gallery A3 in Amherst hosts juried show to foster unity through art
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Painter Robert Rauschenberg once said, “The artist’s job is to be a witness to his time in history.” A new juried art show in Amherst wants to bear witness to the current political moment by promoting unity. Gallery A3 in Amherst will...
20 hours to celebrate 20 years: Valley Free Radio host to broadcast for nearly a day, Aug. 7
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer A local radio host is gearing up for an uninterrupted 20-hour broadcast next week. Yes, that’s right – 20 hours straight. Jack Frisch, who hosts the jazz program “The Downbeat” on Valley Free Radio every Tuesday afternoon, will host a...
Living, breathing, label-free music: Etchings Festival is ‘the natural habitat for something that doesn’t fit any specific mold’
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Etchings Festival is all about showcasing original contemporary music in a way that transcends boundaries. It’s not exactly a classical festival, though its Ecce Ensemble is made of classical musicians. It’s not exactly a world festival,...
Sessions
Check out our most recent performances in the playlist below, or click here to dig into interviews and related material!
Cannabis industry leaders gather at Hampshire College summit to widen appeal of plant
Community awareness sessions will need to happen in order to make the new adult-use cannabis industry accessible and accepted by everyone.
‘Space is the place’: Sun Ra Arkestra plays the Academy of Music, May 18
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Legendary Afrofuturist bandleader, composer, and musician Sun Ra had an eye on the cosmos. Though he passed away in 1993, the members of his 13-person musical ensemble, the Sun Ra Arkestra, have since kept his legacy alive through shows...
V-Spot: Has My Date Been Canceled?
“Cancel culture” has become such a beast in our social landscape that I struggle to even want to write this column at all, to be honest.
How high will you get from weed? Know thyself, not thy THC
By ROBIN GOLDSTEIN For the Advocate When you were studying for your driver’s license exam, you might have had to memorize the claim that a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and a 1.5-ounce shot of tequila would each get you equally drunk. In the years since, you...
Brew Years Resolutions 2019 – Local brewers share their plans for the coming year
More than two dozen breweries opened in Massachusetts last year, and we should expect even more growth in 2019. If we see fewer brewery openings over time, it will be because craft beer fans have so many locally-loved businesses to buy from.
Stagestruck: The Land on Which We Dance
It’s become standard practice in the region’s theaters to offer a land acknowledgement before every performance. As Jacob’s Pillow’s artistic director Pamela Tatge says every night, “The land on which we dance is the ancestral homeland” of the Native peoples whose...
