Heavy metal meets mutual ownership at new Easthampton venue
By Sam Ferland For the Valley Advocate Most new businesses use scissors at ribbon cuttings to celebrate opening. When that business is a heavy metal music venue and bar combo, now open in the heart of Easthampton, it’s only fitting to use a sword instead. That...
Longtime manager becoming owner of three Turn It Up! music stores
By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN For the Valley Advocate MONTAGUE — As Turn It Up! approaches its 30th anniversary, the music store is falling into the hands of a new, but not unfamiliar, owner. Founders Patrick Pezzati and Chandra Hancock are selling the business, which has...
‘An act of faith’: Amherst Area Gospel Choir returns after 2-year hiatus
By MELISSA KAREN SANCESFor the Valley Advocate After two years of silence, the voices of the the Amherst Area Gospel Choir will rise again. On Saturday, Dec. 13, the group will present the Black Gospel Christmas Story at the Wesley Methodist Church in Hadley. The...
Traditional Irish band Socks in the Frying Pan brings high-energy music to Northampton
By CAROLYN BROWNFor the Valley Advocate Socks in the Frying Pan, the high-spirited, traditional music-playing trio from County Clare, Ireland, known for combining virtuosic musicianship with humor and charm and fervor for their roots, will soon grace the Iron Horse...
‘Wicked’ gown: Holyoke designer’s Dorothy-inspired dress stuns at New York City premiere
By CAROLYN BROWN For the Advocate A dress designed in Holyoke recently made its way to the New York City premiere of “Wicked: For Good.” Fashion designer Joseph Charles, who co-owns Paper City Fabrics in Holyoke, created a dress for “Oz” collector and historian Tori...
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...
Art imitates life: ‘Swamped,’ a play bridging social divides, to be performed in Hadley
By Domenic Poli For the Valley Advocate Those who missed the theatrical debut of “Swamped,” the new play written and directed by Wendell resident Court Dorsey, at the Wendell Meetinghouse in October can see it be performed in December in Hadley. “Swamped” centers...
Dancing with yourself: Madelyn Farr’s class empowers sensuality, self-expression in older adults
By CAROLYN BROWN For the Advocate When daily life seems to be speeding up, who wouldn’t love to learn “how to embrace the nuances of our experience, the beautiful and the ugly, with grace and reverence?” Or share a “cathartic experience of transcendence” in a safe and...
Earth Matters: What, who lies beneath the dog park: Exploring Northampton’s Cemetery Hill, its legacy
By Allie Martineau and Brianna McCormickFor the Valley Advocate At the unofficial Northampton dog park on Burts Pit Road, tiny rocks trickle down the steep walking trail, followed by dogs of all sizes panting their way into the forest. As the trail levels out, the...
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...
Sessions
Check out our most recent performances in the playlist below, or click here to dig into interviews and related material!
So … Is Pot Legal or Not in Massachusetts?
The blossoming legal Massachusetts marijuana industry is being affected by all of this uncertainty.
Traditional Irish band Socks in the Frying Pan brings high-energy music to Northampton
By CAROLYN BROWNFor the Valley Advocate Socks in the Frying Pan, the high-spirited, traditional music-playing trio from County Clare, Ireland, known for combining virtuosic musicianship with humor and charm and fervor for their roots, will soon grace the Iron Horse...
V-Spot: Is He Cheating By Watching Porn?
Why does he feel he can look at this porn but not have sex with me and feel this is OK?
Staff Picks: Wet’suwet’en Nation fundraiser, Wishbone Zoë, Shelter Me: In Times of Need, and a Sherlock Holmes mystery
A fundraiser at Majestic Saloon for the Wet’suwet’en Nation, an indigenous group in the British Columbia region; experimentalist songwriter Wishbone Zoë is set to release her third album, French of the Bird; “Shelter Me: In Times of Need,” by Hadley native Steve Latham, is airing on WGBY-TV; a dramatic reading of Sherlock Holmes at the Hooker-Dunham Theater.
The Beerhunter’s guide to the 2018 Western Mass Beer Week
These days are packed, so plan wisely, and consume responsibly.
Stagestruck: Hot-Weather Hits
After shutting down two years ago, then edging back with skeleton seasons last year, theaters in the region are back at full capacity this summer. Here are some of the shows I’m looking forward to seeing up and down the Valley.
