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...
Holyoke hosts inaugural Paper Festival: Crafts, exhibitions, tours, contests and more in the ‘Paper City’ this Saturday
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Holyoke was known for its thriving paper industry – that’s how it got the nickname “Paper City.” Now, over a century later, the city will celebrate the legacy and impact that paper production had on the...
Profiling ‘The Raider’: New book by UMass history professor Stephen Platt explores the life of a celebrated but unconventional Marine
By STEVE PFARRER For the Gazette Stephen Platt, who teaches 19th and 20th century Chinese history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, made a significant name for himself with his two last books. “Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom,” an account of China’s bloody...
Local tragedies, set to song: Historic Northampton will stage ‘Northampton Stories: From the Operas of Sawyer & Erdman’ next weekend
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Two dark moments in Northampton history – the 1806 execution of two innocent immigrants and the 1960 arrest of a closeted Smith College professor – have an unlikely connection: an upcoming event will explore them both in opera. Historic...
‘My heart requires it’: Pioneer lesbian singer-songwriter Linda Shear will perform benefit show in Northampton, May 31
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Celebrated lesbian singer-songwriter Linda Shear will play a benefit show for Straw Dog Writers Guild on Saturday, May 31, at 4 p.m. at Northampton Center for the Arts. Shear founded the band Family of Woman, the first openly lesbian band...
Fearlessly following her muse: Artist Rosemary Barrett’s upcoming show in Easthampton is rich with surrealist oil paintings
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Holyoke artist Rosemary Barrett has worked in many mediums, but her upcoming show in Easthampton will highlight a collection of oil paintings. Barrett’s show, “The Awakening,” will be featured at Big Red Frame in Easthampton from...
‘Irving Berlin’s View of the East River’ films in western Mass: Behind the scenes of an indie movie set in the Valley
By EMILEE KLEIN Staff Writer ‘Reset!” There’s an inaudible moan among the cast and crew when director Sarah Knight cues the walk back down the path along the Connecticut River dike in Hadley to record another take after nearly an hour of running the same scene. The...
Holy Smokes Theatre lands in the Valley: Newly relocated theater company to stage queer ‘erotic horror comedy’ at Easthampton’s CitySpace this weekend
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Holy Smokes Theatre, which used to be based in southern New Hampshire, now has a home in the Pioneer Valley — and they’re debuting a new show here this weekend. The theater company, led by founder Wren Hannah, will premiere an original...
‘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...
Block and roll: Roller Derby, the ‘sport for misfits,’ finds a home in the Valley
By Hannah Bevis For the Valley Advocate The floor of Interskate 91 South is often filled with young skaters teetering around the track, but the athletes on it now are sure on their skates, focused and ready to battle. Two jammers sit poised, their bodies coiled in...
Mixtape: Feeling lucky: ‘Second Tongue’ is the new album from local indie rockers The Lucky Shots
By Jennifer Levesque For the Valley Advocate Local musician Noam Schatz has been playing drums in bands since he was 14 years old. I took a look at his website for his band The Lucky Shots, and I was in awe: The list of bands he’s been in since the ’90s is impressive....
Sessions
Check out our most recent performances in the playlist below, or click here to dig into interviews and related material!
O Cannabis: Getting Into The Weeds Of Massachusetts’ Pot Bill
Also: Medical MJ Users Are Protected By Workplace Discrimination Law
Eat to the beat: New event series in a new venue mixes music, meals, and job training
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer At an upcoming new concert series at a recently opened venue in Holyoke, guests can listen to live music while they eat themed meals and help local students build career skills. The series, Feast & Harmony, will debut next week at De...
V-Spot: Working on your strap-on skills
This question is obviously kind of difficult to Google, which is why I’m writing in!
Staff Picks: Mad Habits, Rosie Porter, Crooked Still, and a Short Film Festival
This Sunday at Majestic Saloon in Northampton will feature the musical stylings of progressive folk quartet Mad Habits.
The Beerhunter: A Crafty New Crop
Stone Cow Brewing helps keep an old dairy farm going Massachusetts used to be covered in dairy farms. But industries change with the times. “You can’t really make it in New England solely as a dairy farmer anymore,” says Sean DuBois. “Wholesale milk prices have really...
Passing the Torch
Two women leaders of Valley theaters – – Priscilla Kane Hellweg of Enchanted Circle Theater and Lucinda Kidder of Silverthorne Theater Company – have retired from the troupes they’ve nurtured from seedlings into models of socially engaged theater. Recently I chatted with them about the highs and lows, triumphs and tribulations of their respective tenures, from first inklings through Covid.
