Brutal? No, beautiful: Holyoke artist Michael Karmody has found beauty — and a decent living — in concrete creations
By Samuel Gelinas Staff Writer Artist Michael Karmody knows a hard truth about concrete — that it is often associated with sidewalks and jails, not attractive things. But, serious question. What does concrete actually look like? For Karmody, the only serious answer...
Drum roll, please: Longtime UMass percussion instructor Thom Hannum inducted into Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Thousands of University of Massachusetts Amherst students have learned from percussion instructor Thom Hannum, whose 40-year career at the college included a tenure as the assistant director, then associate director, of the Minuteman...
Scary and true: Half-hanged Mary and the real women behind the area’s most compelling ghost stories
By Melissa Karen Sances For the Valley Advocate “And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” — Friedrich Nietzsche I have never liked ghost stories. But when I heard about Half-Hanged Mary of Hadley, I was spellbound. Not that long ago, and...
Who ya gonna call?: Quabbin Valley Paranormal investigates reported hauntings
By Domenic Poli For the Valley Advocate If there’s something strange, in your neighborhood … it could have a perfectly mundane explanation. A peculiar scratching on a roof might be interpreted as a haunting spirit yearning to be left alone in their home, and an...
Theater Matters with Jarice Hanson: Shining the spotlight on social responsibility: Productions focus on themes of loneliness, and more
By Jarice Hanson For the Valley Advocate Tom Hanks knows a thing or two about good stories Tom Hanks is often quoted as having said: “The best stories are always about loneliness.” After seeing the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Primary Trust” at Barrington Stage...
Monte Belmonte Wines: Wine Snob Glossary, Part 2
By Monte Belmonte For the Valley Advocate In the last edition of the Valley Advocate, I created for you a brief wine glossary designed for non-wine people. The last column went from A-L: “ABV” to “legs.” Then I ran out of column space. If you are reading this...
Rock for all: Whole Children’s resident Friendship Band to perform alongside indie rockers Yo La Tengo at 20th anniversary concert, The Bash, Oct. 23
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer The Northampton organization Whole Children, which serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with indie rock band Yo La Tengo at 33 Hawley on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. At...
Inside the witch house: Horror filmmaking couple Aaron Fradkin and Victoria Fratz Fradkin set their most recent, ‘Beezel,’ in Northampton
By JENNIFER LEVESQUE For the Advocate It’s always spooky season when you have a love for horror movies, scary stories and a curiosity of anything dark and morbid. And fall accentuates that spooky feeling for everyone. Finding a new horror series or collection of...
Prepare to be transported back to your youth: Thornes is about to open an extensive arcade of vintage video games
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer An arcade near Boston will soon have a new location in Northampton. Hometown Arcade will open its third location in the basement of Thornes Marketplace this November, replacing what used to be Acme Surplus, though the exact opening date...
What can you expect from a Cuddle Party? Conversations about consent happen before anything else
By MELISSA KAREN SANCES For the Advocate As the sun sets over the Hidden Temple in Florence, 14 adults in their comfiest pajamas sprawl on a generous bed of quilts. Outside on this crisp October Saturday, the foliage is just starting to turn, its pops of color...
‘One sentence can change the course of a relationship’: Valley Players stage first full production, ‘Constellations,’ this weekend and next
By CAROLYN BROWN Staff Writer Valley Players, a local volunteer theater group formed earlier this year, will perform their first full production in Amherst this weekend and next. The show, “Constellations,” by playwright Nick Payne, will be at Munson Memorial Library...
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Jump for joy: The Lindy League of Western Massachusetts makes swing dance accessible and fun
By MELISSA KAREN SANCES For the Advocate As snow mingles with rain this Tuesday evening, the door to Spare Time Northampton is cool to the touch. But inside the bowling alley’s City Sports Grille, the cracks of falling pins fade into the warm pulse of swing music. The...
V-Spot: How Do I Have Group Sex, Properly?
What is the proper etiquette??
Staff Picks: Guitars, fireworks, and a debate watch party
Get out and do stuff!
The Beerhunter Abroad: Japan – Land of the Rising Suds
After dark, standing in a 24-hour convenience store in downtown Kyoto, I scanned the rows of canned and bottled beers in a bright refrigerated case. Virtually everything on offer was a product of one of the “big four” Japanese breweries: Sapporo, Suntory, Asahi, and...
Stagestruck: Two Great Ladies on Noah’s Ark
My partner, a literature professor, has noted a principle in both scholarship and fiction that she calls the Noah’s Ark Approach: If you want to get attention for your female subject, pair her with a famous man. Two new plays in Berkshire theaters illustrate that rule.
