As the third week of September unfolds, the FreshGrass Festival at MASS MoCA takes center stage, boasting over 20 performers across multiple stages. With favorable weather in the forecast and an outstanding lineup, it’s shaping up to be an ideal way to enjoy a fall weekend in New England. For those not attending FreshGrass, there is plenty of other music in Berkshire County, with 38 performances on the calendar, spanning classical, opera, jazz, rock, folk, pop, blues, and even an African children’s choir. Below are some highlights for the week ahead, followed by our comprehensive show rundown.
Classical and Opera
We have three classical and opera performances this week. On Friday evening, you’ll find Berkshire County Historical Society presents Billy Budd in Collaboration with Berkshire Opera Festival and the Tanglewood Learning Institute at the Linde Center at Tanglewood. The program will present selections from the 1951 opera Billy Budd composed by Benjamin Britten and performed by baritone Markel Reed, tenor Colin Aikins, and pianist Noah Palmer. Saturday afternoon, you can enjoy The BBS Harpsicord Festival: Peter Sykes plays a 50th Anniversary Concert at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Stockbridge. Sykes will perform works by Couperin, Sweelinck, Bach, and Canzano. Sunday afternoon, the fall series at the South Mountain Concert Hall in Pittsfield continues with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing works by Mozart, Kodály, and Dvořák.
Jazz
We have five jazz performances in the county this week. The music starts Tuesday night with Jazz Night with Paul Ostermayer and Friends at Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill in Pittsfield. On Wednesday night, you’ll find the Ed Moran Trio at the Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Sunday morning, you can catch the Domingo Brunch featuring K&R at Dottie’s and Dorothy’s in Pittsfield. At midday, Michael Junkins performs at the Jazz Brunch at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Then, in the evening, you’ll find Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den. This week, Michael features “Junk” with Will Hudgins on Vibes.
Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)
This week, the popular music category has over 25 performances – not counting all the individual performances at the FreshGrass Festival. We can’t highlight them all, but we will mention a few (see our calendar or show rundown below for all the performances).
The music starts Tuesday with Trevor Wheelock at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield. On Wednesday, the Misty Blues Trio with Gina Coleman performs at portaVia in Dalton as part of their month-long residency.
Thursday night, you’ll find two folk musicians, Megan Burtt and Chelsea Berry, at The Egremont Barn. Burtt, from Colorado, has won the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, and Berry, of New England, was dubbed the “Pink of folk music.” At Dream Away Lodge in Becket, you can catch the folk-pop music of Strawberry Runners.
Friday night kicks off the FreshGrass Festival at MASS MoCA in North Adams. The headliner for the evening is Shakey Graves (pictured above). Other Friday evening performers include Cahaba Roots and Adia Victoria. Elsewhere around the county, you’ll find The Rejuvenators featuring Wanda Houston at The Egremont Barn, and Bossa Blue, described by frontman Brad Cole as “Not just bossa nova and blues, but rock, samba, jazz, R&B, old soul,” at The Lion’s Den.
FreshGrass continues with a full day on Saturday. The headliner for the day is The Devil Makes Three. Other performers include Drive-by Truckers, Alison Brown, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, and Béla Fleck, who was interviewed in the September 2021 issue of Berkshire Magazine. Local musician Andy Wrba and Friends will also be performing on Saturday. You can read Andy’s article, “From the Inside,” sharing his perspective on FreshGrass in the current issue of Berkshire Magazine. Elsewhere on Saturday, you can see Katherine Winston & Michael Aaron at The Lion’s Den, and Music in the Berkshires Featured Musician Milton at Dream Away Lodge. Fans of 80’s bands such as Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Journey, and Foreigner will want to catch Mullett: ’80s Hair Band Rock Tribute at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. Four Sticks – Led Zeppelin Tribute is at The Egremont Barn.
FreshGrass continues through the afternoon on Sunday. Wrapping up the event is the Grammy®-winning headliner Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. Other performers include three-time International Bluegrass Music Association Vocal Group of the Year Sister Sadie, New Dangerfield, and Darol Anger & Bruce Molsky. Elsewhere on Sunday afternoon, you’ll find Hot Vox Trio at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond and Aimee Van Dyne performing outdoors at Lilac Park in Lenox. In the evening, you can catch Jude Roberts at Dream Away Lodge.
Something Else
We have four performances In our our Something Else category. On Wednesday evening, you can enjoy the African Children’s Choir at the First Baptist Church of North Adams. The choir is composed of African children, aged 8 to 11 years old, many who have lost one or both parents through the devastation of war, famine, and disease. They are said to “melt the hearts of audiences with their charming smiles and delightful African tunes, accompanied by ethnic instrumentation.”
Friday night, catch Big Wigs, a Las Vegas-style impersonation show, at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. Mrs. Kasha Davis and Aggy Dune offer stunning impersonations of legends like Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Adele, and more. Saturday afternoon, ARKAI – Crossroads is at the New Marlborough Meeting House. ARKAI is an award-winning electroacoustic duo that has inspired audiences worldwide through genre-defying string music. Sunday night, you’ll find Tambacum at Race Brook Lodge, in Sheffield. Tambacum is a traditional and folkloric music group founded in 2020 on the Afro-Pacific coast of Colombia.
You can read about all of these performances and more in our day-by-day show rundown below or jump right to our music calendar. Please note that our deadline for inclusion in the weekly narrative above and the day-by-day listing below is Wednesday at noon. Check our music calendar for shows we’ve added after our weekly publication deadline. Use the subscribe button below to receive this free weekly rundown of upcoming performances in your inbox each Monday. And if I missed a performance, please contact me, and I’ll add it to the calendar.
Monday
No performances.
Tuesday
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm Jazz Night with Paul Ostermayer and Friends @ Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Trevor Wheelock @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
Wednesday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Misty Blues Trio with Gina Coleman @ portaVia, Dalton.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Ed Moran Trio @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm African Children’s Choir @ First Baptist Church of North Adams, North Adams.
Thursday
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Taraka DJ @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Megan Burtt and Chelsea Berry @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Strawberry Runners @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Friday
5:00 pm FreshGrass North Adams @ MASS MoCA, North Adams.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Tony Bernardo @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Bossa Blue @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Live Music with Clara Guatta @ Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Berkshire County Historical Society presents Billy Budd in Collaboration with Berkshire Opera Festival and the Tanglewood Learning Institute @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm The Rejuvenators featuring Wanda Houston @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Big Wigs @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Brian Benlien @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
Saturday
10:00 am FreshGrass North Adams @ MASS MoCA, North Adams.
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Trevor Wheelock @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Mike Cobb & The Crevulators @ Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Sheffield.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Bucketlist @ Brookhouse Sports Pub and Restaurant, Lanesborough.
3:00 pm – 4:20 pm Bobby Sweet and Lara Tupper @ Devonfield Inn, Lee.
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm The BBS Harpsicord Festival: Peter Sykes plays a 50th Anniversary Concert @ St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Stockbridge.
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm ARKAI – Crossroads @ New Marlborough Meeting House, New Marlborough.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Trevor Davis @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
7:00 pm The Mikes @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Katherine Winston & Michael Aaron @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Four Sticks – Led Zeppelin Tribute @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Mullett: ’80s Hair Band Rock Tribute @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Duece Moose @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Milton @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm Even It Up @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
Sunday
10:00 am FreshGrass North Adams @ MASS MoCA, North Adams.
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring K&R @ Dottie’s and Dorothy’s, Pittsfield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Michael Junkins @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Hot Vox Trio @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Aimee Van Dyne @ Lilac Park, Lenox.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center @ South Mountain Concert Hall, Pittsfield.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Jude Roberts @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Tambacum @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires