The live music scene in The Berkshires continued to heat up this week as the warm (we dare say hot!) weather arrived in Berkshire County. There are 28 shows on our calendar for this week, and several venues announced their summer line-ups, including The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington. There are too many shows to cover all of them, but here are a few highlights:
You can catch Sam Brown at the Lion’s Den in Stockbridge on Thursday. She’s a great performer from NY City who has been spending more time in the Berkshires lately. We wrote recently that she’ll be performing at Dream Away Lodge in May, so this is an opportunity to check her out before seeing her in Becket at Dream Away.
U.S. Elevator will be at the Lion’s Den on Friday. They are the band featuring Santa Barbara-based folk-rocker Johnny Irion who has frequently played in the Berkshires.
For a great family event, you might consider seeing Young at Heart: Music with Aldo & Maggie, one of the first shows of the season at Dewey Hall in Sheffield. They will play at 11:00 am on Saturday, featuring traditional folk fiddle tunes.
Saturday night is a big night in the Berkshires, as Dream Away Lodge has its opening night celebration, according to their Facebook page (their website does not appear to be up and running yet). Mike and Ruthy of The Mammals will be playing there at 8:00 pm – doors open at 6:00 pm, and we are betting it will be crowded!
On Saturday evening, Carolyn Wonderland, pictured above, is playing at The Stationery Factory in Dalton. She’s been called “a musical force equipped with the soulful vocals of Janis and the slinging guitar skills of Stevie Ray Vaughan.” You can hear her on YouTube here. (Photo credit: Marilyn Stringer)
If Jazz is your thing, you may want to see the Brian Patenaude Quartet playing at the West Stockbridge Historical Society on Saturday night at 7:30. Brian has been a mainstay of the northeast jazz scene for years.
For a rare opportunity to hear gospel music in the region, see The Williams Gospel Choir at Williams College at 4:00 pm on Saturday.
Sunday brings several opportunities to hear classical music. Hear Mozart Violin Sonatas, Part 3 at Bard College at Simon’s Rock at 3:00 PM. Or, you can go see Close Encounters With Music: From Bach Brandenburg to Appalachian Spring with Manhattan Chamber Players at the Mahaiwe at 4:00 pm. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can do both 🙂