Music in the Berkshires: Week of November 13

If you are struggling with the cooler weather, shorter days, and 4:30 sunsets, then perhaps the cure is a dose of great live music, and this is just the week for it. We have 37 shows on the calendar for the coming week – heavy on rock, indie, folk, and blues, but with some jazz, choral, Danish, Latin, and Middle Eastern mixed in. Below are a few highlights, followed by the full show rundown. 

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Jazz

We are a little lighter on jazz this week, spoiled by last week’s incredible Berkshires Jazz Sprawl. The week starts on Wednesday with Ed Moran and Co. at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Friday night, prodigy pianist and jazz composer Jason Moran and the Bandwagon perform at MASS MoCA in North Adams. Rolling Stone magazine has called Jason ”the most provocative thinker in current jazz.” Sunday morning, Andy Kelly plays at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield. And as usual, the jazz week concludes Sunday evening with Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den.

Classical

It’s hard to believe we have no purely classical concerts in the County this week, but there are several choral concerts that include classical composers, along with contemporary composers. Read about these below under “Something Else.”

Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)

We have roughly 20 performances in the popular music genres – we can’t highlight them all, but there are some great performances that should get you out at least two nights this week. The week starts off on Tuesday with Nate Martel at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield, followed on Thursday with local favorites Hot Sauce at The Lion’s Den.  

There are so many great shows on Friday night that my head is spinning. This week’s headliner is Mat Kearney – Acoustic Trio at Mahaiwe in Great Barrington. I’ve been a fan of Mat’s music for over a decade and saw him at the House of Blues in Boston back in 2011. His following continues to grow, with 824K monthly Spotify listeners. His song “Ships in the Night” has nearly 60 Million plays!

This week’s Featured Musician, Misty Blues (pictured above), performs at Berkshire Palate on Friday. You can read my interview with Gina Coleman of Misty Blues here. The upstate New York indie, folk, and pop band The Sea The Sea makes a stop on their east coast tour at The Lion’s Den. Their song “Love We Are We Love” has nearly 12M plays on Spotify. Local hip-hop and rap favorite Jackson Whalan is at Dream Away Lodge in Becket. CS&N fans will want to catch Guinevere: A Female Tribute to Crosby, Stills & Nash at Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. 

We learned after publishing last week that Firefly Gastropub in Lenox has brought back live music on Friday nights after taking a break for the summer. This week, they host the Capital Region’s Amy Ryan Band with their blues and soul music. 

On Saturday, Misty Blues performs again at Studio 9 in North Adams. They will perform their Roadhouse Revival gospel blues show. As Gina told me in our interview, “It’s gospel music, as you would hear in a juke joint. It’s not too churchy, but a lot of fun!” 

Folk/blues legend Chris Smithers with special guest The Suitcase Junket plays at The Stationery Factory in Dalton. Smither’s music has been covered extensively by artists such as his friend Bonnie Raitt. He grew up in New Orleans but started his music career in Cambridge, MA. 

Vaguely Pagan, featuring local musicians Wes Buckley, Brian Kantor, Miles Lally, and Sam McGarrity, performs their blend of rock, folk, and psych at The Lion’s Den. Folk, rock, and Americana band Jake Swamp and the Pine are at Egremont Barn. And, up at Dream Away Lodge, you can catch Winterpills and End of Season Party. It should be a great show, but I’m sad to see music taking a break at the storied venue. According to Andy at Dream Away, they plan to reopen in April.

On Sunday, you can catch rock and folk artist Nate Martel in the Taproom at Bright Ideas Brewing in North Adams, or later in the day, see Rockers Film Screening and Ska Concert Featuring Wanda Houston at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. 

Something Else

We have quite a lot in our “Something Else” category this week! If you like to dance, then you might want to get your blood flowing Thursday night at the Swing Dance Night with Wanda Houston at Berkshire Palate in Pittsfield. 

If you like music from around the world, then there are three great options for you. Williams College is hosting the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble on Thursday night. If you like Danish Folk music, then get on over to Dewey Hall in Sheffield on Friday. They are hosting the Danish Duo Gangspil – Lydom & Bugge. If Latin music is more your thing, then on Saturday, you’ll want to see the award-winning Dominican composer, guitarist, vocalist, and producer Yasser Tejeda at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. 

There are two choral concerts; the first is on Friday at Williams College when the Concert Choir & Chamber Choir will perform the music of Bach, Esmail, Hogan, Monk, Whitacre, and others. The second is the Berkshire Concert Choir: Trust the Seeds at The Common Room at the Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield. The concert will feature music by contemporary women composers writing about nature, with performances on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

If you love Tony Bennett, then you have two opportunities on Sunday to catch The Tony Bennett Songbook at St. James Place in Great Barrington.

And you can wrap up your weekend at Tourists in North Adams with Rich Remsberg and Mark Mulherrin, who will perform a “repertoire ranging from Hoagy Carmichael and Duke Ellington to the Sons of the Pioneers and Ukulele Ike.”

You can read about all of these performances and more in our weekly show rundown below or jump right to our music calendar. 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

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Bob Vacca Trio at Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield. Jazz.

Tuesday

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Nate Martel at Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield. Rock, Folk. Folk. Learn more and listen here.

Wednesday

6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Ed Moran and Co. at The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Jazz.

Thursday

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Swing Dance Night @ Berkshire Palate w/s/g Wanda Houston! at Berkshire Palate, Pittsfield. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Hot Sauce at The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Rock, Funk.

7:30 pm Middle Eastern Music Ensemble at Williams College, Williamstown.

7:30 pm – 10:00 pm The Brothers Koren & Toni Bergins at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Learn more about The Brothers Koren here. Learn more about Toni here.

Friday

6:00 pm – 9:30 pm TapRoot Sessions: Danish Duo Gangspil – Lydom & Bugge at Dewey Hall, Sheffield. Danish Folk Music. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm Misty Blues at Berkshire Palate, Pittsfield. Read our Featured Musician interview with Gina Coleman of Misty Blues. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Adelaide Punkin at Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm The Sea The Sea at The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Indie, Folk, Pop. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Amy Ryan Band at Firefly Gastropub, Lenox. Country, Blues, Rock. Learn more and listen here.

7:30 pm Guinevere: A Female Tribute to Crosby, Stills & Nash at Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.

7:30 pm Concert Choir & Chamber Choir at Williams College, Williamstown. The choirs will perform the music of Bach, Esmail, Hogan, Monk, Whitacre, and others.

7:30 pm – 10:30 pm The BTU’s at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Rock.

8:00 pm Mat Kearney – Acoustic Trio at Mahaiwe, Great Barrington. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm Jason Moran and the Bandwagon at MASS MoCA, North Adams. Jazz. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Jackson Whalan at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Hip-Hop, Rap.  Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm The Schmooze at Proprietor’s Lodge, Pittsfield. Rock, Pop, Dance. Learn more and listen here.

Saturday

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Paul Zarvis at Antimony Brewing, Lenox.

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Berkshire Concert Choir: Trust the Seeds at The Common Room, Pittsfield.  Featuring music by contemporary women composers writing about nature.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Vaguely Pagan at The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Rock, Folk, Psych. Learn more here.

7:30 pm Misty Blues at Studio 9, North Adams. Read our Featured Musician interview with Gina Coleman of Misty Blues. Learn more and listen here.

7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Jake Swamp and the Pine at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Rock, Americana, Folk. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm Fanaddicts at Knox Trail Inn, East Otis. Rock.

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Winterpills and End of Season Party at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Indie-Rock. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 10:30 pm Chris Smithers wsg The Suitcase Junket at The Stationery Factory, Dalton. Folk, Blues. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Yasser Tejeda at Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Latin. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Matchstick Architects at Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Indie rock. Learn more and listen here.

Sunday

10:00 am – 12:00 pm Andy Kelly at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield. Jazz.

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Berkshire Concert Choir: Trust the Seeds at The Common Room, Pittsfield. Featuring music by contemporary women composers writing about nature.

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm The Tony Bennett Songbook at St. James Place, Great Barrington.

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Taproom Music: Nate Martel at Bright Ideas Brewing, North Adams. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen here.

6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Jazz. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm The Tony Bennett Songbook at St. James Place, Great Barrington.

7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Rockers Film Screening And Ska Concert Featuring Wanda Houston at Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Learn more and listen to Wanda here.

8:00 pm Rich Remsberg and Mark Mulherrin at Tourists, North Adams. Performing a “repertoire ranging from Hoagy Carmichael and Duke Ellington to the Sons of the Pioneers and Ukulele Ike.”


That’s our Show Rundown for the week of November 13.

— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires

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