Music in the Berkshires: Week of July 31

We close out a scorching July and move into the first week of August, which, sadly, kicks off the last month of the Tanglewood season. So it’s time to amp up your dosage of Berkshire live music and take full advantage of the incredible music scene we enjoy here in the county.

Our music calendar has over 78 performances this week, featuring multiple styles and genres, including classical, jazz, rock, Americana, pop, folk, blues, and even a swing band! Here are a few highlights, followed by the complete show rundown.

Tanglewood has eleven performances this week, with highlights including Dima Slobodeniouk conducts Adams and Brahms featuring Emanuel Ax, piano on Friday, and the John Williams’ Film Night on Saturday. Tanglewood even offers one jazz performance on Sunday: The Aaron Diehl Trio. Other classical performances include the Pluto String Ensemble at The Foundry in West Stockbridge on Sunday.

Jazz lovers can find multiple opportunities to get your jam beginning with Gruppo Mondo on Monday at The Barn Kitchen and Bar – they play again Thursday at Bounti-Fare. You will also find jazz brunches with David Bartley and Pete Toigo at Dottie’s in Pittsfield and Luke Franco at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. There are also several performances with jazz influences, including Sami Stevens and Louis Apollon and Alie Chipkin at the Egremont Barn on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, and Minor Moon at Bright Ideas Brewing in North Adams, also on Saturday.

Swing band lovers won’t want to miss The Glenn Miller Orchestra at Mahaiwe on Sunday afternoon.

We have several national touring musicians in the region this week. Banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, pictured above, performs at the Mahaiwe Friday night, and Ruthie Foster, blending blues, folk, gospel, and jazz, performs at The Stationery Factory that same evening. Also on Friday, the 70’s rock band Ambrosia, who had several Top 40 hits, comes to the Colonial Theatre.

The Berkshire’s own Johnny Irion performs at the Berkshire Botanical Garden on Monday and on Saturday night, lovers of The Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, and The Band won’t want to miss the Watkins Glen Revival with Dead Man’s Waltz at Bousquet. Other local favorites include The Eggmen, a Beatles cover band, playing at Egremont Barn on Friday.

You can read about all of these performances and more in our weekly show rundown below, our jump right to our music calendar. Use the subscribe button below to receive this weekly rundown of upcoming performances in your inbox.

Monday

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Gruppo Mondo at The Barn Kitchen & Bar 103 Spring St. Jazz.

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Johnny Irion at Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm Wes Buckley at Greylock Works, North Adams. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm Stefan Asbury and the TMC conducting fellows conduct Esmail, Thorvaldsdottir, Monnakgotla, and Frank at Tanglewood, Lenox. Reena Esmail RE|Member, Anna Thorvaldsdottir Metacosmos ,Tebogo Monnakgotla Un Clin d’oeil, Gabriela Lena Frank Walkabout: Concerto for Orchestra.

Tuesday

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Shyne at Great Barrington VFW, Great Barrington. Rock.

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Happy Together Band at Adams Visitor Center, Adams. 

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Patty Keough at Firehouse Cafe & Bistro, Adams. 

Wednesday

1:30 pm Open Oboe and English Horn Workshop With Robert Sheena at Tanglewood, Lenox. 

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Live Rock and Jazz Music at The Purple Pub at Purple Pub, Williamstown. Rock, Jazz.

5:15 pm – 9:00 pm David Reed at Oasis Bar and Grill, Lee. Learn more and listen here.

5:30 pm – 7:15 pm GypZBilly at Great Barrington Town Hall, Great Barrington. Learn more and listen here.

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Horns B. Funk at Onota Lake, Pittsfield. 

 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm The Hilltown Trio at portaVia, Dalton.

6:30 pm The JoAnne Redding Collective at Lilac Park, Lenox. Learn more and listen here.

6:30 pm E.R.I.E. at Windsor Lake, North Adams. 

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Mark Franklin at Dalton CRA, Dalton. 

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Kala Farnham at Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox. Folk. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm DCSC: Henry Wolfe & Phil Carluzzo at Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Rock, Pop, R&B. Learn more and listen to Henry here. Learn more and listen to Phil here.

8:00 pm Danish String Quartet at Tanglewood, Lenox. Schubert String Quartet in A minor, D. 804 “Rosamunde”, Anna Thorvaldsdottir Rituals, Schubert Gretchen am Spinnrade, D.118 (arr. Danish String Quartet).

Thursday

5:15 pm Melissa Brinton at Oasis Bar and Grill, Lee. Rock, Jazz. Learn more and listen here.

5:30 pm – 7:15 pm Lucky Bucket Band at Great Barrington Town Hall, Great Barrington. 

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm PanNeubean Steel at Naumkeag, Stockbridge. Learn more and listen here.

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Karen Tchougourian at Gateways Inn, Lenox. Jazz.

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Happy Together at Dalton CRA, Dalton. 

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Rebecca Conran at Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Colby Lewis & Steve Ide at Antimony Brewing, Lenox. 

7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Lexi Weege & the JJ Slater Band at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Learn more and listen to Lexi here.

7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Sami Stevens at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Jazz. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Gruppo Mondo at Bounti-Fare, Adams.  Jazz, Funk,  Rock,  Blues.

Friday

4:30 pm – 8:00 pm Silver Chain at Catamount, South Egremont. 

5:15 pm Melissa Brinton at Oasis Bar and Grill, Lee. Jazz, Rock. Learn more and listen here.

5:30 pm – 7:15 pm Peter & Allen & Friends at Great Barrington Town Hall, Great Barrington. 

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Mark Franklin at Bousquet, Pittsfield. 

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Wanda Houston at Gateways Inn, Lenox.

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Berkshire Busk in Downtown Great Barrington. Music performances include Daring Coyotes, Mike Pagnani, Lucky Bucket, Jasperoo, Karen and David, and David Reed.

7:00 pm dB & the Hertz at Berkshire Palate, Pittsfield. 

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Local night with Ciarra Fragale, Verboten, and James Barry at Belltower Records, North Adams. Learn more and listen to Ciarra here. Learn more and listen to Verboten here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jason & Trev at Rusty Anchor Pub, Pittsfield.

7:30 pm Ambrosia at Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield. Learn more and listen here.

7:30 pm – 10:30 pm The Eggmen at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Beatles cover band.

8:00 pm Béla Fleck – My Bluegrass Heart Band at Mahaiwe, Great Barrington. Banjo virtuoso. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm Dima Slobodeniouk conducts Adams and Brahms featuring Emanuel Ax, piano at Tanglewood, Lenox. John Adams Shaker Loops, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1.

8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Bobby Sweet with Pete Adams and Lara Tupper at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. 

8:00 pm – 10:30 pm An Evening with Ruthie Foster at The Stationery Factory, Dalton. Blues, Folk, Gospel. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm The Best Times at Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox. Rock. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Adelaide Punkin at Antimony Brewing, Lenox, MA. Learn more and listen here.

Saturday

10:30 am Open Rehearsal: Kazuki Yamada conducts Mendelssohn and Berlioz featuring Lucas and Arthur Jussen, pianos at Tanglewood, Lenox. 

1:30 pm BU Tanglewood Institute Young Artist Chorus at Tanglewood, Lenox. 

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Berkshire Busk in Downtown Great Barrington. Music performances include Michael Aaron at Berkshire Mountain Distillers and Jerry and His Ukuleles at Robin’s Candy.

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Holly Slade at Rusty Anchor Pub, Pittsfield.

2:30 pm= TLI Presents: Astrid Schween, cello, and Shai Wosner, piano at Tanglewood, Lenox.  Debussy Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Britten Sonata for Cello and Piano in C, Op. 65, Brahms Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38. 

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Minor Moon at Bright Ideas Brewing, North Adams. Jazz.

5:15 pm Tess Inderbitzin at Oasis Bar and Grill, Lee. Rock, Jazz.

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Peggy Stern at Gateways Inn, Lenox. Jazz.

6:00 pm – 10:30 pm Watkins Glen Revival with Dead Man’s Waltz at Bousquet, Pittsfield. The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and The Band. Learn more and listen here.

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at Berkshire Busk in Downtown Great Barrington. Music performances include Daymen, Mad Max and Hootchie Cootchie Gal, Willy Welch, and Aimee Van Dyne.

6:30 pm – 10:00 pm Berkshire Busk in Downtown Great Barrington.  Main Stage music performances include Firetown Road, and The Haughties.

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Wednesday Knudsen at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Bronte Roman at Firehouse Cafe & Bistro, Adams. Learn more and listen here.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Les Chrostowski at Rusty Anchor Pub, Pittsfield.

7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Louis Apollon And Allie Chipkin at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Jazz, Folk, World. Learn more and listen to Louis here. Learn more and listen to Allie here.

8:00 pm John Williams’ Film Night at Tanglewood, Lenox. 

8:00 pm Urban Renewal at Guthrie Center, Great Barrington. Funk, West African.

8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Mal Devisa at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm The Wallpapers at Antimony Brewing, Lenox. 

8:30 pm Brass Attack at Knox Trail Inn, East Otis. Rock.

9:30 pm – 11:00 pm Big Blood at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. 

Sunday

10:00 am TMC Chamber Music at Tanglewood, Lenox. 

10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Jazz duo David Bartley and Pete Toigo at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield. Jazz, Blues.

11:00 am – 2:00 pm Michael Aaron at Starving Artist Cafe & Creperie, Lee. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen here.

12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Luke Franco at Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. 

12:30 pm – 2:30 pm Kevin Smith, GypZbilly & Sherry James Buxton Trio at First Congregational Church of Lee, Lee. Learn more and listen to GypZbilly here.

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm The Riverside Brothers at portaVia, Dalton.

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Lee Rogers at Antimony Brewing, Lenox. 

2:30 pm Kazuki Yamada conducts Mendelssohn and Berlioz featuring Lucas and Arthur Jussen, pianos at Tanglewood, Lenox. Mendelssohn Concerto in E for two pianos and orchestra, Berlioz Symphonie fantastique.

4:00 pm Sonic Era Touring Presents: The Glenn Miller Orchestra at Mahaiwe, Great Barrington. 

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Pluto String Ensemble at The Foundry, West Stockbridge. Classical.

7:30 pm – 9:00 pm SonHenry at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Learn more and listen here.

7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Elana Arian Live In Concert with New Moon Rising at Duffin Theatre, Lenox. Jewish music. Learn more and listen here.

8:00 pm The Aaron Diehl Trio at Tanglewood, Lenox. Jazz.


That’s our performance rundown for the week of July 31. Put down the remote, get off the couch, and get out and enjoy the Berkshire live music scene!

— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires

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