It’s a special week for us at Music in the Berkshires, as April 1 marks our first anniversary since launching the site. What began as a humble passion project has flourished into a vibrant community music hub, with incredible support from our dedicated audience. But there’s no time to pause to reflect since we’ve got another week of great live music in the Berkshires! We have 39 performances on our music calendar, including classical, jazz, rock, pop, R&B, folk, blues, bluegrass, Americana, and African. Below are a few highlights of the week ahead, followed by our comprehensive show rundown.
Classical
We have three classical performances this week. On Wednesday, Julian Müller, principal cellist with the Berkshires Symphony, will give a faculty recital at Williams College. On Friday, another cellist, Ivan Trabka, will be at The Foundry in West Stockbridge. He’ll perform works by Zoltán Kodály and J.S. Bach. Sunday afternoon, you can listen to Of Dreams: a recital with soprano Lily Arbisser and pianist Noah Palmer at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lenox. They will feature works by Debussy, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff.
Jazz
We have five jazz performances this week. Thursday night, Gruppo Mondo performs at Bounti-Fare in Adams. Saturday night you’ll find the David Bartley Quartet at Dorothy’s Estaminet in Pittsfield. Sunday morning, catch David Bartley and Pete Toigo at Dorothy’s sister restaurant, Dottie’s. Also on Sunday, you’ll find Michael Junkins performing twice: midday in the Jazz Brunch With Michael Junkins at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, and then in the evening, Michael Junkins and Friends will be at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Michael will be joined by “The Regulars” with Will Hudgins on Vibes.
Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)
We have over 30 performances in the popular music category – we can’t highlight them all but will mention a few (see our calendar or show rundown below for all the performances).
The music starts Tuesday with Alex Cohen Acoustic at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield. Alex will be playing standards spanning the 50’s to today.
On Wednesday night, you’ll find Melissa Brinton at RJ’s Restaurant in Pittsfield while Riverbend Orchestra performs at Egremont Barn. The Barn’s usual Wednesday open mic night will follow.
Melissa Brinton performs again Thursday night at the Dalton American Legion, while Ben Kohn and Chantell start a month-long residency at Dorothy’s Estaminet. “Eclectic-Americana” band Mike Cobb and the Crevulators perform at The Lion’s Den, and Sauerkraut Seth and Friends will be rocking at Egremont Barn. Seth’s friends include a crew of great local musicians: Julia Gottlieb, Brian Kantor, Pete Adams, Adam Post, and Lukas Schwartz.
Friday night, you’ll find Burlington, Vermont’s Kat Wright (pictured above) at The Stationery Factory in Dalton. She’s been described as “a young Bonnie Raitt meets Amy Winehouse.” A personal favorite, Chris Merenda, who plays with The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow and The Picky Bastards, will be performing solo at the Drifters restaurant at Bousquet in Pittsfield. Evan Lanoue kicks off an April residency at Dorothy’s Estaminet, while rocker Winston Rider comes to The Lion’s Den. Local favorite Wanda Houston is at Egremont Barn, and if you are a Billy Joel fan, then you’ll want to head over to the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield to see River of Dreams: A Tribute to Billy Joel.
On Saturday night, head on over to the Foundry in West Stockbridge to catch The Eclipse Season Concert by Lady Moon and The Eclipse with Opener Glori Wilder. Lady Moon features R&B and Afrobeat-influenced rhythms, and Glori Wilder’s R&B and pop style will be a nice complement.
Sasha K.A. performs at The Lion’s Den – he’s also opening the night before for Kat Wright. Americana-folk band Eavesdrop is at Egremont Barn. For some hard-core rock and grunge sounds, get on over to Hot Plate Brewing in Pittsfield to see Ian St. George With Owen Manure, Hardcar, Teen Driver.
On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” you’ll find Ari + Jeff Lynch at Antimony Brewing in Lenox and Music in the Berkshires Featured Musician Gina Coleman with Ben Kohn at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond.
Something Else
This week, we have one performance in our Something Else category: Friday night, catch the African band Mokoomba as part of the Visiting Artist Series at Williams College.
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
No Performances.
Tuesday
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Alex Cohen Acoustic @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield. Playing standards spanning the 50’s to today. Learn more and listen here.
Wednesday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ RJ’s Restaurant, Pittsfield. Folk, Pop, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm Riverbend Orchestra (followed by Open Mic) @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
7:30 pm Julian Müller, cello – Faculty Recital @ Williams College, Williamstown. Principal cellist with the Berkshires Symphony. Classical.
Thursday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Ben Kohn and Chantell @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ Dalton American Legion, Dalton. Folk, Pop, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Gruppo Mondo @ Bounti-Fare, Adams. Jazz. Featuring Matt Steckler, Joe Finn, Tom Major, and Fran Tokarz.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Mike Cobb and the Crevulators @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. “Eclectic-Americana.” Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Sauerkraut Seth and Friends @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
Friday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Chris Merenda @ Bousquet, Pittsfield. Rock, Folk, Bluegrass.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Evan Lanoue @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield. Rock, Pop. Learn more and listen here.
6:30 pm Jon Taylor @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
7:00 pm Dave Bacon & Simon Guthrie @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Mr. Doubtfire @ Firefly Gastropub, Lenox. Rock.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Peter Pashoukos @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm John Nalepa + Stan @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Winston Rider @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Rock, Pop. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm Mokoomba – Visiting Artist Series @ Williams College, Williamstown. African. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm River of Dreams: A Tribute to Billy Joel @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm Ivan Trabka @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge. Classical. Performing Sonata for Solo Violoncello, Op.8, in B minor, by Zoltán Kodály, Suite No.2 in D minor for cello solo, BWV 1008, J.S. Bach, and Suite in C major for cello solo, BWV 1009, J.S. Bach.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Kat Wright @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton. Rock. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Wanda Houston @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. R&B, Jazz, Soul, American Songbook. Learn more and listen here.
Saturday
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Brian Benlien @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Wendy Eisenberg, Erica Dawn Lyle, Kohoutek show in the shop @ Belltower Records, North Adams. Learn more and listen to Wendy here.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm David Bartley Quartet @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield. Jazz. Learn more and listen to David here.
7:00 pm Ian St. George With Owen Manure, Hardcar, Teen Driver @ Hot Plate Brewing Co, Pittsfield. Hard core rock, grunge. Learn more and listen to Ian St. George here. Listen more to Owen Manure here. Learn more and listen to Hardcar here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jason + Trev @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sasha K.A. @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Rock. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm The Juckets @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield. Americana, Bluegrass.
7:00 pm – 10:30 pm Eavesdrop @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Americana Folk-Pop. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm The Eclipse Season Concert by Lady Moon and The Eclipse with Opener Glori Wilder @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge. R&B, Afrobeat rhythms. Learn more and listen to Lady Moon here. Learn more and listen to Glori here.
8:00 pm Rumours Band @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis. Rock.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring duo David Bartley and Pete Toigo @ Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield. Jazz. Learn more and listen to David here.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch With Michael Junkins @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.Jazz. Learn more and listen here.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Ari + Jeff Lynch @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Jason & Trev @ Zinky’s Pub, Dalton.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Gina Coleman & Ben Kohn @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond. Read our Featured Musician interview with Gina Coleman.
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Of Dreams: a recital with soprano Lily Arbisser and pianist Noah Palmer @ Trinity Episcopal Church, Lenox. Classical. Featuring works by Debussy, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Jazz. Learn more and listen here. Featuring: “The Regulars” with Will Hudgins on Vibes.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires