Monday marks the Patriot’s Day holiday in Massachusetts, Marathon Monday, and the start of April school vacation week for many. Conveniently, this holiday also grants Massachusetts taxpayers a welcome two-day reprieve from settling their dues. If Benjamin Franklin were among us today, he might playfully tweak his renowned adage to read, “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes, and the promise of exceptional live music echoing through the Berkshires.” 😁 We have 43 performances this week, spanning classical, jazz, rock, pop, folk, blues, bluegrass, sea songs, ska, and Moroccan. Below are a few highlights of the week ahead, followed by our comprehensive show rundown.
Classical
We have three classical performances this week. Friday night, you’ll find a special performance with the Berkshire Symphony – Andrius Žlabys, piano at Williams College. The program includes Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 2 with acclaimed piano soloist Andrius Žlabys, and Brahms – Symphony No. 2. Saturday night, the Juilliard School’s 65th St. Ensemble performs at The Foundry in West Stockbridge. The program includes Schubert Piano Quintet in A Major (‘Trout’) and Alyssa Weinberg’s Enfumée. Sunday afternoon, you can catch the Classical Music Concert: Yarn/Wire And Patrick Higgins at The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. Yarn/Wire plays the U.S. premiere of “Three Lines of Flight” by composer Patrick Higgins, a multi-movement work of adventurous new classical music written for two pianos and two percussionists, featuring live electronic instruments by the composer.
Jazz
We have a large number of jazz performances this week, due to the kick-off off the 10-day Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, which starts Thursday night with a Jazz Jam at Hot Plate Brewing in Pittsfield. That same evening up at Tourists in North Adams, the Bill Chapman Trio performs. Friday night, the Pittsfield Jazz Crawl takes place at multiple locations in downtown Pittsfield. Saturday night, you’ll find BAAMS Presents! Live At Studio 9 With Mino Cinelu and The BAAMS Faculty Band in North Adams. Mino is an internationally acclaimed musician and composer who has performed with Miles Davis, Sting, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Kate Bush, and many others. Also on Saturday, the David Bartley Quartet will be at Dorothy’s Estaminet in Pittsfield. Sunday midday, chill out at the Jazz Brunch With Chad McLoughlin at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Then, in the evening, Michael Junkins and Friends will perform at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Michael will be joined by Aaron Dean on Saxophone.
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 Jason + Trev at Antimony Brewing in Lenox—a special vacation week performance. On Wednesday night, you’ll find Melissa Brinton at RJ’s Restaurant in Pittsfield. Melissa is very busy this week with four performances—you can also find her at Egremont Barn (Thursday), Bousquet (Friday), and Shaw Pond Club (Saturday).
Thursday night, you’ll find Rachel Davis at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Hailing from Boston, she refers to her folk-style music as “Motown Banjo.” You can catch James Barry with Friends & Family – A benefit for Chester Theatre Company at The Stationery Factory in Dalton. They will be performing the music of Luke Kelly and the Dubliners. For something unique, head down to Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield for the Bards of Gungywamp. They perform a mix of Celtic, sea songs, punk, old-time, bluegrass, and more.
Friday night, the blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor (pictured above) makes a stop on her international tour when she comes to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington. LA-based violinist Chris Murphy will be at The Lion’s Den playing a mix of folk, blues, jazz, and bluegrass. The Berkshire Ska Orchestra Featuring Riki Rocksteady is at Egremont Barn. The band features local musicians Bobby MacVeety, Carolyn Dufraine, Tom Parker, Glenn Tamir, and special guest Ricardo Luis Gonzalez, aka Riki Rocksteady, from Boston. Club d’Elf, a “synthesis of Moroccan traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk,” will perform at Race Brook Lodge.
Saturday night, Indie-pop artists Michael Cash / The Sea The Sea are at The Lion’s Den, while local musicians Colby Lewis with Steve Ide are at Antimony Brewing. AC/DC fans will want to head up to The Stationery Factory to catch Back In Black: The True AC/DC Experience.
Sunday morning, catch the Domingo Brunch featuring Brian Hailes at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield. Brian will play a mix of folk, rock, blues, and jazz. On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” you’ll find Jack Waldheim at Antimony Brewing and Paul Zarvis at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond. To close out school vacation week, head over to Hot Plate Brewing in Pittsfield for a special Sunday night show with the grunge-rock band TV Moms with Special Guests.
Something Else
This week, we have one performance in our Something Else category. On Wednesday evening at Williams College, you’ll find The New Thread Quartet as part of their Visiting Artist Series, featuring music for saxophones. The quartet presents Walk for a shell, which “spans the reflective to the frenetic, notated to the improvised, and the tiniest sounds to the uber-rich sounds only a saxophone quartet can produce.”
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
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Jason + Trev @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
Wednesday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ RJ’s Restaurant, Pittsfield. Folk, Pop, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm The New Thread Quartet – Visiting Artist Series @ Williams College, Williamstown. Music for saxophones.
Thursday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Les Chrostowski @ Dalton American Legion, Dalton.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Riverbend Orchestra @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm Jazz Jam @ Hot Plate Brewing Co, Pittsfield. Kicking off the Berkshires Jazz Festival.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm James Barry with Friends & Family – A benefit for Chester Theatre Company @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton. Performing the music of Luke Kelly and the Dubliners.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Rachel Davis @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. “Motown Banjo.” Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Folk, Pop, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Bill Chapman Trio @ Tourists, North Adams. Jazz.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm DCSC: Bards of Gungywamp @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Celtic, Sea Songs, Punk, Old Time, Bluegrass and more. Learn more and listen here.
Friday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ Bousquet, Pittsfield. Folk, Pop, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Evan Lanoue @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield. Rock, Pop. Learn more and listen here.
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm Pittsfield Jazz Crawl @ multiple locations in Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Amy Ryan Band @ Firefly Gastropub, Lenox. Country, Blues, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Pug + John @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox,
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Chris Murphy @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Folk, Blues, Jazz, Bluegrass. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm Berkshire Symphony – Andrius Žlabys, piano @ Williams College, Williamstown. The program includes Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 2 with piano soloist Andrius Žlabys, piano, and Brahms – Symphony No. 2. Learn more about Grammy-nominated Andrius Žlabys here.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Berkshire Ska Orchestra Featuring Riki Rocksteady @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Featuring Bobby MacVeety, Carolyn Dufraine, Tom Parker, Glenn Tamir, and special guest Riki Rocksteady.
8:00 pm Joanne Shaw Taylor @ Mahaiwe, Great Barrington. Blues. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Club d’Elf @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. “Synthesis of Moroccan traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk.” Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm The 413’s Band @ Zinky’s Pub, Dalton. Rock. Listen here.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Aquanett @ Proprietor’s Lodge, Pittsfield. 80’s Rock tribute band. Learn more and listen here.
Saturday
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Zarvis & Pug @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm David Bartley Quartet @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield. Jazz. Learn more and listen to David here.
7:00 pm BAAMS Presents! Live At Studio 9 With Mino Cinelu And The BAAMS Faculty Band @ Studio 9, North Adams. Jazz. Learn more and listen to Mino Cinelu here.
7:00 pm Les Chrostowski @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ Shaw Pond Club, Becket. Folk, Pop, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm TomKat Acoustic @ Shire Beer Company, Dalton.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Colby Lewis with Steve Ide @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Learn more and listen to Colby here. See our interview with featured musician Steve Ide here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Michael Cash / The Sea The Sea @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Indie-Pop. Learn more and listen to The Sea The Sea here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
7:30 pm 65th St. Ensemble @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge. Chamber. Performing Schubert Piano Quintet in A Major (‘Trout’) and Alyssa Weinberg Enfumée.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Back In Black: The True AC/DC Experience @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton. AC/DC tribute band.
8:00 pm Creek Road @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Brian Hailes @ Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield. Folk, Rock, Blues, and Jazz.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch With Chad McLoughlin @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Learn more and listen here.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm All Over the Map @ Zinky’s Pub, Dalton.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Paul Zarvis @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Classical Music Concert: Yarn/Wire And Patrick Higgins @ The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. Yarn/Wire plays the U.S. premiere of “Three Lines of Flight” by composer Patrick Higgins, a multi-movement work of adventurous new classical music written for two pianos and two percussionists, featuring live electronic instruments by the composer.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Jazz. Learn more and listen here. Featuring Aaron Dean on Saxophone.
7:00 pm TV Moms with Special Guests @ Hot Plate Brewing Co, Pittsfield. Grunge Rock. Learn more and listen here.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires