Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches this Wednesday, and for music enthusiasts in the Berkshires, there’s ample reason to rejoice. We have an impressive lineup of 43 performances on our music calendar this week, spanning the genres of classical, jazz, rock, pop, folk, country, soul, bluegrass, and blues. And to top it off, Music in the Berkshires has a special Valentine’s Day announcement in store, which will be delivered straight to our newsletter subscribers’ inboxes on Wednesday. Below are a few highlights of the week ahead, followed by our full show rundown.
Classical
We have two classical music performances this week. Saturday afternoon, you’ll find Lich Gate Concerts: World-Class Chamber Music in the Berkshires at the First Congregational Church of Sheffield, featuring works by J.S. Bach, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, and Dvořák. Sunday afternoon, enjoy An American Adventure Featuring Violinist Jamecyn Morey at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lenox, featuring American classical music and mid-20th century Romantic Modernism. The program concludes with pieces from Bernstein’s West Side Story.
Jazz
We have five jazz performances, starting Monday with Lose Your Blues Jazz Piano Concert Series with Noted Jazz Pianist Stephen Page at the Lenox Community Center. Stephen will perform jazz, ragtime, boogie-woogie, and blues. Jazz continues Thursday with Music in the Berkshires Featured Musician Andy Wrba & Friends at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. This will be an incredible performance, with Wanda Houston, Jeff Stevens, Benny Kohn, and Conor Meehan joining Andy this week. Saturday night, you can catch the David Bartley Quartet at Dorothy’s Estaminet in Pittsfield. On Sunday afternoon, grab brunch with Chad McLoughlin at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Sunday night, Michael Junkins and Friends are at The Lion’s Den. Joining Michael this week is Will Hudgins on Vibes.
Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)
We have over 35 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).
Show some loving kindness to yourself or someone you love on Valentine’s Day by seeing one of Music in the Berkshires’ favorite new bands, 5 Pound Horse, play their unique variety of rock, folk, and Americana at Greylock Works in North Adams. Our Instagram reel of 5 Pound Horse performing at FreshGrass is one of our most viewed reels.
Thursday night, you’ll find Jack Wood Piano Man and Bobby Sweet & Lara Tupper at Egremont Barn. Bobby is busy this week, playing again Friday night at the Stationery Factory’s special event, Spaghetti Western Night.
Friday night, catch one of my personal favorites, Clare Maloney & The Great Adventure at Egremont Barn. Read our interview with Clare here. Friday also features several local favorites: Misty Blues is at Dorothy’s Estaminet in Pittsfield, and The Picky Bastards, featuring Chris Merenda and Rob Sanzone, are at the Route 8 Pub in Becket – a new venue on our list of over 140 we track. Melissa Brinton is at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. She plays again Saturday night at The Locker Room Sports Pub in Lee.
Saturday afternoon, catch Zarvis & Pug at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond. We visited Balderdash last Sunday to see the aforementioned Melissa Brinton and enjoyed the vibe and meeting owners Donna and Christian. Saturday night, you’ll find folk and Americana touring artist Reed Foehl (pictured above) at Studio 9 in North Adams. Vaguely Pagan, with Wes Buckley, Brian Kantor, and Miles Lally, is at The Lion’s Den. Drummer Brian Kantor was last week’s Featured Musician – you can read about his musical journey here. Down at Egremont Barn, you can catch The Rejuvenators Featuring Wanda Houston.
Sunday morning, you can wake up to some acoustic rock, blues, zydeco, and rockabilly when The StringSmith, Kevin Smith performs at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield. On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” you’ll find Ari + Jeff Lynch at Antimony Brewing in Lenox, Livio Gravini at Balderdash Cellars, Nate Martel at Bright Ideas in North Adams, and Christopher John at Big Elm’s Great Barrington taproom. Since Monday is President’s Day and the start of school vacation week, you have no excuse not to catch some great music on Sunday night. You can find the Mississippi delta roots, folk, bluegrass, and blues band FERD at Egremont Barn, playing with The Lucky 3 – three members of The Lucky 5 – get it? Or, if you spent the day skiing, catch Brave Brothers at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Hancock.
Something Else
We have one performance on the calendar this week in our Something Else category – and it should make children and child caregivers rejoice on Valentine’s Day afternoon: Creative Kids Club Concert With Michael Aaron & Katherine Winston at Race Brook Lodge.
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
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Lose Your Blues Jazz Piano Concert Series with Noted Jazz Pianist Stephen Page @ Lenox Community Center, Lenox. Jazz, Ragtime, Blues. Learn more and listen here.
Tuesday
No performances.
Wednesday – Happy Valentine’s Day!
3:00 pm – 8:00 pm Creative Kids Club Concert With Michael Aaron & Katherine Winston @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. See our Instagram (or Facebook) page for recent reels of Michael and Katherine. Learn more and listen to Michael here. Learn more and listen to Katherine here.
7:30 pm 5 Pound Horse @ Greylock Works, North Adams. Rock, Folk, Americana. See our Instagram page for a reel of 5 Pound Horse.
Thursday
6:30 pm Les Chrostowski @ Shire Beer Company, Dalton. Rock.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Andy Wrba & Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Jazz. Learn more about Andy here. Read our interview with Andy here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jack Wood Piano Man and Bobby Sweet & Lara Tupper @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen to Bobby here.
Friday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Spaghetti Western Night @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton. Live music with Bobby Sweet and The Chaps. Learn more and listen to Bobby here.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Misty Blues @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield. Learn more and listen here. Read our Featured Musician interview with Misty Blues’ Gina Coleman.
7:00 pm Picky Bastards @ Route 8 Pub, Becket. Bluegrass, Rock. See our Instagram (or Facebook) page for recent reels of Picky Bastards.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Lucky Bucket @ Great Barrington VFW, Great Barrington.
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 Cam Collins @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Melissa Brinton @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Folk, Pop, Rock. See our Instagram (or Facebook) page for a recent reel of Melissa. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Jack Waldheim @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock. Rock, Blues, Folk.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Clare Maloney & The Great Adventure @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Rock. See our Instagram page for reels of Clare Maloney. Read our interview with Clare here. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm The Liquid Courage @ Zinky’s Pub, Dalton. Classic Rock.
Saturday
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Lich Gate Concerts: World-Class Chamber Music in the Berkshires @ First Congregational Church of Sheffield. Chamber. Featuring works by J.S. Bach, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, and the Dvořák Piano Trio, Op. 65.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Zarvis & Pug @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm LIVE Music with Christopher John @ GB Taproom @ Big Elm Brewery & Taproom, Sheffield.
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm LIVE Music with Brian Mattiello in GB Taproom @ Big Elm Taproom, Great Barrington.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm David Bartley Quartet @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield. Jazz. Learn more and listen to David here.
6:30 pm Jack Waldheim @ Shire Beer Company, Dalton.
7:00 pm Dave Bacon & Simon Guthrie @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Canna Provisions Presents Live Music at The Locker Room Featuring Melissa Brinton @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee. Folk, Pop, Rock. See our Instagram (or Facebook) page for a recent reel of Melissa. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Tom Savoy @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Rock, Folk, Pop, Country. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Vaguely Pagan @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Rock, Folk, Psych. Learn more here. See our interview with Brian Kantor, drummer for Vaguely Pagan.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Mike Duffy @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm Reed Foehl @ Studio 9, North Adams. Folk, Americana. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Joe Adee & the Lug Nuts @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock. Americana, R&B, Country, Southern Rock, Blues. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm The Rejuvenators Featuring Wanda Houston @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. R&B, Jazz, American Songbook. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm Rock 201 @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis. Classic Rock.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm The Refrigerators @ Proprietor’s Lodge, Pittsfield. Rock. Learn more and listen to The Refrigerators here.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Taproom Music: Rusted Chains @ Bright Ideas Brewing, North Adams. 90’s Grunge and Alt-rock.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring the StringSmith, Kevin Smith @ Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield. Rock, Blues, Zydeco, Swing, Rockabilly. Learn more and listen here.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Chad McLoughlin @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Learn more and listen here.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Ari + Jeff Lynch @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Livio Gravini @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond. Rock, Blues. Learn more and listen here.
3:00 pm – 4:45 pm An American Adventure Featuring Violinist Jamecyn Morey @ Trinity Episcopal Church, Lenox. American classical music, mid-20th century Romantic Modernism.
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Taproom Music: Nate Martel @ Bright Ideas Brewing, North Adams. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen here.
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm LIVE Music with Christopher John @ GB Taproom @ Big Elm Taproom, Great Barrington.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm FERD & The Lucky 3 @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Mississippi Delta roots, Folk, Bluegrass, and Blues. Learn more and listen to FERD here.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Brave Brothers @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock. Rock, Blues.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires