It’s a festive week of music in the Berkshires, with performances celebrating Pride, Juneteenth, and Father’s Day all on the calendar, plus the two-day Down County Jump Music Festival. With 51 shows happening across the county, there’s something for every ear—spanning classical, jazz, country, rock, folk, cajun, Americana, soul, the American Songbook, and more. Dive into this week’s highlights below, and don’t forget to check out the full lineup of shows happening across the county.
Classical and Opera
We have just one classical performance this week: Saturday afternoon’s Lich Gate June Concert outdoors under the pavilion at Sheffield Town Park. The program includes music by Price, Vivaldi, Schubert, and Smetana.
Jazz
We have nine jazz performances this week. Monday night, catch Monday Night Jazz with Andy Wrba & Friends at Pizzeria Boema in Lenox. Join Andy Wrba, Conor Meehan, Benny Kohn, and special guest Kris Allen on alto sax. Wednesday night, catch the Jason Ennis Trio at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Thursday night, see the Pamela Knowles Trio at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox.
Friday night, you have three great performances to choose from. You can catch the Michael Junkins Duo at Gateways Inn in Lenox, Lonny Jarrett and Friends at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield, or Life Jacket Theatre – The Big Gay Speakeasy at the Adams Theatre. The program, which repeats Saturday night, promises an “immersive, speakeasy featuring a live jazz band, private candle-lit tables, and a spectacular cast of Broadway stars belting out show-stopping songs from the 1920s-1930s that are for, by, about the LGBTQ+ community.” Also on Saturday night, you’ll find Art Alm, piano Jon Suters, guitar at The Southfield Church.
On Sunday night, you’ll find Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den. This week, Michael features “Junk” with Will Hudgins on vibraphone.
Popular (Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, etc.)
The popular music category dominates our calendar this week, with over 30 performances. We can’t highlight them all, but we will mention a few (see our calendar or show rundown below for all the performances).
Wednesday night, you’ll find local favorites Colby Lewis & Steve Ide at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox. They’ll perform again Friday night at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. The Nate Martel Trio is at portaVia in Dalton. A very busy Martel will also perform Friday night at the Knox Trail Inn in East Otis and Saturday afternoon at Balderdash Cellars.
Thursday night, we have a great opportunity to catch indie singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur at Egremont Barn, just after performing at City Winery in NYC and before heading to tour dates in France. Arthur’s song “Honey And The Moon” has over 21 million streams on Spotify. Bird Streets w special guest performs at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge, and Dead fans won’t want to miss Steal Your Space – Grateful Dread at The Stationery Factory in Dalton.
Friday night starts the two-day Down County Jump Music Festival at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Friday’s headliner is legendary Cajun accordionist and vocalist Jesse Lége. Learn more about this incredible event in Jumping Into Roots: A Deep Dive into the Down County Jump Festival, my interview with festival co-founder Alex Harvey. Elsewhere, the Jamie McLean Band is back at The Egremont Barn, while Americana and country band Christa Joy and The Honeybees perform outdoors on The Dunham Mall in Pittsfield, hosted by Hot Plate Brewing. Unfinish’d Bizness is at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox, while folk artists Bobby Sweet w/Pete Adams & Lara Tupper perform at Dream Away Lodge in Becket.
The Down County Jump Music Festival continues all day Saturday, with the roots music legends Trischka, Molsky & Daves headlining the evening program. Earlier in the day, catch Christine Bilé at Lee Pride in the Park outdoors at the First Congregational Church of Lee. Other Pride performances include Lita Williams at the Devonfield Inn – Lee Pride at the Devonfield Inn in Lee.
Also in the afternoon, you’ll find the Juneteenth Black Music Appreciation Month Concert at the MCLA Church Street Center in North Adams. This event will feature Tendai Muparutsa, Misty Blues, Sample The Cat, and the Diego Mongue Band. Misty Blues will also perform in the evening at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn.
Saturday night, catch country, rock, and blues artist Steve Earle: Solo & Acoustic (pictured above) at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington. Earle’s country-rock hit “Copperhead Road” has over 200 million streams on Spotify. Bluegrass artists Cole Quest & The City Pickers perform at The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington. Fans of The Grateful Dead won’t want to miss Dead Man’s Waltz at The Egremont Barn. Fierce-folk band 5 Pound Horse performs at Dream Away Lodge. Folk, pop, and rock band Fannie Pack is at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, while Brett Miller of The Neon Moons performs at The Lion’s Den.
Sunday is Father’s Day, and there is no better way to start the day than with some live music at the Domingo Brunch featuring Christine Bile at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge. On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” catch Jack Waldheim at Antimony Brewing in Lenox and Paul Zarvis at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond. In the early evening, The Adams Brothers perform at Route 8 Pub in Becket, and later in the evening, Boston-based blues artist Danielle Miraglia is at the Dream Away Lodge. Elsewhere, Peter More, the Texas-based songwriter known for his genre-blending style that fuses rock, folk, and Latin influences, performs at Tourists in North Adams.
Something Else
We have seven performances in our Something Else category. Wednesday night, enjoy Summertime Fling with Berkshire Sings! At Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington, a fundraiser featuring the music of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, John Denver, and Burt Bacharach. Friday night, you’ll find Balfolk in the Berkshires at All Saints Episcopal Church in North Adams, and elsewhere in North Adams, you’ll find the ambient and electronic music of Nick of Swords Live @ The Hatchlings art installation.
Sunday afternoon, you can enjoy a free concert with the US Army Field Band Soldiers’ Chorus at St. James Place in Great Barrington. The 29-member mixed choral ensemble will perform the music of Broadway, opera, barbershop quartet, and Americana. Also in the afternoon, catch the Trinity Garden Party at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lenox, featuring Brazilian musician Tarcisio Ramos and his quartet playing traditional choro and other Brazilian music. Sunday evening, you can enjoy Stephanie Blythe Johnny Mercer: Mister Inbetween, celebrating the music of Johnny Mercer, one of the most important and celebrated musical artists in American Songbook history, at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield. Finally, in the Down County Social Club at Race Brook Lodge, you’ll find Uyanga x Bansara, a “powerhouse duo that crafts transcendent, cinematic soundscapes blending ancient traditions with modern innovation.”
You can read about all of these performances and more in our day-by-day show rundown below, or jump right to our music calendar. Please note that our deadline for inclusion in the weekly narrative above and the day-by-day listing below is Wednesday at noon. 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
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Monday Night Jazz with Andy Wrba & Friends @ Pizzeria Boema, Lenox.
Tuesday
No Performances.Wednesday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Colby Lewis & Steve Ide @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Nate Martel Trio @ portaVia, Dalton.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Jason Ennis Trio @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
6:45 pm – 8:30 pm Summertime Fling with Berkshire Sings! @ Berkshire South Regional Community Center, Great Barrington.
Thursday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Pamela Knowles Trio @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Bobby Sweet @ First Congregational Church of Lee, Lee.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Steal Your Space – Grateful Dread @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Bird Streets w special guest @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Joseph Arthur @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
Friday
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Kollin Kozlowski @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Michael Junkins Duo @ Gateways Inn, Lenox.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Christa Joy and The Honeybees @ Dunham Mall, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Lonny Jarrett and Friends @ Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm Nate Martel @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Down County Jump Music Festival @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Pug & Zarvis @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Balfolk in the Berkshires @ All Saints Episcopal Church, North Adams.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Unfinish’d Bizness @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Steve Ide & Colby Lewis @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm Life Jacket Theatre – The Big Gay Speakeasy @ Adams Theatre, Adams.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Jamie McLean Band @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Bobby Sweet w/Pete Adams & Lara Tupper @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm Nick of Swords Live @ The Hatchlings @ Downtown North Adams, North Adams.
Saturday
11:30 am – 1:30 pm Christine Bilé at Lee Pride in the Park @ First Congregational Church of Lee, Lee.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Juneteenth Black Music Appreciation Month Concert @ MCLA Church Street Center, North Adams.
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Lita Williams at the Devonfield Inn – Lee Pride @ Devonfield Inn, Lee.
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Lich Gate June Concert @ First Congregational Church of Sheffield, Sheffield.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Nate Martel @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Featuring the music of Fannie Pack @ Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Brett Miller Of The Neon Moons @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Mike Duffy @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm Art Alm, piano Jon Suters, guitar @ The Southfield Church, Southfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Misty Blues Band @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Dead Man’s Waltz @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
7:30 pm Life Jacket Theatre – The Big Gay Speakeasy @ Adams Theatre, Adams.
8:00 pm Steve Earle: Solo & Acoustic @ Mahaiwe, Great Barrington.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm 5 Pound Horse @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm Full Burn @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Cole Quest & The City Pickers Live at The Guthrie Center @ Guthrie Center, Great Barrington.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Christine Bile @ Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Mamie Minch @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Paul Zarvis @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm US Army Field Band Soldiers’ Chorus @ St. James Place, Great Barrington.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Trinity Garden Party @ Trinity Episcopal Church, Lenox.
3:30 pm Boots & The Mixtape @ Lilac Park, Lenox.
5:00 pm The Adams Brothers @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Danielle Miraglia @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm Stephanie Blythe Johnny Mercer: Mister Inbetween @ Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm DCSC: Uyanga x Bansara @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
8:00 pm PETER MORE @ Tourists, North Adams.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires