We start the week adjusting to the transition to daylight savings time and finish celebrating St. Patrick’s Day – both events foreshadow spring’s arrival. Being able to head out to see your favorite performers before sunset should provide the extra motivation to take advantage of all the incredible live music that Berkshire County has to offer. We have another fantastic week with 43 performances on our music calendar, including classical, rock, pop, folk, country, blues, and spoken word. Below are a few highlights of the week ahead, followed by our full show rundown.
Classical
We have two classical music performances this week, both on Sunday. The Tanglewood Learning Institute presents a free Community Chamber Concert, which has sold out. The performance includes Janáček Violin Sonata, Poulenc Sextet for piano and winds, Op. 100, and Brahms String Sextet No. 2 in G, Op. 36. Over at the Mahaiwe, you can see Close Encounters with Music: Celtic Baroque Band Makaris – A Bach Family Concert with an Irish Twist. The performance includes Celtic baroque music by Bach, Beethoven and Haydn.
Jazz
We have five jazz performances this week, starting Monday afternoon with a free concert at the Lenox Community Center: Lose Your Blues Jazz Piano Concert Series with Noted Jazz Pianist Stephen Page. Stephen will perform jazz from the 1920s to today, including boogie-woogie, ragtime, blues, swing, and cool jazz.
Saturday night offers two jazz performances. The David Bartley Quartet is at Dorothy’s Estaminet in Pittsfield, while up at Studio 9 in North Adams, you can catch BAAMS Presents: LIVE AT STUDIO 9, ALEX FOSTER and the BAAMS’ Faculty Band. Richard Boulger and the BAAMS’ Faculty Band will be joined by saxophonist Alex Foster, who has performed with the “Saturday Night Live” Band for over three decades. Sunday morning, chill to the jazz brunch with Luke Franco at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, and on Sunday night, you’ll find Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den. Joining Michael this week is the fabulous Benny Kohn on piano.
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). On Wednesday night, you can listen to Acoustic Guitar featuring Clara Guatta at Dorothy’s Estaminet in Pittsfield.
Thursday, catch Blood Type Blue, the Wahconah Regional High School Rock Band performing classic and current rock at Shire Beer Company in Dalton, or head over to the Lion’s Den in Stockbridge to hear indie-folk singer Caity Gallagher.
On Friday, catch local favorite Misty Blues at Dorothy’s Estaminet or Glori Wilder at The Lion’s Den. For some country music, get on down to Egremont Barn to see Brett Miller & The Neon Moons. For a unique opportunity to see two great local performers join forces, head over to Shire Beer Company to hear Jack Waldheim & Ben Kohn.
With a total of 19(!) performances on Saturday, you’ll have a tough time choosing where to go. Saturday night features the international blues touring artist Samantha Fish (pictured above) at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington. Samantha’s current tour takes her all over the US and Australia. Her song “Bulletproof – Tangle Eye Mix” has over 3 million streams on Spotify. One of my personal favorites, the Picky Bastards, performs at Egremont Barn. They’ll get you up dancing with their unique mix of bluegrass and rock and feature Chris Merenda on banjo and Rob Sanzone on guitar and mandoline. Another local favorite, Vaguely Pagan, brings a mix of rock, folk, and psych to The Lion’s Den. The synth-pop and post-punk duo System Exclusive performs at The Foundry in West Stockbridge. If you are a Def Leppard fan, then you’ll want to head over to the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield to hear Leppard: The Def Leppard Experience. Tourists in North Adams is offering a free performance by indie-pop bands Sailor Down and Lost Film as part of their Sing for Your Slumber series.
Those who want to get a jump on their St. Patrick’s Day celebration will want to seek out one of these three shows: Live Irish Music: Elaine Morel, Kurt Hanson & Sean Connors at Route 8 Pub in Becket, the Boston Blackthorne Band at Olde Heritage Tavern in Lenox, or Full Burn’s St. Paddy’s Party at Bogies Restaurant and Pub in Great Barrington.
Start your Sunday morning with Christine Bile and her blend of rock, pop, and folk over at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield. Later in the day, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Todd McLeod and Joe McKenna at Olde Heritage Tavern or The Swinging Shillelaghs at Zinky’s Pub in Dalton. On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” you’ll find Mike Duffy at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond and Jack Waldheim at Antimony Brewing in Lenox.
Something Else
We have three performances on the calendar this week in our Something Else category. Monday, catch the rescheduled free performance of A Celebration Of Soul With Ursula Rucker featuring the spoken-word artist and musician at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington. With performances on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons, catch Happy Trails: Music from the American West at Lenox Town Hall. You’ll hear western favorites sung by The Berkshire Lyric Chorus, Melodious Accord, and The Lyric Children’s Chorus, with support from The Sagebrush String Band featuring Joe Rose, Eric Martin, Bobby Sweet, and Dan Broad.
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 from the 1920s to today, including boogie-woogie, ragtime, blues, swing, and cool jazz.
7:00 pm A Celebration Of Soul With Ursula Rucker @ Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington. Rescheduled from February 19. Spoken Word recording artist. Listen here.
Tuesday
No Performances.
Wednesday
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Acoustic Guitar featuring Clara Guatta @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield.
Thursday
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Blood Type Blue @ Shire Beer Company, Dalton. Wahconah Regional High School Rock Band performing classic and current rock.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Caity Gallagher @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Indie-Folk. Learn more and listen here.
Friday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Misty Blues @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield. Blues. Learn more and listen here. Read our Featured Musician interview with Misty Blues’ Gina Coleman.
7:00 pm Dave Bacon & Simon Guthrie @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Jack Waldheim & Ben Kohn @ Shire Beer Company, Dalton. Rock.
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 Tom Savoy @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.Rock, Folk, Pop, Country. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Glori Wilder @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. R&B, Soul, Pop. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Brett Miller & The Neon Moons @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Country.
Saturday
1:00 pm – 10:00 pm Wandering Dance Festival – DAY OF DANCE! Featuring Wanda Houston @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton. The Wanda Houston band will perform from 7 – 10 pm, featuring Charlie Tokarz. Learn more and listen to Wanda here.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Jason & Trev @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Happy Trails: Music from the American West @ Lenox Town Hall, Lenox. Western favorites with The Berkshire Lyric Chorus, Melodious Accord, and The Lyric Children’s Chorus; also featuring The Sagebrush String Band with Joe Rose, Eric Martin, Bobby Sweet, and Dan Broad.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm David Bartley Quartet @ Dorothy’s Estaminet, Pittsfield. Jazz. Learn more and listen to David here.
7:00 pm Live Irish Music: Elaine Morel, Kurt Hanson & Sean Connors @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm BAAMS Presents: LIVE AT STUDIO 9, ALEX FOSTER and the BAAMS’ Faculty Band @ Studio 9, North Adams. Jazz.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm The Liquid Courage @ Shire Beer Company, Dalton. Classic rock.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Boston Blackthorne Band @ Olde Heritage Tavern, Lenox. Celtic, Americana. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm BTU’s @ Great Barrington VFW, Great Barrington. Rock.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Pug + John @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
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.
7:30 pm Leppard: The Def Leppard Experience @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield. Def Leppard Tribute band.
7:30 pm System Exclusive @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge. Synth-pop; post-punk. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm Rounders Revival @ Shaw Pond Club, Becket. Folk. Listen here.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Picky Bastards @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Bluegrass, Rock. See our Instagram (or Facebook) page for recent reels of Picky Bastards.
8:00 pm Samantha Fish – Bulletproof Tour @ Mahaiwe, Great Barrington. Blues. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm Pick Up Line @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis. Rock.
8:00 pm Sailor Down and Lost Film @ Tourists, North Adams. Indie, Pop. Listen to Sailor Down here. Learn more and listen to Lost Film here.
9:00 pm – 11:59 pm Full Burn’s St. Paddy’s Party @ Bogies Restaurant and Pub, Great Barrington. Classic Rock.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Christine Bile @ Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield. Rock, Folk, Pop. Learn more and listen here.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch With Luke Franco @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Jazz.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Todd McLeod and Joe McKenna @ Olde Heritage Tavern, Lenox. Listen to Todd here.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Mike Duffy @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Canna Provisions Presents Live Music at The Locker Room Featuring Melissa Brinton @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee. Folk, Pop, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
3:00 pm TLI Presents Community Chamber Concert–March 17, 2024 @ Tanglewood, Lenox. Sold out. Performance includes JANÁČEK Violin Sonata, POULENC Sextet for piano and winds, Op. 100, BRAHMS String Sextet No. 2 in G, Op. 36.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Happy Trails: Music from the American West @ Lenox Town Hall, Lenox. Western favorites with The Berkshire Lyric Chorus, Melodious Accord, and The Lyric Children’s Chorus; also featuring The Sagebrush String Band with Joe Rose, Eric Martin, Bobby Sweet, and Dan Broad.
4:00 pm Close Encounters with Music: Celtic Baroque Band Makaris – A Bach Family Concert with an Irish Twist @ Mahaiwe, Great Barrington. Celtic baroque music by Bach, Beethoven, and Haydn.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Tom Carter, Paul LeBrecque, BULLE performance @ Belltower Records, North Adams.
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm The Swinging Shillelaghs @ Zinky’s Pub, Dalton.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge. Jazz. Featuring Benny Kohn on Piano. Learn more and listen here.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires