We have a trifecta of reasons to celebrate this week: St. Patrick’s Day and opening night at the Dream Away Lodge on Monday and the first day of Spring on Thursday. As if that weren’t enough, we’ve got an exciting lineup of 41 shows in Berkshire County spanning classical, jazz, pop, rock, folk, blues, West African kora, and experimental music. Below are some highlights for the week ahead, followed by our comprehensive show rundown.
Classical and Opera
We have two classical performances this week, both on Sunday afternoon. At Tanglewood Linde Center, enjoy the TLI Chamber Concert, a performance of works by Dohnányi, Ponomarev, and Tchaikovsky. Over at the Mahiawe in Great Barrington, you can enjoy Close Encounters With Music: “Right of Spring” – Rachmaninoff / Stravinsky, with Michael Chertock on piano and Yehuda Hanani on cello, a nicely timed performance to celebrate our passage into spring!
Jazz
We have five jazz performances this week. On Wednesday, you’ll find the Luke Franco Trio at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. The Bobby MacVeety Trio performs on Thursday night at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox. Sunday has three performances. In the morning, enjoy the Domingo Brunch w/Jason Ennis & Natalia Bernal at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield. Midday at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, chill at the Jazz Brunch with The Luke Franco Trio. On Sunday night, catch Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den. This week, Michael features Aaron Dean on saxophone.
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).
The music starts on Monday – St. Patrick’s Day – with Misty Blues playing the opening night at Dream Away Lodge in Becket. Over at The Locker Room Sports Pub in Lee, you can celebrate the day with the Boston Blackthorne band. Catch Colby Lewis & Steve Ide on Wednesday night at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox.
Thursday is the first day of spring! Celebrate by seeing Matt Sucich at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge or the Americana and Roots Band Rounders Revival at Route 8 Pub in Becket. They perform again Sunday night at the Dream Away Lodge. In the Down County Social Club at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, catch Hannah Bracken. And up at Tourists, in North Adams, you have an excellent opportunity to see The Clements Brothers, identical twins George and Charles Clements, whose voices harmonize beautifully with their alt-indie music.
Friday night, catch the second installment of the new The Songwriter Series featuring The Sirens at Appetito in Lee. The series is part of the Sandy McKnight Songwriters Fund, created to honor McKnight, whose lifetime of work in music and songwriting inspired many. The Sirens are Wanda Houston, Elizabeth Berliner, and Liv Cummins. Stompbox Trio is at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Diva & Dirty Boys are at The Lion’s Den, and the Amy Ryan Band is at Firefly Gastropub in Lenox. Continue your St. Paddy’s Day celebrations with the Celtic rock band Kilashandra jamming at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield. Jack Waldheim kicks off Dream Away Lodge’s first weekend of the year. Fans of The Doors will want to attend Crystal Ship – A Tribute to The Doors at The Stationery Factory in Dalton.
Saturday night, pop artist Angélica Garcia (pictured above) makes a stop at MASS MoCA in North Adams as part of her international tour. Also on Saturday, catch Vaguely Pagan, comprised of local musicians extraordinaire Brian Kantor, Miles Lally, and Wes Buckley, at The Lion’s Den. Wanda Houston is at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, while Bobby Sweet w/Pete Adams & Lara Tupper are at the Dream Away Lodge.
We have two tribute bands playing on Saturday night. Dead Man’s Waltz, performing the music of The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Band, is at The Stationery Factory in Dalton. The Best of the ‘70s with Dizzyfish and the Uptown Horns, performing the music of Neil Young, The Beatles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and more is at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.
On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” you can enjoy local favorite Wanda Houston at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond and Lindsay Anne at Antimony Brewing in Lenox. Up in North Adams, catch Studio 9 Presents Ron and Sam. Ron Ramsay and Samantha Talora perform a feel-good mix of music from artists like Linda Ronstadt, Van Morrison, and Bonnie Raitt. In the evening, support a great cause -community radio – by attending the WBCRlp 20th Anniversary Benefit Concert featuring Bill Miller at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield.
Something Else
We have two performances in our Something Else category this week – both in Williamstown. On Wednesday, you can enjoy Sona Jorbateh & Band as part of the Visiting Artist Series at Williams College. Jobarteh is a professional Kora virtuoso from West Africa. On Friday, catch Music in the Manton: Flore Laurentienne at the Clark Art Institute. Flore Laurentienne is the project of Canadian Mathieu David Gagnon, who marries electronic and classically influenced music, pushing the boundaries between genres, including ambient, experimental, and progressive rock.
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
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm Boston Blackthorne @ Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Misty Blues on St Paddy’s Day @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Tuesday
No Performances.Wednesday
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Luke Franco Trio @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Colby Lewis & Steve Ide @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:30 pm Sona Jorbateh & Band – Visiting Artist Series @ Williams College, Williamstown.
Thursday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Bobby MacVeety Trio @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:00 pm Matt Sucich @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm Amy Attias @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm DCSC: Hannah Bracken @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
8:00 pm The Clements Brothers @ Tourists, North Adams.
Friday
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm The Songwriter Series featuring The Sirens @ Appetito, Lee.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Stompbox Trio @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:00 pm Diva & Dirty Boys @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Amy Ryan Band @ Firefly Gastropub, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Music in the Manton: Flore Laurentienne @ The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown.
7:00 pm Kilashandra @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Tim Gallagher @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm Brett & Steve’s Acoustic Jam @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Crystal Ship – A Tribute to The Doors @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Jack Waldheim @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Saturday
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Hot Vox Trio @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
6:30 pm Livio Gravini Acoustic @ Shire Tavern, Dalton.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jim Witherell @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm Vaguely Pagan @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm Razztime with Dave Bacon and Simon Guthrie @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Wanda Houston @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:00 pm John Nalepa and Friends @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm Best of the ‘70s with Dizzyfish and the Uptown Horns @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Dead Man’s Waltz @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton.
8:00 pm Angélica Garcia @ MASS MoCA, North Adams.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Bobby Sweet w/Pete Adams & Lara Tupper @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm Rock 201 @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch w/Jason Ennis & Natalia Bernal @ Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Lindsay Anne @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with The Luke Franco Trio @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Wanda Houston @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
3:00 pm TLI Chamber Concert @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
4:00 pm Close Encounters With Music: “Right of Spring” – Rachmaninoff / Stravinsky @ Mahaiwe, Great Barrington.
4:00 pm Studio 9 Presents Ron and Sam @ Studio 9, North Adams.
5:00 pm Peter Apple @ 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 WBCRlp 20th Anniversary Benefit Concert featuring Bill Miller @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Rounders Revival @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires