The first full week of March brings one of the most eclectic mixes of live music the Berkshires has seen in a while. With 39 performances spanning classical, jazz, rock, pop, and folk, this week’s lineup also features several genre-blurring experiences—from a children’s concert and traditional Raga and shakuhachi music to a meditative music hike and a band blending experimental jazz, ambient electronics, and chamber music. Below are some highlights for the week ahead, followed by our comprehensive show rundown.
Classical and Opera
We have one classical performance this week: The Berkshire Symphony will perform Friday evening at Williams College. The Williams College Department of Music and guest conductor Andrew Jinhong Kim will perform works by Hale, Debussy, and Dvorak.
Jazz
We have five jazz performances this week. The jazz week starts Wednesday night with the Michael Junkins Trio at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Thursday night, catch the Ian MacDonald Trio at the Ostrich Room at the Apple Tree Inn in Lenox. Friday night, Lonny Jarrett and Friends jam at Dottie’s in Pittsfield. Back at Dottie’s on Sunday morning, you can enjoy the Domingo Brunch featuring Razztime, and 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).
The music starts Tuesday with Karen Casey (pictured above) at The Foundry in West Stockbridge. Karen, who is based in Cork, Ireland, just kicked off her U.S. tour and will play to a sold-out crowd at The Foundry. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of connecting with Karen over Zoom from Cork. You can read my interview with this talented and passionate performer here.
Thursday night offers four performances. Support a great cause by attending the Warm Up the Winter Musical Celebration – A Tribute to Working Families at The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington. Performers include Wanda Houston and Jeff Gonzales, Made in Memphis, a youth Elvis tribute band with Jackson Ducharme, Wild and Orson Handel, Luke and George Franco, Annie Guthrie & Company, and freestyle rapping by Jackson Whalan. Proceeds support Construct’s annual winter assistance campaign, which helps South Berkshire residents with emergency needs, including heating fuel, utilities, rent payments, and short-term accommodations. Elsewhere Thursday, Sasha is at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge, Slow Pony & Zoë Basha are in the Down County Social Club at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, and at Studio 9 in North Adams presents First Thursday Local Artist Showcase, featuring Greg Caproni, Tom Corrigan, and Mike Duffy.
Friday night, the Almost Spring Weekender kicks off at Race Brook Lodge with Kokoko! & Deejay Theory. Over at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, catch local Indie-folk duo Camelia Featuring Hannah Bracken and Taylor Slonaker. Down the road at The Lion’s Den, local favorite Wanda Houston performs, while another local favorite, the BTU’s, jam at Firefly Gastropub in Lenox. Jon Taylor brings his heartfelt vocals with innovative guitar looping to Knox Trail Inn in East Otis. For some hard-core rock, pop into Hot Plate Brewing in Pittsfield to catch Silver Lake Presents: Nice Try Kid, Craiwell, Cemetery Weather, And Time Spent Alone.
The Almost Spring Weekender continues Saturday at Race Brook Lodge with Big Yuki performing two solo sets. Big Yuki is Japanese keyboardist and songwriter Masayuki Hirano (Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, Kamasi Washington) who blends electronica-laced jazz, hip-hop, and classical music. Other performers at the festival on Saturday include Underground System and La Lulu. The upstate New York roots-rock band The Insolent Willies are at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield. Ryan Hommel is back at The Lion’s Den. Ryan was the Music Director on the Amazon series Daisy Jones and The Six, teaching the actors how to play the songs in the show. It’s a great series. Over at the Ostrich Room at the Apple Tree Inn, catch Chantell featuring Diego Mongue Band. We saw them there a few weeks ago, and the packed house adored the performance. Read my piece on Diego Mongue in the spring issue of Berkshire Magazine. Fans of Lynyrd Skynard will want to make their way to The Stationery Factory in Dalton to see tribute band Vyntyge Skynyrd. Modern country band Tame the Rooster performs at Proprietor’s Lodge, Pittsfield.
On the Sunday afternoon “winery and brewery circuit,” you can enjoy Celtic-rock band Kilashandra at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond and Nate Martel at Antimony Brewing in Lenox. Awake at the Wheel performs in the early evening at Route 8 Pub in Becket.
Something Else
We have four performances in our Something Else category this week. Saturday afternoon, catch the Kids Concert with Terry A La Berry and Friends at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. Also on Saturday afternoon, catch phenom Garth Stevenson as part of the Almost Spring Weekender at Race Brook Lodge. Garth is a composer and double bassist internationally known for his musical meditation hikes. This performance includes a short hike and outdoor performance (weather permitting. Saturday night, head up to North Adams for Studio 9 Presents George. The group, formed by John Hollenback, “combines strategies from experimental jazz, ambient electronics, chamber music, and more.” On Sunday night, catch Whispering Worlds at Tourists in North Adams. Whispering Worlds mixes looping/live processing/sampling with Raga, a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music, and the shakuhachi, a Japanese flute.
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
No Performances.No Performances.
Tuesday
7:00 pm Karan Casey (SOLD OUT) @ The Foundry, West Stockbridge.
Wednesday
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins Trio @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
Thursday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Ian Macdonald Trio @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Warm Up the Winter Musical Celebration – A Tribute to Working Families @ Guthrie Center, Great Barrington.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sasha @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm Studio 9 Presents First Thursday Local Artist Showcase @ Studio 9, North Adams.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm DCSC: Slow Pony & Zoë Basha @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
Friday
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm Lonny Jarrett and Friends @ Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm Jon Taylor @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Songwriter Series at Appetito @ Appetito, Lee.
7:00 pm Silver Lake Presents: Nice Try Kid, Craiwell, Cemetery Weather, And Time Spent Alone @ Hot Plate Brewing Co, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Livio Gravini @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Camelia Feat. Hannah Bracken and Taylor Slonaker @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:00 pm The Co-Conspirators @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Wanda Houston @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm The BTU*s @ Firefly Gastropub, Lenox.
7:30 pm Berkshire Symphony @ Williams College, Williamstown.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Peak Music Series – Brave Bros. @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Secret Planet Presents Kokoko! & Deejay Theory @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
Saturday
12:00 pm Kids Concerts with Terry A La Berry and Friends @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Secret Planet Presents Garth Stevenson @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Tom Corrigan @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Secret Planet Presents BIGYUKI @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
7:00 pm The Insolent Willies @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Les Chrostowski @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
7:00 pm Studio 9 Presents George @ Studio 9, North Adams.
7:00 pm Ryan Homel @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Chantell feat Diego Mongue Band @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Vyntyge Skynyrd @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Peak Music Series- Jim Witherell @ Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock.
8:00 pm Hard Knox Band @ Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Tame the Rooster @ Proprietor's Lodge, Pittsfield.
8:00 pm – 1:00 am Secret Planet Presents: Underground System, Big Yuki, & La Lulu @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Razztime @ Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Nate Martel @ Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Kilashandra @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Awake at the Wheel @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion's Den, Stockbridge.
8:00 pm Whispering Worlds @ Tourists, North Adams.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires