Autumn has arrived in the Berkshires, and the region’s natural beauty is on full display, as is its incredible live music scene. We have 48 diverse performances across the county this week, including classical, jazz, rock, folk, pop, blues, and even Tuvan throat singers. Below are some highlights for the week ahead, followed by our comprehensive show rundown.
Classical and Opera
We have three classical performances this week. On Friday evening, you’ll find Castle of Our Skins at the Linde Center at Tanglewood. The program celebrates the 100th birth year of 20th-century composer Julia Perry. Also on Friday, you can enjoy the Berkshire Symphony performing at Williams College. The free event will feature works by Beethoven, Debussy, Mazzoli, and Stravinsky. Sunday afternoon, the fall series at the South Mountain Concert Hall in Pittsfield continues with the Isidore String Quartet, performing works by Mozart, Duttileux, and Mendelssohn.
Jazz
We have five jazz performances in the county this week. The music starts Wednesday night with the Matt Steckler Trio at the Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. Friday and Saturday night, you won’t want to miss Dizzy Spellz at the MCLA Venable Theatre in North Adams. The program “offers an Afro-futuristic lens at the intersecting cultural and spiritual dilemmas within the African Diaspora through the music of Dizzy Gillespie.” Sunday morning, you can catch the Jazz Brunch with Chad McLoughlin at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Then, in the evening, you’ll find Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den. This week, Michael features Eric Loffswold 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 Monday with Dan Radin performing a free pop-up show at The Stationery Factory in Dalton. Radin’s cello-led acoustic rock draws comparisons to John Mayer and Dave Matthews. On Tuesday, you’ll find Trevor Wheelock at Methuselah Bar & Lounge in Pittsfield.
On Wednesday, rock artist Jesper Lindell (pictured above) comes to the region to perform at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Lindell’s 2017 debut single “Moving Slow” was an instant hit, earning a gold record, and has garnered nearly 6M Spotify streams. Also on Wednesday, the Misty Blues Trio with Gina Coleman continues their month-long residency at portaVia in Dalton, while Colby Lewis & Steve Ide perform at the Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn in Lenox.
Thursday night, folk-rocker Reed Foehl visits The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge while Nick Schillace performs at Dream Away Lodge in Becket. If you’d like to be inspired by the artists of the future, then make a trip to the Stationery Factory to see Calliope Cafe. Read our article about this important program that helps develop the future musicians of Berkshires County.
Friday night, you’ll find great music up and down the county. At Studio 9 in North Adams, you can see Stelth Ulvang of the Lumineers. At The Lion’s Den, you’ll find local favorite folk duo Bobby Sweet & Lara Tupper, while down at The Egremont Barn, another local favorite, The BTUs, will rock the house. The ABOMBS will jam at Dottie’s and Dorothy’s in Pittsfield, playing classic rock from Pink Floyd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, ZZ Top, and the Steve Miller Band. Up at Dream Away Lodge in Becket, the multi-faceted Chandler Travis will perform – read his bio on the event listing to see what I’m talking about.
Saturday afternoon and into the evening, head up to the Becket Fall Family Fun Fest at Becket Town Park to hear a great line-up of performers: Liz Queler and Seth Farber, Razztime, Rounder’s Revival, The Ladies Diane, Chris Merenda Band, and Made4Comfort. In the evening, Diva & The Dirty Boys are at The Lion’s Den. Dead Heads won’t want to miss Grateful Dread at Egremont Barn, while fans of Neil Young won’t want to miss Harvest & Rust – A Neil Young Experience at The Stationery Factory – if you are fans of both, you might have to resort to a coin toss to decide where to go. For some punk and emo, head over to Hot Plate Brewing Co. in Pittsfield to see Silver Lake Presents: Datura, Radical Joy, Things I Miss, Sentiments. Or, catch the Northampton indie-rock band Winterpills w/Tiger Saw at Dream Away Lodge.
Sunday morning, catch the folk duo Amy Attias and Bernice Lewis at the Domingo Brunch at Dottie’s and Dorothy’s in Pittsfield. In the afternoon, Tom Corrigan performs at Balderdash Cellars in Richmond, while at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, you’ll find Chris Ruggiero in Concert, performing the music of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. In the evening, the folk-Americana band Rounders Revival performs at Dream Away Lodge.
Something Else
We have seven performances in our Something Else category. Thursday night, you’ll find Alash, masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Back at Race Brook on Friday night, you can immerse yourself into The Lindworm by The Re-Memberers, who call their genre “prayer-formance.” The trio consists of Annie Southard (vocals), Alex Harvey (strings), and John de Kadt (percussion and story).
Italian pianist and showman Ivan Dalia has two performances this week. On Friday, he’ll entertain you with an evening of stories and music on spectacular Steinway and Bosendorfer Concert Grands at A Piano Lover’s Dream at the Flynn Pianos Workshop and Gallery in Great Barrington. You can catch Ivan again Saturday night at Bach to Rock, a “journey through the generations & genres of music that bring people together” at the Church on the Hill in Lenox.
Saturday in dowtown Lenox, the annual Lenox Apple Squeeze takes place. You’ll find a range of music including rock, soul, blues, jazz, and percussion, with performances by Christine Bilé, Chantell featuring the Diego Mongue Band, Berkshire Rhythm Keepers, Colby Lewis & Rob Putnam, and The Lucky 4. See the event listing for times and locations.
Saturday night, as part of Festival Latino in Great Barrington, the Mahaiwe is hosting a free performance by the Villalobos Brothers, a Grammy®-winning violin trio recognized as one of the foremost contemporary Mexican ensembles in the world.
Sunday evening, catch UNFINISHED SONG – A Special Evening with Wanda Houston at the Lenox Town Hall. The event is a fundraiser for the documentary film Unfinished Song, celebrating Berkshire singing sensation Wanda Houston. The event includes a performance by Houston, who will sing a variety of songs from gospel to torch to Broadway. The performance will be filmed for inclusion in the documentary.
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. Check our music calendar for shows we’ve added after our weekly publication deadline. 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
7:30 pm Dan Radin – FREE Pop up show! @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton.
Tuesday
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Trevor Wheelock @ Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Pittsfield.
Wednesday
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Misty Blues Trio with Gina Coleman @ portaVia, Dalton.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Matt Steckler Trio @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Colby Lewis & Steve Ide @ Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox.
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Attacca Quartet @ Tourists, North Adams.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Jesper Lindell @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
Thursday
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Calliope Cafe @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Reed Foehl @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Nick Schillace @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Alash @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Adeline Hotel @ Tourists, North Adams.
Friday
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm One for One Duo @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Live Music with Clara Guatta @ Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm A Piano Lover’s Dream @ Flynn Pianos Workshop and Gallery, Great Barrington.
7:00 pm Studio 9 Presents: Stelth Ulvang of the Lumineers @ Studio 9, North Adams.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Bobby Sweet & Lara Tupper @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm Castle of our Skins @ Tanglewood, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm The ABOMBS @ Dottie’s and Dorothy’s, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Dave Brown @ Bousquet, Pittsfield.
7:00 pm Razztime @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm The BTU’s @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
7:30 pm Berkshire Symphony @ Williams College, Williamstown.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm The Lindworm by The Re-Memberers @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
8:00 pm Dizzy Spellz @ MCLA Venable Theatre, North Adams.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Chandler Travis @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Saturday
10:30 am – 5:30 pm Lenox Apple Squeeze @ Downtown Lenox, Lenox.
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Pete Boyd @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
2:00 pm – 9:00 pm Becket Fall Family Fun Fest @ Becket Town Park, Becket.
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Music Brings Communities Together – Seth & Liz @ Becket Town Park, Becket.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Mike Duffy @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Diva & The Dirty Boys @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Villalobos Brothers @ Mahaiwe, Great Barrington.
7:00 pm Dave Brown @ Route 8 Pub, Becket.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Bach to Rock @ Church on the Hill, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Silver Lake Presents: Datura, Radical Joy, Things I Miss, Sentiments @ Hot Plate Brewing Co, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Grateful Dread @ Egremont Barn, South Egremont.
8:00 pm Dizzy Spellz @ MCLA Venable Theatre, North Adams.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Harvest & Rust – A Neil Young Experience @ The Stationery Factory, Dalton.
8:00 pm – 10:30 pm Winterpills w/Tiger Saw @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Amy Attias and Bernice Lewis @ Dottie’s and Dorothy’s, Pittsfield.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Chad McLoughlin @ Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Tom Corrigan @ Balderdash Cellars, Richmond.
3:00 pm Chris Ruggiero in Concert @ Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Isidore String Quartet @ South Mountain Concert Hall, Pittsfield.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Michael Junkins and Friends @ The Lion’s Den, Stockbridge.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm UNFINISHED SONG – A Special Evening with Wanda Houston @ Lenox Town Hall, Lenox.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Rounders Revival @ Dream Away Lodge, Becket.
Please get out and support your local musicians and venues!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires