Arts
Sounds Local: Of Montreal founder calls style ‘wild and intractable’
By SHERYL HUNTER
The music scene here in Franklin County is off to a strong start this fall, with some nationally recognized artists coming to the area in the weeks ahead.It starts this weekend at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield when the band Of...
Taylor Swift is coming to Greenfield (on film): For $19.89, Swifties can see “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film at Greenfield Garden Cinema, starting Oct. 13
By BELLA LEVAVI
Even though Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour itself didn’t come to the area, Franklin County will not dodge the Taylor Swift mania that has swept the nation.The Greenfield Garden Cinema has penned a deal with Variance Films to bring “Taylor Swift: The Eras...
Four hands, one piano: Brick Church Music Series nears season end with a performance by two gifted classical pianists, Sept. 17
By CHRIS LARABEE
With the calendar flipping to September, the Brick Church Music Series returns to close out its fall season.The long-running annual music series kicks off the final leg of its year with two acts that fans have loved in the past. Joining together for...
Sounds Local: Rock ’n’ roll meets Orson Welles: The Frost Heaves and HaLeS debut new album and film this Friday at CitySpace in Easthampton
By SHERYL HUNTER
The Frost Heaves and HaLeS, the indie rock band fronted by Greenfield resident Daniel Hales, has engaged in ambitious projects in the past, but their show in Easthampton on Friday may be their biggest yet.Friday’s performance will be a four-act...
Take a day trip to a modernist paradise: The Frelinghuysen Morris Home & Studio in Lenox provides a splendid view of two groundbreaking artistic lives
By DON STEWART
A short drive from downtown Lenox, you travel past ornamental wrought iron gates and enter into the former Gilded Age estate of “Brookhurst.” You’re first greeted by a voluptuous two-and-a-half-ton reclining female figure sculpted by Gaston...
A tragic, often-overlooked post-WWII story: Leverett author’s new book follows Jewish survivors who attempted to go back home
By TINKY WEISBLAT
Dean Cycon of Leverett has had many careers. Locally, he is perhaps best known as the founder of Dean’s Beans in Orange. This company is dedicated to roasting and selling flavorful, organic coffee that reflects care for the environment and for the...
Maya Sharpe, Renaissance woman: The musician and artist performs this Friday, her photo exhibit on view through October
By CHRIS LARABEE
As summer comes to a close, so does the Sunderland Public Library’s seasonal concert series.Maya Sharpe is taking the stage at 6:30 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 1, as she caps off a summer of music in the library’s Down by the River concert series with her...
Sounds Local: Music to bring your spirit back to alignment: Kristin Hoffmann returns to Shelburne Falls with new album to guide you on a personal journey of soul awakening
By SHERYL HUNTER
When Mocha Maya’s coffee house in Shelburne Falls used to host live music, Kristin Hoffmann was one of their most popular performers. The Juilliard-educated singer and composer was based in New York, but frequently played in Shelburne Falls and, in...
You are cordially invited to a mermaid wedding: Actors who met playing mermaids to wed this Saturday at Fairy House Day on Avenue A
By BELLA LEVAVI
The fairies who live in the planters of town are back with one magical day of celebration — this time it's a wedding. The fourth annual Fairy House Day on Avenue A will take place at Peskeompskut Park on Saturday, Sept. 2 from 1 to 4 p.m. “It is...
The Shelburne Artisans Co-Op celebrates 25 years: Artist-owned space welcomes new members to join
By BELLA LEVAVI
For the past quarter century, artists have been owning where they sell their work right in the heart of the village.The Shelburne Artisans Co-Op is celebrating its silver anniversary this year, marking the opening of its doors 25 years ago. “Looking...
Book review: ‘When Being a Nurse was Fun’: Memoir of a Deerfield-born nurse recounts trials and tribulations of one of the hardest jobs
By TINKY WEISBLAT
“When Being a Nurse Was Fun”by Ann WattStillwater River PublicationsJust about everyone comes into contact with nurses at some point, and just about everyone likes them. It’s hard not to admire people whose mission in life is to be competent and...
Sounds Local: Three solo projects from Kalliope Jones: Band members present distinct solo projects at the Ashfield Lake House Saturday night
By SHERYL HUNTER
If you are a fan of the band Kalliope Jones, you know that the group’s three members — guitarist Isabella DeHerdt, drummer Alouette Batteau and bassist Amelia Chalfant — are all talented singers, songwriters and musicians. But you may not be aware...
New book completes anthology of Franklin County stories: Longtime Recorder reporter Richie Davis releases “Flights of Fancy, Souls of Grace”
By BELLA LEVAVI
One of the many stories featured in Richie Davis’s third book focuses on a group of singers that meet every day on the Montague Common. The group, which includes Davis, has no leaders and has been singing continuously since the pandemic began.I...
They’re here, they’re queer, they’re hilarious: Far Out! Comedy Festival presents 50 comedians in Northampton and Greenfield
By MARY BYRNE
As many as 50 comedians will be performing later this month as part of a three-day comedy festival celebrating the voices of those who are traditionally underrepresented in the world of comedy.“Myself and any touring comedian would say that festivals...
A home for all the homies: Homie Collective Campout brings more than 100 jam bands and electronic artists to Franklin County Fairground, Aug. 25 through 27
By JULIAN MENDOZA
In search of its permanent home, one of the region’s largest “jamtronica” music festivals will set up camp next weekend at the Franklin County Fairgrounds.The Homie Collective Campout, a three-day congregation with more than 100 jam bands and...
Deerfield grad lands role on his way to Yale: Will Sussbauer plays a 1970s boarding school student in “The Holdovers” blockbuster, filmed locally
By BELLA LEVAVI
The picturesque boarding school campuses and Shelburne Falls village aren’t the only local features in the new “The Holdovers” film coming out Nov. 10. Ashfield’s Will Sussbauer, a Deerfield Academy graduate heading to Yale University this fall, got...
Sounds Local: Swing your partner round and round: Polka, square dancing, country and rock all on tap at the Heath Fair this weekend
By SHERYL HUNTER
Fair season is fast upon us, which is both good news and bad news. Good because who doesn’t love a fair? But bad because their arrival is a reminder that summer is quickly coming to an end.One of the first fairs of the season is the Heath Fair, which...
No longer lost in the shadow of her husband’s legacy: Researcher uncovers clues to the life of 19th century Greenfield woman, whose paintings hung in the Capitol
By AALIANNA MARIETTA
Hidden in a Greenfield basement was the breakthrough for Christine Pifer-Foote’s research on Anna Feron Pierce Judah, a ghost of Greenfield’s past: a watercolor painting of a flower from the 1800s.Until recently, Anna Judah, who Pifer-Foote describes...
Artists adopt a collaborative model: Self-curated “We’ll Show U” on view at Greenfield Gallery showcases diverse regional artists
By MARY BYRNE
A group of artists from across the region are collaborating on a six-week-long exhibit at Greenfield Gallery, demonstrating a partnership that seeks to model a collaborative approach to sustainable practice.The exhibit, “We’ll Show U,” is a...
Two new children’s books from Haley’s: “Madame Monarch” and “It’s Okay to Be Sad”
By TINKY WEISBLAT
“Madame Monarch” by Sylvia Wetherby Haley’s, 30 pages, $12“It’s Okay to Be Sad” by Kathleen Nicoletti Haley’s, 54 pages, $12.95Haley’s Publishing recently released two appealing, colorful books for young people.“Madame Monarch,” by Sylvia Wetherby of...
