Get ready for the village of Montague to be transformed into a mini music festival when Good Music Makes Good Neighbors returns on Saturday, June 8. The fest went on hiatus for a couple of years, but now festival organizers Nicole Nemec and Matthew Duncan are ready once again to fill the air with the sweet sounds of music.

Now in its seventh season, Good Music Makes Good Neighbors will run from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and features 16 different musical groups and artists performing in five different venues that offer both indoor and outdoor options for listening. The outdoor venues include a porch, a barn, and a pergola, while the Montague Common Hall and the North Congregational Church will host the indoor shows.

All the venues are within walking distance of each other and close to the historic Montague town common.

It’s not often that you get the opportunity to immerse yourself in seven hours of music while also getting the chance to meet your neighbors, but that’s what Good Music Meets Good Neighbors is all about. The festival is based on the porchfest model where neighbors and local community members gather together to showcase their music on front porches. These events are especially popular in the Boston area. (Note that Shelburne Falls will host a porchfest on July 14.)

Nemec and Duncan first thought of hosting this event after they moved to a wooded area in Montague.

“The funny thing is, we moved into this new house, and one night, we heard music through the woods, and it was Irish music,” recalled Nemec. “My husband used to play in an Irish band, so he went and got his accordion and started playing Irish music and they played it back. So we were like, ‘We have to go see who this is.’”

It turned out that their neighbors had an Irish band and were also members of a swing band that plays every month at the Montague Common Hall.

Realizing that talented musicians surrounded them, the couple wanted to share this music with the community. Nemec said she had never been to a porchfest, but was familiar with the concept and thought this model with its emphasis on building community would be perfect for Montague. She was right.

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The first Good Music Makes Good Neighbors event was held in 2015. Back then, the venues were not as close, so people got around by car, and the emphasis was more on presenting music in people’s homes.

That has changed; now everyone can leave their vehicles behind and walk or bike. Moving away from hosting shows in private homes is more the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and people not wanting to be inside small spaces.

But one thing that has yet to change is the emphasis on meeting your neighbors. Nemec was even thinking of providing name tags so people could get to know each other better.

It is ideas like this that keep the festival evolving. And there is a new element being introduced this year that will further bring people together — dancing!

The event will feature three different dances held at the Common Hall. The day will start with a contra dance called by Liz Nelson, with Becky Hollingsworth and Rebecca Weiss leading the musicians. The day will end with a swing dance, and the Butterfly Swing Band will provide the music. In between you can try some Irish dancing.

The dances are open to beginners, and free lessons will be provided for those interested.

As for the kind of music you will hear at Good Music Makes Good Neighbors, the answer is a bit of everything.

Some of the musical genres represented this year include jazz, classical, funk, Irish, Arabic, Appalachian, pop, country, banjo/banjar, traditional, swing, and more. Almost all of the musicians are from Franklin County.

There are returning favorites like the experimental jazz-rock trio Vimana, country singer Louise Mosrie, and cellist Stephen Katz.

“Some of the newcomers are the Klines, Carrie and Michael, who will be joined by bassist Joe Blumenthal, who play really interesting Appalachian music,” said Nemec. “Then there is Nectar, who plays Bossa Nova Samba music. I’m looking forward to them because they have a lot of energy.”

She added that multi-instrumentalist Chris Devine is a popular artist who is returning after not playing the fest for many years and will be playing with vocalist/guitarist James Heflin.

Another returning musical guest is a favorite — guitarist and banjo/banjar player Michael Nix, who will be playing a very special set this year. He will be joined by singer Gloria Matlock and The Twice as Smart chorus, a group of students who attend the after school program in Greenfield for at-risk youth.

“I invited Gloria Matlock and the children of Twice as Smart to join me for my set at Good Music Makes Good Neighbors this year,” Nix told me. “We will do the bulk of the set with the children and finish with two of us playing and singing a couple of songs. ”

And these are only some of the musicians you’ll be hearing.

There is a 20-minute break between sets, and you can stroll out to the common and catch The Montague Singers, a group that has been singing daily on the common since the height of COVID. Attendants are welcome to participate in the singing. The Montague Marching Band will also be on hand, as will Tim Van Egmond, who will play hammered dulcimer and/or Limberjack, which is a toy/rhythm instrument.

“The title Good Music Makes Good Neighbors says it all,” said Nemec of the event. “It provides something that people can connect to across age, across politics, across whatever is in the news. If you are listening to music together, dancing together — none of that matters.”

The event is free, but a donation of between $15 and $20 is strongly encouraged. Those who make a donation will be able to proudly wear a purple “I Support Montague Music” sticker. All profits go directly to the musicians.

This event is presented by the Montague Common Hall, Montague Center neighbors and volunteers, RiverCulture, and the Montague Cultural Council. For more information, an event map and schedule, please visit montaguemusic.org.

When singer-songwriter Jesse DeNatale performs at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Sunday, June 9, at 7 p.m. the show will be a homecoming of sorts. DeNatale, who is a native of California and currently lives there, spent time living in the area back in the 1970s. He taught at the Woolman Hall School in Deerfield and has great memories of living and working here.

“I had come from California to visit a friend and was hired on as a pottery teacher. I ended up staying for a number of years and taking on various jobs,” he said in a recent email. “It was an incredible experience and time for me and for the many students and staff who lived there.

DeNatale is currently on tour supporting his fourth release, “The Hands of Time,” released by Blue Arrow Records. It is is a post-pandemic folk-pop album that explores various themes related to time. DeNatale looks forward to bringing these new songs to Franklin County and making some new fans in the process.

If you want to hear the influence that the Valley (and more specifically Greenfield) has had on DeNatale, check out “Greenfield Lane” from his first album ”Shangri-La West” and “Children of the Sun,” from the album “Soul Parade.”

This show will be held in the Shea’s Lounge in the theater’s lobby. Tickets are available at sheatheater.org.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.