The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire and Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
May 10-14, 2023
With so much going on culturally speaking in our greater Berkshires/Hudson Valley region, this is my highly selective, curated snapshot of some of the most promising upcoming events …
ADIÓS GHOST BRINGS ELECTRO-POP SOUNDS to THE FOUNDRY
Adiós Ghost brings its blend of early-oughts electro-dance music, R&B, funk, and West African textures to the Foundry in West Stockbridge, Mass., on Friday, May 12, at 7:30pm. Pasadena-based electropop duo System Exclusive warms up the crowd for Adiós Ghost. Some listeners may hear an affinity between Adiós Ghost and Talking Heads, with System Exclusive echoing Eurythmics. (Fri, May 12)
JAKOB DYLAN BRINGS THE WALLFLOWERS to THE BARDAVON
Jakob Dylan’s band The Wallflowers performs at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Friday, May 12, at 7:30pm. The Wallflowers have been performing for over three decades and are best known for such mid-1990s hits as “One Headlight,” “6th Avenue Heartache,” and “Three Marlenas.” Dylan has been the group’s lead vocalist and songwriter since the beginning, and he spent the earliest years of his life in Woodstock, N.Y. (Fri, May 12)
MICK LYNCH BRINGS IRISH FOLK to KAATSBAAN
Irish singer/songwriter Mick Lynch will be joined by Mary Stuart Masterson in concert at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, N.Y., on Friday, May 12, at 7pm, as part of the Listening Room series. Lynch, who now calls the Hudson Valley home, was cofounder of Irish group Storyman. (Fri, May 12)
DUO BRINGS OLD and NEW CLASSICAL to THE CLARK
Pianist Conrad Tao and guitarist Patrick Higgins present a two-part program pairing historical works with the world premiere of Higgins’s “Toccata and Fugue” for solo piano at the Clark in Williamstown, Mass., on Saturday, May 13, at 6pm. New York magazine calls Tao “the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music,” and the New Yorker called Higgins one of the “prime movers of the local avant-garde.” (Sat, May 13)
PEDRITO MARTINEZ BRINGS CUBAN RHYTHMS to THE MAHAIWE
Cuban percussionist and Latin Grammy nominee Pedrito Martinez and his band will lay down the infectious rumba rhythms at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday, May 13, at 8pm. (Sat, May 13)
EAVESDROP BRINGS ROOTSY CHAMBER-FOLK to EGREMONT BARN
Pioneer Valley-based chamber-folk ensemble Eavesdrop brings its gorgeous harmonies and rootsy, Americana textures to the Egremont Barn in South Egremont, Mass., on Saturday, May 13, at 7:30pm. (Sat, May 13)
TAN DUN LEADS BARD ORCHESTRA in WATER-THEMED PROGRAM
Tan Dun conducts the Bard Conservatory Orchestra in a program called Water Spirits, From River to Ocean, an orchestral concert featuring works by Czech, French, Romanian, Japanese, and British composers who were inspired by the sounds of oceans, rivers, and flowing waters, at Bard Fisher Center on Saturday, May 13, at 8pm. Composers include Smetana, Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Takemitsu and Britten. (Sat, May 13)
AVANT-GARDE TRIO ACCOMPANIES ‘PASSION of JOAN of ARC’ with LIVE SCORE at TSL in HUDSON
Instrumentalists Zach Layton, Geoff Gersh, and Bradford Reed join forces to perform their avant-garde score to the equally experimental Danish expressionist silent film classic The Passion of Joan of Arc from 1928 at TSL in Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday, May 13, at 7pm. (Sat, May 13)
FOLK-DUO MAGPIE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS at CAFFE LENA
Folk-duo Magpie kicks off its 50th anniversary tour this weekend with shows at the Towne Crier in Beacon, N.Y., on Friday, May 12, at 6:30pm, and at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Saturday, May 13, at 8pm. Since 1973, Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner have been honing their blend of vintage Americana with contemporary and original compositions, featuring their patented two-part harmonies and their commitment to social activism through music, in the tradition of Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul and Mary. (Sat, May 13)
PAUL GREEN LEADS TRIO in CHAMBER CONCERT in KINDERHOOK
Clarinetist Paul Green will be joined by pianist Doris Stevenson and violinist Elizabeth Silver performing works by Debussy, Brahms, Poulenc, Bartok and Milhaud as part of the Concerts in the Village series at Van Buren Hall in Kinderhook, N.Y., on Saturday, May 13, at 3pm. Paul Green made his national TV debut at age 13 with Leonard Bernstein on the New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts Series, and he has enjoyed a successful, upwardly mobile career ever since. (Sat, May 13)
BOZ SCAGGS BRINGS 1970s JAZZY SOUL-ROCK to THE EGG
Grammy Award-winner Boz Scaggs brings his infectious, jazzy blend of R&B and rock to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Sunday, May 14, at 7:30pm. Scaggs is best known for his mid-1970s hit singles “Lido Shuffle” and “Lowdown.” (Sun, May 14)
Roll Call: Founding Members
Anne Fredericks
Anonymous (5)
Erik Bruun
Benno Friedman
Richard Koplin
Steve and Helice Picheny
Rhonda Rosenheck
Elisa Spungen and Rob Bildner/Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook