The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire & Hudson Valley Cultural Preview

Nov 8-15, 2023

Nov 07, 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 …

SPIRITUALIZED BRINGS SPACE-ROCK SOUNDS to BASILICA HUDSON

Neo-psychedelic English band Spiritualized brings its patented space-rock sounds to Basilica Hudson in Hudson, N.Y., on Wednesday, November 8, at 8:30pm. The group, founded in 1990, plays a unique blend of experimental rock incorporating garage rock, funk, drones, jazz, and electronica that is likely to appeal to fans of such like-minded groups as Radiohead. (Wed, Nov 8)

Susanna Hoffs (photo Jay Roach / courtesy Albany U)

SUSANNA HOFFS in CONVERSATION at UNIVERSITY at ALBANY

Singer, songwriter, actress, and author Susanna Hoffs – best known as lead singer and guitarist of the 1980s power-pop group the Bangles -- will visit the University at Albany for an evening of conversation with WAMC’s Joe Donahue as part of the free Creative Life: A Conversation Series at Page Hall on the downtown UAlbany campus, on Thursday, November 9, at 7pm. Hoffs is the author of the bestselling debut novel, This Bird Has Flown, a sad, joyful, sexy, and laugh-out-loud funny tale of Jane Start, a broke, thirty-something one-hit wonder now performing to karaoke tracks in Las Vegas, who is just one hit away from turning her life around. (Thu, Nov 9)

JIM MESSINA BRINGS MUSICAL LEGACY to THE EGG

Jim Messina, whose musical legacy spans five decades and three supergroups – Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Loggins & Messina -- performs a career retrospective featuring classics such as “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” “Angry Eyes,” “Kind Woman,” and “You Better Think Twice” at The Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Friday, November 10 at 7:30pm. Messina’s musical career is a testament to being versatile and being in the right place at the right time. While acting as producer/audio engineer for Buffalo Springfield, Messina ultimately joined the band as its bass player. When the group broke up in 1968, Messina and fellow bandmate Richie Furay formed Poco, which helped usher in the new genre of country-rock. After three successful albums, Jim was ready for a change and left to return to his passion for producing music, signing as an independent producer with Columbia Records, which assigned Messina to work with an unknown singer-songwriter named Kenny Loggins. While helping Loggins get ready for a record and touring, the two discovered that they worked well together, and Jim agreed to sit in on Kenny’s first album, which was titled Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin’ In, launching one of the most successful duos of the 1970s and all time. (Fri, Nov 10)

Mexican group Troker (courtesy MASS MoCA)

TROKER PLAYS NEW LIVE SCORE to CLASSIC MEXICAN SILENT FILM at MASS MoCA

Mexican jazz and psychedelic music group Troker perform their new score to the classic Mexican silent film El automóvil gris, at MASS MoCA in North Adams on Saturday, November 11, at 8pm. The film revolves around one of the most famous historical criminal gangs in the country. Troker’s intriguing, adventurous live score emphasizes the intertwined elements among detectives and thieves, who act as protagonists and antagonists at the same time. (Sat, Nov 11)

ALSO OF NOTE:

Los Angeles-based dance ensemble Bodytraffic brings its entertaining blend of contemporary dance to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass. (Fri, Nov 10, 8pm; Sat, Nov 11, 3pm)

Sarah Lee Guthrie and the Mammals perform at Colony Cafe in Woodstock, N.Y., on Friday, November 10, at 8pm, and at the Egremont Barn in South Egremont, Mass., on Saturday, November 11, at 7:30.

The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine performs Sergei Prokofiev’s Cinderella at UPAC in Kingston, N.Y. (Fri, Nov 10, 7:30pm)

David Alan Miller leads the Albany Symphony Orchestra in a concert of works including the Blue Danube Waltzes by Strauss, Michael Daugherty’s Last Dance at the Surf, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3, “Polish,” at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, N.Y. (Sat, Nov 11, 7:30pm; Sun, Nov 12, 3pm)

Flutist Carl Gutowski and pianist Yalin Chi play works by American composers including MacDowell, Foote, Beach, Copland, Barber, and Gershwin at Van Buren Hall in Kinderhook, N.Y. (Sat, Nov 11, 3pm)

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Cheryl Wheeler brings her music and antic sense of humor to the 8th Step at Proctors in Schenectady, N.Y. (Sat, Nov 11, 7:30pm)

Frederick Haas and Andrew Appel play music for two harpsichords at Won Dharma Center in Claverack, N.Y. (Sat, Nov 11, 2:30pm)

Elliot Figg and Caitlyn Koester play Baroque works in Berkshire Bach’s Harpsichord Festival at Simon’s Rock College in Great Barrington, Mass. (Sun, Nov 12, 4pm)

Greg Farley, Philip Goth, John Medeski, and Laura Zarougian and Little Tree play a Benefit for Summit Lake at the Avalon Lounge in Catskill, N.Y. (Sun, Nov 12, 7pm)

Canadian alt-country group Great Lake Swimmers brings its moody, dreamy blend of folk-rock to WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio the Linda (Mon, Nov 13, 8pm)

Comedian Pete Davidson performs at UPAC in Kingston, N.Y. (Wed, Nov 15, 7:30pm)

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