The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire and Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
May 2-7, 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 …
LISA O’NEILL BRINGS NEW IRISH SOUNDS to THE FOUNDRY
Irish folksinger Lisa O’Neill - profiled just last month in the New York Times as one of a new wave of artists reimagining the island’s music -- brings her stark, rootsy originals and interpretations and her haunting vocals to the Foundry in West Stockbridge, Mass., on Tuesday, May 2, at 7pm. (Tues, May 2)
THE WALLFLOWERS BOOKEND REGION with TWO CONCERTS
Jakob Dylan’s band The Wallflowers performs twice in our region: at the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Wednesday, May 3, at 8pm, and again 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. (Wed, May 3; Fri, May 12)
EVA SALINA BRINGS BALKAN ROMANI SONGS to SHEFFIELD
Vocalist Eva Salina brings her unique take on Balkan Romani songs to Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, Mass., on Friday, May 5, at 7pm. Salina’s rich, supple voice moves effortlessly through the intricate and demanding expression of Romani songs, intertwining vintage pop songs with her singular interpretations. Roma accordionist Peter Stan accompanies Salina in the program showcasing the legacy of empowered female voices in Balkan Romani music. (Fri, May 5)
FOLK-ROCKERS UPSTATE BRING HARMONIES to LARK HALL in ALBANY
Hudson Valley-based folk-rock quartet Upstate celebrates the release of its new album, You Only Get a Few, at Lark Hall in Albany, N.Y., on Friday, May 5, at 8pm. The group’s rootsy, vocal harmony-based sound is augmented by an array of instrumental textures lending touches of jazz, rock, funk, and world music. (Fri, May 5)
FEMALE DUOS COMBINE for 8TH STEP CONCERT CELEBRATING WOMEN
The duo of Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt and Emma’s Revolution, a duo featuring Pat Humphries and Sandy O, join forces for a concert celebrating mothers as women, artists, and change-makers with their powerful, four-part harmonies at the 8th Step at Proctors in Schenectady, N.Y., on Friday, May 5, at 7:30pm. (Fri, May 5)
SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY BRINGS JERSEY SHORE PARTY SOUNDS to THE EGG
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes bring the party sounds of the Jersey Shore to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Friday, May 5, at 8pm. Contemporaries of Bruce Springsteen, who wrote a number of songs for the Jukes, the horn-heavy band plays a classic blend of hardcore R&B and street-level rock. (Fri, May 5)
ALL-STAR QUARTET BLENDS BLUEGRASS and INDIAN CLASSICAL SOUNDS
A veritable cross-cultural supergroup of American roots music and Hindustani classical talent performs at the Troy [N.Y.] Savings Bank Music Hall on Friday, May 5, at 8pm. The virtuosos are Béla Fleck on banjo, Zakir Hussain on tabla, Edgar Meyer on double bass, and Rakesh Chaurasia on bansuri, a type of Indian flute. Together, the quartet moves from bluegrass to Western classical to Indian classical to jazz with seamless ease. (Fri, May 5)
FRED HERSCH BRINGS SOLO PIANO JAZZ to STISSING CENTER
Fifteen-time Grammy Award nominated jazz pianist and composer Fred Hersch will play a special solo concert at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains, N.Y., on Saturday, May 6, at 6pm. (Sat, May 6)
DUO PLAYS BEETHOVEN, BOULANGER and BRITTEN in STOCKBRIDGE
Cellist Peter Seidenberg and pianist Hui-Mei Lin perform music of Beethoven, Boulanger, Chopin, and Britten at the First Congregational Church in Stockbridge, Mass., on Sunday, May 7, at 3pm, in the Music on Main concert series (Sun, May 7)
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