The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire and Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
June 7-15, 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 …
KAREN SHEPARD’S CELESTIALS GETS PLAY READING at MASS MoCA
Williamstown author Karen Shepard’s novel The Celestials, inspired by the history of North Adams and Chinese laborers, is now a play by Peter Glazer, and will get a reading at MASS MoCA’s Club B10 on Thursday, June 8, at 7pm. (Thu, Jun 8)
RINA SAWAYAMA BRINGS VISIONARY DANCE-POP to MASS MoCA
Japanese-British dance-pop artist Rina Sawayama brings her visionary sounds and rhythms to MASS MoCA in North Adams on Friday, June 9, at 8pm. It’s a rare chance to catch Rina in an intimate venue before she heads out on the summer festival circuit, with high-profile appearances at Bonnaroo, Governors Ball in NYC on Saturday, and Lollapalooza Berlin, among others. (Fri, Jun 9)
TRAD-JAZZ VOCALISTS HEADLINE JAZZ WEEKEND
Vocalist and songwriter Roberta Donnay teams up with the Prohibition Mob Band, which plays vintage jazz and swing, and vocalist Alexis Cole will be backed by the Amherst Jazz Orchestra, at the 10th annual Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend in Lee, Mass., Friday, June 9, through Sunday, June 11. (Fri-Sun, Jun 9-11)
ERIC ANDERSEN BRINGS ORIGINAL FOLK to GUTHRIE CENTER
Legendary singer-songwriter Eric Andersen performs at the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday, June 10, at 8pm. Andersen’s songs have been recorded and performed by world-renowned artists including the Kingston Trio, Peter Paul & Mary, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. His song “Thirsty Boots” was recorded by Judy Collins, John Denver, and Bob Dylan. (Sat, Jun 10)
GUY DAVIS BRINGS BLUES and STORYTELLING to SPENCERTOWN
Grammy Award-nominee Guy Davis brings his unique blend of blues music and storytelling to Spencertown Academy in Spencertown, N.Y., on Saturday, June 10, at 8pm. The son of actor-activists Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Guy Davis keeps the spirit of his parents alive through songs such as “God’s Gonna Make Things Over,” about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. (Sat, Jun 10)
CEWM BRINGS SCHUBERT’s ‘TROUT’ to MAHAIWE
Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet and Schumann’s Piano Quintet are on the menu when pianist Yekwon Sunwoo and violinist Giora Schmidt headline a Close Encounters with Music concert at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., on Sunday, June 11, at 4pm. (Sun, Jun 11)
LEO KOTTKE, KATE TAYLOR BOUND for CAFFE LENA
Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., offers quite a doubleheader on Saturday, June 10, beginning at 2pm with legendary guitarist and songwriter Leo Kottke, known for his intricate fingerpicking style and his dry wit – if he hadn’t been such a virtuoso guitarist, he could have been a stand-up comedian. Then at 8pm, Kate Taylor of the venerable Taylor family of singer-songwriters, presents songs from her new album, Why Wait? Leo Kottke will also perform at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y., on Sunday, June 11, at 8pm. (Sat, Jun 10; Sun, Jun 11)
ETHEL BRINGS NEW-CLASSICAL SOUNDS to KAATSBAAN
Adventurous string quartet Ethel performs twice this weekend at Kaatsbaan in Tivoli, N.Y. On Friday, June 9, at 7pm, the group performs works inspired by rock icons including Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin as well as works by Philip Glass and Ennio Morricone, and then on Saturday, June 10, at 7pm, Ethel performs with Grammy Award-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart, to perform works from his recently released album, Of Love. (Fri-Sat, Jun 9-10)
GRACE KELLY BRINGS NEW JAZZ-POP SOUNDS to MCLA
Saxophonist, singer, and songwriter Grace Kelly will perform at MCLA’s Venable Theatre in North Adams, Mass., on Thursday, June 15, at 7pm. Kelly has rocked the jazz world with sold-out concerts, 14 acclaimed albums, and a resume that includes performing at the Hollywood Bowl as part of the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as well as performing at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration at age 16. (Thurs, Jun 15
BUDDY GUY BRINGS FAREWELL TOUR to UPAC
Eighty-six-year-old blues guitarist and singer Buddy Guy is making the rounds of his old haunts on his final, farewell tour, which pulls into UPAC in Kingston, N.Y., on Thursday, June 15, at 7:30pm. One of the greatest electric guitarists of all time, Buddy Guy has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and has been cited as an influence by rock titans including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, all while being a minimalist at heart, doing more with the power of a single, whispery, bent blues note than an army of so-called rock virtuosos. (Thu, Jun 15)
Roll Call: Founding Members
Anne Fredericks
Anonymous (6)
Erik Bruun
Benno Friedman
Richard Koplin
Steve and Helice Picheny
Rhonda Rosenheck
Elisa Spungen and Rob Bildner/Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook
Julie Abraham Stone
Mary Herr Tally