The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire & Hudson Valley Cultural Preview

Sept 26-Oct 1, 2024

Sep 25, 2024

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 …

MARY GAUTHIER BRINGS CONFESSIONAL FOLK to SPENCERTOWN

Grammy-nominated folk singer-songwriter and author Mary Gauthier performs at Spencertown Academy in Spencertown, N.Y., on Thursday, September 26, at 7:30pm. Gauthier’s discography includes a dozen studio albums, and her songs have been covered by artists including Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Kathy Mattea, Boy George, Jimmy Buffett, and Bettye Lavette. Her songs often deal with marginalization, informed by her experience of adoption, addiction and recovery, and growing up gay in the deep South. (Thu, Sep 26)

CHANDLER TRAVIS BRINGS QUIRKY ROCK to HUDSON, BECKET

Rock singer-songwriter Chandler Travis, whose credits as a bandleader include the Incredible Casuals, Travis Shook, and the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, brings his eclectic, at times quirky, rock sounds to Park Theater in Hudson, N.Y., on Thursday, September 26, at 8pm, and again to the Dream Away Lodge in Becket, Mass., on Friday, September 27, at 8pm. At one moment, Travis can sound like the Rolling Stones, before turning around with New Wave touches reminiscent of Elvis Costello or avant-pop leanings recalling NRBQ. (Thu, Sep 26; Fri, Sep 27)

SINGER and DANCER JOIN FORCES at ADAMS THEATER

Indie pop singer/songwriter Ciarra Fragale joins forces with dancer Molly Hess for “Love is a Crowded Room,” a unique program combining music and dance, at the Adams Theater in Adams, Mass., on Friday, September 27, at 7:30pm. Hess, a dancer, choreographer, educator, and arts administrator, and Fragale, whose music veers from Fleetwood Mac-like power-pop to psychedelia, are melding their talents to create a show that gives their audience an opportunity to move. (Fri, Sep 27)

ROBERT BURKE WARREN BRINGS ANNUAL BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE to LEONARD COHEN to BEARSVILLE THEATER

Singer-guitarist Robert Burke Warren brings his annual I’m Your Man: A Leonard Cohen Birthday Tribute to Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, N.Y., on Friday, September 27, at 7pm. In celebration of what would have been The Bard of Montreal’s 90th birthday, Warren will be joined by an ensemble of fellow singers and musicians, including Elizabeth Clark, Rachel Loshak, Mark Lerner, Nancy Howell, Peter Newell, and Peter Dougan, plus special guests Luis Mojica and Melora Creager (Rasputina), in a program spanning Cohen’s entire career, from 1960s classics like “Bird on the Wire” and “Suzanne,” to latter-day epics like “Everybody Knows,” “First We Take Manhattan,” and the little song that could, “Hallelujah.” (Fri, Sep 27)

YEMEN BLUES BRINGS MIDDLE EASTERN MIX to SAUGERTIES

Yemen Blues, a multicultural ensemble playing a unique blend of contemporary Middle Eastern music, performs at the Local in Saugerties, N.Y., on Friday, September 27, at 8pm. The quartet of musicians brings various musical influences to its Mediterranean mix, including traditional Yemeni sounds, desert music, South American percussion, jazz, hip-hop, funk, rock, and the street vibe of downtown New York City, making for an exciting, groove-based music whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. (Fri, Sep 27)

Also of note:

Musician-author Howard Fishman presents Message in a Bottle: Discovering the Music of Disappeared Musical Genius Connie Converse, at the Bernhard Music Center at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., on Thursday, September 26, at 4:15pm. Fishman, author of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse (a finalist for the Plutarch Award for Best Biography of 2023), will discuss Converse’s relationship to American song, and will play examples of her pioneering recordings.

British prog-rock legends Soft Machine perform at WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio The Linda in Albany on Thursday, September 26, at 8pm.

Stelth Ulvang, pianist for the anthemic folk band the Lumineers, performs a solo show at Studio 9 at Porches Inn in North Adams, Mass., on Friday, September 27, at 7pm.

The annual Basilica Soundscape festival takes place this weekend at Basilica Hudson in Hudson, N.Y., from Friday, September 27, through Sunday, September 29, featuring a diverse array of performers, including Eris Drew and Octo Octa, Maria BC, Lightning Bolt, Helado Negro, and Elucid, among others.

The Grammy Award-winning Villalobos Brothers, a violin-wielding family band that has been recognized as one of the foremost contemporary Mexican ensembles in the world, performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday, September 28, at 7pm.

Malik Abdul-Rahmaan and DJ REC perform in a free concert at The Clark in Williamstown, Mass., on Sunday, September 29, at 5pm.

The Crow Ensemble, a talented bassoon quartet, brings wit, charm, and remarkable musicianship showcasing the versatility of the bassoon to Roeliff Jansen Community Library in Copake, N.Y., on Sunday, September 29, at 3pm.

Skye Consort & Emma Björling perform trans-Atlantic arrangements of songs and tunes from Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, England, Québec, Acadia, the U.S., as well as original compositions, at the Foundry in West Stockbridge, Mass., on Tuesday, October 1, at 7:30pm.

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The Rogovoy Report