The band She Said is happy to announce that they are back and ready to rock Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Friday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m. They have a new lineup and some new songs and can’t wait to get back on stage to play their first show together since 2020. The show is a co-bill with acoustic duo Katie Clarke and Larry LeBlanc.

“Our last gig was just as Covid hit, we played a big anniversary party in Shelburne Falls and we’ve had no gigs since that, and then last spring Margaret (Fitzpatrick), our keyboardist and soprano, passed away,” said She Said band member Tanya Bryant about the band’s absence from the stage.

A couple of months ago, feeling that it was safe to get out there and play, they decided to regroup and return to doing what they love.

In addition to Bryant, who plays guitar and harmonica, the group’s lineup features: TorieO’Dell on rhythm guitar, Nina Rossi on bass, Gail Hegeman on drums, and newcomers Eileen Almeida on vocals and percussion and Michael Duffey on pedal steel.

Bryant started the band with her sister TorieO’Dell in 2016. The sisters grew up in a musical family (their great-grandmother played piano at the Academy of Music for silent movies) in Leverett and loved and played music throughout their childhood. They even did some songwriting, but once they grew up, music took a backseat to careers and other adult responsibilities. Bryant said when she reached her 50s, she realized that music was her first love and needed to do something about it. So she started writing songs again and sister Torie was also doing some writing.

They decided to form a band to showcase their work. It would be an all-female band. They recruited Margaret Fitzpatrick, who played keyboards and had written some songs, and later found bassist Nina Rossi through Craigslist. Drummer Gail Hegeman, the only member who had played in a band before, was recommended by mutual friends. She Said was born.

The group, whose members are all from Franklin County, focus on original material, with each member writing and singing their compositions. The fact that they were a middle-aged all-female band drew attention, but their catchy rock songs and three-part harmonies secured them a solid local following. She Said has played at various Valley venues and festivals, released a self-titled CD in 2018, and was the subject of “Let Your Love Shine: The She Said documentary,” that aired on Montague Community Television.

The band’s following was growing, but was sidelined when Covid struck. Then they faced an additional blow when Fitzpatrick passed away last April. It was a big loss, but the group decided to forge on and add new members.

“I knew Eileen Aimeida from her work in Zydeco Connection and when she used to come into my restaurant in Shelburne Falls,” said Bryant. “I saw her at the Heath Fair and mentioned we were looking for a soprano and she was interested.”

But the more significant change would come when Duffey joined the band on pedal steel.

“I wanted to change our sound up a bit and take the band in a different direction, and I knew Michael Duffey because I’ve been playing with him in a country band called the River Benders, and I felt like he would add a lot, and give us an even more unique sound with the pedal steel,” said Bryant.

Of course, Bryant knew that bringing a male into the group might be viewed as a somewhat controversial move.

“It’s an issue because a lot of people thought that what made us special was that we were an all-woman band,”said Bryant. “But still, there aren’t a lot of bands that have five women and one guy in the background, so I feel we are still dominating the stage with feminine power.”

Many people also associate the pedal steel with country music, and Bryant said that while you may hear a couple of country-influenced tunes at a She Said show, they remain, first and foremost, a rock band.

And they are ready to rock again. The band members have been busy writing as they gather material for the next CD, so expect to hear some new tunes at this show. They will also keep a couple of Fitzpatrick’s songs in their set, and O’Dell will handle the vocals.

They look forward to sharing the stage with Katie Clarke and Larry LeBlanc. Katie Clarke has been making music on the local scene for many years. You may know her from her solo work or when she was a member of the Boxcar Lilies. After she left the Lilies in 2016, she met up with multi-instrumentalist LeBlanc—who had just moved to the area—at a local jam session. They clicked and have been performing together since. They play cover tunes and material Clarke wrote, including selections from her most recent album, “Season of My Time.” Expect to hear old-time music, bluegrass, country, gospel and more when this duo takes the stage.

After their set, the dance floor will open and She Said will rock the house.

“It’s really exciting to get back on stage, and the best part for me personally is I feel that I’m a better guitar player than I was before,” said Bryant. “Remember, except for Gail, we hadn’t been in a band or played in front of people before. But I feel we have all gained some confidence and improved as musicians, and I hope we are better at performing.”

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 day of show. Advance tickets can be purchased at Hawksandreed,com or by phone at 413.774.0150.

Quiet Houses hold CD release show at the Shea Theater

Quiet Houses is an indie progressive folk band from Northampton that will celebrate the release of its new self-titled album with a show at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Friday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m. The band, led by singer/songwriter Chris Eriquezzo, also includes Josh Loell on bass and Will Carrol on drums. For this show, they will be joined by cellist Matthew Thornton.

The word progressive especially applies to this trio as they experiment with different styles and sounds to create music that ranges from the serene lushness of “Ghost on a Wire,”to the more complex textured sounds of “The Cardinal Flight.” Intricate guitar work, interesting time signatures and layered vocals are some more reasons to check this new release out.

Quiet Houses is available on most streaming services or, better yet, head to the show where they will play the album in its entirety.

Mark Schwaber of Greenfield will open. There is a quiet beauty to much of Schwaber’s solo work that you’ll also hear in some of Quiet Houses’ material, making him the perfect opener for the band. Schwaber’s most recent full-length work is “Everything Around Me,” a selection of songs he wrote about his mother’s death. Look for new music from him in the upcoming year.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at sheatheater.org.

Sheryl Hunter is a music writer whose work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at: soundslocal@yahoo.com.

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