The Root Cellar in Greenfield will host a special night of music on Saturday, Aug. 13, when Adam Ezra plays a 7 p.m. solo acoustic show to benefit The Franklin County Continuum Program.
Later the same night, Caribbean reggae artist Taj Weekes and his band Adowa will take over the stage at 9.
Not only are both of these men talented musicians, they are both great humanitarians who are committed to making the world a better place.
Adam Ezra is a musician who is known for giving his all. His high-energy and passionate live shows, with his roots rock band, The Adam Ezra Group, have drawn comparisons to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
And his solo shows are also powerful events that provide the listeners with an even deeper appreciation of his songwriting prowess.
Ezra tours endlessly, and in addition to his commitment to his music, he devotes a great deal of his time to supporting various causes he is passionate about.
When he heard there was a new venue in Greenfield, Ezra was eager to perform there, but he also wanted to help out the community at the same time. So it was established that this show would be a fundraiser for the Franklin County Continuum Program, a local non-profit whose mission is to support at-risk youth with mental health issues by providing wrap-around services that support both the youth and the family.
“I was excited about not only playing in a new place, but to be supportive of a club in a community that I haven’t played in often,” said Ezra in a recent phone interview. “I suggested that we figure out a way that this night could benefit the community itself, and this is a cause that is close to the heart of one of the promoters, so I thought it was a great idea.”
Ezra is so committed to giving of his time and energy to help others that in 2011 he founded his own non-profit organization, RallySound.
“It’s a nonprofit organization to support community efforts in making the world a better place anyway that we can,” said Ezra. “We formed it so all the philanthropy and activism we were engaging in could be organized, and so far it’s been a really fun adventure for us.”
Through RallySound, Ezra and the group perform at all types of charitable events, and currently contribute 25 percent of their touring to benefit causes in communities across the country and worldwide.
They even host their own event, a yearly concert called The Ramble, which raises funds to help those who have served our country.
Last year, over 3,000 people attended and raised enough money to help build an accessible home for a veteran who was wounded in Iraq.
This year’s Ramble will be held on Saturday, Aug. 27, at Salisbury Beach in Salisbury.
The Ramble is free, but donations are requested with all money raised going to the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund.
For more information, visit: www.getrambled.com
Even with all his touring and philanthropy work, Ezra remains a prolific songwriter who finds time to write whenever and wherever he can.
Earlier this year, the Adam Ezra Group released “Songs For the Movies.” A single from that album, “Let Your Hair Down,” was the winner of the 2016 New England song of the year.
Ezra is ready to record the next album, which he hopes to have out by next year.
“I’m inspired by the people that I meet, the things that I’m experiencing, the things that we are all experiencing as a country and as a culture. My mission is to write songs that reflect that,” he said.
Ezra has also been spending some time in Nashville, Tenn., doing some songwriting with John Oates of Hall and Oates fame. The two have written eight songs together and plan on writing more.
“At the end of September, I am heading to Nashville and will play a festival with Hall and Oates, and afterward, will hang out for awhile so John and I can write some more together,” said Ezra.
“We are more excited about creating music and art and writing songs together than coming up with a specific plan of what we will do with these songs,” he added with a laugh.
Who knows, maybe he will sing one of these songs at the Root Cellar, because whether performing solo or with the group, Ezra never works with a set list.
“This show is going to be lil’ ole me and a guitar and we’ll see who shows up and that will dictate the songs we play. It will be an adventure,” he said.
Ezra added that he is very excited to be playing such a small room. “I love that. Sometimes those are the very best rooms and the very best shows.”
Taj Weeks is a reggae artist who hails from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. He has released five acclaimed albums, including his latest, “Love, Herb & Reggae.” (“We have had enough of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll — it’s time for love, herb & reggae,” said Weekes.) Like Adam Ezra, Taj Weekes is a devoted activist who works hard to bring about positive social change.
“Love, Herb & Reggae ” is his most political work to date. The album addresses LGBT issues, the legalization of marijuana, gun violence, the Occupy Wall Street movement, the Black Lives Matter movement and much more.
“The Rasta philosophy helped shape me,” Weekes said about the new album. “I’ve always spoken for what’s right, but in my songs I held back a bit. Now I want to shout it out for everyone to hear. No more Taj the person and Taj the musician — after all, they are one.”
Weekes feels that as a musician it is his responsibility to bring certain issues to light, and he does so with a spirit of hope and optimism.
He recently filmed a video for “Here I Stand,” a song he wrote after a journalist at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas falsely accused him of being homophobic.
“I don’t care who you love as long as you love,” said Weekes, who with this song hopes to clarify that misconception that all Rastafarians and reggae musicians are against homosexuality.
His dedication to social change goes beyond his song lyrics. In 2007, Weekes founded They Often Cry Outreach (TOCA), whose mission is to raise awareness and address the issues that affect Caribbean youth.
His humanitarian work gained the attention of UNICEF and in 2013, Weekes was appointed a UNICEF Champion for Children in St. Lucia.
For this show, he will be joined by his band Adowa, a group of accomplished musicians who come from different cultures and bring with them a wide range of musical influences. Together, Taj Weekes and Adowa will treat the crowd to a night of his poetic tales of hardship and hope, wrapped in a progressive roots reggae sound that will have you dancing and thinking at the same time.
To learn more about Ezra, visit: www.adamezra.com
To learn more about Weekes, visit: www.tajweekes.com
Tickets for the Adam Ezra show are $10. Tickets for the Taj Weekes show are $10. Advance tickets for the shows can be purchased at: www.rootcellarbar.com, which is located at 10 Fiske Ave.
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at: soundslocal@yahoo.com