If you head to the Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center on the first Sunday of every month expect to hear some Pat Metheny music, a Hendrix cover, tunes by the Meters and some jazz influenced originals that are heavy on improvisation. And that’s just scratching the surface.
What may surprise you is that this wildly diverse selection of music is delivered by one band — the Joe Belmont Experience led by guitarist Joe Belmont.
The band also features Rudi Weeks on bass and Eliezer Martinez on drums. The trio plays a mix of covers and original compositions by Belmont that defy easy categorizing.
“I consider the band to be American music. In fact, when I started this band, the first name was the American Music Band, ” said Belmont who resides in Northampton.” I took all the styles of music that I loved — folk, rock, jazz, blues, reggae and funk, R&B and to me that’s American music. ”
To give listeners a better idea of what the Joe Belmont Experience is all about, Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, 289 Main St. in Greenfield will host a special weekend show with the band Saturday at 7 p.m. Opening the show will be Duo Fusion, which features Belmont on guitar and Sarah Swersey on flute. They play a mix of jazz, classical and even Celtic music.
In addition to his work with Duo Fusion, Belmont has been a member of the world beat band, Viva Quetzal for more than 20 years. He has also released two CDs of his own music, and produced and performed on numerous recordings. Belmont teaches on the Performance Faculty at Amherst College, and is director of jazz at the Northampton Community Music Center. Belmont’s bandmates are also incredibly accomplished Pioneer Valley musicians. Weeks is a member of Viva Quetzal, while Martinez works out in Los Angeles, Calif., drumming for the NBC singing competition show, “The Voice.”
Belmont is currently devoting much of his time to the Joe Belmont Experience, a project that he started in the summer of 2016.
“I reached a certain point and I really wanted to do this,” said Belmont. “It has a lot to do with playing the electric guitar, as I’ve really been getting into that. In a lot of ways, it’s like I’m getting back to my roots, because I started out being a songwriter and being in a band and I’m just loving it.”
The trio is currently playing out about four times a month and is focusing on expanding both its repertoire and audience.
“I’m just trying to find material that really resonates,” said Belmont.
“At this point, we’ve got a really big play list that’s evolving. I really want to reach out to people and show stuff that I like and maybe they like too,” he said.
And that boils down to a cohesive collection of styles that includes jazz, funk, rock, Chicago blues and even reggae.
“At any given show, I couldn’t say that we play any of that or all of that,” he said.
“The band is pretty eclectic, but it’s got pretty strong jazz credentials.”
Every show in the Sunday series has been different, in part, because of the frequent addition of guest musician. Since the series began in June some of the guests that have sat in include vocalist Barbara Weene and sax player John Scherer.
“Each show has it’s own vibe, and also the shows evolve within themselves,” explained Belmont. “We never work with a set list, so the show kind of develops on its own, which I really like. For instance, Sarah will sit in with the band this Saturday so that show will have a certain flavor to it.”
Overall, the first Sunday shows have been a great experience for the band, and one that they hope to enjoy continued success with.
“Hawks and Reed is a really nice club, and it’s a great environment for us,” said Belmont.” The sound is excellent, and the people couldn’t be nicer to work with. It’s been great for us.”
The Saturday night show is at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. The first Sunday of every month series show begins at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.hawksandreed.com.
Kris Delmhorst, Jeff Foucault
at the Shea Theater
Singer-songwriter Kris Delmhorst of Shelburne Falls recently released her seventh album. It’s called “The Wild,” and it’s a work of quiet, stark beauty that reflects Delmhorst’s ongoing growth as a songwriter. It’s a personal album, but one that speaks of universal truths, her poetic lyrics shine as they reflect the way we often wade through the darkness before finding the light.
This is the first time that Delmhorst has teamed up with her husband Jeffrey Foucault, who is also an established singer-songwriter and, like her, records for the Signature Sounds label. Beside a brief foray with the side project “Redbird,” which includes their friend Peter Mulvey, the pair has traveled separate career paths until now.
Foucault co-produced the album and contributes backing guitar and vocals. He also brought along his ace band to help out. Now the two have teamed up for a tour that will appear at the Shea Theater, 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls, on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m.
The lineup for this show is Billy Conway on drums, Jeremy Moses Curtis on bass and Eric Heywood on pedal steel. Delmhorst will take center stage, and Foucault and the band will back her. Then, they’ll switch and Foucault will perform, with Delmhorst joining the band. Delmhorst will focus on material from “The Wild,” while you can expect Foucault to play a few tunes from his upcoming album, “Blood Brothers.” The couple will also play a few songs together. I would recommend getting tickets now.
Advance tickets are $20 and available at: www.signaturesoundspresents.com. They are $25 at the door.
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