It’s time to bid farewell to 2022, a year when our local music scene experienced its share of highs and lows. However, while we reflect on the past, we will also look ahead to some of the music in store for 2023.
The best news of 2022 is that live music has returned and is happening all over the Valley. The bad news is that this past year, like the previous two, saw us dealing with the continuing impact of COVID-19 on the world of live music.
New bands arrived on the scene while others called it a day. New venues popped up, while some old favorites haven’t reopened. We danced at great concerts and cried over tragic losses, like the death of great singer Kate Lorenz (Rusty Belle) in July and the murder of Jana IvanovaAbromowitz (Tropical Hot Sauce) also in July. But through it all, the music was always there to brighten even our darkest days.
This time last year, we were experiencing the canceling or postponement of all New Year’s Eve shows as cases of COVID-19 were rising. So this year, at least as of this writing, I’m glad to say that it’s a go for all the New Year’s shows.
The winter of 2022 wasn’t great for the music scene, but things got better with each passing month. If venues and musicians were to survive, we had to move forward, so COVID-19 protocols were again implemented, venues reopened, and audiences started slowly returning. Despite the ongoing challenges that COVID-19 presents, there were some great shows this past year.
Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield is back to offering multiple shows every week, with an eclectic and open approach to programming. This past year they presented so many good shows, including indie rockers Rubblebucket, singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier, Punk icon Bob Mould, and reggae band Black Uhuru. In addition to bringing in nationally touring acts, they continue to support local music by having a steady stream of local musicians representing all genres play their stages. Monthly Greatful Dead tribute shows, heavy metal nights and tea dances are some of the series the club has implemented over the past year. Hawks & Reed also presented concerts at the Pushkin Gallery in Greenfield, including the electronic dance music show scheduled for New Year’s Eve.
The Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls has also soldiered on and in March they welcomed Phil Simon and Kelly Drew of the Warwick-based booking and publicity agency Simon Says to join the Shea Theater team as programming and marketing directors for the Shea Presents concert series. They brought in everyone from local acts like the Gaslight Tinkers to nationally touring bands like Start Making Sense, who pay tribute to the music of the Talking Heads. The Shea co-produced a summer series with the Montague Village Store and presented some shows with the Rendezvous in Turners Falls, including one with Bonnie Prince Billy last April. They promise even bigger plans for next year.
Franklin County has a thriving brewery scene and most offer free live local music every weekend. The opening of the Shelburne Falls Pub and Brew (formerly Sweetheart restaurant) was a welcomed addition to this mix. Tree House Brewery in South Deerfield has a beautiful theater which they opened with a sold-out show by Iron & Wine last January. This past summer, they brought Graham Nash in for two shows and held a concert with Drive-by Truckers out on their lawn. It was great having talent of that level in Franklin County, and I would love to see them host more shows indoors and out in 2023.
The club scene seems solid, with the Rendezvous in Turners Falls offering a solid lineup of shows. We also welcomed back music at the Deja Brew Cafe and Pub in Wendell, which had closed in 2017, but reopened for weekend events this past summer.
In April, a new music venue called the Drake opened in the space that used to house Amherst Brewing Company. So finally, Amherst has a music venue. They have a strong roster of shows coming up, and if you want to get your new year off to a strong start, Kalliope Jones will be playing there next Thursday (Jan. 5) at 8 p.m.
Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity in Florence, which opened in 2021 continues to offer all types of shows. Tickets are on sale for acts like Crash Test Dummies (Feb. 18) and Rufus Wainwright (May 4).
Outdoor music flourished as many concert-goers feel safer attending shows in the fresh air. Events ranging from Good Music Makes Good Neighbors in Montague to big festivals like StrangeCreek Campout in Greenfield, and the Charlemont Reggae Festival returned this summer after a two-year absence.
The Green River Festival enjoyed another successful year! The three-day festival was held in June instead of July and returned to the Franklin County Fairgrounds. As always, the music was incredible with standout sets by Lake Street Dive, Allison Russell and the Young at Heart Chorus. Keep an eye out for the lineup announcement for the 2023 festival, which will be held June 23 through 25. Weekend passes are on sale now at Greenriverfestival.com. Here’s to looking forward to more festivals in the new year.
The festival fun will start early with The Back Porch Festival, the celebration of American roots music, which takes place the weekend of March 3 through 5. Signature Sounds Presents recently announced that they have partnered with the Northampton Arts Council, and the festival will take place at eight venues throughout Northampton. The lineup includes Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, Watchhouse, Session Americana, Mile Twelve, Whiskey Treaty Roadshow and so many more. This should be a great weekend of music, and you can get your tickets now at backporchfestival.com
I always thought that the Franklin County Fairgrounds was a much-underused space, so it was good to see that a series of music festivals like SummerFest took advantage of the location and hosted events there. Let’s hope there is even more music at the fairgrounds in 2023.
There are still some music events and venues that haven’t returned since 2020. Among the missing are the Wormtown Music Festival which is usually held in Greenfield every Labor Day weekend, and the Old 78 Farm Fall Festival, held in Warwick every year. The latter will host an indoor festival at the Shea this January. (We’ll have more about this as the date gets closer). Also, the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse has yet to reopen. Sadly, the iconic Iron Horse Music Hall and Pearl St. Nightclub in Northampton remain closed, and the Calvin Theatre has hosted only a handful of shows.
Congratulations to the Institute for The Musical Arts (IMA) in Goshen, which celebrated its 35th anniversary of teaching young women how to rock. They celebrated with an all-day concert called Lady and the Amp Fest. IMA co-founder and musical director June Millington released a stellar new bluesy rock record this year called “Snapshots.” Millington was also inducted into the New England Music Hall of Fame this year. If only Fanny, the all-female band she co-founded with her sister Jean, would get inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.
When I look back at the music scene of 2022, one thing that stands out is all the tribute bands that flooded the area. There are many reasons we see such an uptick in these bands — from people wanting to hear music they know to the original bands no longer touring. I’ve never been a fan of these bands, but I admit I went to a few of these shows this year and immensely enjoyed them. One of my favorites was Minstrels in the Gallery, the Jethro Tull tribute led by local musician Chris Devine. The group debuted in June and played two sold-out shows at Hawks & Reed this year.
I also have to mention, it’s always great to have Travis LeDoyt bring his Elvis act back home, which he did in July.
So will the tribute trend slow down in 2023? I doubt it.
There were plenty of local albums released this year. Standouts include the vintage rock and blues music heard on the self-titled debut by StompBoxTrio, the danceable world music that dominated Gaslight Tinkers II, and the classic country rock on “Hollywood” by longtime favorites, the Lonesome Brothers.
I’m looking forward to new music from Sandy Bailey, Eavesdrop, Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, Love Crumbs, Cloudbelly and so many more of our fine local musicians in the upcoming year.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy music-filled New Year!
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.