On Saturday, Aug. 9, we will experience a Sturgeon Moon, a full moon named by Native Americans after the sturgeon fish that populate the Great Lakes. This particular full moon, also known as a super moon, is believed to represent strength. That same night, the synth-pop duo Home Body will perform their annual free concert at Peskeompskut Park in Turners Falls at 6:30 p.m., so it’s only fitting that they are calling this event “the full moon concert.”
This year marks the sixth consecutive year that the musical duo of vocalist Haley Morgan and synthesist Eric Hnatow have played a summer show at the park. And even without a full moon rising from above, a Home Body show is always a special event as they combine lighting, dancing, and costume to add a sparkly theatrical touch to their beat-heavy electronic pop music.
The Greenfield-based duo has toured all over the country and released two full-length albums. They don’t perform as much as they have in the past, but they always make sure to include this local show in their schedule.
“We’re looking forward to this annual park performance – and this year it’s on a full moon, so it promises to be extra juicy!” Haley Morgan wrote in an email exchange. “It’s important to us to play shows that are accessible, free, outdoors, fun for all ages, and over at a reasonable hour.” (The show will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
Home Body also curated the event, and every year, they invite special guests to open the show. This year, they will welcome Wishbone Zoe, the musical project of multi-media artist Zosia Kochanski. She has been a major presence on the local scene since the mid-2000s, known as much for her music as her illustration and animation skills.
“Wishbone Zoe recently put out a fun folky album with a corresponding short animated film called ‘Blue Distances’ earlier this year, and we’ve been eager to hear her play some of those compositions live, so we’re excited she was able to join us,” said Morgan. “We personally love shows with eclectic bills so [we] try to invite artists to join us who offer the audience a different flavor of sound and perspective than Home Body.”
Wishbone Zoe’s album “Blue Distances” is a collection of 10 songs that harken back to her early folk-inspired music. Local music fans may remember Zoe from her work with the Woman Songwriter Collective. This group included other local musicians like Lexi Weege and Christa Joy. Back then, she played folk-inspired music as she accompanied herself on a banjo. But by the time she released her first full-length album, 2020’s “Fossil’s Dream,” she was delving into more experimental-based indie pop music.
“I spent a few years teaching myself frame-by-frame animation, making music videos, and also musically exploring experimental composition,” Wishbone Zoe said. “The two mediums were in such strong communication with each other, I had to follow where the path led. But I was missing writing songs.”
In addition to releasing her own music, she worked with the punk band Eieieio as well as with other musicians on various projects.
Zoe was on a wild, creative journey, but then a break came.
“In 2022, I went through some big personal changes in my life and also had the opportunity to do a lot of traveling, so it felt like the right time to readdress writing songs applying techniques I’d learned from the musicians I’d met and friends I’d made in my couple years off,” she said.
Then, in May, came the release of “Blue Distances,” along with an accompanying film.
The album’s 10 songs are a excellent collection of stripped-down folk-rock tunes where Zoe, a multi-instrumentalist, primarily accompanies herself on acoustic guitar. The emphasis is on her voice and lyrics, which are from a book of poetry she wrote, and which deal with themes of solitary travel, lost feelings, meditation, and more.
“It felt only right to look for guidance from some of my longest-time influences – Big Star, the Replacements, etc. Just as animation and sonic collage felt very alive for me a few years ago, I’m enjoying this period of having a lot to say through songwriting,” she said. “It feels like coming home. We’ll see what happens next!”
This show will be Wishbone Zoe’s first time sharing a stage with Home Body, in what promises to be a special night of music.
This year, Home Body will be passing the hat to raise funds to support the Franklin County Peoples Fund. This all-volunteer solidarity fund provides immediate support to folks right here in Franklin County facing financial emergencies and family separation due to deportation, incarceration, and housing instability. Learn more at givebutter.com/FCPF.
This event is made possible thanks to the support from RiverCulture and the Mass Cultural Council. Peskeompskut Park is located at Avenue A and Seventh Street.
Rain date is Sunday, Aug. 10.
Antenna Cloud Farm welcomes Duo Yumeno
Antenna Cloud Farm is a truly special place that is a music venue, artist retreat, and community-building organization located on a 100-acre hilltop, once a dairy farm, in the town of Gill.
Founded in 2017 by composer Judd Greenstein and his wife, Michi Wiancko, a Juilliard-trained violinist and composer, the couple host concerts and operate an artist retreat called the Experimental Institute during the summer months at this location which is also their home. The farm hosts shows by world-class musicians of varying genres as they focus on using music as a way to promote positive change and community resilience.
Antenna Cloud Farm, in its commitment to building community, also collaborates with other local arts organizations, schools and more to present inspiring live music. A recent example of this was the First Friday event in Turners Falls, a successful joint venture with RiverCulture, that was held earlier this summer.
Now they are ready for their 2025 season at the farm. The musicians who perform at Antenna Cloud Farm are often described as creating music that is new and groundbreaking. That description certainly applies to Duo Yumeno, which is koto/shamisen player and singer Yoko Reikano Kimura, and cellist Hikaru Tamaki, who are from Japan. The pair will perform two concerts on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the intimate indoor stage at Antenna Cloud Farm. Duo Yumeno’s music, described as inspired by tradition but with a contemporary sensibility, has been praised by The New York Times for its “unexpectedly groovy” sound, creating an exciting and unique concert experience.
The first concert will begin at 2 p.m. with the doors opening at 1:30 p.m.
The second concert will begin at 6 p.m with doors opening at 5:30 p.m
Grounds open at 12:30 p.m.
A special Japanese-themed reception follows each show.
Antenna Cloud Farm is located at 24 Green Hill Rd. in Gill. For tickets, directions and more information, visit Antennacloudfarm.com.
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.