Antenna Cloud Farm will wrap up their 2025 season with a special performance called Coyote Makes a World at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 4 p.m.
Coyote Makes a World is a one-of-a-kind multimedia performance that intricately weaves Indigenous storytelling with songs, mesmerizing vocalizations, visuals and movement. This event showcases the unique talents of storyteller, scholar, and vocalist čnaq’ymi (lone eagle) in collaboration with the versatile percussion ensemble, The Forest.
As a Spokane tribal member, musician, storyteller and educator, lone eagle is dedicated to preserving and sharing his people’s rich cultural heritage. In addition to being a traditional singer in his tribal community, he is also a North Indian classical vocalist and a well-respected scholar in Indigenous studies. He has appeared in the film “Rumble: Indians Who Rocked the World,” a 2017 Canadian documentary about the impact that Indigenous musicians had on popular music, particularly rock music.
To bring Coyote Make a World to the stage, he joined forces with the Brooklyn-based percussion ensemble The Forest, which features Gustavo Aquilar, Leah Bowden, Andrew Drury, and Michael Wimberly. This group celebrates diversity by weaving together threads from many traditions, including African, Asian, and Indigenous diasporic practices. The Forest emphasizes improvisation and innovative percussion techniques to create a unique musical experience. Each member brings a distinct voice and vision to the project, enhancing the overall sound.
The Forest and lone eagle launched this project last year and are currently touring Coyote Makes a World across New England.
“Though this will be Antenna Cloud Farm’s first time presenting this particular group of performers, I’d already been an admirer of lone eagle’s artistic and scholarly work, and had known of the folks in The Forest, each of whom is a musical force to be reckoned with,” Michi Wiancko, the artistic director of Antenna Cloud Farm, said.
“Antenna Cloud Farm’s presenting season is typically contained to the summer months. Still, I knew that this project was on a small tour in the Northeast, plus we really love working with the Shea Theater, so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.”
This show will feature contemporary stories of Coyote, a central figure in Indigenous storytelling, as he confronts the crises in our modern-day world with humor and recklessness. Coyote is described as a trickster, a complex, mischievous figure who doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions, which can lead to chaos or sometimes resolutions as he teaches us about our relationship with the natural world. Through Coyote, we can better understand the world we have made.
The show’s unique combination of storytelling, powerful music from The Forest, songs, and vocalizations offers the audience an experience, akin to the spirituality found in sacred Native American ceremonies.
Tickets are $20 (plus fees), and free for those 18 and under and Card to Culture cardholders. There is a reduced rate option of $10, offering a no-questions-asked ticket option for guests who find general admission to be cost-prohibitive. Please choose this option if you would otherwise not be able to afford to attend the event. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available at sheatheater.org. For more information, visit Antennacloudfarm.com.
Re-opening of Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall
Exciting news! As many of you know, the theater at Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls has been closed for the past eight months for much-needed renovations. We are pleased to announce that phase two of the three-phase renovation project is now complete. The theater will re-open with a new name, The Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall, with a community celebration on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 3:30 p.m.
The festivities will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony sponsored by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Then, at 4 p.m., the party will really begin when the music starts. Some of the hilltown’s finest will be performing, including Robin Lane with the Party Emergency, Tory Hanna of the Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, Tandem Jump, and Wild Bill and Big Trouble. Comedian/author Sarah Hartshorne will host the event.
Some of the completed renovations include repairing the historic tin ceiling, refinishing the wood floors, repainting the walls, and, perhaps the biggest news, installing 301 new historic Emerson seats. These seats are designed for maximum comfort and are a significant upgrade from the previous wooden seats. That alone is cause for a celebration, as anyone who has attended a performance at Memorial Hall in the past knows that the wooden seats were beyond uncomfortable.
So come on out, check out the new seats and room, and enjoy some fine music. And between songs, you can learn all about the planned phase three renovations.
If you can’t wait for Sunday, opera fans can check out the new chairs on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m., when there will be a soft opening and a showing of Live at the Met Opera, beginning with Bellini’s “La Sonnambula.”
Tickets for the opera are $22, cash or check (with ID).
The celebration on Oct. 19 is free, but donations are strongly encouraged and will go toward the next phase of renovations.
For more information, visit shelburnefallsmemorial.org.
Green River Festival tickets on sale
This is a reminder that weekend tickets for the Green River Festival are currently on sale. The festival will take place June 19-21, 2026, at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. Not only are weekend passes on sale, but you can also purchase camping and parking passes. The lineup will be announced sometime in November, but if you are one of those people who attend every year, then do take advantage of these lower prices. Tickets are available at greenriverfestival.com.
And while we are talking about festivals, Wilco’s Solid Sound festival, which takes place every other year at Mass MoCA in North Adams, announced that the dates for 2026 will be June 26-28 (the weekend right after the Green River Festival). No word yet on ticket sales or lineup announcement.
Since the members of Wilco always showcase their side projects at Solid Sound, we know we can expect a set from The Autumn Defense, the band of multi-instrumentalists Pat Sansone and John Stirratt.
The Autumn Defense have a new album that came out last week called “Here and Nowhere.” If you can’t wait until Solid Sound, you can catch them on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Iron Horse in Northampton.
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.