The Great Falls Coffeehouse, held at the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls, is preparing to go on its winter hiatus, but not before presenting a show with the Juggler Meadow Band this Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. After this show the coffeehouse will not reopen until it hosts the annual All-Cooped Up concert in March.
The energetic Juggler Meadow Band is the perfect choice to send the season out on a high note. The band features Joe Acker on guitar, his wife Tara Acker on mandolin, Brian Rosenkranz on bass and Rocky Strempel on drums.
The band’s repertoire is a mix of original tunes by Acker and a diverse range of covers from classic rock artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, The Band, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and more.
“We’ll do a mix of Americana tunes with classic rock that sort of lends itself to us as a foursome,” said Joe Acker in a recent phone interview. “I like what I call muscular music – music that really comes across and connects with energy and gusto. I think if there is one thing that runs through what we do, it’s trying to inject that into all the songs we play.”
The Juggler Meadow Band’s journey began in Leverett in 2014, where they took their unique name from the street where the Acker family lived. Since then, they have performed at various locations throughout the valley, including breweries, libraries, farmers markets and more.
“We started out playing as a trio, and people were easily able to talk over us when we were playing bars, so we said we needed a drummer,” Acker said with a laugh. “Once we got Rocky, which was 10 or 11 years ago, people weren’t able to talk over us.”
There were periods over the years when a fiddler was in the band, and Acker said they are currently in the market for one.
“It’s rare to find that fiddler who likes to play Led Zeppelin or Bruce Springsteen songs,” said Acker. “We bring a sign to every gig that says ‘Are you our next fiddle player?’ so people walking by can ask themselves if we are their cup of tea.”
Even though they’ve only had a fiddler in the band for a limited amount of time, they started out calling themselves the Juggler Meadow String Band.
“Because we didn’t give it that much thought, it only took about 10 years for us to realize that maybe we shouldn’t call ourselves a ‘string band’ because if you really think about what a string band is — technically we aren’t that,” Acker explained.
He pointed out that string bands often feature a clawhammer banjo and bass and will repeat a melody again and again. None of these characteristics apply to the Juggler Meadow Band.
“Who knows over the years how many people never came to see us because they weren’t interested in seeing a string band,” Acker said. “So we finally decided ‘let’s drop the string band.’”
Acker has been a songwriter for many years and even has some songs up on Spotify. He feels that his music is best defined as Americana, and although he rarely performs alone, he is currently in the process of recording a solo album.
“The songs I have up on Spotify were poorly recorded, and now I’m giving a little more attention to getting the recording right,” Acker said. “It’s taken decades to get it right.”
Due to Acker’s approach toward recording, don’t expect an album from the Juggler Meadow Band. “The meticulousness with which I’m approaching this, nobody is going to have the time or patience for,” he said with a laugh.
Besides, The Juggler Meadow Band are all about playing live.
“We love playing — we have fun when we do it. If you come, there is no reason that you shouldn’t have a good time,” said Acker about the band. “People walk away smiling. They see that we love doing this and we love interacting with people. It’s just a good time, so if you want a good time with other nice people, then come to this show.“
Sliding scale admission $7-$20 and no one is turned away. Free for children. Doors are at 6:30 p.m.
Blues Weekend at Incandescent Brewing
Blues fans will want to hit Incandescent Brewing, 203 South St. in Bernardston this weekend for two nights of some of the best in local blues music. On Friday, Nov. 14, it’s the Hendersons Blues Band. Then on Saturday, Nov. 15, the Wildcat O’Halloran band will take the stage. Shows on both nights are from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Hendersons Blues Band features guitarists and vocalists Bo and Janny Henderson who have been playing blues together for more than 40 years. In addition, the band includes Joey on drums and Nighttime Will on harmonica. (Check out Nighttime Will’s blues show “Blue Monday” on 93.9 the River every Monday night at 9 p.m.) Expect to hear some good, old-fashioned gritty blues music when The Hendersons Blues Band takes the stage.
Veteran bluesman Wildcat O’Halloran has been a presence on the local blues scene for more than 30 years. With a sound rooted in traditional electric blues, Wildcat’s repertoire consists of covers of classic blues by artists like B.B. King, Otis Rush and Willie Dixon alongside his originals, many of which include a touch of humor. His recordings, including his latest and his 18th album “Lead Me Not Into Temptation… I Can Find It Myself,” has gained widespread critical acclaim and radio airplay. He’s also opened for such legendary blues artists as John Lee Hooker, James Cotton and many others.
In other Wildcat O’Halloran news, the bluesman will his host the annual Food Bank Benefit concert in Northampton on Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 26 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the City Sports Grille, which is located at the Spare Time Bowling Center at 525 Pleasant St. in Northampton.
An all-star group of Valley players, including Wally Greaney, Buddy McEarns, Johnny Marino, Automatic Slim and Merrill Shepard. They will all be backed by Wildcat himself and his rhythm section. The MC for the evening will be Katie Wright, host of the Thursday Blues Show on WMUA.
Admission to Wildcat’s food bank benefit concert is free as the event raises funds for the Food Bank through various raffles and merchandise sold by WMUA. Admission to the show at Incandescent Brewing is also free.
Cantrip at Ashfield Community Center
Take two fiddle players, a bagpipe player, an acoustic guitarist and add to the fact that three of them are strong singers, and you have a night of spirited music. And that will be the case when the Scottish quartet Cantrip performs at the Ashfield Community Hall, 521 Main St. on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. as part of the Maude’s Closet Concert series.
The group has been playing together for more than 25 years, performing traditional Scottish music with incorporating the sounds of funk, metal, blues, swing and even klezmer. Their name comes from the old Scottish word that means a spell, a charm or mischief, which they feel definitely captures their approach toward music-making.
Tickets are $22, day of show $25. Tickets are available at Boswell’s Books in Shelburne Falls, Broadside Books in Northampton and Ashfield Hardware in Ashfield.