When Roomful of Blues returns to the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m., they will show off their new album, “Steppin’ Out!” The album is the first to feature lead singer D.D. Bastos, who is the second woman to be in the band in their almost 60-year career and the only woman to ever appear on a Roomful of Blues album.
If you saw the band at the Shea Theater last May, you already know Bastos, who joined in 2024. If not, this show is a great chance to experience this new chapter in the band’s long history.
And it really has been a long run. The Rhode Island-based band started in 1967 with guitarist Duke Robillard, who left in 1979.
Over the years the lineup has changed many times, but Roomful of Blues has always stayed true to its horn-driven blues, R&B and swing sound.
Their many accomplishments include five Grammy nominations, seven Blues Music Awards, and they have twice been awarded the Best Blues Band by Downbeat’s international critics’ poll.
The current eight-piece lineup includes the longest-running member, saxophonist Rich Lataille, who joined the band in 1970, and guitarist Chris Vachon, who came on board in 1990 and took over as band leader in 1998. Then there is Bastos, whose powerhouse vocals are a welcome addition to the band.
“For a very short time, when I wasn’t in the band, they had Lou Ann Barton from Texas,” said Chris Vachon about Bastos being the second woman in the band. “But she was only in the band about 10 minutes. She quickly discovered she didn’t like living in the North and went back to Texas,” he added with a laugh.
When vocalist Phil Pemberton announced he was leaving, Vachon instantly thought of Bastos. “I had a side project called Sons of Providence, and D.D. would front it every once in a while,” Vachon said. “Since I had played with her, I knew she could do the job.”
Vachon floated the idea of bringing in a female vocalist into the band and found the other band members and the rest of their team were open to it.
“We had to change things around a lot since the songs had always been sung by a male vocalist,” said Vachon. “We gave her like five or six gigs to try, and it went so well that we kept at it. Everything has been working out well and people seem to like the new lineup.”
Audiences were extremely receptive to Bastos, responding not only to her vocal prowess but also to the energy she brought to the stage. They started asking for an album, which led to “Steppin’ Out!”
This is the band’s 20th album and their seventh for the esteemed blues label, Alligator Records.
“Steppin’ Out!” was produced by Vachon, and while he has written material for the band before for this album, he and Bastos chose 14 obscure songs by legendary artists like Etta James and Big Mama Thornton.
From the torchy ballad “Please Don’t Leave,” to the sizzling “Slippin’ and Slidin’” with some great, a nice guitar solo from Vachon, “Steppin’ Out!” brilliantly captures the evolving sound of the new lineup while featuring plenty of the jump, swing, blues, soul and R&B we have come to expect from the band. After listening to this album, you’ll understand why they have been called the Best Little Big Band around.
Expect to hear plenty of the new album at this show.
Roomful of Blues has played thousands of shows and toured the world, but these days they keep closer to home and focus more on touring the northeast. Since they are based in Rhode Island, they have been frequent visitors to western Massachusetts over the years and look forward to returning to the Shea Theater.
Before I finished talking with Vachon, I had to ask him: What’s the secret to the band’s longevity?
“We won’t go away!” he said with a laugh. “But seriously, we enjoy what we do, and I think we put a good effort into keeping people entertained. When we play a show, we don’t just get up there and play the same thing over again. We try to diversify the styles, so it’s a show people can either sit and watch, or if they like, get up and dance.”
Tickets are available at sheatheater.org. Prices increase day of show. All ages. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Floodwater Brewing presents Singer-Songwriter Weekend in Shelburne Falls
The hills will be alive with music this weekend when Floodwater Brewing hosts a singer-songwriter weekend, which will run from Friday April 24 to Sunday, April 26. More than 25 singer-songwriters will perform at four venues: The Water Street Barn at 31 Water St.; The Permaculture Place at 49 Conway St.; and Floodwater Brewing at 40 State St.; and a place you don’t normally hear music, The Trolley Museum at 14 Depot St.
The lineup is a great showcase of local talent like Rob Adams, Bruce Colegrave, Jim Egan, Helen Hummel, Colleen Stanton, Dave Dersham, Brie Green, Sunny D and Hannah French, just to name a few. The weekend kicks off with a beer-and-cheese party at Floodwater Brewing at 4:30 p.m. featuring music by Morgan the Cat Mom. From there, you can catch music at Floodwater Brewing and Water Street Barn all evening.
On Saturday and Sunday, all four venues open at 1 p.m. with music until about 9 p.m. (Note: there is no music scheduled for The Permaculture Place on Saturday.) There are a few special shows on Sunday to take notice of. At 1 p.m., there will be a tribute to singer-songwriter Matt Price at Floodwater Brewing. Price, who passed away March 26, frequently performed at the brewery. You can also hear music being played inside restored Trolley No. 10 at the museum at 2:30 p.m. and, as it is only fitting, the musicians will be playing train-themed songs. The weekend wraps up with a jam session at Floodwater at 8 p.m. featuring many of the weekend’s participating singer-songwriters.
Brewery owner Zack Livingston is the driving force behind the event.
“The idea is to highlight the incredible local artists and venues that help make this village such a vibrant community,” he said in a press release.
Floodwater has become a key part of the local music scene, with live music four nights a week and on Sunday afternoons. They also host a popular open mic every Thursday.
The venue supports new artists and welcomes well-known Shelburne-Falls based musicians like Robin Lane, Kris Delmhorst and Jeffrey Foucault, who occasionally leads informal jam sessions called Singdowns when he is home from touring. He’ll be hosting three Singdowns on the first three Sundays in May.
“Live music is vital to Floodwater’s success, and I wanted to organize an event that would give back,” Livingston said. “This is a weekend for the artists.”
All performances are free, but tips for the performers are encouraged. You can find the full schedule at Floodwaterbrewing.com.
Fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas bring final tour to Watermelon Wednesdays
Watermelons may not be in season yet, but the Watermelon Wednesday concert series is up and running and will welcome back favorites fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas for a show on Wednesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Whately Town Hall.
This will be the third time that the virtuoso players, who have set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music perform at Watermelon Wednesdays — and sadly it will be their last. The pair recently announced that after 26 years of amazing musical explorations and great times, this will be their final tour as they embark on different projects.
“Alasdair and Natalie have been playing together for 26 years” writes Paul Newlin, founder and director of the series. “They have been instrumental in the resurgence of traditional acoustic music, especially that of Scotland, using their virtuosity with fiddle and cello to focus the ears of the world on their exciting new/old mix with hints of jazz and classical sensibilities, spicing up their traditional repertoire.”
Don’t miss out. Get your tickets at Watermelonwednesdays.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.