Saturday, Sept. 26, will be a special day of community, connection and co-creation as The National Spiritual Alliance presents Spirit & Song at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls.
The event will have two parts: during the day, attendees can learn more about the alliance, which is based in Lake Pleasant. A Psychic Medium Fair will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a talk on the history of Lake Pleasant at 4:30 p.m. and a demonstration of mediumship with Alicia Parrish at 5:30 p.m.
“Eight Voices, One Stage,” a concert showcasing the talents of the singer-songwriters who participated in the alliance’s Pond Lily Project, an artist-in-residence program, will be held at 7 p.m. This concert will feature the program’s three artist mentors, Luke DeRoy, Tobey Sol LaRoche and Olivia Nied, as well as five emerging artists in residence: Carly Lara, Rachel Davis, Matt Emmer, E. Horace Winston III and Lilah Asbornsen.
The Pond Lily Project is an artist-in-residence and artist mentorship program supported in large part by the Montague and Massachusetts cultural councils, and RiverCulture. It includes a monthly songwriter development circle and a monthly community open mic called Voices in the Village. Three professional development workshops will be offered in November. These are open to all and held at Thompson Temple.
Music has always been a big part of The National Spiritual Alliance, which was an inspiration for the Pond Lily Project.
“G. Taper Thompson, our founder, was a singer-songwriter, and music is one of the main reasons we can be financially open,” explained alliance member Kara Kharmah. “And you know, music is the universal language — it’s that vibration and connection.”
That thread runs through everything the Pond Lily Project does. The five songwriters who are in the artist-in-residence program had to apply and be accepted into the program. They come from varied musical backgrounds and are at different phases in their musical journey. The residency aims to provide a supportive community where creativity thrives.
The mentors led three groups at Thompson Temple. Sol LaRoche leads the monthly open mic, which provided the artists the chance to work out material and fine-tune their performing skills. Nied offered a community music gathering called “Jam in the Round.”
“The whole idea behind it was to be free-form, inclusive to musicians and sound makers of all levels, and intentionally imperfect,” Nied said. “Sort of the Bob Ross mentality of ‘there are no mistakes, only happy accidents.’”
The songwriters also participated in a monthly songwriting development circle with DeRoy where they explored the craft of songwriting and shared their work.
“We’ve been meeting for eight months, and there have been many songs written in the group,” DeRoy said. “We are preparing for the show, which has been a long time coming. I’m so inspired by these songwriters that I’m working with. They remind me of why I fell in love with music and writing to begin with.
“We all definitely had a lot to offer,” DeRoy continued. “Different people had different strengths. I’ve seen people really blossom when they have support.”
Emmer, one of the emerging songwriters, noted that songwriting is a solitary act, and the connection and support the songwriters gave each other was a huge benefit.
“I really loved being part of a group of songwriters — to be able to connect with people who are mostly at similar places in our art and in our careers,” Emmer said.
“Just being able to talk about what making music means for us and our communities was a really awesome experience,” added Emmer, who has been playing music in the Pioneer Valley for about four years.
The Saturday night concert includes a songwriter-in-the-round format for the first half of the show, while the second half will feature band arrangements of their original songs.
“The show is a great way to find out what is going on in the local scene,” Emmer continued.
“Everybody’s showing off their best stuff, and we will be playing on each other’s songs, which is cool,” DeRoy added.
“You know, it’s been really special,” Kharmah said. “And that’s probably going to be one of the coolest parts about this concert — letting people in on this beautiful thing that was created out of these people that didn’t know each other.”
The concert will conclude with the group singing “Shambala,” a song that was a huge hit for the band Three Dog Night in the 1970s. It may seem like an odd choice for a finale, but the song has deep roots for The National Spiritual Alliance.
According to Parrish’s website, in the 1970s there was a medium at Lake Pleasant, Dorothy Begg, who advertised in papers across the country that she would answer questions about people’s past lives if they sent her a self-addressed stamped envelope. She corresponded with a man named Matthew Moore, and in concluding her writing to him, she told him to “let your light shine in the halls of Shambala.”
Moore shared the phrase with his brother, songwriter Daniel Moore, who was inspired to write the hit song and incorporate the line in it.
As a further way to honor Begg, the group recorded an album of original songs titled “Live From Thompson Temple 2026,” that is slated to be released in March 2027 to coincide with Begg’s birthday.
Doors for the concert open at 6 p.m. Concert tickets are available on a sliding scale beginning at $20. Psychic Medium Fair appointments are $30 for 25 minutes and are sold separately. More information is available at sheatheater.org/d/23314/Spirit-and-Song:-A-Psychic-Medium-Fair-and-Concert.
Misty Blues at Incandescent Brewing
If you are a fan of blues music, you’re likely familiar with Misty Blues, the blues band led by powerhouse vocalist Gina Coleman. The band has frequently played in the area, including at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls and, most recently, the 2026 Green River Festival. Now you can enjoy the band’s music in an intimate setting when Misty Blues plays at Incandescent Brewing, 203 South St. in Bernardston, on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.
Misty Blues, based in the Berkshires, released its 15th album, “Silver Lining,” in 2024, which marked 25 years together. At Incandescent Brewing, you can look forward to a mix of their own songs and blues favorites from a band that just keeps getting better with time.
This is a ticketed show. Tickets are $28 and available at incandescentbrewing.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.