Floodwater Brewing Co. is gearing up for its third show at the Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall, when it will welcome Midnight Floyd, a band that performs the music of the legendary Pink Floyd, on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m.
The band features Tom Gutermuth on guitar and vocals, Jim Stockwell on guitar and vocals, Guy Seeley on drums, Morgan Kelsey on keys, and Dan Grip on bass and vocals. This show will feature a high-powered synchronized light show designed by Gutermuth, along with onstage special effects that create an immersive, psychedelic experience recalling Pink Floyd’s groundbreaking shows of the 1970s and ’80s.
“Midnight Floyd was founded 13 years ago in the greater Boston area by Tom Gutermuth. Tom moved to western Mass in 2022, which put a hold on the band until Tom and I reformed as a duo in February 2023,” Stockwell wrote in an email.
You may have caught one of Stockwell and Gutermuth’s duo shows at one of the local breweries where they have frequently played. In the spring of this year, they welcomed Grip and Kelsey, along with Seeley, who is one of the original members from the Boston area.
The show at Memorial Hall will mark their fourth full-band show, and they hope to play more with the full group in 2027. Stockwell and Gutermuth will continue to perform as a duo at smaller venues.
The band is dedicated to playing Pink Floyd’s hits and B-sides, covering songs from “The Dark Side of the Moon” through “The Final Cut,” and including a David Gilmour solo song.
“Our goal is to provide the audience with the best representation of some of the greatest music ever recorded,” Stockwell said. “We have a deep appreciation of Pink Floyd, having grown up listening to them. It’s a real pleasure to perform this music, as we put our heart and soul into every show.”
Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and can be purchased at floodwaterbrewing.com or in person at Floodwater Brewing Co., 40 State St. in Shelburne Falls. This venue is wheelchair accessible, and seating is first come, first served.
If you are a fan of tribute bands, you are in luck this week, because you have the option of checking out A Farewell 2 Kings – Rush tribute at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 8 p.m. The band will perform the album “Moving Pictures” in its entirety, plus other fan favorites and deeps cuts. The show is for all ages. Tickets are $22 in advance (plus fees) and are available at sheatheater.org.
New music this fall
Fall is a big time for new music, and it can be hard to keep up with all the new releases. Read on for a couple you won’t want to miss.
Easthampton-based singer-songwriter Kimaya Diggs released her third album, “Green,” on Oct. 2, and her first since “Quincy,” which she wrote after experiencing a series of losses, including the death of her mother.
On “Green,” Diggs takes a different direction in her songwriting and explores questions about home, goodness, change and one’s sense of place.
“The sort of spark for me of the album was being in my backyard, ” she said of the album’s title. “It’s my favorite place in the whole world, and just being like, ‘Wow! I can’t believe I get to be in this land.’”
Musically, the album’s 12 tracks blend indie-pop, soul, R&B, folk, rock and spoken word, all tied together by Diggs’ unique style. She also draws inspiration from the ’70s R&B, soul and funk she grew up listening to, from Stevie Wonder to Minnie Riperton.
This is also the first time Diggs has felt she could sing with the full power of her voice, after enduring vocal surgery a few years back and the long recovery that followed. And what a voice she has.
Diggs worked with a host of collaborators on the project, including co-producers Jacob Rosazza and Ben Sanders. She served as lead producer and engineered some tracks.
She knew from the start that the album needed to be rooted in a great groove. Diggs searched for the perfect drummer for the album, and discovered that person was Eric Slick of Dr. Dog. He happened to be in Nashville, so she went to Nashville.
“I’ll go wherever the drummer is that I want to play with,” she said.
Once she decided to record in Nashville, she teamed up with her friend Rhees Williams, who is originally from western Mass but has lived in Nashville for more than a decade. Williams played bass on the album and helped Diggs assemble a band while they recorded in Nashville.
These 12 songs have a smooth, relaxing feel — perfect for sitting back and taking it all in. In the spoken-word piece “A Sense of Place,” Diggs, with Lizzie No on harp, explores what it’s like to be a person of color in a white community. The moving track “I Want to Live!!” is about her struggle with chronic pain from an autoimmune disorder.
And we can’t forget “Dance with Me,” a song that features a solo from former local musician and saxophone player Sen Morimoto that will have you swaying to its sweet sound.
Diggs hopes listeners will take the time to experience the album from start to finish. If you want to experience the music from “Green” live, Diggs is having a CD release show at the Academy of Music in Northampton on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. and will be joined by a full band. Opening is Alisa Amador. Tickets are $30 to $35 and are available at aomtheatre.com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Kimaya Diggs isn’t the only artist with new music out. Wallace Field has just released a five-song EP called “Fantasy.” This project is a bit of a change for Field: a stripped-down folk album that shifts slightly away from her usual personal songwriting and focuses more on storytelling.
The opening song, “The Commons,” tells the story of a peasant from the days of feudalism, while “The Wedding Gown” finds the narrator coming across a wedding dress in a thrift store and drifting off into fantasies about the dress’ past and future.
For the most part, Field’s acoustic guitar is her primary accompaniment, except when producer Michael Lesko adds some nice touches, like the flute and bells to the title track. The most upbeat tune here, “July,” does use a full-band sound. Overall, the EP’s sparse accompaniment works nicely, letting Field’s distinct, strong vocals and songwriting take center stage.
Field was determined to keep this work as far from the polished sound of modern-day artificial intelligence as possible, so she made sure each track was run through analog tape and that the cover art was shot on 35 mm film.
Field is currently working on a full-length album, but until then, allow yourself to be swept up in the stories and sounds of “Fantasy.”
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.