Sounds Local: Cover bands abound at the Shea: Big Yellow Taxi will perform much of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Ladies of the Canyon’ this Saturday

If you’re in the mood for some dancing, head over to the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse held at the Wendell Town Hall on Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. Get ready to groove to the uplifting sounds of the Gaslight Tinkers as they transform the coffeehouse into a lively dance party.

If you’re in the mood for some dancing, head over to the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse held at the Wendell Town Hall on Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. Get ready to groove to the uplifting sounds of the Gaslight Tinkers as they transform the coffeehouse into a lively dance party. CONTRIBUTED

At the Shea Theater this Saturday, April 19, Big Yellow Taxi will honor the classic Joni Mitchell album “Ladies of the Canyon,” which is celebrating its 55th anniversary. This album from 1970 was Mitchell’s third release and includes some of her most celebrated songs, including “Woodstock,” “The Circle Game,” and “Big Yellow Taxi.”

At the Shea Theater this Saturday, April 19, Big Yellow Taxi will honor the classic Joni Mitchell album “Ladies of the Canyon,” which is celebrating its 55th anniversary. This album from 1970 was Mitchell’s third release and includes some of her most celebrated songs, including “Woodstock,” “The Circle Game,” and “Big Yellow Taxi.” CONTRIBUTED

By SHERYL HUNTER

For the Recorder

Published: 04-16-2025 3:10 PM

When it comes to tribute bands, music fans have rather mixed feelings. But love ‘em or hate ‘em, they play a prominent role on the music scene and a number of these bands have shows coming up in the area in the near future.

Let’s start with Big Yellow Taxi, who will perform at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Saturday, April 19, at 8 p.m. This six-member Valley-based band covers all eras of the iconic singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell’s music, from the radio-friendly songs to her lesser known forays into jazz music.

Last spring, Big Yellow Taxi played at the Shea Theater and celebrated the 50th anniversary of Mitchell’s groundbreaking “Court and Spark,” performing the album in its entirety. This year, they honor another classic Mitchell album “Ladies of the Canyon,” which is celebrating its 55th anniversary.

This album from 1970 was Mitchell’s third release and includes some of her most celebrated songs, including “Woodstock,” “The Circle Game,” and the song the band chose for its name, “Big Yellow Taxi.”

“We are not doing the complete album, I think we left out two songs,” bassist and guitarist Richard Cahillane said.

Big Yellow Taxi formed in 2021, drawn together by their love of Mitchell’s music. They also noted that in the crowded world of tribute acts, not many tackled Mitchell’s complex music which is known for its complicated tunings and rhythm changes. Since they are all accomplished musicians, they were up for the challenge of taking on Mitchell’s catalog.

In addition to Cahillane, the band includes Joe Fitzpatrick on drums, John Cabán on guitar, and Robert Sherwood on keyboards. Teresa Lorenço handles the vocals and perfectly conveys the emotion of Mitchell’s words. Newcomer Candy Green is on backing vocals and percussion and taking over for original band member Annie Patterson. For this show, they will welcome special guest, saxophone player Sharon Steele from Pittsburgh.

“Our new singer, Candy Green, is a great addition,” said Cahillane. “Annie Patterson retired from performing full-time with us but still fills in when needed.”

Your Daily Puzzles

Cross|Word

Flipart

Typeshift

SpellTower

Really Bad Chess

If the band members’ names sound familiar, it’s because they’ve played in bands like Trailer Park, StompBoxTrio, King Radio, and other bands known to audiences in our area. They tour throughout the Northeast and, in the summer months, will travel as far as Pennsylvania. This show at the Shea is the only local show they currently have on their calendar.

The night before, on Friday, April 18 at 8 p.m., The Rebels, a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band, will take the stage at the Shea Theater. Petty, who died in 2017, is known for having a string of hits during his career, including “Free Fallin’,” “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” and “Refugee.” The Boston-based band, which formed in 2018, took its name from a song from Petty’s 1985 album “Southern Accents.” They are a group of seasoned musicians who stress that they are not into imitating but are committed to doing justice to Petty’s extensive catalog and playing with the intensity and spirit necessary for this material. So that means you should be prepared for a night of serious rock music.

Other tributes coming up at the Shea are Dead Man’s Waltz, who play the music of the Allman Brothers, The Band, and the Grateful Dead on Saturday, April 26. Then on Saturday, May 10, it’s 13, a tribute to the songs of Taylor Swift.

Tickets for the Shea Theater shows are available at sheatheater.org,

Reprise, a popular band that plays the music of Phish, will be at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on Saturday, April 19, at 7 p.m. Reprise performs Phish shows in their entirety and this show will cover the band’s Nov. 4, 1994 show at the Mullins Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Tickets are available at Ironhorse.org.

A new Led Zeppelin tribute band, The Zepptunes with Ursula, will make its debut at the Pioneer Valley Brewery in Turners Falls on Saturday, April 26, at 7 p.m. There is no charge for this show.

Stay tuned as there will be more tribute shows happening in our area in the months ahead.

The Gaslight Tinkers at Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse

If you’re in the mood for some dancing, head over to the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse held at the Wendell Town Hall on Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. Get ready to groove to the uplifting sounds of the Gaslight Tinkers as they transform the coffeehouse into a lively dance party. This Brattleboro-based band is a favorite at the coffeehouse, and once you experience their world-beat sound live, you’ll understand why.

Founded by Peter Siegel and Garrett Sawyer, the Gaslight Tinkers blend global rhythms, old-time music, and Celtic fiddle, all delivered with the kind of full-out energy that will leave you breathless. They are one of those rare bands that get people on the dance floor as soon as they play that first note.

The evening will benefit the coffeehouse as they raise funds to continue bringing live music to Wendell.

Doors open at 7 p.m., an open mic starts at 7:30 p.m., and the main act kicks off at 8 p.m. The sliding scale is $7 to $15 at the door (cash only).

Rock N’ Roll Circus at Shea Theater postponed

The Rock N’ Roll Circus show scheduled for the Shea Theater on April 25 has been postponed until sometime in the fall, the date to be announced. Rock 4 Vets, the group involved in putting the show on, cited bluesman James Montgomery’s upcoming hip replacement surgery as the cause for the postponement. Montgomery was one of the headlining acts of the show that included other blues artists.

Tickets remain for the Tuesday, April 22 outstanding double bill of Josh Rouse and Rhett Miller at the Tree House Brewing Co. theater in South Deerfield. Miller is an alt-country pioneer, singer, and songwriter. He is well known for his own songs and those he has co-created with his band the Old 97’s. Josh Rouse, who started out in Nashville and later moved to Spain, is a gifted singer-songwriter with a number of albums to his credit that each have a different theme and sound. This show is part of a brief tour of the Northeast that the two are doing together

The Wood Brothers will play the summer stage at Tree House on Aug. 7. Tickets are on sale now.

Country artist Kip Moore will play the summer stage at Tree House on Sept. 18. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 17, at 10 a.m.

Tickets for Tree House shows are available at Tixr.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.