Sounds Local: World-class music in your own backyard: Watermelon Wednesdays kicks off 26th season next week with ‘Northern European fiddle festival’

Frigg are newcomers to Watermelon Wednesdays and will share the bill next Wednesday, March 5 with violinist Tim Kliphuis and guitarist Jimmy Grant. Frigg, from Finland, play a blend of Nordic folk tunes and Americana and call their music “nordgrass.”

Frigg are newcomers to Watermelon Wednesdays and will share the bill next Wednesday, March 5 with violinist Tim Kliphuis and guitarist Jimmy Grant. Frigg, from Finland, play a blend of Nordic folk tunes and Americana and call their music “nordgrass.” PHOTO BY MAREK SABOGAL

Accordionist Cory Pesaturo, the only person to have won the world championship accordion contest three times, returns to the Watermelon Wednesdays series on Tuesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Click Workspace at 9 1/2 Market St. in Northampton. Pesaturo will be joined by pianist Natalie Tenenbaum.

Accordionist Cory Pesaturo, the only person to have won the world championship accordion contest three times, returns to the Watermelon Wednesdays series on Tuesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Click Workspace at 9 1/2 Market St. in Northampton. Pesaturo will be joined by pianist Natalie Tenenbaum. CONTRIBUTED

Violinist Tim Kliphuis, from the Netherlands, and guitarist Jimmy Grant, from California, return to the Watemelon Wednesday series next Wednesday, March 5, at the Whately Town Hall at 7 p.m.

Violinist Tim Kliphuis, from the Netherlands, and guitarist Jimmy Grant, from California, return to the Watemelon Wednesday series next Wednesday, March 5, at the Whately Town Hall at 7 p.m. PHOTO BY JOSIE GRANT

Blues Legend and Springfield native Taj Mahal and Keb Mo have announced the release of their album “Room on the Porch” on May 23. The two will tour in support of the album, stopping at Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield on June 4.

Blues Legend and Springfield native Taj Mahal and Keb Mo have announced the release of their album “Room on the Porch” on May 23. The two will tour in support of the album, stopping at Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield on June 4. CONTRIBUTED

By SHERYL HUNTER

For the Recorder

Published: 02-26-2025 3:37 PM

Modified: 02-26-2025 3:45 PM

As we approach the end of February, the idea of sitting in the West Whately Chapel, enjoying some fine acoustic music while snacking on watermelon sounds quite appealing. And hold onto that thought because the Watermelon Wednesdays concert series is gearing up for its 2025 season, and it’s not too far away!

The series, which is named for the fact that most the shows take place on Wednesdays and, when in season, watermelon is served during the intermission. The shows are held at the West Whately Chapel and the larger Whately Town Hall. Watermelon Wednesdays’ 26th season will launch on Wednesday, March 5 with a double-bill of violinist Tim Kliphuis and guitarist Jimmy Grant and the band Friggat the Whately Town Hall at 7 p.m.

If you are a regular fan of Watermelon Wednesdays, you are familiar with Tim Kliphuis and Jimmy Grant. They are both popular series veterans and even had the honor of kicking off last year’s season.

“I would have Tim any time, he is one of my favorite fiddlers, plus he’s a really sweet guy. I’ve developed a friendship with him as I have many of the musicians who have performed at Watermelon Wednesdays over the past quarter century,” said Paul Newlin, the founder and director of Watermelon Wednesdays. “Jimmy Grant is also an amazing player.”

Kliphuis, from the Netherlands, is a classically trained musician, and Grant, from California, grew up playing in his dad’s bluegrass band. They are both inspired by the work of Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, so expect a night of masterful swing jazz fiddle and guitar.

In contrast to these series favorites, Frigg is a newcomer to Watermelon Wednesdays. The group from Finland plays a blend of Nordic folk tunes and Americana and calls their music “nordgrass.” Newlin had never heard of the band before being contacted by their agent.

“I didn’t know Frigg existed, but once I heard them, I thought, of course, they exist. They are great, and why haven’t I heard of them before?”

He never intended this season opener to feature two bands, however, a scheduling conflict with Kliphuis and Grant resulted in the pair’s only availability being March 5; Newlin had already booked Frigg for that date but decided to make the best of it.

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“I saw it as an embarrassment of riches,” he explained. “Frigg, who is from Finland, has three fiddlers, which will be mind-blowing, and Tim is from the Netherlands, so I thought I would bill this as a Northern European Fiddle (mostly) festival. I mean, why not? There are bluegrass and classical festivals, but this is the first Northern European fiddle festival I’ve ever heard of, mainly because I just made it up,” he added with a laugh.

Newlin, whose partner Claudia Ciano-Boyce assists him in putting on the series, has found that bringing great music to Whately is not a problem.

Sometimes agents reach out, as with the case with Frigg, or other times, he looks at the websites of like-minded venues to see who they are booking, or else he goes to festivals to check out the talent. “My luck is that I get to choose all these people. I have to turn down so many that I’d normally be pleased to have the chance to get, but there’s just so many great musicians out there.”

One of his latest discoveries, who he is thrilled to bring back to the series, is accordion player Cory Pesaturo. Newlin first heard Pesaturo when a friend urged him to check out a video of the musician. He was so impressed with what he heard that Newlin tracked him down and invited him to play in Whately.

“He is amazing; he won the world championship accordion contest three times,” said Newlin. “He’s the only person to have done that.”

Last summer, Pesaturo performed at the chapel and brought vibraphonist Drew Tucker with him. Not only had the two musicians never played together, they had never met until they arrived at the chapel.

Newlin was understandably nervous about the situation, but he quickly discovered he had nothing to worry about because a night of phenomenal improvised music followed.

He knew he had to have Pesaturo back.

“I told him to come back and bring another one of your musical genius friends with you,” said Newlin. Pesaturo is doing just that when he brings pianist Natalie Tenenbaum for a show on Tuesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Click Workspace at 9 1/2 Market St. in Northampton.

In addition to being a pianist, Tennebaum is a composer and music producer with a varied background, including extensive work on Broadway (Mean Girls, America Utopia). She is only available on Tuesdays, the one day the Whately Town Hall is booked, which is why the show is being held at Click Workspace.

The series returns to the Whately Town Hall on April 5 when banjo player Max Wareham takes the stage. On April 23, Acoustic Nomads will perform their world music at the first show of 2025 at the West Whately Chapel.

The season will present a wide range of musical genres and include returning favorites like traditional musician Bruce Molsky on May 21, swing jazz band Hot Club of Cowtown on July 16, and banjo great Tony Trischka on Sept. 24. Some of the acts making their first visit to Whately include Celtic bands Solas on July 24 and the Tannahill Weavers on Oct. 1.

And there’s more. To purchase tickets and view the entire schedule, visit watermelonwednesday.com, and keep checking back as new acts are added to the series.

“I’m just happy that I get to do this and bring these acts to Whately. It’s really special,” said Newlin. “I’m always pinching myself and feeling a little bit sheepish that I run this very much mom-and-pop operation, and Claudia and I do everything, and we get these world-renowned musicians to show up. It’s really great. It’s a wonderful thing.”

More shows at Tree House Brewing Co.

Blues Legend and Springfield native TajMahal and Keb Mo have announced the release of their album “Room on the Porch” on May 23. The two will mount a tour supporting the album, stopping at Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield on June 4. Also, it was just announced that alt blues/rock band Houndmouth will play at the brewing company on June 9. Tickets for both shows go on sale Friday, Feb. 28, at 10 a.m. at Tixr.com.

Sunday at Flood Water Brewing Co.

Sunday, March 2, will be a great day of music at Floodwater Brewing Company in Shelburne Falls. Wishbone Zoe and Chris Goudreau, the leader of The Leafies You Gave Me, will perform at 4 p.m.

Singer-songwriter Tracy Grammer and multi-instrumentalist-singer Jim Henry will be at the brewery at 7 p.m. This is a rare chance to see the pair performing in such an intimate setting. This is a ticketed event and tickets can be purchased at tracygrammer.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.