Sounds Local: She’s a little bit country: The Rendezvous hosts a special evening of honky-tonk music with Betsy-Dawn Williams

Betsy-Dawn Williams, who has played in numerous country and honky-tonk bands for decades, will be the special guest at this month’s Bluegrass and Beyond session at The Rendezvous in Turners Falls, Friday, Jan. 31 at 9 p.m. She says she will perform “classic country songs from the honky-tonk era, which is primarily late ’40s up through the early ’60s.”

Betsy-Dawn Williams, who has played in numerous country and honky-tonk bands for decades, will be the special guest at this month’s Bluegrass and Beyond session at The Rendezvous in Turners Falls, Friday, Jan. 31 at 9 p.m. She says she will perform “classic country songs from the honky-tonk era, which is primarily late ’40s up through the early ’60s.” CONTRIBUTED

On Saturday at noon, the Farley String Band, a group of nine local musicians, will play a lively set at the Lava Center as part of the center’s fifth anniversary celebration. This group will play traditional folk and fiddle tunes, many of which come from Ireland and Scotland.

On Saturday at noon, the Farley String Band, a group of nine local musicians, will play a lively set at the Lava Center as part of the center’s fifth anniversary celebration. This group will play traditional folk and fiddle tunes, many of which come from Ireland and Scotland. CONTRIBUTED

The experimental rock trio Vimana will perform for the Lava Center’s fifth anniversary celebration this weekend, on Friday, Jan. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. Vimana consists of Brian Rodrigues on bass, Bruce Todd on drums, and Leo Hwang on guitar.

The experimental rock trio Vimana will perform for the Lava Center’s fifth anniversary celebration this weekend, on Friday, Jan. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. Vimana consists of Brian Rodrigues on bass, Bruce Todd on drums, and Leo Hwang on guitar. CONTRIBUTED

By SHERYL HUNTER

For the Recorder

Published: 01-29-2025 2:35 PM

For three and a half years, multi-instrumentalist Michael Pattavina of Greenfield has hosted the Bluegrass and Beyond session at the Rendezvous in Turners Falls. These sessions occur on the last Friday of the month except during December and the warm weather months of May through August. This month’s session will be held on Friday, Jan. 31 at 9 p.m. and will be an evening of honky-tonk music with special guest Betsy-Dawn Williams.

Williams is familiar to classic country and western swing music fans as she has played in various popular local bands. In the early 2000s Williams was one of the co-founders of the all-female honky-tonk band Girl Howdy, which performed throughout the northeast. She later went on to sing lead vocals for the western swing band, The Nite Caps, which also included Pattavina, and led her rockabilly band, Li’lBeeDee and the Doo-Rites. In recent years, she has been a member of the band Snack Pack.

“Snack Pack is no longer together, and one of the members from that group and I have a duo called the Wild Hearts,” she said in an email discussing her recent projects. “We play from time to time a mix of originals and ’60s pop, American jazz standards and some roots country music. It’s quite an eclectic array.”

She added that she also plays with Otis and the Hurricanes, a New Orleans-influenced funk and soul band based in eastern Connecticut. She also has a lot of fun playing percussion with the Northampton-based Expandable Brass Band, a group she joined seven years ago.

The show on Friday will be the first time Betsy-Dawn Williams will be gracing the Bluegrass and Beyond sessions with her performance.

“Participation in the Bluegrass and Beyond Sessions is by invitation because the ‘Voo is a small venue and cannot accommodate many walk-in musicians,” Pattavina explained. “Normally we’ll have five to seven musicians per session. I draw the invitations from musicians I have played with either in bands or from jams at parties or festivals. As a result, the sessions include bluegrass, of course, but also evenings focused on Cajun, country, and Celtic genres.”

He added that for this show, since there is a featured performer, Williams will open the evening with six or more songs. The session will then move into a round-robin format that gives the supporting musicians a turn at choosing a song or tune.

The supporting musicians for this night will be Larry LeBlanc on mandolin, Dewitt Thomson on drums, Steve Frankel on pedal steel, Pattavina will play upright bass, and Williams will be on rhythm guitar as well as vocals.

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“I’m honored that Michael chose me as the featured guest this month,” Williams said. “He asked me to do all classic country songs from the honky-tonk era, which is primarily late ’40s up through the early ’60s. So I’ll be sticking to that for this show. I’ve not met any of the other musicians, so we will just be going for it that night!”

“As you can imagine, the floor will be open for two-stepping and waltzes,” said Pattavina. “I’m very grateful to the ‘Voo for providing us with such a great venue.”

The Lava Center celebrates its 5th anniversary with music

The winter carnival isn’t the only big event happening in Greenfield this weekend. The Lava Center, a community arts and humanities space at 324 Main St., will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a weekend of events. The anniversary coincides with the winter carnival, just as it did the year that the Lava Center opened its doors. Doors open on Friday, Jan. 31 at 5 p.m.

And what’s a celebration without music? The experimental rock trio Vimana will perform at the center from 6 to 8 p.m. This outfit consists of Brian Rodrigues on bass, Bruce Todd on drums, and Leo Hwang on guitar. Their music mixes blues, funk, and jazz to create an innovative blend.

The band has explained their sound as one that draws from the ’60s and ’70s, as well as their roots from Korea, Portugal and America. They released their debut album, “Space Triangle of Love,” last year.

On Saturday at noon, the Farley String Band, a group of nine local musicians, will play a lively set at the Lava Center. This group will play traditional folk and fiddle tunes, many of which come from Ireland and Scotland. The principal instruments are violin, guitar, banjo, hammered dulcimer, accordion, mandolin, recorder, and bodhran drum. Some of the members play multiple instruments, including harmonica, penny whistle and bones. So come prepared to be treated to some old-time fiddle tunes, jigs, reels and a beautiful slow waltz.

These performances and the other events at the Lava Center this weekend are free.

Upcoming shows at Tree House

The double bill of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and the Infamous Stringdusters will play the summer stage series at Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield on Monday, June 2, at 5 p.m. This is the first show announced for the summer series at the popular brewery. The indie soul band Melt from New York City will open.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is a funky psychedelic rock band from Baltimore, Maryland, with a devoted following called “the flock.” Their unusual name comes from a famous experiment by noted behaviorist B.F. Skinner, in which he tried to teach pigeons to play ping pong. The band members learned about this experiment in a psychology class while students at the University of Maryland.

The Infamous Stringdusters are from Nashville, Tennessee, and are a Grammy-winning progressive bluegrass band. Although the two bands may seem like an odd pairing, they both create high-energy music and are popular on the jam band scene.

Tickets, including VIP tickets, are available at Tixr.com. When you purchase your ticket, you can purchase a $20 parking pass at Tree House Brewing. Free parking and shuttle service will be available at Yankee Candle.

Also, Tree House just announced: JJ Grey & Mofo will play the summer stage on July 16 at 7 p.m. Trampled by Turtles will be there on July 23 at 7 p.m. Tickets for these shows will go on sale on Friday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. 

And while we are on the subject of summer, I hope you have purchased your passes for the Green River Festival as prices will increase at the end of the day tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 31).

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.