If you are in need of some feel-good music that will have you dancing until your feet hurt, then The Gaslight Tinkers are the band for you. The Tinkers are from Brattleboro, Vermont, and are known for uplifting, high-energy shows that always have people spinning and hopping on the dance floor (or lawn, as many of their shows are outside). You’ll have the chance to enjoy the band’s spirited sounds when they play a lively outdoor concert at The Permaculture Place at The Mill in downtown Shelburne Falls on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m.

What and where is ThePermaculture Place?

The Permaculture Place is a non-profit community resource center established to welcome visitors to gather resources, inspiration and support when facing the concerns of climate crisis. According to its website, its mission “is to increase public awareness of the need for more sustainable and regenerative ways of living and to educate others about the principles, practices and benefits of permaculture through media, exhibits, demonstrations and more.”

As we face the challenges of climate change and struggle to find more sustainable ways of living, The Permaculture Place is a valuable resource for our community. It is located at 49 Conway St. in the old historic mill in the center of Shelburne Falls.

Kay Cafasso Parker is the co-founder of The Permaculture Place community resource center and the on-site gift shop. She is also the director of Sowing Solutions Permaculture Design and Education, offering the internationally recognized permaculture design certification course as well as workshops, evening events and local site tours to support others in designing their own abundant home landscapes and the creation of resilient communities.

The Permaculture Place opened its doors last summer, and music was always a part of its vision. Hosting concerts was a way to help raise funds for the operation of The Permaculture Place, but being involved with music went well beyond filling a financial need.

“Music is so uplifting, and when we started this during the pandemic it was such a wonderful way to bring people together,” said Cafasso Parker. “I think for everybody who has some concerns about this world, just coming together joyfully to hear music ... it fits right into our mission.”

She added that these concerts help build a sense of community and are a way to help local musicians.

This summer, they launched a summer music series with shows by The Green Sisters and a sold-out show with Molly Mason and Jay Unger. This show with The Gaslight Tinkers is the last in the series and will raise funds for The Permaculture Place and as well as the featured gardens in the village of Shelburne Falls. The shows take place on the lawn in the courtyard between the former mill buildings. There is an alternate indoor location in downtown Shelburne Falls in the event of a storm.

Cafasso Parker is excited to have The Gaslight Tinkers on board, as the band is a departure from the usual folk music she has previously booked.

“So far, we haven’t had a show that is really a dancing show. This will be the first,” she said. “There will be chairs, but this will be a really fun dance night, which we all need.”

The Gaslight Tinkers are the perfect choice to end the series on a high note. Since forming in 2012, the group has delighted area audiences at venues like the Shea Theater Arts Center, Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center and the Green River Festival. The band consists of Peter Siegel on acoustic guitar and vocals, Garrett Sawyer on bass, Clara Constance Stickney on fiddle, Joe Fitzpatrick on drums, and I-Shea on vocals and percussion. Together they draw from their various experiences to blend folk, Caribbean, old-time, Celtic and rock to create a joyous world-beat sound unlike any you’ve heard.

“When I started this band with Garrett, I really wanted it to be a collective experience where we use all of our expertise in these different genres and come up with something very genuine that has all of these different traditions in them and is true to each of the traditions,” Siegel said in an interview for Sounds Local last fall about the band’s latest album, “Gaslight Tinkers II.”

The band played at the Folk Ridge Festival last weekend and is off to the West Coast after this show in Shelburne Falls.

While this show wraps up the summer season, Cafasso Parker assures us The Permaculture Place will host more music in the months ahead.

“We are in conversation with a number of great musicians and will be offering some family-friendly shows with uplifting music,” she said. “The indoor space in our resource center fits about 65 attendees, so we will be hosting smaller shows in the fall and winter when people really need music. Plus, The Mill is a really exciting place for people to visit.”

For Sunday’s show, bring a lawn chair or blanket, a picnic and your dancing shoes (the venue has extra chairs if needed). The Permaculture Place and Gift Shop will be open for you to visit; a pop-up snack shop will open at the concert courtesy of Mo’s Fudge Factor; and The Raven bookstore, which is also housed in the old mill, will be open.

This event is supported by a grant awarded to The Permaculture Place from the Massachusetts Cultural Council Festivals and Projects Grant Program.

Tickets are $20 at ThePermaculturePlace.org/Events or at the door. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with The Permaculture Place for sliding-scale options.

Missy Raines & Allegheny at Watermelon Wednesdays

If you are a fan of bluegrass music, chances are you are already familiar with the name Missy Raines. The West Virginia native has long been renowned for her talents as one of the finest bass players on the bluegrass scene and has played with various artists over the years. In 1998 she was the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Bass Player of the Year award. She has since won the award nine more times, more than any other bass player in the organization’s history.

These days, however, Raines is becoming known as a singer-songwriter as she fronts her own band called Allegheny. The band is on tour and will stop at the West Whately Chapel in Whately as part of the Watermelon Wednesdays concert series on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 7:30 p.m.

The members of Allegheny feature some rising stars on the bluegrass scene such as Tristan Scroggins on mandolin, Ellie Hakanson on fiddle, Ben Garnett on guitar and Eli Gilbert on banjo.

Raines’ solo album, “Royal Traveller” released in 2018, was nominated for a Grammy and was produced by Compass Records co-founder and acclaimed banjoist Alison Brown. Their follow-up, “Highlander,” also produced by Brown, will be released later this year.

Tickets are $ 22 and are available at watermelonwednesdays.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.

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