On Saturday, May 20, friends, fans, family and fellow musicians will gather at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls to celebrate the life and music of Kate Lorenz. A vibrant force on the local music scene for many years, Lorenz, 42, died in July of 2022 at her home in Belchertown. Her family and Signature Sounds have now put together a show called “Sparkletown: A Tribute to the Music and Spirit of Kate Lorenz” to honor all the music and memories she gave over the years.

For this tribute, they have assembled a group of musicians who had collaborated with Kate, and what a list it is. This group will include her brother Matt Lorenz (The Suitcase Junket), Chris Smither, Peter Mulvey, Kris Delmhorst, David Goodrich, Jeffrey Foucault, Caitlin Canty, Zak Trojano, Hayward Williams, The Constellations and Mike Roberts/The Rear Defrosters. They will perform Kate’s music and more at this special show.

Hosting the show will be Jim Olsen, president of Signature Sounds and the host of the Back Porch on WRSI 93.9 FM The River. Sharing the duties with Olsen are Christopher “Monte” Belmonte, co-host of The Fabulous 413 at New England Public Media 88.5FM and Ed Malachowski, host of Nine Volt Heart at WXOJ 103.3FM.

Kate Lorenz, a preschool teacher when she wasn’t busy making music, first appeared on the local music scene with the Americana band Rusty Belle, a group that included her brother Matt and Zak Trojano. She sang and played percussion, while Matt played guitar and assorted junk, and Trojano played guitar. The Amherst-based trio was known for creating a unique sound that blended smooth harmonies with rock, blues and folk. They released three albums together.

Rusty Belle even played with Chris Smither on his 2014 album “Still at the Levee,” and Kate’s duet with him on “Leave the Light On” showcases her beautiful voice.

In 2016 they put Rusty Belle on the back-burner so they could focus on solo projects, and during this time, Kate worked with many musicians, lending her vocals to recordings by some of the artists participating in this tribute. She also sang on all the albums her brother recorded under the moniker The Suitcase Junket and frequently joined him onstage at his local shows.

Lorenz also played in groups like the musical collective Llama Lasagne and the country band The Defrosters.

In 2018 Lorenz released the album “Sing When Lonely” with her band The Constellations where she indulged in her love of rock music. Drummer Don McAulay of Greenfield was a member of the band and savors the experience of having worked with Kate.

“Kate Lorenz was a pure, natural talent and as great as any of her musical idols,” he said. “When she asked me to record with her and be in her band, I was so excited cause I knew she was a badass percussion player and singer with band Rusty Belle. It was a bit intimidating to be honest. ”

The Vermont native also showed off her love of classic rock on the radio show she hosted on Valley Free Radio called “The Vinyl Countdown” where she would spin her favorite classic rock B-sides. Ed Malachowski of Montague worked closely with her at Valley Free Radio and also had the privilege of interviewing her for his Nine Volt Heart show many times over the years. (You can check out one of Malachowski’s interviews on valleyfree.org.)

“I know that everyone feels this way when dealing with Kate, but she made you feel like you were family. Best buddies even if it was just acquaintances, that certainly was the case with me,” he said of his relationship with the singer. “I’m honored to be asked to help host the event.”

At the time of her death, she was working on a new record and Matt Lorenz released a song off that project last week. It’s called “Lights of Knoxville” and it’s a beautiful love song that benefits from her emotional vocals and some excellent pedal steel from Eric Heywood. Matt Lorenz plays guitar and shares vocals with Kate on the song. Joining them are McAulay on drums, Max Adams on bass and vocals, and Ben Falkoff on guitar.

“The song is really beautiful, both the writing and the music,” said Matt Lorenz. “Kate’s voice has this depth of tenderness and maturity about it that’s incredibly moving.

“We were going to finish off the other songs on the EP this year and I still intend to, most likely with some of the people performing at this tribute, being that these are all folks Kate has recorded with over the years,” Matt added.

McAulay also will be helping to finish some of this material. “We all miss her so much but feel really lucky that we can still connect with her through her music and her amazing family,” he said.

This will be music to look forward to.

In addition to her many musical accomplishments, Kate was known for her kind, upbeat nature and ever-present smile. As someone who interviewed her on multiple occasions, my greatest memory of her was that her conversation was always punctuated with laughter. I agree with Malachowski in that talking to her was like talking to someone you had known for years. Enjoy this celebration of this special woman and as an added plus, it’s for a very good cause.

The Sparkletown show on May 20 is a fundraiser for the Kate Lorenz Community Fund, which will support the causes and ideas Kate held dear — children and early literacy, women’s rights, the visual and performing arts, nonviolence, environmental education, poetry and music. More information about the fund can be found at katelorenzmusic.com. Donations may be made at the show or by checks written out to the Kate Lorenz Memorial Community Fund and mailed to Kate Lorenz Memorial Community Fund, P.O. Box 418, Chester, Vermont 05143.

Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at sheatheater.org, and $25 the day of the show.

Watermelon Wednesdays announces 2023 summer season

Paul Newlin, head of the Watermelon Wednesday concert series, just announced the 2023 schedule last week. The series, which is held at the West Whately Chapel (and sometimes at the Whately Town Hall) each summer, will be launched on June 7 with a show by the Jacob Jolliff Band. Fronted by mandolin player Jolliff, his ensemble is a group of virtuosic pickers that play Jolliff’s original instrumentals as well as showcase his singing. They have toured throughout the U.S. and the group has released two albums, “Instrumentals Vol. 1” in 2018 and “The Jacob Jolliff Band” in 2022.

The Watermelon Wednesdays series is now in its 24th year. Also scheduled for this season are Maeve Gilchrist and Bruce Molsky on June 21, Kyshona Armstrong on July 5, Ball in the House on July 12, Missy Raines and Allegheny on Aug, 9, Fogo no Trio on Aug. 16 and Solomiya Ivakhiv on Aug. 30.

Tickets are on sale now at the new Watermelon Wednesday website at watermelonwednesdays.com. Keep checking the website as additional shows will be added.

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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