There’s nothing better than live music — except live music raising money for a good cause.

That will be the case when folk and Americana artist Reed Foehl and Friends head to the backyard at Berkshire East in Charlemont on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. for “Flooded Fields, Full Hearts,” a benefit show in response to the recent devastating floods that have affected local farms. All proceeds from this show will go toward supporting the farmers whose fields have been severely impacted. Greenfield Savings Bank and Pepsi Brattleboro are presenting this event.

Foehl is a Grammy-nominated musician and a gifted songwriter who crafts infectious tunes with meaningful, poignant lyrics. Foehl, who resides in Vermont, is well-known here in the Pioneer Valley where he has frequently performed over the years. He grew up in Massachusetts but launched his career in Colorado, leading the band Acoustic Junction. He was also a member of the group Great American Taxi before embarking on a solo career in 2001 with the release of “Spark.”

Foehl ultimately moved back to New England and focused on his solo work. He released his sixth album, “Wild Wild Love,” in 2022 and has had success with his music being featured in films and television. Foehl received a Grammy nomination for the song “Fly,” which he co-wrote with Brent Cobb and was covered by Lee Ann Womack. Foehl has toured nationwide and has a comfortable, engaging performing style that makes it easy for him to connect with his audience.

He has performed at Berkshire East in the past and is pleased to return for this special event.

Foehl was approached by Berkshire East about doing a fall event at the mountain after a successful performance there in July. The event was going to be a “Ciderfest” show at the mountain, but with the horrific weather recently and the consequences felt by local businesses and, in particular, local farmers, the vision for this event evolved into a benefit show, with Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) as the beneficiary.

“As Reed resides in southwestern Vermont and has longstanding ties to northern Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley, he has become more and more invested in community-oriented events such as this,” Foehl’s manager Ross Ackley said. “Local farms are an important resource for us all and Reed is especially committed to supporting local farmers whenever possible.”

Some of Foehl’s ‘friends’ include Tory Hannah and Greg Smith of Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, who will open the show. If you get there early, you can enjoy a 2 p.m. set by House Tartaria.

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Tickets for the flood relief concert are $10 in advance and can be purchased at berkshireeast.com; $20 at the door. Advance tickets are recommended. Patrons unable to attend the show can also make direct donations through the CISA website.

If you want music heavy on political commentary or introspective navel-gazing, then the Johnny Memphis Band may not be for you. If you are looking for a good time, with danceable songs played by some topnotch musicians, then this is your band.

Many of you know Johnny Memphis from his years as a DJ at WRSI (93.9 The River) in Northampton. But in 2012, after spending time playing in other local bands like the Big Bad Bollocks, he moved into the role of frontman, leading the Johnny Memphis Band.

Memphis, who handles lead vocals, bass and mandolin, surrounds himself with some excellent local musicians — Jason Smith on drums, Katherine First on fiddle, Paul Hartshorne on guitar and bass, and newcomer Laurie Rozenfeld on banjo. With a lineup like that, as you can imagine, the music is widely diverse, with all styles creeping into their core rock sound.

The Johnny Memphis Band, based in Florence, has played all over the valley, including the Green River Festival and Look Park, and will bring a lively and tuneful show to Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m.

The Johnny Memphis Band has released two full-length albums and released “Running Late” earlier this year. The five songs on this EP find the band adding more musical textures to its sound and placing a bit more emphasis on the vocals. Just check out the remix of “Never Been to Memphis,” which originally appeared on 2017’s “Rarities,” and you’ll hear the difference. A lot of this is due to the addition of Rozenfeld.

Rozenfeld joined the band when Memphis wanted to add banjo to the song “Popeye Riding Shotgun.” He wrote a song about his late brother Dan, who loved bluegrass and would blast that music in his car while driving to his job at the racetrack with his Jack Russell terrier Popeye in the front seat.

“When I went to Sonelab in Easthampton to record that song, I needed a banjo player,” Memphis explained in recent email exchange. “The fiddler in our band, Katherine First, recommended Laurie Rozenfeld and as it turned out, Laurie fit in so well she became a full-time member. She is not only a wonderful banjo player but also a terrific singer who has helped us create three-part harmony singing in the band, which is so fun.”

Memphis pointed out that the band is using a new technique, employing a process group soloing that you can hear at the end of the song “Some Other Boyfriend.” The tune is hilarious and relatable to many. “You raved about when we went horseback riding/On the trail, wild and free/Trouble is I’m scared to death of horses/Me and Trigger just don’t agree/That was some other boyfriend, some other guy,” sings Memphis.

“In the song ‘Some Other Boyfriend,’ we started doing this everyone-solo-together group improv at the end of the song that we call ‘The Weave,’” Memphis said. “With this way of playing, we get away from having a soloist in the foreground with the band in the background. We are all in the pool together. It’s more interesting for the band and the audience. It’s become an integral part of our music.”

The band may grow musically, but its sense of fun and humor is firmly intact. The Johnny Memphis Band’s love of music and playing together comes through, especially in live shows. If you want some tunes to dance and sing along to, head to Hawks & Reed on Oct 14.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 day of show. They are available at hawksandreed.com. For more information, visit johnnymemphis.net. Doors open at 7 p.m. The show is upstairs in The Perch.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t congratulate The Parlor Room of Northampton on its recent purchase of the Iron Horse Music Hall. The loss of the iconic venue, which has been closed since COVID-19 struck, has been huge for music fans. The nonprofit Parlor Room, led by Executive Director Chris Freeman, will do an excellent job operating the venue. They are moving forward with renovations and hope to open as soon as February 2024. To help out, become a member of The Parlor Room at parlorroom.org.

In more good news for local music fans, it was just announced that the people behind “The Bowery Presents” will take over operation of the Calvin Theatre in Northampton and hope to start hosting shows in early 2024. Like the Iron Horse, the Calvin has remained closed since March 2020 with only a few sporadic shows since.

Also, a shoutout to Robin Lane of Shelburne Falls who was recently inducted into the New England Music Hall of Fame. Lane and her band, the Chartbusters, achieved national success and scored a big hit with the song “When Things Go Wrong” as a Boston-based band. Lane was honored for her work with the Chartbusters and her solo career. The award ceremony was held last Saturday in Arlington.

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.