Sounds Local: Bidding farewell to festival season: Many noteworthy concerts on the horizon as we head into fall

Mad Agnes returns to the 1794 Meetinghouse in New Salem on Saturday, Sept. 14 and 4 p.m. for a free concert. The trio, known for their spirited shows marked by intricate harmonies and strong songwriting, will be the closing event of New Salem’s Old Home Day celebration. Reservations are recommended.

Mad Agnes returns to the 1794 Meetinghouse in New Salem on Saturday, Sept. 14 and 4 p.m. for a free concert. The trio, known for their spirited shows marked by intricate harmonies and strong songwriting, will be the closing event of New Salem’s Old Home Day celebration. Reservations are recommended. Photo by Christoper T. Saunders

Peter Blanchette, the inventor of the 11-string archguitar, will perform on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 4 p.m at the 1794 Meetinghouse. This show is billed as Peter Blanchette and a special guest.

Peter Blanchette, the inventor of the 11-string archguitar, will perform on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 4 p.m at the 1794 Meetinghouse. This show is billed as Peter Blanchette and a special guest. Photo by Paul Odgren

By SHERYL HUNTER

For the Recorder

Published: 09-11-2024 3:44 PM

It’s never easy to bid farewell to summer, and fortunately, there are a few summer music series chugging along, providing us with a last gasp of the warm weather months before we have to resign ourselves to life in the great indoors. Let’s take a look at some of these remaining shows and then glimpse some of what’s on tap in the weeks ahead.

The 1794 Meetinghouse in New Salem, a unique venue that has hosted a diverse range of concerts this summer, is gearing up for a few more shows before wrapping up the 2024 season. One of the highlights is the return of Meetinghouse favorites, Mad Agnes, for a free concert on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 4 p.m. This trio, known for their spirited shows marked by intricate harmonies and strong songwriting, will be the closing event of New Salem’s Old Home Day celebration. Despite the free admission, reservations are recommended. Secure your tickets at 1794meetinghouse.com.

Another favorite of the 1794 Meetinghouse is local musician Peter Blanchette, known as the inventor of the 11-string archguitar, who will perform on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 4 p.m. This show is billed as Peter Blanchette and a special guest.

The Meetinghouse wraps up its summer series on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. with a show from the Deep River Ramblers. The trio of well-known local musicians Jim Henry, Paul Kochanski, and Chris Brashear perform the music of some of your favorite roots and American songwriters. The group first came together when performing backup at a show as part of a show for Signature Sounds’ Back Porch Songwriter Series and decided to keep playing together. They don’t perform often as they all have busy schedules working with other artists. So don’t miss out.

The Watermelon Wednesdays series at the West Whately Chapel winds down on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. with returning favorite jazz singer Karrin Allyson. This is the last show in the chapel this season, but they will occasionally present shows at the Whately Town Hall during the colder months. Tickets are available at watermelonwednesday.org.

The Turners Falls Rod and Gun Club will say goodbye to summer with a show with Chick ‘N’ Wire on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m.

The free Off the Common series, presented by Hawks & Reed in Greenfield, will present their final show of the season on Friday, Sept. 27 at 5:30 p.m. Each Off the Common event has focused on a specific genre of music, and for this final one, it will be rock. The lineup includes Faith Ann Band, The Narcotix, and headliners Leon Trout. The event will take place inside Hawks & Reed, ensuring a comfortable experience even in late September.

The Wormtown Music Festival, the last music festival of the year here in Franklin County, is set to take place this weekend, Sept. 13 through 15, at Camp Kee-Wanee in Greenfield. This music and camping festival will feature over 50 bands playing rock and more, including headliners Max Creek, Dopapod, Mihali, Dirtwire, and Ghost-Note. The festival, presented by Wormtown Trading, a strong supporter of local talent, will welcome Bella’s Bartok, who will play two sets, Taproots, The Grey’s, Rice: An American band, Rebel Alliance, The Alchemystics and more. For more information, visit wormtown.com. Tickets will be available at the gate.

Now let’s take a look at some of the shows that are coming up in the next couple of months. Here are just a few of the shows you’ll want to add to your calendar, with much more to come.

Singer-songwriter Erin McKeown, known for her genre-blurring music, will play a concert at Greenfield Community College on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. At the show, donations will be accepted to benefit the GCC Corner Market Food Pantry. This is a free event, but a ticket is required and can be found at https://go.gcc.mass.edu/erin/.

The Berkshire Brewing Company of South Deerfield will celebrate their 30th anniversary this year. They will host a party at the Franklin County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Sept. 28, beginning at noon.

In addition to having their great beers and food trucks on hand, they will bring in a terrific lineup of music that includes The Lonesome Brothers, Briezy Jane and the Hurricanes, The James Montgomery Band, and Eilen Jewell. Tickets are available at Berkshire-Brewery.com.

Vapors of Morphine will be taking the stage at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. This trio performs the music of the Boston-based band Morphine as well as some original material. But unlike other tribute bands, the two founding members of this group, sax player Dana Coley and drummer Jerome Dupree, were actually in the “low rock” band that ended in 1999 when leader Mark Sandman passed away. This group does a great job of capturing the style and sound of Morphine and are not to be missed. Tickets are available at sheatheater.org.

Signature Sounds Presents will bring their Back Porch Songwriter Series to the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Sunday, Oct.13 at 7:30 p.m. The series features guest musicians performing the music of a famous much-loved songwriter. Past shows in the series have honored Gillian Welch, Dolly Parton, Paul Simon, and more. This show will pay tribute to the music of songwriter Lucinda Williams. Confirmed performers include Mark Erelli, Evelyn Harris, Ali McGuirk, Lisa Bastoni, and more to be announced. The show will feature an all-star backing band that includes the Deep River Ramblers. Tickets can be found at signaturesoundspresents.com.

Briezy Jane kicks off the 2024 fall season of the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m with a set of her folk, blues, and Americana tunes that will surely delight the crowd at the Wendell Town Hall. RaniArbo will be there Nov. 16 and StompBoxTrio on Dec. 14. Admission is sliding scale $7 to $20 (cash only) at the door.

It was announced earlier this week that the great Martin Sexton has added a third Abbey Road show at the House Theater at Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield, where he will combine his soulful voice and inventive guitar work to perform the Beatles “Abbey Road” album in its entirety. His shows on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 are already sold out, so I’d move fast on this one. R&B musician Sol Little will perform at the theater on Dec. 10. Tickets are available at https://treehousebrew.com/live-music-and-events.

Start making your plans now as this is only a small sample of what is ahead.

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.