Hip Hop Across the Pillow
Jacobs Pillow, Becket
Wednesday, Aug. 2 – Sunday, Aug. 6
Week 6 at Jacob’s Pillow honors the 50th anniversary of hip hop with a “festival within the Festival.” The program in the Ted Shawn Theatre will feature dance artists including Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater. The program will also feature the world premiere of two works commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow specifically for the Festival — a new duet by hip hop icons Rokafella and Kwikstep, and a work performed by Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artists d. Sabela Grimes and the Ladies of Hip Hop.
The week will also include performances on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, an All Styles Dance Battle, and a PillowTalk celebrating the many culture-bearers of the form.
Sandy Bailey
Bands on Brewster, Northampton
Thursday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m.
Have you been to Bands on Brewster? It’s a new free Thursday summer series of live music in Northampton’s Brewster Court walkway. Northfield singer-song writer Sandy Bailey's sound has often been compared to Norah Jones, Patsy Cline, Susan Tedeschi and Patti Smith, yet she possesses a sound all her own. She’s releasing an album this month, and you may have heard her on the Fabulous 413 last Friday. Bands on Brewster runs through Aug. 31.
Ilana Glazer Live!
Academy of Music, Northampton
Thursday, Aug. 3 and Friday, Aug. 4 at 8 p.m.
Ilana Glazer is an EMMY nominated actor and the co-creator, writer, director, executive producer and star of the critically-acclaimed show “Broad City. “The show, which ran for five seasons, was nominated by the Writers Guild of America for ‘Best Comedy Series’ and garnered multiple Critics Choice nominations. Her show at MASS MoCA is sold out. A second show was added at the Academy. Better grab your tickets ASAP.
10th Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival
Unity Park, Turners Falls
Saturday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 6 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Nolumbeka Project envisions a Connecticut River Valley where the histories, cultures, and persistence of Northeastern Indigenous Peoples are recognized and celebrated, and where all beings coexist in balance and reciprocity. 10th Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival will include drums, music, talks, poetry, arts and crafts, food, activities for children and more.
Golda’s Balcony
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox
Saturday, Aug. 5 – Sunday, Aug. 20
The World Premiere of Golda’s Balcony, featuring the Elliot Norton Award-winning Annette Miller, was produced at Shakespeare & Company in May 2002 and went on to become the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway history. The inspiring story of Golda Meir — Russian immigrant, American school teacher, and fourth Prime Minister of Israel — returns to the Berkshires this week in a searingly topical production for a limited run of 10 performances.
Hot Club of Cowtown
Outdoor show at Bombyx, Florence
Saturday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.
Romantic and rhythmic, happy-making and heart-breaking, sophisticated and elegant while still down-to-earth and rugged, Austin's multiple award-winning Hot Club of Cowtown have been crafting originals and reinventing everything from hoedowns to American songbook standards for 25 years. They will bring a ray of musical sunshine to the Bombyx backyard for a family-friendly summertime Saturday outdoor show.
Yellow Barn Season Finale Concert
The Big Barn, Putney, Vermont
Saturday, August 5 at 8 p.m.
If you love chamber music, you will want to head to Putney this week. With a national agenda and an international presence, Yellow Barn draws young professional musicians from the United States, Europe, Middle East, and Asia. Participants in Yellow Barn’s summer festival explore music spanning a wide range of eras and genres alongside faculty members who are among the most highly regarded performers and pedagogues of our time.
Tony Trischka — EarlJam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs
The Drake, Amherst
Saturday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m.
Tony Trischka is a hugely influential banjo player in the roots music world who has inspired a whole generation of bluegrass and acoustic musicians. Tony will be honoring the music of Earl Scruggs, pioneer of the three-finger banjo style and one of the most important musicians in bluegrass. Tony and his ace band will trace the story of Scruggs from his childhood to his final years. This show debuted at Joe’s Pub in New York City which drew lots of interest and an led to an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
Julia Jacklin with special guest Kara Jackson
Gateway City Arts, Holyoke
Saturday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m.
Since releasing her debut album, Don’t Let the Kids Win, in 2016, Melbourne’s Julia Jacklin has carved out a fearsome reputation as a direct lyricist, willing to excavate the parameters of intimacy and agency in songs both stark and raw, loose, and playful. Kara Jackson is a singer/songwriter, musician, and writer from Illinois. She served as the third National Youth Poet Laureate from 2019-2020.
The Parlor Room Kids Series with Mr. Liam & Friends
The Parlor Room, Northampton
Sunday, Aug. 6 at 10 a.m.
Join Mr. Liam and friends each month for a Sunday morning filled with music, dancing, and laughter. With your help, Mr. Liam will combine forces with a local musical hero to battle and defeat boredom! All new original music and jokes, plus old favorites like the 10 Second Dance Party!
Diana Krall
The Pines Theater at Look Park, Northampton
Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m.
Diana Krall’s unique artistry transcends any single musical style and has made her one of the most recognizable artists of our time. As The New York Times recently noted, she possesses “a voice at once cool and sultry, wielded with a rhythmic sophistication.” She is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Her most recent release, This Dream Of You, has garnered critical acclaim from fans and press alike. NEPM is a co-presenter of this concert.
Missy Raines and Allegheny
Watermelon Wednesdays
West Whately Chapel
Wednesday. Aug. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Missy Raines a singer, songwriter, teacher, sideman, and bandleader. She was named 2021 International Bluegrass Music Association Bass Player of the Year, for the 10th time, more than any other bass player in the history of the organization. Currently, Missy is touring with her own bluegrass band, Missy Raines & Allegheny, named for the Allegheny highlands of West Virginia where Raines grew up. The music is traditional and hard-driving at its core but energized by Raines’ well-known penchant for originality and innovation.