The Shelburne Arts Co-op is pleased to present a group show, "Poetry of Art", July 13 through August 15, 26 Bridge St., Shelburne Falls, MA 413-625-9324 New summer hours Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays.
When: Jul 13, 2010 12 AM to Aug 15, 2010 12 AM Where: Shelburne Arts Cooperative in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts Cost: Price: (Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00 )
Come join our informal gathering of local musicians coming to our place Sunday mornings to play Celtic music. It’s part educational, part performance, mostly just fun. If you are interested you are more than welcome to join in or just listen. Shelburne Falls resident Ted Cahill kindly oversees the proceedings.
When: Aug 1, 2010 10 AM Where: Mocha Maya's in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts (Sun, 01 Aug 2010 10 )
The Pleasants were born in the green mountains of Vermont in 2009 on a crisp, frost covered, April morning. Mixing equal parts whiskey, dusty earth, and spring water, The Pleasants evoke a strange sense of longing for simpler times and lyrically draw on past experiences when young hearts and minds are unspoiled and uncorrupted by modern exploitations. Sometimes described as Americana but best described as “Intense Folk”, The Pleasants weave together music familiar yet altogether new. Bonded by their love of REAL music, this song-writing duo (Amanda Rogers and Mike Matta) has bounded on their musical journey to writing "the most undeniably best song ever." They have recently finished their first record appropriately titled "Forests and Fields" which will be available in the U.S. through Do It Together Records and Expect Candy in Europe. The Pleasants will be on tour bringing their harmony-laden blend of recession rock to a town near you.
When: Aug 6, 2010 8 PM Where: Mocha Maya's in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts Cost: Tips for the musicians are encouraged. (Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20 )
Stacks of books and recording equipment are not far from an open guitar case. These are the objects M.R. Poulopoulos spends time with these days. His focus is on his music and the materials that influence his playing. On warm days, the windows are open.
Sweetly melodic and often melancholy, as well as intelligent and soulful, Poulopoulos’s songs, like him, are honest and eloquent. His guitar playing makes you want to tap your feet, or cry a little. Sometimes both. His lyrics, complemented by the steady strum or picked out tones of the guitar, always tell a story -- some are sad, some are happy, and some, like his song “On and On it Goes,” achieve both with a humorous spin -- and they’re always poignant.
His musical influences vary, but their common foundation is American blues and roots music. The artists he's most influenced by these days include Jeffrey Foucault, Danny Schmidt, John Prine, Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt, John Hiatt, Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, Patty Griffin, Matt Durfee, John Rice, Courtney Blackwell-Rice and the Family Sinners, Red Haired Strangers, Jill Andrews, the everybodyfields. His many influences lend him to the acoustic singer/songwriter style, but without sounding like anyone in particular—his music is very much his own.
Poulopoulos’s past released work include Lazaretto, an EP he released with Matt Durfee as the acoustic duo, Palatypus. He intends to release a solo album by the end of summer 2010.
- Gina DiSarro: writer / editor / friend
When: Aug 14, 2010 7 PM Where: Mocha Maya's in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts Cost: Tips for the musicians are encouraged. (Sat, 14 Aug 2010 19 )
Ray and his road-worn 1965 Silvertone guitar have been tirelessly touring since 1982. Starting his first band in 1966 and averaging over 100 shows a year, he’s like a teenager with forty-plus years of experience! Between 1983-1990 Ray released five critically acclaimed (cassette only) albums. He followed them with a single on his own Captivating Music label and has appeared on numerous compilations from such labels as Signature Sounds, East Side Digital, Shimmy Disc, Sound Asleep (Sweden), Dren Records and Paisley Pop. 1994 saw the initial release of his first “official” CD (Between Blue & Okay), followed by Missyouville, Old Souls Day, Castanets, When the Clown’s Work is Over, Square Crazy, Three Dollar Man, Idiot Wisdom, Old School, A Man and His Silvertone, Don’t Mess With Our Routine, and the latest, Like Bugs Chewing on Paper. He has also recorded seven albums as a founding member of the Lonesome Brothers (with whom he appeared on “A Prairie Home Companion” and at the 2007 Newport Folk Festival), was the original bass player with the Ware River Club (Bad Side of Otis Ave.), played bass on Cheri Knight’s first solo album (The Knitter), appeared on Cliff Eberhardt’s release (Borders) and Lloyd Cole’s Music in a Foreign Language, and plays bass with J Mascis on J’s contribution to the NRBQ tribute album on Spirithouse Records. He also plays bass on all three Wolf Krakowski CDs, including the latest, Goyrl: Destiny, produced by Frank London of the Klezmatics and released on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, and played bass with The Kennedys in their side project the Stringbusters. Ray has had a tribute CD released by Tarhut Records (Boston/Chicago), with artists Eric Ambel, Charlie Chesterman, Ass Ponys, the Incredible Casuals, Cheri Knight, and many others covering his songs. Throughout the years he has opened shows for NRBQ, The Band, Fountains of Wayne, the Flatlanders, Laura Cantrell, Amy Rigby, Marshall Crenshaw, Bill Morrissey, Graham Parker, Robbie Fulks, Yo La Tengo, They Might Be Giants, Steve Forbert, Chris Whitley, Nils Lofgren, Warren Zevon, Joan Osborne, Freedy Johnston, Alejandro Escovedo, Geoff Muldaur, Joan Jett, Blue Mountain, the Bottle Rockets, Junior Brown, Marah, Ass Ponys, and James McMurtry—and that’s the short list! Ray’s tunes follow no trend while keeping an upward slide on the songwriting scale. It’s rock with the roll! One man with his Silvertone!! Kick back and enjoy!!!
When: Aug 27, 2010 8 PM Where: Mocha Maya's in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts Cost: Tips for the musicians are encouraged. (Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20 )
