Just as their Green River Festival runs through the heart of summer, Signature Sounds’ Jim Olsen, artist manager Carol Young and Elmer’s Store owner Nan Parati are looking to stake a claim on winter once again with their second annual WinklePicker, occurring at various venues in Ashfield Feb. 15-17.
“Italy has Carnivale, Brazil has the same… New Orleans has Mardi Gras, and Ashfield has WinklePicker,” declares Parati. “[Our event] is tied to the hardest part of the year—when the novelty of winter has worn off, warmth is still half a globe-turn away, and you’d like something to do besides plow snow and rake roofs.”
A New Orleans-inspired amalgam of audio and edibles, the 2013 installment of WinklePicker features performances by Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, Valley-based singer/songwriter Eilen Jewell, The Primate Fiasco, Charles Neville and more, amidst a series of cooking workshops, gospel brunches and even a kids’ Mardi Gras Ball.
For complete festival details and advance ticketing options, kindly point your browser to WinklePickerfest.com.
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For those who can’t wait that long for a taste of N’Orleans, it appears you don’t have to. On Sunday, Feb. 10, the Northampton Arts Council (northamptonartscouncil.org) gets the jump on the Fat Tuesday festivities with Mardival, a one-day event taking place at Noho’s Academy of Music.
Leading the sonic offerings for this shindig is none other than Allman Brothers percussionist Jaimoe and his Jassz Band—who, event organizers say, will be joined by special guests Duke Robillard and Samirah Evans throughout the evening. Paul Lieberman ’s new Samba SA also promises to lend a touch of Brazil to the proceedings, while The Expandable Brass Band is certain to quench the thirst of those feeling horny.
Tix are $18 at the door, discounted to $15 for those who purchase in advance (or possibly in exchange for making you all suffer through that bad joke).
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In other news, Motown-mimics Souled Out recently issued the following update to the masses regarding the gaping gap in their 2013 live performance schedule.
“[We] are going on hiatus for a while, totally revamping the show, changing things around a bit and going for a new concept,” the band reports. “It’s going to take a while, but as soon as we’re up and running, we will let you all know!”
For those who can’t wai-iiit a minute longer for updates, feel free to hit up the band’s cyber home at souledoutgroup.com regularly.
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Another bit of housekeeping news: Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun reports that they will not have to give everyone’s greenbacks back for the Green Day show that was supposed to take place in their Arena Jan. 10. The casino concert team was able to lock in a reschedule date of April 6 (not all affected venues on the proposed tour were so lucky!).
According to the Green Day camp, the reason for the calendar shift stems from singer Billie Joe Armstrong ’s recent treatment for substance abuse. Tickets purchased for the original date will be honored.
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Last but not least, it’s time to fawn over one of the Valley’s most beloved—and enduring—bands, The Fawns, as well as the Rub Wrongways record label they call home. Both the band and the biz celebrate a decade of decibel-delivering this Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Iron Horse (iheg.com).
Considering that Valley boy Henning Ohlenbusch is in the band and is the founder of said label, he would seem to be the man of the evening. But since Rub Wrongways has put out more than two dozen discs in its 10-year tenure, he certainly has a lot of friends, too—many of whom, including The Salvation Army String Band, The Aloha Steamtrain, Sitting Next To Brian, School for the Dead and more—are also slated to lend sonic support to the Jan. 12 celebration. Tix are $8 in advance and $10 at the door for this 10 p.m. show.•
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.
