He may not serve any rind before its time, but he does have an immediate occupancy opportunity for those seeking a two-bedroom rental in the West Whately area.
Local concert promoter Paul Newlin checked in to solicit community input on both his 2013 Watermelon Wednesday concert programming and potential prospects for his personal property.
“It’s the coldest day of the season, and I’m lining up gigs for summer and dreaming of great acoustic music and watermelons,” he notes. “I’m always open to suggestions from Watermelon patrons, so please, if you have a favorite act you’d like to see come to the chapel, slots are beginning to fill up.”
According to Newlin, the crop of talent he is considering (but has not yet booked) for the upcoming season includes multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien, Grammy nominee Sarah Jarosz, jazz/western/swing trio Hot Club of Cowtown and The Sweetback Sisters, to name a choice few.
Additionally, Newlin notes that his upstairs tenant of five years is moving out Feb. 1, leaving a cozy, move-in ready apartment.
“The neighborhood is lovely, and of course, you could walk across the street to all the concerts,” he points out.
For more info on the melon-laden gigs or West Whately digs, please email paulnewlin@comcast.net.
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Meanwhile, while Newlin waxes summer watermelons… journeyman bluesman/folk artist Chris Smither rolls into Ashfield’s Town Hall on Saturday, Jan. 19, still spreading the love—and the word about his 2012 release Hundred Dollar Valentine.
Featuring performances by drummer Billy Conway (whose credits include Morphine and Treat Her Right) and violinist Ian Kennedy (Page/Plant, Lemonheads, Peter Wolf and Juliana Hatfield), Valentine has won the hearts and praises of American Songwriter and Mojo, among others.
The former states that it “sizzles with the soul of the blues” and the latter calls it a “perfect recording from a well-travelled blues singer. Five stars.”
Veteran Canadian musician Bill Bourne gets the opening nod for this weekend’s performance. Tix are $20 in advance and $25 at the door for the 8 p.m. show. To purchase yours, click on the Chris Smither image under the “store” button on mightyalbert.com.
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Over in Noho that same evening, Jan. 19, The Elevens (musicattheelevens.blogspot.com) hosts the official CD release party for the Fallen Starlets on a bill that also features Arc City Angels and The Wheel.
This show comes on the heels of the recent Elevens EP release party for Valley son Tory Hanna. The Buckland native says his debut studio effort, dubbed Pondside, pays homage to his local roots and, in fact, is named after the childhood gathering spot where he swam and ice skated.
Though the chance to purchase said disc in person has expired, all songs are currently available on Itunes to purchase en toto or a la carte.
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Also mentioned last week was the anniversary party for both Henning Ohlenbusch’s Rub Wrongways Records and The Fawns, a pretty-pop quartet he founded with one Lesa Bezo a decade ag
The Crawler recently cornered Ohlenbusch to ask the secret of his band’s staying power. Here’s what the affable staple of the local musical community had to say.
“We all operate under one principle—we just need to do whatever works best to convey the song,” he explains. “Also, we are all just generally pretty friendly people and like to have fun playing music… so that’s more than half the battle.”
As for The Fawns’ future, Ohlenbusch reveals that plans for a new album are well underway…. and sketchy at best.
“Many of the songs have been written and we are just starting to put them together,” he confesses. “We’re thinking of trying something really different this time, but we are not sure exactly what beyond that.”
To monitor the band’s movements and the disc’s progress, kindly point your browser to facebook.com/thefawns.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com
