In “Wednesday Child,” multi-instrumentalist Rick Murnane lays down tracks with Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne by DAVE MADELONI Rick Murnane was born on a Wednesday. His first solo record was conceived on a series of Wednesday night sessions, in the home studio of Chris Collingwood, the lead singer for Fountains Of Wayne. What started [...]

By DAVE MADELONI NORTHAMPTON — Doug Ratner & The Watchmen play what they call “down & dirty rock n’ roll,” which make them a bit of an anomaly in the Pioneer Valley’s music scene. At the recent Valley Rising Compilation CD release party hosted by The Iron Horse, eleven regional acts graced the stage. Only [...]

Valley Rising Compilation Album Release Party: Joshua Meltzer, Dave Dersham, Wolfman Conspiracy, Doug Ratner and The Watchmen, The Raft, Sandy Bailey, Infinite August, Lux Deluxe, Jamie Kent & The Options, The Sun Parade, Darlingside. Iron Horse Music Hall, 16 Center Street, Sunday Dec. 11, 7 p.m.; $15 at the door.. NORTHAMPTON— “Hey, that t-shirt’s a [...]

After two police visits quieting loud night time “dance-style” music, the city’s newest vegetarian restaurant clears things up with the License Commission NORTHAMPTON — During their last meeting on June 1, the License Commission approved a measure that extends the entertainment hours for Karma, a vegetarian restaurant at 48 Main St., even though the venue [...]

The problem with reading press releases is that they’re leading (or often misleading). I like to have factual information, but I also like to draw my own conclusions as to an artist’s influences, songwriting ability and lyrical thrust. So when the Oklahoma-bred and former Nashville resident (and now eastern Mass.-transplant) singer-songwriter Patrick Coman’s press packet [...]

Everyone has a particular soundtrack to a memorable summer. Music is the great connector to time and events, and a great escape from the drudgery of the day-to-day. No one ever has a bad soundtrack for their summer, except maybe that terrible pop song that was playing everywhere. With the season of new releases upon [...]

The graphic cartoonist, Ben Katchor, peddles in obsessive detail to the mundane and below-the-surface politics of an individual engaged in cataloging city life (Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer) and the trials and tribulations of coping with the day-to-day (Shoehorn Technique). Mark Mulcahy is a singer/songwriter who epitomizes the art of micro-story-telling. The songwriter’s story lines [...]

Once upon a time in the early ‘90s, the western Mass. indie music scene was a vibrant, buzzing place to be. Rumors floated through the air (and in the “industry” thanks to a Billboard article in 1992) constantly that the next big scene after Seattle was Northampton. To a degree, that hype was well-founded: Bands [...]

The summer concert series at Mountain Park in Holyoke is amping up with a succession of new acts being announced by Iron Horse Entertainment Group. Last summer’s opening of Mountain Park with a show by The Decemberists was hailed by concert-goers and IHEG as a success. This summer’s experience should be even better, and with [...]

Playing the coffee house circuit up and down the eastern seaboard has its upside: Bob Pepek can give you the most direct route to any given java joint from Hartford to Boston. While he’s thankful for the opportunity to play a 6 p.m. gig in Norwalk or Worcester, he’s setting his sights on opportunities at [...]

Literature is a tough sell these days: Skyrocketing printing costs, a burgeoning e-book market that caters to those who can afford an iPad, Kindle or other electronic readers, and a general decline in readership have eroded the literary market base. Small publications open and fold like a deck of cards everyday. The key to attracting [...]

Alex Chilton never became a household name, except in the households of hip musicians. Chilton, who passed away on St. Patrick’s Day at the age of 59, was revered by peers, but never quite found an audience as large as his talent. He was just 16 years old when he fronted the Box Tops, who [...]

Photo Courtesy of Sandrine Lee) “My name is Jonatha Brooke. I’m in love with Woody Guthrie. My husband already knows, so it’s okay.” It is fitting that the promotional video of the making of The Works begins with this flirtation. The first complete album of Woody songs ever composed, arranged, produced, and performed by a [...]

(Photo Courtesy of YankCelt Band Facebook page) The sap is running, the snow is melting, and Irish eyes are smiling (or whatever the expression is) as members of the Springfield-based (the Hungry Hill ‘hood to be exact) YankCelt Band re-convene for their 20th anniversary gig run-through of the Pioneer Valley. While the band’s the embodiment [...]