Emmylou Harris
(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – Emmylou Harris, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Railroad Earth, David Grisman Sextet, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Valerie June, Rodney Crowell, Aoife O’Donovan, Sam Amidon, and the Infamous Stringdusters are just some of the bluegrass and roots music acts that will headline the third annual FreshGrass Festival at MASS MoCA, which this year will take place on September 19-21, 2014. Other performers include Sam Bush, the Gibson Brothers, Alison Brown, Valerie June, Liam Ó Manolaí, Michael Cleveland, Claire Lynch, Darol Anger, and Martha Redbone Roots Project. All told, the event promises to be a kind of all-star festival of American country and roots music.
John Cage
WEEKEND CELEBRATION of JOHN CAGE WORKS at BARD
(ANNANDALE-on-HUDSON, N.Y.) – A rare performance of John Cage’s “The Ten Thousand Things” and a performance of Cage’s “We Are All Going in Different Directions” by So Percussion will be featured as part of a weekend-long celebration of the avant-garde composer’s legacy at the Fisher Center at Bard College on Saturday and Sunday, September 20 and 21, 2014. “The Ten Thousand Things” will be performed in the Fisher Center’s Theater Two, on Saturday at 8pm., with a preconcert talk at 7pm. by musicologist and Cage expert James Pritchett. On Sunday, September 21, So Percussion will debut Branches, a new, multimedia program at Bard, with a performance of “We Are All Going in Different Directions,” in the Sosnoff Theater at 3 pm.
Jim Brochu in ‘Character Man’
ONE-MAN SHOW at BSC CELEBRATES BROADWAY MUSICALS
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – Drama Desk Award-winner Jim Brochu brings his new show, “Character Man” — a salute to the memorable character actors of Broadway – to Barrington Stage Company from Thursday, September 18, through Sunday, September 28, 2014. A musical valentine celebrating the golden age of the American musical, “Character Man” is filled with hilarious theatre stories and touching personal recollections. Sprinkled with juicy backstage lore, the show spotlights the careers of, among others, Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Jackie Gleason, George S. Irving, Barney Martin and Brochu’s own mentor, two-time Tony Award-winner David Burns.
Amy Prothro
MADAME TUSSAUD PLAY GETS WAM READING
(WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – “Waxworks,” a new play by Trina Davies about Madame Tussaud, will have one of its first public readings as part of WAM Theatre’s Fresh Takes Play Reading Series at No. Six Depot Roastery and Café on Sunday, September 21 at 3pm. “Waxworks” tells the story of Madame Tussaud, an extraordinary artist who developed the first worldwide entertainment brand. Waxworks is the fifth and final presentation in the new Fresh Takes play reading series, which offers new and reimagined works that tell women’s stories. The series has proven popular with audiences, selling out its first four readings.
BUFFALO STACK BRINGS BLUESY ROOTS-ROCK to HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Having just released their eponymous debut album, Hudson’s own Buffalo Stack brings its bluesy brand of roots-rock to Club Helsinki Hudson on Friday, September 19, at 9pm. With slide blues guitar, gospel organ chords, New Orleans-style horns, and group harmonies, Buffalo Stack can’t help but recall Woodstock heroes the Band.
LYDIAN QUARTET to PLAY WORKS by SCHUBERT, RAVEL and SHOSTAKOVICH for MUSIC & MORE
(NEW MARLBOROUGH, Mass.) – The Lydian String Quartet will play works by Schubert, Ravel, and Shostakovich at the New Marlborough Meeting House on Saturday, September 20, 2014, at 4:30pm, as part of the Music & More series.