Posts by Sheryl Hunter

It’s a shame that some people only know of the late Harry Nilsson via his association with his onetime drinking buddy John Lennon. Sure the two raised more than a few ruckuses in their day, but more importantly,  Harry Nilsson, who passed away in 1994, was a gifted singer/songwriter with a multi-octave voice. He was […]

So far, 2014 is looking to be a good year for the jazzy-pop quartet, Lake Street Dive. Since releasing its third album, “Bad Self Portraits” in February the band has appeared on “The Colbert Report” and Letterman and garnered high praise from Rolling Stone. On the surface, they look to be an overnight sensation, when […]

It’s been a good year for Lucius. Even before the October release of its acclaimed debut, “Wildewoman,” the Brooklyn based quintet, fronted by look alike singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig had generated a strong buzz. The band’s following is rapidly growing to the point that this show was moved from a small club to […]

If you are in need of a workout you might want to skip the gym and head to a Michael Franti and Spearhead concert instead. Franti’s recent two hour plus show at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Massachusetts was a night of endless motion as the San Francisco based singer constantly ordered the crowd to […]

The summer festival season is shaping up to be a crowded one, but if there is one  that stands apart from that pack  it’s Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival which will be held this upcoming weekend of June 21-23 at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCa)  in North Adams, Massachusetts. The festival which is presented […]

How often do you hear bluegrass, Bach, and Radiohead played at the same show? The answer is never unless of course you are talking about the Punch Brothers. In an almost two hour show at the Northampton’s Calvin Theatre, the five piece band dazzled with a musically adventurous mix in which they melded classical, jazz, folk, and rock into their progressive bluegrass sound.

If you were looking for a good time on a Saturday night, you probably did not want to be at Fiona Apple’s show at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, MA.  Apple, who is in everyway the antithesis of a Katy Perry, is an intense artist whose performance was a captivating and cathartic experience – but not one that would fit under any definition of fun.  The 34-year-old singer, who has been laying low in recent years, uses her music as a way to wrestle her many demons from her psyche.

Like a lot of young string bands, Caravan of Thieves looks to the past for inspiration – but unlike many of their peers they do not revel in bluegrass or old-timey music.  This is one band that digs in a different direction, grabbing their influences from Django Reinhardt, swing, tango, and even scary old movies.  Add to that the contemporary sounds like the Beatles, 1960s folk and the theatrical production “Stomp” and you have a sense of the crazy mixed bag that is Caravan of Thieves.

On Leaving Eden, Carolina Chocolate Drops move music forward, paying homage to the past while remaining rooted in the present. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable work that challenges our definition of string band music.