The Indigo Girls performed an excellent concert in Northampton on May 27. The Academy of Music was sold out. The audience sang along to many of the songs, sometimes so loudly that the band's Amy Ray and Emily Saliers stopped singing and listened, smiling.

Tickets for the May 27 Indigo Girls concert in Northampton are sold out but tickets are still available for the band's concerts on May 24 in Burlington, Vermont and May 29 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Tickets are also available for Indigo Girls concerts in June in Lowell, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and New York City. The New York concert is free.

Habib Koite and Vusi Mahlasela and their band performed an excellent concert at the Academy of Music in Northampton April 10. Koite lives in the west African nation of Mali, where he is from. Mahlasela lives in South Africa, where he is from. The venue appeared to be almost sold out. The applause was loud and long after every song. Many people danced in the aisles.

Habib Koite and Vusi Mahlasela will perform a concert in Northampton on April 10 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be at the Academy of Music. Koite (pronounced KWA-tee) lives in the west African nation of Mali. Mahlasela lives in South Africa. They will perform at prestigious concert halls in New York City and Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

Derrik Jordan will perform a concert with other musicians in Putney, Vermont, near Brattleboro on April 22 at 8 p.m. Jordan is the lead singer and guitar player in Simba, probably the most popular band in the Brattleboro area. Simba plays reggae and highlife, among other kinds of music. Their concerts usually attract about 100 people, almost all of whom dance for almost the whole concert.

The band Upstate Rubdown will play in Northampton at the Parlor Room March 11 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance. A video of them performing is at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4AgdmvbfmA

Roger Salloom and Charles Neville plus a five person band will perform at the Arts Block in Greenfield on November 28 at 7 p.m. Rolling Stone magazine said of Salloom, "Superb storyteller with a great sense of timing and the music is incredibly infectious." Neville has performed with James Brown, B.B. King, and Ray Charles. Tickets are $15.

The Indigo Girls is one of the best bands that's currently performing live. The band will play three concerts near the Valley this fall. The Indigo Girls have sold more than 14 million albums and won a Grammy award. In June, they released a new album, One Lost Day. In early November, the band will play in Boston; Troy, New York; and New York City. Details are at www.indigogirls.com/events.html

Vieux Farka Toure and Julia Easterlin will perform a concert in Northampton on September 18 at 7 p.m. Toure is from the west African nation of Mali. Easterlin is from the USA. The concert will be at the Iron Horse Music Hall. On his current tour, Toure will perform at prestigious venues in Paris, New York City and San Francisco. A video of him performing is at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FfseZhdfsQ

A video of Easterlin performing is at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBDmJ01a12s

Luther Johnson and the Magic Rockers performed an excellent, public concert in Northampton on July 25. The Iron Horse Music Hall appeared to be almost sold out. The audience applauded enthusiastically after all the songs. Johnson sang, "She said, 'Luther, you don't have to be a superstar, I love you just the way you are.'"

A highlight was Johnson's version of the Jeannie Cheatham song "Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On."