I love live music. I have seen dozens of bands perform live, including U2, and working class bands that perform only in the Valley. Highlights have been Fishbone at small night clubs in New York City in 1990; Natalie Merchant at a historic theater in Oakland, California; and Toots and the Maytals at a tiny bar in Long Island, NY.
The best concert I have seen was Michael Franti with his band Spearhead at the Iron Horse in Northampton in 2002.
John Sheldon and his band played an outstanding concert with Samirah Evans on New Year's Eve at the Arts Block in downtown Greenfield. The venue appeared to be sold out, with at least 100 people dancing for hours.
Sheldon's band is called Blue Streak. They played original and cover songs; a highlight was “All Along the Watchtower” by Bob Dylan.
John Sheldon and his band with Samirah Evans performed at the Arts Block on New Year's Eve in 2013 and 2014.
National Public Radio called Sheldon “one of the great guitarists of our time.” Jimi Hendrix called him “a great player.”
Kris Delmhorst will perform a concert at the Parlor Room in Northampton on October 23 at 7 p.m. A Boston Globe staff writer called her music "sterling," which means excellent. You can hear one of Delmhorst's best songs for free at:
Ruthie Foster will perform a public concert at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on August 21 at 7 p.m. She sings the blues. Her current tour includes stops in Los Angeles, California and at New York City's Highline Ballroom, a nightclub where Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder have performed since it opened in 2007.
You can hear one of Foster's songs for free at:
http://grooveshark.com/s/Death+Came+A+Knockin+Travelin+Shoes/34JXTw?src=5
There are photos of her at:
This summer Devil Makes Three will perform concerts at prestigious venues in New York City; Paris, France; and London, England. On July 24, they will play in Putney, Vermont, near Brattleboro. The band is donating the money they make from the concert to help save 144 acres of forest in Putney from being turned into houses. The group leading that campaign is www.PutneyMountain.org.
You can hear a Devil Makes Three song at:
http://grooveshark.com/s/Shades/2zbPLu?src=5
The band is Pete Bernhard, Cooper McBean and Lucia Turino. A picture of them is at:
Alyssa Bonagura will perform a concert at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on July 15 at 7 p.m. She will be accompanied by Rebecca Correia and Harrison Whitford. You can hear Bonagura performing a song that she wrote, "Make My Own Sunshine," at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=edYMnauQkdM
Robin Gibb was a member of the Bee Gees, a band that has sold more than 200 million albums. "Alyssa is stunning, original, a future star in the making," Gibb said.
Tickets for Bonagura's Northampton concert are available at www.iheg.com.
In Northampton, the Iron Horse Music Hall has concerts almost every night of the year. It regularly hosts world famous musicians like Michael Franti and Dar Williams. On April 9, one of the best concerts in years at the Iron Horse was performed by the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars. The dance floor was full of people of all colors, and full of energy, reflecting the full-on performance on the stage.
The band released a new album, Libation, last month. Most of the songs on the album are Afro-Pop or “high life” style. Some are reggae. It's an excellent album.
Habib Koite, a singer and guitar player who lives in Bamako, Mali, in west Africa, will play at the Iron Horse in Northampton on February 16 at 7 p.m. Koite (pronounced KWA-tee) performed an outstanding public concert in Amherst in 2011. He possesses an unusually warm voice and guitar skills that inspired Bonnie Raitt to famously tell him after one concert, "I would drink your sweat."
Chris Kasper is scheduled to perform a free public concert in Northampton on December 7 at 8 p.m. He will play at the Basement night club at 21 Center Street. A video of Kasper performing one of his songs with his band is at www.ChrisKasper.com. More information about the Basement is available by calling 800-THE-TICK or (413) 586-8686 or at the club's web site:
Ruth Moody will perform a public concert at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on October 8 at 7 p.m. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation -- Canada's equivalent of NPR -- called Moody's new record, These Wilder Things, "a rock-solid sophomore album, impressive in both its lyrical maturity and musical scope."
A video of Moody singing and playing banjo, accompanied by her band, is at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGFKkyWT4l0
Moody will play public concerts in New York City on October 9, and in the Los Angeles, California area on October 17.