Northampton’s Academy of Music has long maintained a goal of being a venue for multiple types of performance, from theater to film to dance.
But music is obviously a key part of that equation — and this month the academy is living up to its formal title.
In March, the venerable theater has staged or will offer concerts featuring 11 different artists and bands, from roots rockers Dawes, to Phish founder and guitarist/composer Trey Anastasio, to the storied South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Executive Director Debra J’Anthony says the academy remains focused on offering varied artistic acts “that are a good fit for us and our audiences … we’re not going to turn into a music hall.”
That said, she does note that the academy and other newer venues in the area, such as Northampton’s Parlor Room and Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, offer more choices for performers and audiences alike in addition to the Northampton music clubs of businessman Eric Suher: the Calvin Theatre, the Iron Horse Music Hall, and Pearl Street Nightclub.
J’Anthony said the academy began scheduling more concerts after Signature Sounds, the acoustic record label, moved to Northampton and opened The Parlor Room three years ago; Signature’s president, Jim Olsen, has since booked numerous larger shows at the academy.
As well, John Sanders, a former talent buyer for the Iron Horse, now does that work with Dan Smalls Presents, an Ithaca, N.Y. promoter that books 20-25 shows at the academy every year, said J’Anthony.
“I think there have been a combination of events, these newer places opening up, plus we installed a new sound system as part of our renovations,” she added. “And we’re happy to be be able to offer more [musical] choices for people.”
Here’s a look at four shows this week at the academy:
The Blind Boys of Alabama, March 10: As part of Signature Sounds’ Back Porch Festival, now in its third year, this acclaimed gospel group, a five-time Grammy winner that traces its origins to 1939 as a boys’ singing group, will play Friday at 7:30 p.m. One of the founding member of the group, Jimmy Carter — then living in an Alabama institute for blind black children — still sings with the band at age 85.
The group — four blind lead singers, including Carter, and four sighted musicians on guitar, keyboards, drum and bass — has been through a number of personnel changes over the years and at one point stuck closely to pure gospel music. Their sound became part of the civil rights era as the band performed benefits for Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders of the movement.
But over the last 20-odd years, the Blind Boys have embraced a broader sound that incorporates blues, soul and folk, and they’ve collaborated with artists such as Peter Gabriel, Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal; their version of Tom Waits’ “Way Down in the Hole” became the theme song for the first year of the HBO series “The Wire.”
That’s led to multiple Grammy nominations and wins and numerous TV appearances, among other things.
In a recent phone interview, singer Ricky McKinnie, who’s been with the band since 1989, says the group has enjoyed the notoriety but keeps its focus on the music. “We’ve always most enjoyed bringing our songs, whatever they may be, to people.”
McKinnie, who lives in Atlanta, first met the band in the 1950s when he was a boy (his mother, Sarah McKinnie Shivers, was a singer at the time). He had a music career on his own but was asked to join the Blind Boys as a backup singer and drummer; then he became a lead singer several years ago.
Though he and the others in the group grew up in the segregated South, he says they’ve long since put that in their past and enjoy the fact they now play to audiences everywhere, regardless of color or background. “Our music was always from the heart, so it’s good to know we can share it that way,” he said.
Back Porch Bluegrass Night, March 11: Fiddles, mandolins, acoustic guitars and banjos make their appearance Saturday at 7 p.m. with three acclaimed bluegrass artists — Sarah Jarosz, Tim O’Brien, Tony Trischka — and the up-and-coming Americana trio Lula Wiles.
Olsen, of Signature Sounds, says the performers have some personal connections — O’Brien has played on some of Jarosz’s albums, for instance — as well as ties to Boston. The Texas-born Jarosz, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose albums have been nominated for several awards, studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, while banjo maestro Trischka has taught at the Berklee School of Music.
Though each of the artists will play separate sets, Olsen said it’s quite possible they’ll close the show by coming together for a few songs. “That would be a treat,” he said.
Lori McKenna and Chris Smither, March 12: It would be hard to find two more accomplished New England singer-songwriters than McKenna, of the Boston area, and Valley (Amherst) hero Chris Smither. McKenna, an acclaimed artist in her own right, is also an in-demand songwriter in Nashville, while Smither’s fingerpicked guitar, stomping feet and gritty vocals make him a one-man folk/blues band.
McKenna has been touring since late last summer on the strength of her most recent album, “The Bird & The Rifle,” and a 2016 Grammy award for best country song, “Girl Crush” (she’s also received four Grammy nominations for 2017). She’ll be playing with a full band. Smither, who released a well-received retrospective album a few years ago when he turned 70, opens Sunday’s 3 p.m. show.
Dawes, March 14: These California-based roots rockers have developed a big following over the last several years, as well as a fat folder of positive reviews from critics. They’re in the midst of a daunting tour — 50 gigs over about 3½ months — that’s based in part on their most recent album, “We’re All Gonna Die.”
But in a recent phone call following a show in Billings, Mont., drummer Griffin Goldsmith said the band loves the road and is also enjoying playing in some bigger venues on the current tour, like New York City’s Beacon Theatre.
“If we play three nights in a row, we can feel it, and it’s nice to get the next night off,” said Goldsmith. “We’re playing pretty long sets. But when we’re clicking and the audience is having a good time, there’s no better feeling.”
The band, led by guitarist, lead singer and chief songwriter Taylor Goldsmith (Chris’ brother), includes keyboardist Lee Pardini and bassist Wylie Gelber; the group is also touring with an additional guitarist, Trevor Menear, who “gives us another voice to work with,” said Griffin Goldsmith.
Though Taylor Goldsmith writes most of the songs, the finished numbers are very much a collaborative effort of the band, Griffin Goldsmith said: “We all bounce off ideas off each other.” That’s particularly the case with the new album, which moves away from the band’s vintage folk-rock sound with some more produced tracks, with keyboards and strings prominent, such as on “When the Tequila Runs Out.”
The album “kind of evolved that way,” said Goldsmith. “It wasn’t a deliberate decision.”
On the tour, the band is playing a select number of songs from the new album as well as many tracks from the four previous records, mixing the set up each night. “Our goal is to play as long as we can each night, and so far so good,” said Goldsmith.
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.
For information on these upcoming shows, visit www.aomtheatre.com.
For more information on the Back Porch Festival, visit signaturesoundspresents.com