There’s extra magic in Florence on Thursday nights in the summertime — just follow the sounds (and the smell of fresh-popped popcorn) over to the homey Florence Civic Center for its Music On the Porch concert series.
The friendly festivities, which continue through the end of August, feature a different band playing on the porch for an audience on the lawn every Thursday night (except the fourth of July) from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Bring a chair, a blanket, a cooler, your dinner, your family, your dancing shoes. All the shows are free.
Double Dose of Dave (David Picchi and Dave O’Brien’s keyboard and acoustic guitar/bass duo, playing covers) entertains on June 20. The thirty-strong Young@Heart Chorus packs onto the porch to bring you their unique interpretations of rock and soul songs on June 27.
Radio Free Earth, (shown at right) the local “crossover music” band featuring Joshua and Kim Wachtel, performs their mix of roots, reggae and more on July 11. Original rock trio Colorway turns up the volume on July 18. The Heritage Pops Orchestra plays big band and jazz faves on July 25. Tom and Corrie offer up rock and folk on August 1.
Local all-stars Free Range Cats play unique groove music with special guest vocalists on August 8. Snack Pack (hippie rock, trad country, parlor jazz) performs covers and originals on August 15. StompBox Trio (with Evelyn Harris on vocals) “blends classic 20th-century American music with 21st-century mojo” on August 22.
And as is the tradition, the concert season ends with the fantastic Lonesome Brothers playing their “hick rock” originals, perfect for dancing in the dusk and waving goodbye to summer, on August 29.
See the Florence Music on the Porch Series page on Facebook for updates and details.
Singer/songwriter Amy Helm (daughter of Levon) takes the stage at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Friday, June 14, at 7:30 p.m. Mark Erelli opens.
Todd Snider (singer, songwriter, author) recently released “Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3,” a folk record partially inspired by Woody Guthrie. He’ll play Gateway City Arts in Holyoke on Friday, June 14, at 8 p.m. Kevin Gordon is also on the bill.
New Orleans’ funky Rebirth Brass Band plays Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Friday, June 14, at 8:30 p.m.
Local multi-generational band Muswell Hillbillies plays hits and deep cuts from the Tom Petty songbook at the Iron Horse in Northampton on Saturday, June 15, at 7 p.m.
Hard Nips, a “rowdy, riff-heavy, post-punk band of Japanese women based in Brooklyn,” are back by popular demand at the Ashfield Lake House on Saturday, June 15, at 8 p.m. As the venue said online recently, “We have basically been emailing the Nips every month to beg for a return show since their savagely gorgeous and triumphant Lake House debut in 2015! Be here or be bummed: THEY ARE EVERYTHING.”
The legendary Brian Wilson performs the Beach Boys’ revered “Pet Sounds” album in its entirety, plus other music from his career, at Tanglewood in Lenox on Sunday, June 16, at 2:30 p.m.
The Happy Together Tour makes its yearly Valley appearance, showcasing ‘60s stars The Turtles, Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Buckinghams, The Classics IV, and The Cowsills, at the Calvin Theater in Northampton on Sunday, June 16, at 7 p.m.
Samirah Evans (backed by the Trailer Park rhythm section) headlines the 19/19: Women — Vote! Dance Party at Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Wednesday, June 19, at 7 p.m. Also on the bill are ZoKi (“folk-rock-fused trio”) and She Said. The event, “in celebration of women and the power we have in the electorate,” is sponsored by the Women’s Rights Task Force of Franklin County Continuing Political Revolution. All funds raised will be donated to FairFightAction, which seeks to ensure “free and fair elections.”
Kristin Hersh, known for her bands Throwing Muses and 50FootWave, brings her electric trio to the Iron Horse on Wednesday, June 19, at 7 p.m. (Seek out her memoir “Rat Girl” — highly recommended.) The opening acts are Fred Abong and local rock quartet Ex-Temper.
Collate, at right, the post-punk trio on tour from Portland, Oregon featuring one-time Valley DJ Erika Elizabeth, Strange Fate (local punks), Crimps (“freaky poppy punk from Salem”) and Dari Bay (“angular and weird, from Brattleboro”) play Flywheel in East
Ken Maiuri can be reached at tunedincolumn@gmail.com.