Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct performance date.
The sun’s a-shining and the thermometer’s steady in the 80s. But, before you know it, we’ll all be hidden under hats and scarves, shovels in hand, crunching around on snow and ice.
So here are some ideas for how you might celebrate your still-summer night Thursday, enjoying warm music out under the sunset skies and sparkling stars. All the shows are free and open to all ages.
Show of Cards is a Northampton band led by siblings Karen and Mike Cardozo (on vocals/guitar and lead guitar, respectively) with the rhythm section of bassist Garrett Sawyer and drummer Joe Fitzpatrick. The folk-pop group (sometimes with jazzy and groovy flourishes) showcases Karen Cardozo’s smooth vocals and has been working on a new record at Sawyer’s Northfire Recording Studio, so expect some fresh tunes and old favorites when they play the Williamsburg Angel Park Music Series at the park’s Quiet Reflections Garden at 6 p.m.
Sue Kranz and Ben Tousley (ballads, love songs and more), Strawberry Afternoon (folk, rock and blues covers) and Small Change (swing, jazz, country, folk, even some a cappella) perform at this week’s COOP Summer Concert at Energy Park in Greenfield at 6 p.m.
If you want to sneak indoors for a beverage and some hot licks, Hartford guitar man Rich Goldstein appears at this week’s Brewmaster’s Jazz show, backed by saxophonist Greg Carleton, bassist Jason Schwartz and drummer Jahian Cooper-Monize. Goldstein has done tributes to Wes Montgomery, which gives you a good idea of his mellow-toned playing on a hollow-body electric guitar. At the New City Brewery in Easthampton from 6 to 9 p.m.
The roots-rocking Johnny Memphis Band plays this week’s Florence Music on the Porch at the Civic Center series at 6:30 p.m. Regular readers of this column know all about the friendly community vibe of the porch concerts (and the tasty, salty, fresh-popped popcorn and cold beverages for sale). Bring a blanket or a chair and grab your spot for listening and lounging as the sky gets dusky. Or jump up and dance — music lovers of all ages often kick up some dust on the side as the band serenades the lawn crowd and the nearby streets.
Speaking of snacks, do yourself and your sweet tooth a favor if you choose to head down to the South Hadley Summer Concert Series to see Fully Loaded (playing hits of the ’60s and beyond) at the town common gazebo at 6:30 p.m. On the way, stop at Creamy Delights New York Style Ice Cream on Route 47 in Hadley for the very best soft serve in the area. It’s rich and tasty and a special seasonal treat — just look for the swarm of parked cars and happy faces around a white-and-red cart that looks like it dropped out of the sky from a state fair, a bright fairground beacon on the farmland horizon.
The Lonesome Brothers bring a twangy upbeat “hick rock” sound (dancers can’t resist) to the Westhampton Field of Dreams Summer Concert Series outside the town’s public library at 6:30 p.m. There should be extra-special good vibes at the gig, since guitarist/vocalist Jim Armenti, himself a Westhampton resident, once wrote and recorded a whole album inspired by the library (“The Great Pumpkin Roll,” a fun and heartfelt celebration of books, libraries and the communities they enrich).
Roger Salloom holds his 33rd annual Look Park Concert at the park’s Garden House at 7 p.m. His band will be on hand, as will opening act Seth Glier and special guests Evelyn Harris (who will sing Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” during the show) and Johnny Joelson (leader of Johnny and the Flashbacks and “Resident Partyologist,” who started off the 2016 Westhampton Field of Dreams Concert Series back in June). Rick Haggerty from WXOJ is the emcee. The show is free, though parking involves a fee.