There’s no end to possible New Year’s Eve entertainment options in the Valley, but here’s one way to celebrate the calendar flipping over to a fresh new year: This weekend, Gateway City Arts in Holyoke features two upbeat concerts made possible by Signature Sounds Presents. Rubblebucket on Saturday at 9 p.m., with special opening act Cuddle Magic, and Parsonsfield, on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. with Upstate Rubdown starting off the night.
Rubblebucket has wowed Valley crowds with appearances at clubs as well as big outdoor music festivals, where the sky was literally the limit — the band’s 15-foot-high robot puppets shimmied around the crowd. They’ve since retired the robots, but the energetic group, led by Kalmia Traver on vocals and Alex Toth on trumpet, still turns every show into a total happening, connecting with audiences, filling the air with their catchy and propulsive music (and maybe also balloons or confetti).
Cuddle Magic are a brainy and soulful band who finally put out their long-awaited fourth album “Ashes/Axis” earlier this year. They mix electronic and organic textures in the carefully crafted arrangements of songs like “The First Hippie On the Moon, Pt. 2.” Emotional and impressive.
On New Year’s Eve proper, Parsonsfield are the headliners, combining alt-folk and bluegrass sounds with an epic 21st-century pop vibe. Their latest album “Blooming Through the Black” was recorded at an old axe factory in Connecticut that they converted into a studio.
Upstate Rubdown are a septet from New Paltz, New York who play “Appalachian soul” with a unique lineup: three vocalists, mandolin, flute/sax, upright bass and cajon.
If you need a New Year’s Eve nosh, a special menu will be available ($45/person) that includes salad, entree, dessert and the traditional champagne toast.
Singer/songwriter/music professor/ Grammy-winner Paula Cole (best known for her hits “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait”) performs at the Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Friday, today, at 7 p.m.
The True Jacqueline, The Frost heaves and hales. and The Big Why are the triple bill at The Perch (aka the 4th floor of the Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center) on Friday at 8 p.m.
Ras Denroy Morgan and the Black Eagles Review offer up a night of reggae, pop, R&B and more, with special guest Rebirth, at Bishop’s Lounge in Northampton on Friday at 8 p.m.
It’s an Eric Lee night: first the fiddler appears with the Pioneer Valley Bluegrass Band at 7 p.m., then celebrates the release of his new CD “Heartache Town” at 8 p.m. At the Luthier’s Co-op in Easthampton on Saturday.
Moon Hooch bring their double-sax-and-drums attack back to town, sharing a bill with Gnomedad and Honeycomb at Pearl Street in Northampton on Saturday at 9 p.m.
Take a gander at the entertainment options on First Night, and your head might spin. Colorway, the local rock trio led by guitar ace F. Alex Johnson, wants you to know they’re there in the sea of venues and bands. They’ll play two shows at The Parlor Room in Northampton on Sunday at 2 and 3 p.m. You need a First Night Button for admission.
Shokazoba will help make your First Night a funky one. The local ensemble started over a decade ago as a Fela Kuti tribute band and now writes its own progressive and political dance music. They’ll play two sets at The Deuce (aka The World War II Club) in Northampton on Sunday at 9 and 10 p.m. You need a First Night Button for admission.
Bella’s Bartok, the Valley’s fiercely upbeat circus/punk/freak-folk band, make every show a party, and they’ll bring that energy to the biggest party night of the year with a special New Year’s Eve concert — their second annual Strange One’s Ball — at Hawks and Reed in Greenfield on Sunday at 8 p.m. Joining in the festivities are Mammal Dap and Arc Iris.
Local rockabilly outfit Flathead Rodeo kick 2017 in the butt as it goes out the door with a high-energy show at the Luthier’s Co-op in Easthampton on Sunday at 9:30 p.m.
The Claudia Malibu, The Journals Kept and Beasthampton are the triple-bill at the next Reanimate the Bay State show at The Sierra Grille in Northampton on Thursday at 10 p.m.