All Over Albany

Punch Brothers at MASS MoCA

The Punch Brothers are set to play a show at MASS MoCA March 16. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, November 16 -- they're $39 ahead / $49 day of.

The group features a lineup of progressive bluegrass stars, including Chris Thile. (He's now the host of Live from Here, the reformulated and retitled A Prairie Home Companion. And he was a MacArthur "genius" grant winner.) They released a new album this past summer.

The opener for the MASS MoCA show is Gabriel Kahane.

photo: Josh Goleman

LEWITTx10 at MASS MoCA

"Wall Drawing 999"

It's been 10 years since the installation of the massive Sol LeWitt exhibit at MASS MoCA and on Saturday, November 17 the museum has a day of talks, performances, and other activities related to the display.

The daytime events -- including a panel discussion about some of the questions LeWitt's work prompts about art and collaboration, pop-up performances, and treasure hunts and art making -- are free with museum admission. There's also an evening dinner and performance with Quindar and Jason Moran that's ticketed separately.

The scale of Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective at MASS MoCA makes it a remarkable art experience. Blurbage:

Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective comprises 105 of LeWitt's large-scale wall drawings, spanning the artist's career from 1969 to 2007. These occupy nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that have been installed--per LeWitt's own specifications--over three stories of a historic mill building situated at the heart of MASS MoCA's campus.

The exhibit is on display for another 15 years. But if you've never seen it, don't wait -- go check it out sometime soon. (Or go see it again.) It's worth the trip over to North Adams.

(And, of course, MASS MoCA is huge, with many other exhibits.)

Tune-Yards + U.S. Girls at MASS MoCA

Tune-Yards. / photo: Eliot Lee Hazel

The art pop acts Tune-Yards and U.S. Girls are set to play a show at MASS MoCA October 30. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, June 15 -- they're $25 ahead / $35 day of.

Both acts released new albums earlier this year to positive reviews. (And they're both on the same label -- 4AD -- which is backing the tour.)

By the way: Tune-Yards is also the opener for the David Byrne show at The Palace September 9.

The Decemberists
The sold-out Decemberists show scheduled for MASS MoCA this Friday, June 15 has been postponed to October 4 because Colin Meloy is suffering from vocal strain. (Their Mountain Jam appearance has been canceled.) Tickets will be honored for the new date, but if you can't make it, contact the box office.

Bonnie Prince Billy
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is lined up to play a show at MASS MoCA October 13. Tickets are $30 ahead / $40 day of.

Angel Olsen at MASS MoCA

Indie rock singer/songwriter Angel Olsen is set to play a show at MASS MoCA September 29. Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 4 -- they're $30 ahead / $40 day of.

Olsen's 2016 album, My Women, got strong reviews -- it that includes that song "Shut Up Kiss Me". And she followed it up with a collection of B-sides, demos, and covers last year that was also well received. From a Village Voice profile last November: "Olsen has that rare gift -- perhaps the gift that matters most in popular music -- that only the truly profound talents do, of writing songs that are both specific enough to feel personal to her but general enough that almost anyone listening can sing along and think, 'This happened to me.'"

The opener for the MASS MoCA show is Julianna Barwick

Fresh Grass Festival 2018

Trampled by Turtles. / photo via Trampled By Turtles Facebook

The Fresh Grass Festival is back at MASS MoCA September 14-16. Festival passes are currently $115 for adults / $99 for students / $46 for kids (under 6 free). The passes include admission to the museum's galleries.

Headliners for this year's festival include Trampled By Turtles, Yonder Mountain String Band, Indigo Girls, Ricky Skaggs, and Rhiannon Giddens. Here's the full announced-so-far lineup...

(there's more)

Blondie at MASS MoCA

The band Blondie is set to play MASS MoCA August 3. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 30 -- they're $55 ahead / $65 day of. (There's a also a pre-sale starting Thursday.)

It's been more 40 years since the influential new wave group first got together. And Debbie Harry is now 72 years old. The band released a new album just last year.

Let us all have the longevity and verve to rock like that.

The opener for the MASS MoCA show is And The Kids.

By the way: The Youtube auto suggest column on Blondie's popular songs is a deep rabbit hole of 80s new wave pop and its descendants. Take that as either a warning or an enticement.

Grizzly Bear at MASS MoCA

The indie rock band Grizzly Bear is set to play a show at MASS MoCA June 16. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 9 -- they're $32 ahead / $40 day of. (There are also various pre-sales between now and then.)

The band released an album last August, its first in five years, and the MASS MoCA stop is a tour for that album.

By our recollection, this is the closest Grizzly Bear show to the Capital Region their show at Skidmore in 2009. They also played two warm-up shows for the new album last August in Kingston. We wouldn't be surprised if this MASS MoCA show sells out.

Speaking of MASS MoCA
Here's how its spring/summer concert slate is shaping up...

(there's more)

Ray LaMontagne + Neko Case at MASS MoCA and Ommegang

Ray LaMontagne and Neko Case are teaming up for a tour this summer and they're making stops at two venues around here...

MASS MoCA
LaMontagne and Case will be at MASS MoCA June 29. Tickets go on sale March 9 -- they're $52. (There's also a pre-sale that starts March 7.)

Brewery Ommegang
The two singer/songwriters will then be at Brewery Ommegang July 4. Tickets go on sale March 5 -- they're $55.

The tour bill has LaMontagne as the headliner and Case as "a very special guest."

Ray LaMontagne played a sold-out show at the Troy Music Hall last October. And, as you know, Neko Case has a voice like she's from Asgard or somewhere like that (and she just recently played a show at The Egg). So getting tickets sooner rather than later is probably a good idea if you'd like to go.

LaMontagne photo via Ray LaMontagne Facebook | Case photo via Neko Case Facebook

Courtney Barnett at MASS MoCA

Indie rock singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett is set to play a show at MASS MoCA July 12. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 23 -- they're $27 ahead / $37 day of. (There are also various pre-sales this week.)

Barnett's been riding a wave of critical acclaim since her "Avant Gardener" track in 2013 and subsequent debut album in 2015. In the time since she's collaborated with Kurt Vile, and she has a new album set for release this May.

The opener for the MASS MoCA show is Vagabon.

The concert will be on the museum's courtyard stage. It says it expects tickets to sell quickly.

The Decemberists at MASS MoCA

The Decemberists are set to play a show at MASS MoCA June 15. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 19 -- they're $45 ahead / $55 day of. (There are also MASS MoCA member and Spotify presales starting Thursday.)

The band will be touring in support of a new album that's out March 16. Show/album blurbage:

With I'll Be Your Girl, the Decemberists--lead vocalist and guitarist Meloy, guitarist Chris Funk, keyboardist Jenny Conlee, bassist Nate Query, and drummer John Moen--explore new approaches to making music and broaden their sonic range. Previous Decemberists' records, such as The Hazards of Love or The Crane Wife, have been structured around thematic or musical concepts, though Meloy maintains that ultimately it's always "our frame of mind that ties them together." This time, he says, the songs share a mood that's steeped in our current times and condition-- "exuberant nihilism, an apocalyptic dance party was what we envisioned."

We're guessing this show will sell out, and probably quickly. So if you'd like to go, well, you know, don't wait.

Speaking of MASS MoCA concerts
+ The Bon Iver shows in March are sold out.
+ As is the Sylvan Esso show March 31.

photo: Autumn de Wilde

High Mud Comedy Festival 2018

The High Mud Comedy Festival is set to return to MASS MoCA March 16-17. Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 15. (The museum's website doesn't list the price, but a two-day pass was $42 last year.)

This year's headliner is Mike Birbiglia, of My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Sleepwalk With Me, Don't Think Twice, and This American Life fame. He's made multiple stops in the area in the past, many of which have sold out.

Also announced for the festival: singer/songwriter/comedian Nellie McKay. More acts will be announced later.

The festival is, according to the blurbage, "stacked with comedy-club kings and queens, funny film, uncommon workshops, half-brewed beer tastings, mocking museum tours (and whatever else we can think to poke fun at)."

photo: Brian Friedman

Bon Iver + TU Dance at MASS MoCA

Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

Bon Iver is set to play MASS MoCA March 24 and 25 as part of a collaboration with the dance company TU Dance. Tickets are on sale now -- they're $25 ahead / $35 day of.

Bon Iver is, of course, the singer/songwriter Justin Vernon. And TU Dance is a company from Minnesota. Show blurbage:

Repeat Grammy Award-winner and endlessly influential balladeer Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, visits MASS MoCA to perform a work-in-progress score alongside dance company TU Dance. The company's co-founder and "incredible polyrhythmic genius" (Star Tribune) Uri Sands guides his troupe through movement that lilts and tumbles alongside Vernon's expansive sound.

There's a good chance these two shows will sell out, so it's worth getting tickets sooner rather than later if you'd like to go.

The show are part of the winter/spring slate at MASS MoCA, that also includes:

(there's more)

Sylvan Esso at MASS MoCA

The indie pop duo Sylvan Esso is lined up to play a show at MASS MoCA March 31. Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 10 -- they're $28 ahead / $35 day of.

Here's a new video the act playing "Die Young." The stop in North Adams is one of a string of dates for the band after returning from a tour in Australia.

Sylvan Esso played at show at Jupiter Hall at the Lucky Strike at Crossgates this past May. It sold out ahead of time. So if you're interested in going to this show, getting tickets sooner rather than later is a good idea.

Also recently announced...
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is set to play MASS MoCA March 10. Tickets are on sale this Friday, November 10. They're $26 ahead / $33 day of.

photo: Shervin Lainez

Fresh Grass Festival 2017 lineup

Brandi Carlile

The Fresh Grass Festival is back at MASS MoCA September 15-17. Festival passes are currently $110 for adults / $98 for students / $48 for kids.

Headliners for the festival include Brandi Carlile, Railroad Earth, and The Del McCoury Band. And the festival just added a handful of acts to the lineup, which is below.

(there's more)

RISK! at MASS MoCA

The RISK! storytelling podcast will be at MASS MoCA July 1 for a live show. Tickets are on sale now -- they're currently $18 until May 3, when the price increases to $24.

RISK! is hosted by comedian Kevin Allison. Show blurbage:

RISK! is a live show and podcast where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share in public, hosted by Kevin Allison of the legendary TV sketch comedy troupe, The State. The award-winning live show happens monthly in New York and Los Angeles and has featured people like Janeane Garofalo, Lisa Lampanelli, Kevin Nealon, Margaret Cho, Marc Maron, Sarah Silverman, Lili Taylor, Rachel Dratch, Andy Borowitz and more, dropping the act and showing a side of themselves we've never seen before. The weekly RISK! podcast gets over two million downloads each month. Slate.com called it "jaw-dropping, hysterically funny, and just plain touching."

The stopped in this area back in 2012 with two shows at The Linda. The first was that spring and apparently so successful that the show came back that same fall.

Mad Max with live score
Speaking of summer events at MASS MoCA... On July 15 the museum will be hosting a screening of Mad Max with a live score performed by the ensemble Morricone Youth. Tickets are $20 ahead / $26 day of / $16 students.

My Morning Jacket at MASS MoCA

Coming to MASS MoCA this summer: My Morning Jacket on August 12. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, March 17 -- they're $46 ahead / $56 day of.

This is an outside, rain-or-shine show. The opener is The Districts.

Other announced summer outdoor shows at MASS MoCA...

Solid Sound 2017 lineup

The lineup for the Solid Sound Festival this summer at MASS MoCA is out.

It's headlined by Wilco, as usual. The band will be playing two shows at the festival, as usual. A few others from the lineup: Television, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Robert Glasper Experiment, Dawn of Midi, Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin with the Guilty Ones, Kevin Morby, Joan Shelley, and Big Thief.

John Hodgman will be back with another comedy showcase. And Mark Bittman -- "Real Food Crusader" -- is also mentioned under "eat and drink."

The full announced lineup below.

This year's festival is June 23-25. The ticket currently on sale is the advance 3-day pass -- it's $159 plus service fees. There's also a kids pass (ages 6-10) for $50 (under age 6 is free).

(there's more)

CAKE at MASS MoCA

The rock band Cake is set to play an outdoor show at MASS MoCA May 28. Tickets are on sale now -- they're $35 ahead / $45 day of / $55 for preferred tickets.

Cake is still kicking after all these years. Blurbage:

CAKE made its mark flying in the face of convention -- an anti-grunge, post-pop band who scripted smart lyrics, stripped away the original over-engineering of its live shows in order to broadcast those lyrics with laser beam precision -- and above all, always have fun doing it. This high-minded, low-tech approach manifested an impossible-to-pin-down, witty and gritty, yet wildly welcoming and familiar sound -- and a mainstream following of cult-like devotion.

That weekend is also the opening weekend for MASS MoCA's huge new expansion, Building 6.

(They're building it bigger, they're widening the corridor and adding more lanes... Are they now accepting callers for these pendant key chains? Maybe in the gift shop.)

CAKE at OMMEGANG
And, as pointed out by grandmastergus: Cake will also be playing an outdoor show at Brewery Ommegang May 26. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 17 -- they're $50 ($15 for camping).

High Mud Comedy Festival 2017

The High Mud Comedy Festival returns to MASS MoCA March 31-April 1. And tickets are on sale now -- they're $42 for a two-day pass ahead / $32 for students / $55 day of.

The headliner for the upcoming festival is comedian Phoebe Robinson, who's gotten a lot of attention this year for being the co-host of the popular 2 Dope Queens podcast with Jessica Williams. It's been near (and at) the top of the iTunes most popular podcast chart. Robinson has also appeared in a bunch of other media, and her book -- "You Can't Touch My Hair (And Other Things I Still Have to Explain)" -- was published this fall.

General festival blurbage:

High Mud laughs don't stop at stand-up: comedy films, funny museum tours with performers, a joke cam, workshops, and perhaps a comedian-led beer tasting and tour of Bright Ideas Brewery on the MASS MoCA campus will leave your sides aching. Post-mainstage, late-night gigs at local venues --including Desperados and the Freight Yard Pub -- will feature local talent.

The festival is hosted by "charmingly deadpan comic/writer/actor/guitar hero/man-about-town" Dave Hill.

photo via Phoebe Robinson Facebook page

Mavis Staples at MASS MoCA

Powerhouse singer Mavis Staples is set for a show at MASS MoCA March 25. Tickets are on sale now -- they're $35 ahead / $45 day of.

Staples has had a long career and an R&B/soul/gospel singer, starting with her family's group, The Staples Singers, before moving onto a solo career. And in recent years she's collaborated with a bunch of different artists. Show blurbage:

Mavis Staples is one of the great alchemists of American music, crossing genre lines like no musician since perhaps Ray Charles, and weaving her voice into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock, and hip-hop. From her time in the legendary Staples Singers, to her Grammy-winning 2010 collaboration with Jeff Tweedy, You're Not Alone, to her recently released Livin' on a High Note, produced by M. Ward and featuring contributions by Neko Case, Justin Vernon, Ben Harper, and Tune-Yards, Staples is a classic artist who is as vital today as at any point in her legendary career.

Just this month she was part of the new class of Kennedy Center Honors awardees.

photo via ANTI- Records

Solid Sound 2017 dates set

A heads-up for next summer: The Solid Sound Festival is set to return to MASS MoCA June 23-25 of 2017.

It is, of course, the festival that prominently features Wilco and friends. Blurbage:

Spanning three days and four stages, Solid Sound includes music by Wilco and its members' side projects, as well as many other (soon-to-be-announced) musical performers. It also features a full comedy lineup programmed by festival alum John Hodgman, family fun for all ages, local food, craft beer, camping, naturalist activities and more.

If you're interested in updates, the festival has an email list that sends out updates about tickets, acts, and associated whatnot. (In the past, there have been early-bird tickets in November and December, so something to keep an eye out for if you're interested in going.)

photo via Solid Sound Festival FB

Dinosaur Jr., Magnetic Fields, Big Thief coming to MASS MoCA

Dinosaur Jr.

A handful of shows on the schedule for MASS MoCA this fall:

November 5: Big Thief
The folk rock act released its debut album to good reviews earlier this summer. $12 ahead / $18 day of / $10 students

November 18-19: The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir
Stephin Merritt and a 7-person band will be at MASS MoCA for the world premier of new album 50 Song Memoir, with one song for each year of his life (and with the band collectively playing 50 instruments). They'll play songs 1-25 the first night, songs 26-50 the second. $35 ahead / $45 day of / $65 ahead for both shows

December 10: Dinosaur Jr.
The influential 90s alt-rock band has been around so long that it's now 10 years into its comeback. And they released a new album this past summer to good reviews. $28 ahead / $36 day of

photo: Levi Walton

Fresh Grass Festival 2016 lineup

Old Crow Medicine Show

The lineup for this year's Fresh Grass Festival at MASS MoCA is out. And the top of the bill includes Old Crow Medicine Show, Glen Hansard, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, The Devil Makes Three, Rosanne Cash, and The Infamous Stringdusters.

The full lineup (announced so far) is after the jump. The festival also includes events like a silent film screenings with live scores.

Fresh Grass is September 16-18 this year on the grounds of MASS MoCA over in North Adams. Early bird festival passes currently $96 for adults / $86 for students / $46 for kids 7-16.

(there's more)

Chris Gethard at MASS MoCA

Comedian/TV host/writer Chris Gethard will be at MASS MoCA this Saturday (January 30) for a stand-up show. Tickets are $16 ahead / $22 day of / $10 students.

Gethard's done a little bit of everything: authored a Weird New York book, done improv with Upright Citizens Brigade, appeared on late night shows, and hosted a public access/internet talk show. He's recently been producing episodes of the show for Fusion, and will be back for another run this spring.

The MASS MoCA show will be hosted by Joseph Greene, and include an opening set from NYC-based comic Josh Carter. It starts Saturday at 8 pm in the museum's Club B-10.

Free Day
By the way: Saturday is the annual free day at MASS MoCA. It's what it sounds like -- admission to the museum is free from 11 am-7 pm. There will also be a series of events and tours that day.

photo via Chris Gethard Show FB

High Mud Comedy Fest with Tig Notaro at MASS MoCA

Tig Notaro

MASS MoCA has a two-day comedy event -- The High Mud Comedy Fest -- lined up for March 11 and 12. The headliner is comedian Tig Notaro. Festival tickets are on sale now -- they're $42 ahead / $55 day of / $32 students.

Notaro is a standup comic and writer who's appeared a bunch of places, including Comedy Central and This American Life. In recent years, she's been recognized for a set in which she announced she had breast cancer -- Louis C.K. called it one of the "truly great, masterful standup sets." And she has a new semi-autobiographical TV series -- One Mississippi -- coming out on Amazon Prime later this year.

The festival lineup also includes Ophira Eisenberg as host (she's a comedian and host of NPR's Ask Me Another), Sean Patton, Dave Hill, Thomas Attila Lewis, Seth Brown, and Mark Jagiello. There will be stand-up comedy in the evenings, and screenings of comedy films and shorts in the afternoon.

photo via Tig Notaro FB