10 Things You Might Not Have Known About Music in Western MA
Violet Clark at The Parlor Room in Northampton | Photo by Gigi Teensma
Did you know that historically western Massachusetts has had an incredible music scene, launching the careers of bands like the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., and the Scud Mountain Boys? And, according to Pitchfork, we’re “having another moment.” The scene’s diverse, too, featuring the latest indie rock bands about to break to an elderly rock chorus that will have you dancing out of your seat. The list of musicians who got their start here and those who come to record, perform, and even build a life here is endless. But for now we’ll start with these 10 things! We've even included a playlist down below for you featuring music from western Massachusetts!
1. A Boston musician talked to the Guardian earlier this year about “the scene that grew out of western Massachusetts in the mid-1980s that spawned one of the most significant and archetypal independent rock movements in contemporary history.” This scene included most notably Dinosaur Jr., which formed when Lou Barlow and J. Mascis met while attending high school in Amherst. Mascis still lives in the area, and it’s not uncommon to see him slogging through town or on stage at one of our newer indie clubs, the 13th Floor Music Lounge in Florence (notable upcoming shows include Rough Francis from Vermont and Lydia Lunch of New York’s famed No Wave scene in the 80s).
2. The Pixies also got their start out here. Black Francis met Joey Santiago while they were attending the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Long-time local fans fondly remember early Pixies shows at the Blue Wall on campus, now the main eatery at the campus center. Now Francis lives in the area with his family; his wife Violet Clark has played with her own band at the Parlor Room in Northampton.
3. Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth called Northampton home until their split in 2013. Gordon talks about their life in western Massachusetts a little in her new memoir, Girl In A Band. They’re not alone as countless other musicians call us home, too—Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne, the guys of Killswitch Engage, Martin Sexton, Erin McKeown, original members of the Scud Mountain Boys, and Ray LaMontagne, just to name a few!
4. Aaron Lewis, country singer and frontman of the rock group Staind, is another musician who calls western Massachusetts home. He heads up an organization with his wife called It Takes a Community, founded to help reopen their children’s elementary school in Worthington. Last June, Lewis hosted the 3rd Annual It Takes a Community benefit concert with friends at The Pines Theater at Look Park. In one of his solo songs, “The Story Never Ends,” Lewis sings about “comin’ home from Liston’s bar,” a popular roadhouse in Worthington where Lewis himself has been rumored to do pop-up performances.
5. We’re “having another moment.” While we’ve certainly made the case that there’s a lot of musical history here in western Massachusetts, we can’t deny that our current scene is on fire, too! Earlier this year, Pitchfork ran a story about the up-and-coming indie scene here, talking about bands like Speedy Ortiz, California X, And the Kids, and Potty Mouth who all boast a significant amount of cred in their respective circles.
6. We’re home to one of the coolest rock choruses of all time. The Young@Heart Chorus is a group of elderly performers ranging from 73-years-old to 89. They’re particularly noted for their unconventional covers of rock, punk, and other modern pop music songs. April offers two opportunities to see this group in action: April 1 is their 2nd Annual April Fools Show at the Academy of Music Theatre and April 26 is the 3rd Annual Mash-Up Concert at John M. Greene Hall at Smith College when the group performs with nationally acclaimed youth performance groups.
7. We can actually hear our favorite local musicians on the radio. Our local radio station WRSI The River spotlights “Local Heroes” every day in their lineup and have hosted special Riversound Café broadcasts when our musicians have braved the music industry’s biggest event of the year, SXSW in Austin.
8. Northampton-based independent label Signature Sounds Recordings is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. Jim Olsen and Mark Thayer formed Signature Sounds in 1994 as a way to promote the burgeoning acoustic scene in western Massachusetts. The label has since released over 150 albums and has played a part in launching the careers of notable artists such as Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive, Erin McKeown, Crooked Still, Mary Gauthier, and Eilen Jewell.
9. Festivals! We play host to quite a few of them, ranging from the celebration of gypsy jazz, Django in June (June 16-21) which draws people from all over the world, to Wilco’s Music and Arts Festival, Solid Sound at MassMoCA (June 26-28). Closest to home though is the Green River Festival in Greenfield. Last year, Signature Sounds acquired ownership of the festival after arranging the talent for years. This year’s festival is July 10-12 and the lineup will be announced Wednesday, April 1—no fooling!
10. We’ve got recordings studios that musicians dream about. Sonelab Recording in Easthampton has worked on albums with pretty much everyone we’ve talked about in this post (And the Kids, California X, Speedy Ortiz, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and Black Francis). And if they haven’t worked with Sonelab, they probably worked with SpiritHouse Music in Northampton (most recently they’ve worked with Martin Sexton and Aaron Lewis) or Northfire Recording Studio in Amherst.
And just in case we’ve sparked your musical curiosity enough, here’s a playlist to accompany all these facts and more, compiled by Signature Sounds Recordings.
“The bands on this playlist exemplify the diverse music scene that calls Western Massachusetts home, along with so many others that I didn't have the space to include,” said Flora Reed of Signature Sounds. “Any scene that runs the gamut from Kim Gordon's art noise duo, Body/Head to the sweet jangle pop of The Fawns, to the acclaimed alternative country of The Scud Mountain Boys, is a rich one that should be celebrated and experienced.”