A Musician's Guide to The Pioneer Valley

(We get a lot of questions about the scene out here. Maybe this page will answer some of them.)

Disclaimer: Hi, Henning here. All the information below is pretty much either out of memory or from local newspapers. Don't expect any of it to be right.

Clubs

The Baystate Hotel
(413) 584-8513
Strong Ave, Northampton
Booking Wednesdays 3:30 - 5:00
The Baystate Hotel is Northampton's premier underground music venue. Live bands perform every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The Baystate's number one interest is in bringing great music to the stage. If you are interested in playing there, though, you've got to be able to draw in some people. If you can get 20 people in there for an opening act, that is pretty good. Headliners usually play for between 50 and 150. Out-Of-Town or new bands might be able to get an opening slot on Thursday Night, that would be at around 10:30PM. It's a tough time to bring people in but if you do there is a chance you might get a better slot next time and pick up some new fans. Bands get payed by the door, so an unsuccesful opener might go home with a few bucks while a popular band could leave with a few hundred. Two beers per band member are provided gratis. There is a 3-5 dollar cover charge depending on the popularity of the band. There is a new Americana open mike every Sunday night. And every Tuesday night is the famous Open Mike, where you can catch a lot of the valley's best songwriter's trying out new material. You never know who might show up here, a few national performers have stopped in to partake in this prestigious open mike. The Baystate is 21+.

The Iron Horse Music Hall, Pearl Street, The Calvin Theatre
(413)584-0610
The Iron Horse Entertainment Group owns three Northampton venues. The Iron Horse Music Hall on Center Street features mostly national acts, but occasionally books local bands. The sound system is excellent. Your band has to be able to guarentee a good 100 people or so. Don't expect to make any money here unless you pack the place. They also demand a percentage of merchandise sales. This is an ALL-AGES club and is smoke free.

Pearl Street is also ALL AGES. While the Iron Horse is more focused on Adult Rock and Folk, Pearl Street concentrates on the kids. National Rock bands perform in two seperate rooms here. Occasionally, you will find a local show but it is tough to get people to come to Pearl Street for a local gig, I'm not sure why. It is not a very comfy club and certainly ain't too hip with the cool kids. But they sometimes book some great shows, from Ween to Edgar Winter.

The Calvin Theatre won't book you. This is a large venue for big time stars.

Grandstands
525 Pleasant St. Northampton, MA
(413)584-4830
Grandstands is a bar that is connected to a bowling alley. They have a pretty low-fi p.a. system, I think, but the room has a lot of crazy lights and a strange strange ambience.

Fire and Water
5 Old South St. Northampton
(413)586-8336
The Fire and Water is a Vegetarian Cafe and Performance Space. It's a small ALL AGES club that focuses mostly on quieter acts but does book rock bands sometimes. A hat is passed around for the band and the managers are very good about making people feel guilty for not paying. A PA System is provided.

Flywheel
(413)527-9800
2 Holyoke St. (Rte 141), Easthampton, MA
www.flywheelarts.org
E-mail for booking: vamarama@hotmail.com
Flywheel is a non-profit organization put together by artists. This is an all ages spot with comfortable chairs in a rec room atmosphere. The walls are lines with books and zines. There is a small cafe with snacks and tea and coffee and juice. Bands play in a back room that fits 100 people. They now have a good sound system. They tell me that shows have earned as much as $350, but it varies WIDELY. Cover charges range from $0-$5. They have a gallery and are looking for artists to show their work, and are looking for performance artists, film & video makers as well as musicians to perform. It's a DIY space -- they send out a bi-weekly e-mail to a 500+ list -- you do the flyers and press releases. Flywheel is a very supportive atmosphere and is to a music zine what a big club is to Spin. Because of their love of music they attract touring bands from all over the country. This is a good spot to reach Easthampton's underground hipsters and curious music lovers from all over the area.

Amherst Brewing Company
(413)253-4400
24-36 North Pleasant St., Amherst
The ABC is primarily a restaurant and bar. On weekend nights they host bands. Mostly blues and middle-of-the-road rock, occasionally a reggae band, and sometimes a popular original band. They have no sound system but usually give you a big enough paycheck to cover it. There is $2 cover charge which the bands receives half of, and generally there is a guarentee depending on your band. If you do play there, be ready for three sets that include quite a bit of covers for the masses. The crowd is mostly drunk college kids from UMASS and Amherst. The room is split in half with the band on one side and the bar on the other, and I think you know where the bigger crowd is.

Hot-L Warren
South Deerfield
(413)665-2301
Booking: Jay - (413)247-5435 x2
Top Local Bands Every Saturday Night
21+
No Cover Charge

Java Hut
Sunderland
(413)665-2255

The Brass Cat
Rt 141, Easthampton, MA
(413)527-4085

Blue Moon Cafe
41 North Pleasant St. Amherst, MA
(413)256-3140
This is a small acoustic space. I believe they have a P.A. system. All Ages, serving coffee, tea, and pastries.

Ye Ole Watering Hole
584-9748
Ye Ole Smokey Dive. I don't know much about the blues, but I am told lots of great blues bands play here.

Hadley Pub
Route 9, Hadley, MA
(413)586-3880

The Black Sheep
Main St. Amherst, MA
Acoustic Folk Acts

The Montague Book Mill

Music at The Colleges

UMASS Music
545-2511

Mt. Holyoke Music
538-2306

Smith College Music
585-3150

Amherst College

Hampshire College

Westfield College

Greenfield Community College

Holyoke Community College

Web Sites

About.Com's Western Mass Music Site

MassLive Soundboard
A local music discussion forum. You can advertise shows here or you can discuss just about any other nonsense that musicians and music fans discuss. A great place to get advice on the scene.

Record Stores

B-Side Records
273 Main Street
Northampton
(413)586-9556
Consignment sales on local CDs B-Sides sells new CDs mostly. Their prices aren't that great but they do have a large local music section. They sell on consignment and give you a percentage.

CMC Music Room
96 Union Street, Easthampton
(413)527-2755

Meridian's Music
19 Elliot St.
Brattleboro, VT
(802)258-9050

Turn It Up!
5 Pleasant St., Northampton
89 1/2 Main St. Keene, NH
5 Olde Nugget Alley, Hanover, NH
Consignment Sales on Local CDs
Turn It Up! Sells used CDS, records, and consignment locals. This basement store is very supportive of local music. They always have listening stations so you must provide them with one unwrapped cd. Otherwose they take a few at a time and pricethem how you want.

Dynamite Records
Thornes Market Place, Northampton
Consignment Sales on Local CDs
Dynamite is a large store that specializes in rare CDs and Records, but has just about anything, including a large local music section. They sell on consignment for whatever price you specify. Make sure you keep accurate receipts of what you have given them.

Mystery Train Records
North Pleasant Street, Amherst
Amhert's coolest record store. They sell only used CDs and they are a small chain with stores in Boston so they can pretty much get there hands on anything you may want. They have a good local consignment section and take about 2 or 3 cds at a time. They give you 100% of the sales. BEAT THAT!

For The Record
North Pleasant Street, Amherst
Amherst's oldest record store, new and used and rare. They have consignment sales for local music.

Newbury Comix
Main Street, Amherst
There is one number for selling cds at all Newbury Comix stores. Don't know what it is. I gotta say this is the best place to buy new CDs.

CMC Music Room
96 Union St. Easthampton, MA
(413)527-2755

Platypus Records
Westfield, MA

Radio Stations

WHMP 99.3FM
Northampton's answer to the modern rock station of Anytown USA, with a twist. Although their regular programming is unchangeable, they do have a local and regional show every Sunday Night. The DJ's name is Haze and he is a big fan of independant rock, accent on "rock". The show is on at 9:00 and all you have to do is send a CD and package to the station.

WRSI 95.3FM and 100.7FM
Radio stations around the country should take a lesson from WRSI (The River). Although they do concentrate a lot on roots rock they play anything. I've hear rare xtc and Robyn Hitchcock songs regularly. They also play local bands during regular hours. The Aloha Steamtrain has received a ton of airplay from them as have The Ray Mason Band, The Lonesome Brothers, The Ware River Club, and The Maggies. Every Monday they have a local show called Up The Creek which is simalcast on local cable stations. Bands come into the studio and play for about half an hour, the songs are interspersed with iterviews by Program Manager and DJ Johnny Memphis. During this showthey also play local CDs before and after the featured band.

WRNX
Local Songwriter, Matt Hebert, hosts The Backyard every Sunday night at 11:00. He plays local and regional music and has a true love for it.

WAMH
Amherst College

WMUA 91.1FM
University of Massachusetts

WOZQ
Smith College

WMHC 91.5FM
Mount Holyoke College

Publications

VMag
Published Monthly
Cromag Publications
PO Box 774
Northampton, MA 01060
Local CD Reviews

The Valley Advocate
This free newspaper is published weekly, has cd reviews, calendar listings, and occasional features on local music. Also, Gary Carra's column, The Night Crawler, concentrates on music news. Contact him at:
Night Crawler scene report
PO BOx. 427, Somers, CT 06071
FAX: (860)749-8039
Garycarra@aol.com

Listen 2 The Music
(413)527-7072
Box 707 Amherst, MA 01004
ciderrecords@hotmail.com
Music Listings
4 Page Music Zine
Feature Articles on Local Musicians

Music Review
Revue Holdings, Inc.
27 Lina Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Phone: (413)734-9371
Fax: (413)337-4205
Al Canali
EMAIL: al@wordplus.com
This is a great resource for bands. They have calendar listings, cd reviews, and features on musicians. The magazine is distributed for free in store fronts and clubs.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette
Tzivia Gover: Arts Editor


INTRO	A Musician's Guide to The Pioneer Valley (We get a lot of questions about the scene out here. Maybe this page will answer some of them.) Disclaimer: Hi, Henning here. All the information below is pretty much either out of memory or from local newspapers. Don't expect any of it to be right. Clubs \| Music at Colleges \| Publications \| Radio Stations \| Record Stores \| Web Sites Clubs The Baystate Hotel (413) 584-8513 Strong Ave, Northampton Booking Wednesdays 3:30 - 5:00 The Baystate Hotel is Northampton's premier underground music venue. Live bands perform every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The Baystate's number one interest is in bringing great music to the stage. If you are interested in playing there, though, you've got to be able to draw in some people. If you can get 20 people in there for an opening act, that is pretty good. Headliners usually play for between 50 and 150. Out-Of-Town or new bands might be able to get an opening slot on Thursday Night, that would be at around 10:30PM. It's a tough time to bring people in but if you do there is a chance you might get a better slot next time and pick up some new fans. Bands get payed by the door, so an unsuccesful opener might go home with a few bucks while a popular band could leave with a few hundred. Two beers per band member are provided gratis. There is a 3-5 dollar cover charge depending on the popularity of the band. There is a new Americana open mike every Sunday night. And every Tuesday night is the famous Open Mike, where you can catch a lot of the valley's best songwriter's trying out new material. You never know who might show up here, a few national performers have stopped in to partake in this prestigious open mike. The Baystate is 21+. The Iron Horse Music Hall, Pearl Street, The Calvin Theatre (413)584-0610 The Iron Horse Entertainment Group owns three Northampton venues. The Iron Horse Music Hall on Center Street features mostly national acts, but occasionally books local bands. The sound system is excellent. Your band has to be able to guarentee a good 100 people or so. Don't expect to make any money here unless you pack the place. They also demand a percentage of merchandise sales. This is an ALL-AGES club and is smoke free. Pearl Street is also ALL AGES. While the Iron Horse is more focused on Adult Rock and Folk, Pearl Street concentrates on the kids. National Rock bands perform in two seperate rooms here. Occasionally, you will find a local show but it is tough to get people to come to Pearl Street for a local gig, I'm not sure why. It is not a very comfy club and certainly ain't too hip with the cool kids. But they sometimes book some great shows, from Ween to Edgar Winter. The Calvin Theatre won't book you. This is a large venue for big time stars. Grandstands 525 Pleasant St. Northampton, MA (413)584-4830 Grandstands is a bar that is connected to a bowling alley. They have a pretty low-fi p.a. system, I think, but the room has a lot of crazy lights and a strange strange ambience. Fire and Water 5 Old South St. Northampton (413)586-8336 The Fire and Water is a Vegetarian Cafe and Performance Space. It's a small ALL AGES club that focuses mostly on quieter acts but does book rock bands sometimes. A hat is passed around for the band and the managers are very good about making people feel guilty for not paying. A PA System is provided. Flywheel (413)527-9800 2 Holyoke St. (Rte 141), Easthampton, MA www.flywheelarts.org E-mail for booking: vamarama@hotmail.com Flywheel is a non-profit organization put together by artists. This is an all ages spot with comfortable chairs in a rec room atmosphere. The walls are lines with books and zines. There is a small cafe with snacks and tea and coffee and juice. Bands play in a back room that fits 100 people. They now have a good sound system. They tell me that shows have earned as much as $350, but it varies WIDELY. Cover charges range from $0-$5. They have a gallery and are looking for artists to show their work, and are looking for performance artists, film & video makers as well as musicians to perform. It's a DIY space -- they send out a bi-weekly e-mail to a 500+ list -- you do the flyers and press releases. Flywheel is a very supportive atmosphere and is to a music zine what a big club is to Spin. Because of their love of music they attract touring bands from all over the country. This is a good spot to reach Easthampton's underground hipsters and curious music lovers from all over the area. Amherst Brewing Company (413)253-4400 24-36 North Pleasant St., Amherst The ABC is primarily a restaurant and bar. On weekend nights they host bands. Mostly blues and middle-of-the-road rock, occasionally a reggae band, and sometimes a popular original band. They have no sound system but usually give you a big enough paycheck to cover it. There is $2 cover charge which the bands receives half of, and generally there is a guarentee depending on your band. If you do play there, be ready for three sets that include quite a bit of covers for the masses. The crowd is mostly drunk college kids from UMASS and Amherst. The room is split in half with the band on one side and the bar on the other, and I think you know where the bigger crowd is. Hot-L Warren South Deerfield (413)665-2301 Booking: Jay - (413)247-5435 x2 Top Local Bands Every Saturday Night 21+ No Cover Charge Java Hut Sunderland (413)665-2255 The Brass Cat Rt 141, Easthampton, MA (413)527-4085 Blue Moon Cafe 41 North Pleasant St. Amherst, MA (413)256-3140 This is a small acoustic space. I believe they have a P.A. system. All Ages, serving coffee, tea, and pastries. Ye Ole Watering Hole 584-9748 Ye Ole Smokey Dive. I don't know much about the blues, but I am told lots of great blues bands play here. Hadley Pub Route 9, Hadley, MA (413)586-3880 The Black Sheep Main St. Amherst, MA Acoustic Folk Acts The Montague Book Mill Music at The Colleges UMASS Music 545-2511 Mt. Holyoke Music 538-2306 Smith College Music 585-3150 Amherst College Hampshire College Westfield College Greenfield Community College Holyoke Community College Web Sites About.Com's Western Mass Music Site MassLive Soundboard A local music discussion forum. You can advertise shows here or you can discuss just about any other nonsense that musicians and music fans discuss. A great place to get advice on the scene. Record Stores B-Side Records 273 Main Street Northampton (413)586-9556 Consignment sales on local CDs B-Sides sells new CDs mostly. Their prices aren't that great but they do have a large local music section. They sell on consignment and give you a percentage. CMC Music Room 96 Union Street, Easthampton (413)527-2755 Meridian's Music 19 Elliot St. Brattleboro, VT (802)258-9050 Turn It Up! 5 Pleasant St., Northampton 89 1/2 Main St. Keene, NH 5 Olde Nugget Alley, Hanover, NH Consignment Sales on Local CDs Turn It Up! Sells used CDS, records, and consignment locals. This basement store is very supportive of local music. They always have listening stations so you must provide them with one unwrapped cd. Otherwose they take a few at a time and pricethem how you want. Dynamite Records Thornes Market Place, Northampton Consignment Sales on Local CDs Dynamite is a large store that specializes in rare CDs and Records, but has just about anything, including a large local music section. They sell on consignment for whatever price you specify. Make sure you keep accurate receipts of what you have given them. Mystery Train Records North Pleasant Street, Amherst Amhert's coolest record store. They sell only used CDs and they are a small chain with stores in Boston so they can pretty much get there hands on anything you may want. They have a good local consignment section and take about 2 or 3 cds at a time. They give you 100% of the sales. BEAT THAT! For The Record North Pleasant Street, Amherst Amherst's oldest record store, new and used and rare. They have consignment sales for local music. Newbury Comix Main Street, Amherst There is one number for selling cds at all Newbury Comix stores. Don't know what it is. I gotta say this is the best place to buy new CDs. CMC Music Room 96 Union St. Easthampton, MA (413)527-2755 Platypus Records Westfield, MA Radio Stations WHMP 99.3FM Northampton's answer to the modern rock station of Anytown USA, with a twist. Although their regular programming is unchangeable, they do have a local and regional show every Sunday Night. The DJ's name is Haze and he is a big fan of independant rock, accent on "rock". The show is on at 9:00 and all you have to do is send a CD and package to the station. WRSI 95.3FM and 100.7FM Radio stations around the country should take a lesson from WRSI (The River). Although they do concentrate a lot on roots rock they play anything. I've hear rare xtc and Robyn Hitchcock songs regularly. They also play local bands during regular hours. The Aloha Steamtrain has received a ton of airplay from them as have The Ray Mason Band, The Lonesome Brothers, The Ware River Club, and The Maggies. Every Monday they have a local show called Up The Creek which is simalcast on local cable stations. Bands come into the studio and play for about half an hour, the songs are interspersed with iterviews by Program Manager and DJ Johnny Memphis. During this showthey also play local CDs before and after the featured band. WRNX Local Songwriter, Matt Hebert, hosts The Backyard every Sunday night at 11:00. He plays local and regional music and has a true love for it. WAMH Amherst College WMUA 91.1FM University of Massachusetts WOZQ Smith College WMHC 91.5FM Mount Holyoke College Publications VMag Published Monthly Cromag Publications PO Box 774 Northampton, MA 01060 Local CD Reviews The Valley Advocate This free newspaper is published weekly, has cd reviews, calendar listings, and occasional features on local music. Also, Gary Carra's column, The Night Crawler, concentrates on music news. Contact him at: Night Crawler scene report PO BOx. 427, Somers, CT 06071 FAX: (860)749-8039 Garycarra@aol.com Listen 2 The Music (413)527-7072 Box 707 Amherst, MA 01004 ciderrecords@hotmail.com Music Listings 4 Page Music Zine Feature Articles on Local Musicians Music Review Revue Holdings, Inc. 27 Lina Lane West Springfield, MA 01089 Phone: (413)734-9371 Fax: (413)337-4205 Al Canali EMAIL: al@wordplus.com This is a great resource for bands. They have calendar listings, cd reviews, and features on musicians. The magazine is distributed for free in store fronts and clubs. The Daily Hampshire Gazette Tzivia Gover: Arts Editor
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