Arts
‘La La Land’ waltzes off with most Golden Globe nominations
By JAKE COYLE
Damien Chazelle’s Los Angeles musical “La La Land” sang and danced its way to a leading seven Golden Globes nominations, with Barry Jenkins’ celebrated coming-of-age tale “Moonlight” close on its heels with six nods.“La La Land” earned nominations for...
Ken Maiuri's Clubland — A bad rap: NHS student launches book, contest at The Parlor Room
Let me guess: you are not a professional rapper. But do you wish you could jump onstage sometimes, and try to rhyme, just for fun? Maybe you once wrote some creative, heartfelt or totally silly lines on paper and then shrugged and shoved them into a...
Aloha Steamtrain celebrates 20th anniversary with fundraiser for Dakin Humane Society
It began with three friends. Mild-mannered, maybe. Until the curly-haired one got behind the drums and let loose like a cross between Keith Moon and Ronnie Tutt. And the quiet tall one grabbed a bass and struck a tough, wry pose and kept the rhythm...
Keeping Tabs on the Arts: Happenings this week in the Valley
At Hope & FeathersThe sixth annual “Small Works” show at Hope and Feathers Framing, 319 Main St. in Amherst, will be up through Jan. 14. The show features dozens of works by local artists in all mediums, including photography, paintings, illustration...
Soul singer Sharon Jones dies of cancer at 60
By RANDALL ROBERTS
Sharon Jones, the incendiary soul singer who propelled to stardom at an age when most musicians had either hit the big time or accepted the club circuit, has died. The artist’s albums with her backing band the Dap-Kings paved the way for a...
The faces of hate: UMass exhibit uses small figurines to represent U.S. hate groups
By STEVE PFARRER
In an election season that included anti-immigrant rhetoric, misogyny, racism and a regular level of vulgarity, it seems a fitting exhibit.But “The Hate Project,” currently on view at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, speaks to a broader...
Surprising roots: Retired ARHS teacher David Brule makes a startling discovery as he digs into his family history
By RICHIE DAVISThe family portrait looks quite unremarkable.The formal 1900-era photograph shows Judah W. Smith, with a large handlebar mustache and neat goatee, along with his somewhat stern-looking wife, Elizabeth, and their five sons dressed in bow...
Scotty Moore, Elvis’ first guitarist, dies at 84
By ADRIAN SAINZ and HILLEL ITALIE
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Scotty Moore, the pioneering rock guitarist whose sharp, graceful style helped Elvis Presley shape his revolutionary sound and inspired a generation of musicians that included Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Bruce Springsteen, died...
Behind the scenes at the Academy of Music: Northampton theater celebrates 125-year history
Behind the scenes at the Academy of Music: Northampton theater celebrates 125-year history- By AUDREY DONOHUEBehind the triple doors at the front of the Academy of Music in Northampton, beyond the plush, deep-maroon walls of the foyer and into the peach-hued theater "house,” lies a rich, textured 125-year-old theatrical history.From the...
A brief history of tap
A brief history of tap- Tap got its start in the 1600s and 1700s on Caribbean sugar plantations, where African slaves and Irish indentured servants worked together. The groups exchanged parts of their cultures, including their dance traditions. African flat-footed stepping,...
