Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top
Great Barrington— On Saturday, February 15th at 8 p.m., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top.
With his signature beard and African headgear, Billy F Gibbons is instantly recognizable and best known as the centerpiece of ZZ Top. Gibbons is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest guitarists working in the blues-rock idiom. His musical style is characterized by an uncanny knack to squeeze unheard of sounds out of the electric guitar with the blues, pop, R&B, country, gospel, western, and hillbilly genres. His signature growl is unmistakable, heard on such hits as “La Grange,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Cheap Sunglasses.” Gibbons’s solo album releases, the Afro-Cuban flavored “Perfectamundo,” the bluesy “The Big Bad Blues,” and the hard rockin, “Hardware” all represent what he refers to as the “Three T’s”: Tone, Taste and Tenacity.
Billy F Gibbons is much more than an iconic guitar slinger with a monumental length of chin whiskers. He’s an internationally recognized collector of guitars and cars. Beyond guitars and cars, Gibbons has a renowned collection of African art, with an abiding interest in both the paranormal and cutting-edge technology.
The concert is on Saturday, February 15th at 8 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Triplex Cinema presents a screening of ‘A Complete Unknown’ with Seth Rogovoy
Great Barrington— On Sunday, January 5th at 1:30 p.m., the Triplex Cinema announces a special screening of the critically-acclaimed film “A Complete Unknown,” directed by James Mangold and starring Timothee Chalamet, Monica Barbara, Edward Norton and Elle Fanning.
Based on the Elijah Wald book “Dylan Goes Electric,” the film portrays Bob Dylan through his earliest folk music success until the momentous controversy over his use of electric instruments at the 1965 Newport Film Festival. The title of the film comes from the chorus of Dylan’s 1965 hit single “Like a Rolling Stone.” Released on December 25th, “A Complete Unknown” has been widely praised by critics and nominated for many critical awards, and early box office returns suggest a major financial success.
Seth Rogovoy is a longtime music critic and cultural journalist working in the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires. His 2009 book “Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet” is a full-length analysis of the life and work of Bob Dylan, focusing on the different strands of Judaism that appear throughout Dylan’s songs, revealing the ways in which Dylan walks in the footsteps of the Jewish Prophets. Rogovoy explains the profound depth of Jewish content – drawn from the Bible, the Talmud, and the Kabbalah – at the heart of Dylan’s music, and demonstrates how his music can best be appreciated in light of Dylan’s relationship to Judaism and the Jewish themes that inform them.
In 2024 Oxford University Press published Rogovoy’s “Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison,” a highly personal exploration of George Harrison’s essential contributions to the Beatles and his solo work, as well as his significant role as a Western proponent of Indian music and beliefs. Harrison had a close relationship with Bob Dylan; Dylan joined Harrison as a performer at the 1971 “Concert for Bangladesh” and they were both members of the 1980’s supergroup “The Traveling Wilburys,” along with Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.
The event is on Sunday, January 5th at 1:30 p.m. the Triplex Cinema, located at 70 Railroad Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Yiddish Book Center presents ‘The Art of Jewish Papercutting’ with Deborah Ugoretz
Amherst— On Thursday, January 9th at 7 p.m., the Yiddish Book Center presents “The Art of Jewish Papercutting” with Deborah Ugoretz.
Artist Deborah Ugoretz first discovered Jewish papercutting forty-seven years ago. Since then she has worked with textual sources like the Bible, rabbinical teachings, and poetry, converting them into visual language as a way to communicate their profound meaning. In this session, Deborah will present the iconography of papercutting and illustrate how “ordinary folks” created particularly Jewish papercuts. She will show antique papercuts from 18th-century Eastern Europe, Italian Ketubot, and samples of her own work.
The free presentation is on Thursday, January 9th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration is required. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire Green Drinks presents ‘Black Bears in Massachusetts and Preventing Conflict’ with MassWildlife biologist Nate Buckhout
Dalton— On Wednesday, January 8th at 6 p.m., Berkshire Green Drinks presents “Black Bears in Massachusetts and Preventing Conflict” with MassWildlife biologist Nate Buckhout.
Buckhout will review black bear facts, talk about some of his research on black bears in the state, and discuss some common misconceptions and human-bear-related issues that commonly occur and how people can prevent conflicts with them. He welcomes all questions about any wildlife during the Q&A session following his presentation.
Nathan Buckhout is an Air Force Veteran who earned a B.S. in behavioral science from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He then went on to get his Master’s in wildlife conservation biology from UMass Amherst in 2014, where he researched spatial-temporal factors affecting human and black bear interactions in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He’s worked as a seasonal wildlife biologist in Kodiak, Alaska, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone National Parks, and Tongass National Forest in Alaska. He began working for Mass Fish and Wildlife as a wildlife biologist in 2014 and continues to do so.
This free hybrid event is on Wednesday, January 8th at 6 p.m. at The Stationery Factory at 3 Flansburg Avenue in Dalton, and on Zoom. It is open to everyone with any environmental interest. More information can be found online.
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Wander hosts write your own obituary workshop, book reading, and signing with author Eden Robins
Pittsfield— On Monday, January 8th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wander invites the community to a unique and inspiring evening with acclaimed author Eden Robins. The event will feature a “Write Your Own” obituary workshop, a reading, and a book signing for Robins’ recently released novel “Remember You Will Die,” a captivating exploration of mortality, memory, and what it means to live.
The evening begins with an interactive and reflective writing workshop where attendees will explore the art of crafting their own obituaries, an exercise in envisioning life and legacy. Led by Robins, this workshop is a fresh approach to writing New Years’ resolutions, offering a chance to pause, reflect, and connect with oneself through creative writing. Don’t miss this evening of self-reflection, creativity, and connection.
Following the workshop, Robins will host a reading from their novel, “Remember You Will Die,” and a book signing. Books will be available for purchase at the event.
The event is on Monday, January 8th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Wander, located at 34 Depot Street in Pittsfield. Tickets and more information can be found online.
