Sounds Local: Dust off your dancing shoes: Hilltown Hoedown returns for fifth year with local roots and country lineup

Wild Bill and the Flying Sparks, a classic country band that plays originals and covers, will perform again this year at the Hilltown Hoedown, Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Shutesbury Athletic Club.

Wild Bill and the Flying Sparks, a classic country band that plays originals and covers, will perform again this year at the Hilltown Hoedown, Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Shutesbury Athletic Club. CONTRIBUTED

One of the newcomers at the Hilltown Hoedown this year is BriezyJane and the Hurricane, led by Brie Green of the Green Sisters. Green is backed by a group of veteran musicians who come together to play a mix of Americana, modern ballads, and even some blues.

One of the newcomers at the Hilltown Hoedown this year is BriezyJane and the Hurricane, led by Brie Green of the Green Sisters. Green is backed by a group of veteran musicians who come together to play a mix of Americana, modern ballads, and even some blues. CONTRIBUTED

Josh LeVengie is the leader of the Pistoleros, a group specializing in outlaw country music; they perform the music of such country legends as Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and others.

Josh LeVengie is the leader of the Pistoleros, a group specializing in outlaw country music; they perform the music of such country legends as Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and others. CONTRIBUTED

Singer-songwriter Tracy Grammar and multi-instrumentalist Jim Henry will perform Sunday at 2 p.m. at Roundabout Books. The store’s celebration is all weekend.

Singer-songwriter Tracy Grammar and multi-instrumentalist Jim Henry will perform Sunday at 2 p.m. at Roundabout Books. The store’s celebration is all weekend. CONTRIBUTED

Ch’Chunk will make their Hilltown Hoedown debut this year. The band describes its sound as “a modern take on classic swing.” They play originals as well as covers. An interesting side note: the band chose their name based on the sound and type of strumming associated with swing music.

Ch’Chunk will make their Hilltown Hoedown debut this year. The band describes its sound as “a modern take on classic swing.” They play originals as well as covers. An interesting side note: the band chose their name based on the sound and type of strumming associated with swing music. CONTRIBUTED

By SHERYL HUNTER

For the Recorder

Published: 11-01-2023 2:43 PM

This past weekend was a busy one, with Halloween-themed shows happening everywhere. While it’s time to pack the costumes away, the music continues with the return of the Hilltown Hoedown at the Shutesbury Athletic Club on Saturday, Nov. 4. The annual event, presented by the Valley Twang Cooperative and the Shutesbury Athletic Club, is a mini music festival that showcases some of the finest roots music being played here in the Valley. The Hoedown will run from 4 to 11 p.m. and feature music by BriezyJane and the Hurricane, Ch’Chunk, the Pistoleros, and Wild Bill and the Flying Sparks.

The Hoedown is also hitting a milestone this year as it celebrates its fifth anniversary!

“This year’s Hoedown will be a special one for us,” said Josh LeVangie, co-organizer of the Hoedown, in a press release for the event. “It’s hard to believe this will be the fifth Hoedown.”

The Valley Twang Cooperative — a local organization of various musicians whose goal is to promote roots music and keep the genre thriving in our rich local music scene — is the driving force behind this event. The Cooperative was founded by Peter Sikowitz, a veteran of the valley music scene, who currently plays guitar in the band Wild Bill and the Flying Sparks. Sikowitz figured one of the ways for the Cooperative to accomplish its goals was to hold an event like the Hilltown Hoedown.

“The whole idea was to put roots music under one roof because a lot of the time if we played at a club, there’d be a folk singer alongside a fusion band and a roots type band,” he explained in an interview with Sounds Local back in the early days of the Hoedown. “We thought we could give the audience a better experience by putting similar bands under the same bill.”

Sikowitz, who lives in Amherst, teamed up with musician and Twang Cooperative member Josh LeVangie of Wendell, and the two have worked behind-the-scenes and performed at the Hoedown in the five years that it has been in existence.

LeVengie is the leader of the Pistoleros, a group specializing in outlaw country music; they perform the music of such country legends as Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and others. Sikowitz plays with the aforementioned Wild Bill and the Flying Sparks, a classic country band that plays originals and covers.

One of the tasks LeVangie and Sikowitz are responsible for is assembling the lineup. Past Hoedowns have welcomed the Green Sisters, Eric Lee, The Nite Caps, and Caylin Lee, among others.

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One of the newcomers this year is BriezyJane and the Hurricane, led by Brie Green of the Green Sisters. Green is backed by a group of veteran musicians who come together to play a mix of Americana, modern ballads, and even some blues.

“We aim for a range of what would be considered roots music among the bands, and we mix it up from year to year,” said Sikowitz of putting together this year’s lineup. “The Green Sisters have performed a couple of times; the offshoot Sisters bands all play roots/Americana-type music, and their additional projects give them a chance to stretch out a bit.”

Rounding out this year’s lineup is Ch’Chunk, who describes its sound as a modern take on classic swing. They play originals as well as covers of classic tunes. An interesting side note: the band chose their name based on the sound and type of strumming associated with various types of swing music.

“Josh and I saw them and were floored. They like to say that they provide a modern take on classic swing; I love their Django Reinhardt ‘gypsy jazz’ influence,” said Sikowitz. “They’re very good, and no one around here does what they do like they do it.”

With a lineup like this, you best dust off your cowboy boots, head to Shutesbury, and get ready for a night of serious dancing.

LeVangie summed up the event with this comment: “It’s nice to know that with so much great television programming being streamed these days, which compete with folks’ leisure time, there are many, many music lovers who still want to get out and see and hear some of the area’s top roots bands, kick up their heels, and have a good time just appreciating Valley music, the musicians and the scene.”

Ticket prices are $18 in advance and available at the Shutesbury Athletic Club, and $20 the day of the show. Children under 12 will be admitted free. The club bar is cash only. Burgers, veggie burgers and hot dogs will be available. The Shutesbury Athletic Club is located at 282 Wendell Road in Shutesbury.

Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry to play Roundabout Books grand reopening

In case you haven’t heard, the Greenfield-based Roundabout Books will host a grand reopening at its new location on 85 Pierce St this weekend on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5. What’s even more special about this event is that they are debuting their new, fully accessible performance space where they hope to host concerts and events on a quarterly basis.

The inaugural concert will be singer-songwriter Tracy Grammar and multi-instrumentalist Jim Henry, who will play an afternoon show on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m.

Grammer of Greenfield and Henry of Shutesbury are well-known to fans of the local music scene.

Grammer first made her mark in the early 2000s with her partnership with singer/songwriter Dave Carter. The pair recorded for the local Signature Sounds label and were rising stars on the Americana scene when Carter passed away in 2022, the day before the duo was slated to play at the Green River Festival.

Grammer soldiered on and launched a solo career, initially focusing on Carter’s work but later writing her own songs. Her most recent recording is 2018’s “Low Tide.” Around 2003, she teamed up with singer/songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist Jim Henry, who has recorded as a solo artist and has also been a member of numerous bands and worked as a sideman for artists like Mary Chapin Carpenter and Paula Cole. He’s currently a member of the group The Deep River Ramblers along with many other projects. The duo have toured throughout the U.S.

Together, the music they play can be broadly described as folk music that consists of Grammer’s originals and some select covers. Their shows are marked by their sweet harmonies, superb musicianship, and humorous between-song banter.

Grammer and Henry are excited about the upcoming show. “Raymond (Roundabout Books Owner, Raymond Neal) and I have been talking about doing a show for years, so I am thrilled it’s finally happening,” wrote Grammer in a recent email.

She added that she lives nearby and that it’s been exciting watching Neal and his team breath life into the old building. “Jim Henry and I are honored to be the first to play in the newly renovated space and we look forward to singing for our local friends, fans and neighbors. This will probably be the shortest commute I’ve ever had for a gig!”

And do check out Grammer and Henry’s monthly afternoon livestream on YouTube which takes place the last Tuesday of each month. These online, themed shows started during lockdown and are still going strong. They are about to play their 44th consecutive monthly show and according to Grammer, they plan to keep going with these events into 2024.

The pair had to cancel their Halloween-themed show this past Tuesday due to illness, but have rescheduled it for next week, Nov. 7, at their usual time of 3 p.m. This show will be a free-for-all artists’ choice and can be streamed on YouTube.

And if you’ve only seen them online, the show at Roundabout is your chance to see them in person. Browse the books, check out the new space, and enjoy a memorable afternoon of music.

There is a suggested donation of $20.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.