North Adams Transcript from North Adams, Massachusetts • 15

mK i. I BerkshlresWeek.com Nowtt'terkshires Week every day at 1 I I I x. I 1 I Night UFE Husk 1 local debs Qreat Barrington BO0IE8 Tin. DJ Big: classic and alternative rock, hip hop, reggae and karaoke, 9. 935 South Main (413) 528-5959.

Jorfolk, Conn. INFINITY MUSIC HALL ffl. Dickey Betts and Great Southern, 8. Route 44, 20 Greenwoods Road, Norfolk, (866) fjorth Adams FREIGHT YARD PUB Jack Waldheim, Friday night at 8, Route 8. RAILWAY CAFE Chns O'Brien and Scott Glier, Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Gallery 51, 52 Main 664393. Thursday, i December 10, rJ 2009 B5 da A Claire CoxSpecial to the Transcript founder and president of African Action on AIDS, will join women of many faiths honor light in the darkness with the Women's Interfaith Institute on Tuesday. DOM to AwWiirrlfrwIc r-nm Visit ttw jtr fnr dairy updfcs bi tfsi ctural scene in the BedejWis. Here are sqpe of ojir suctions to dick ontoday: What's there Sb do tonight heck out Nightlife, the calendar or piU pur editor's Best Bet for the event orthe day. Interact with us: Send us tr '-r fbr a Daily Photo, or rap www.blogtheberkshirev BY THE WAY By Kate Abbott Sing carols in college hallways light shone in the hall of the Congregational Church.

Out on the wood floor, one man with a fiddle had the whole room in his hand. People dance in each other's arms, and I had walked out of the snow into the music to stand by a row of chairs along the wall. On the chair beside me lay a wooden recorder, a tipple flute. 1 stared. I've played the recorder since childhood, and they're rare to find in polite company.

"Someone plays the recorder!" I called to the woman next to me. I vaguely knew her name. Recorders bring out an unusual glee in me. "It's Julia's," she said. I had an idea who Julia was, so I went looking for her.

"You play the recorder!" I said to Julia over the music. "Join us," she said. So in my junior year in college, not long before Christmas almost exactly 10 years ago today I discovered a newly formed student contradance band. Rude Cider has given me more than I can count since that night. One most unexpected and beautiful thing it gave me only a few days after I began showing up in a Brooks Rodgers recital hall in the evenings to play slowly through Far From Home.

We went caroling through the dorms. Most of the group were musicians from other backgrounds, and many of them could sight read and improvise harmonies. One of our fiddles used to lead sing-a-longs with all of us tumbled into one room in his basement apartment. Our tap-dancing French horn player had a warm tenor. Someone had brought sheet music for a blaze of carols, so we all had copies, mostly with the same words.

I would stand beside BY THE WAY, continued on B7 Cheshire walkabout in winter By Thom Smith Special to the Transcript CHESHIRE Norma Purdy of Pittsfield recalls her mother telling her of the place that "got its name from a prank." Apparently, mischief-makers rolled, carried and heaved a crop of pumpkins into Dry Brook near the intersections of Wells Road, Stafford Hill Road and Sand Mill Road. Pumpkin Hook is a community along Route 116 between Adams and Savoy, and it's a good a place to begin a brief look into walks in and some history of the "North Berkshire Township Number 6." Although probably not a village, Pumpkin Hook had its own school. The Pumpkin Hook school later became a cheese factory and today is a private home. The area was also known as Federal City in the early days of Cheshire, as it was the site of three farms that cast the only votes for the Federalist Party in 1789. Just over one mile up Stafford Hill Road from 116, tie curious will see on the right a white sign hanging on a black iron post announcing "Stafford Hill Monument, National Historic Register, 1927" and a dirt road.

The road in to the monument is short with ample parking, unless snowed in. Colonel Joab Stafford was one of Cheshire's earliest settlers. He helped survey the area of Stafford Hill, then known as New Providence, and is best remembered for his bravery at the Battle of Bennington in 1777. The cobble and field-stone monument, sometimes called the Pioneer Monument, memorializes the founders of the town and also Colonel Stafford, who is buried beneath. WALKABOUT, continued on B7 f) jr.

Ruth Bamela Engo, a social scientist and and backgrounds in a winter ceremony to Interfaith ceremony to honor winter holidays with Sufi readings By Claire Cox Special to The Transcript LENOX A group of women will serve an interfaith banquet of worship in a Celebration of Light on one of the darkest nights of the year. An Indian woman born in Uganda, a visitor from Cameroon and a midwest-erner of American Indian heritage have been invited take part in the universal service as they gather in a circle around a candle-lit altar in the Church on the Hill Chapel on Tuesday. The group will hear readings of passages describing darkness turning to light taken from different scriptural traditions: Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Zoro-astrian and Islamic. Others in the circle will add their own recollections of times when darkness in their lives came into light. Led by Eileen Mahoney, a Lanesborough Creative Arts Coach, the ceremony is If you go What Celebration of Light Eileen Mahoney lead a ceremony of meditation, music and poetry based on the Universal Worship Service of.

the Sufi Order.The Ceremony will draw on readings from major religious traditions and other expressions on the theme of light The Women's Interfaith Institute wil also hold a food and clothing drive. When: Tuesday, 5:45 p.m. PotJuck dinner, 7 to 7:15 p.m. annual meeting and 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. ceremony Where: Church on the Hill Chapel, 55 Main St Lenox Admission: $5-10 suggested donation (members come free).

Please bring a dish to share. InformatJon: (413) 232-0238, planned as one of a series of monthly spiritual gatherings of the Women's Interfaith Institute in the Berkshires. Founded in 1992 for women clergy and religious leaders, the Institute has now expanded into a spiritual pjorthampton CALVIN THEATRE Frl. The Celtic Tenors Chnstmas Show, SaL Warren Miller's Dynasty, 7: Sun. Jimmy Sturr Holiday 2009 Spectacular starring Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra with special guests Tommy Cash, Matt ad Elaine Bonowitz and with the Jimmy Sturr Singers, Irish Step Dancers, Santa, Rudolph and Frosty, 3.

19 Kmg (413) 586-8686. IRON HORSE Tonight The Bobs Christmas Show, RL Todd Barry with opener Hen Reid, Balla Kouyate and World Vision, 10; Sat Eiten Jewell Band with opener Rebecca Pronsky, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons with Rachel Goodrich, 10: Sun. David Mallett, Mon. PVPAHS Rock Ensemble, Tuea. Latin Night with DJ Joey Acevedo; Wed.

Fred Eaglesmith With Ginn Sisters, 7. 20 Center (413) PEARL STREET Ballroom: Frl. 423 Productions present Melvin Seals and JGB with the Akashic Record, 9. 10 Pearl (413) 5840610. Pittsfield BREW WORKS Jack Waldheim, acoustic, originals and jams, 8 p.m.

Saturday, 34 Depot Pittsfield. (413) 997-3506, www.pittsfieldbrewworks.com. FLAVOURS RESTAURANT Rl. Poor Becket Rebels; Sat. Static; Wad.

Martina Laska. 75 North entrance on McKay Street. (413) 443-3188. JAE'S SPICE Tonight DJ Albaro and DJ BFG, 9:30. North Street.

(413) 9974300. MISSION BAR ft TAPAS Tonight The Brilliant Inventions, Sat Jason Mytes Goss with Austin Nevins; Jake Hill, opening, Tuet. Open mic with host Justin Allen, 8. 438 North St. (413) 442-1827.

Stockbridge UON'S DEN Tonight David Graver; Frl. Rob Sanzone; Sat. Woodford Way; Sun. Sun Mountain Fiddler Band; Mon. Monday Night Football; Tuei.

Micah Stone; Wed. Jeff King Company. 8-11; Fri. 9-midnight, Red Lion Inn, Main Street, (413)298-1654. yilliamstown WILLIAMS INN Frl.

Howie Levitz, standards and show tunes; Sat. Bud Willett Jazz Band. On-the-green, (413) 458-9371. I fa Spotlight Courtesy photo Singersongwriter Seth Glier, above, will perform on piano and guitar at Railway Cafe" in North Adams with folk singer Chris O'Brien on Friday. Two ramblln' guys Who: Seth Glier and Chris O'Brien at Railway Cafe Genre: Seth Glier, a western Massachusetts native, performs on guitar and piano with a strong falsetto and melody line.

The Boston Globe recently covered his 100-percent Fan-Funded Tour," and he has performed across the United States on stages with John Mayer, Martin Sexton, Erin McKeown and Cheryl Wheeler. After the release of his first album, Boston singersongwriter Chris O'Brien appeared on Garrison Keillors "Prairie Home Companion in the "People in Their Twenties" talent contest. Albums; Seth Glier -The Trouble with People (2009) Chris O'Brien -Ughthouse (2007) Upcoming performance Friday Whorac Gallery 51, 51 Main St. North Adams Admission: $12 In advance; $15 or $10 for seniors and students at the door, and a discount for those with anMCLAID. Informatkwi: Call (413) 664-6393, email raHwaycafe81uno.com or visit www.rallw8ycafe.org.

Jlti "fr Ifc ifc JL- organization that welcomes all women of different faiths and backgrounds who seek to enrich their lives in ceremonies with song, sharing and ritual. The Rev. Natalie Shiras, minister of The Church on the Hill, is a supporter and former member of the board of the nonprofit organization. "At this time of the year, when darkness lasts the longest," Mahoney said at the November Institute meeting dedicated to Thanksgiving, "let us explore the richness and the beauty which emerges in the light from our journeys. Bring a piece of dark- ness that may be emerging from a place of dark silence into light.

We will light candles acknowledging light." Mahoney explained later in an interview, "There are a lot of parallels with art and spirituality in our services, based on universal themes. In November our theme was "The Annual Harvest Gathering The Blessings of Gratitude'. In February we did 'Love and the Heart'." A former Roman Catholic, Mahoney said she found a spiritual experience in yoga and, finally, sufism. LIGHT, continued on B6 Upcoming Spare Parts will play at the following events: Friday: Waltz and Tango Holiday Party (with Eric Buddington), New Haven, Conn. Sunday: Christmas Cotillion in Concord Saturday, Dec.

19: Lenox Holiday Dance (with Eric Buddington) Saturday, Jan. 16: Civil War Ball at the Thayer Hotel at West Point, N.Y. Information: www.bfv.comspareparts dance music to tangos, an excellent reader with lovely tone, and also a really fun ear-player who likes to experiment and improvise. So we feel very lucky to have him so close by." Buddington played with them on "The Regency Ballroom: English Country Dance Music from the Era of Jane Austen," the band's fifth CD and the one that attracted Hollywood's attention, thanks to the Internet. "They found us on the Web," Matthiesen said.

"It shows the power of the Internet as a great equalizer in the music world. One of Jane Campion's assistants basically googled something like 'Regency music' or 'Regency dance music' and found the audio files on our SPARE PARTS, continued on B7 rtnnflti A rt "ih.h it" A A jDgfofi Contradance to Keats, with love the dancing in the film 'Bright Star' ITS? Spare Parts tunes liven By Laura S. Marshall New England Newspapers LANESOROUGH When local contradance band Spare Parts was formed, no oneguessed that one day Hollywood would come calling. But this fall, two songs from the band's most recent CD appeared in the movie "Bright Star," directed by Jane Campion. Spare Parts got its name 20 years ago when flutist Liz Stell's band at the time, Southwind, was unable to fulfill a commitment to play a benefit dance.

Stell and her husband, piano player Bill Matthiesen.decided to fill in, and after a friend agreed to play the fiddle with them for that one event, they headed to the dance hall to make some music. "We hadn't bothered to think of a name," Stell said. "When, in the middle of the evening, the caller turned to us to ask what name to announce, I said the first thing that came to mind. The name continues to work for us 20 years later." The couple, who live in Lanesborough and courted at contradances, said their idea right from the start was that the band would consist of the two of them plus a third "spare part" player, to be added as needed. "A lot of times it makes more sense to pick up a local musician, rather than dragging someone six hours away to play a dance," Matthiesen said.

"So if we're in Boston or Seattle or New York, we may play with different folks. Liz Snell 'Spare Buddington And takes a than a One North Eric fiddle Matthiesen a Photo courtesy Spare Parts and Bill Mattheisen of Lanesborough, who perform as have two songs from their latest album with Eric of North Adams appear in the film 'Bright also, a ragtime or tango gig different type of 'player contradance." regular Spare Part is Adams resident and freelance computer programmer Buddington, who plays the not only with Stell and but also with contradance band CoinciDance, fiddle-tune trio Poke in the Eye and early music ensemble Woodbinde. Buddington, also a former member of the Flying Garbanzos, gets high marks from Stell and Matthiesen. "It's great when we find someone who can play it all," said Matthiesen. "Eric is not only a wonderful guy and extremely professional, he's also great at playing everything from barn ft.

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