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Daily DigestDuff'em If You've Got'em
 North Adams Regional Hospital went smoke-free Monday — so did all its sister sites, from Sweet Brook to Northern Berkshire Family Practice to the Women's Exchange. No ashtrays, no smoking: No butts about it. |
Yuck!
 Today's blue skies will give way to clouds and snow tonight. But be prepared for tomorrow morning, when the white stuff will get messy as freezing rain and sleet move through the region. The morning commute will be slippery — drive careful! |
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 iBerkshires accepts submissions about local events, news and opinion pieces. There are openings for freelance work, too, for qualified candidates. E-mail tdaniels@iberkshires.com to find out more. |
Wanted: Eagle Eyes
MassWildlife's annual eagle count runs Dec. 31 to Jan. 14. Anyone sighting one of the regal birds in Massachusetts is asked to participate.
Send date, time, location and town of eagle sightings, number of birds, whether juvenile or adult and observer's contact information to Mass.wildlife@state.ma.us. |
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Other StuffMars Rovers Mark 5 Years
 Spirit and Opportunity have been trekking the red planet for half a decade. Spirit hit the 5-year mark on Sunday; Opportunity will on Jan. 24. |
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Blues Show Rocks the Colonial TheaterBy Keith Hannaleck - November 28, 2007
 | | Roomful of Blues |
PITTSFIELD - It was a night for the blues in Pittsfield on Saturday at the beautifully restored Colonial theater.
With a capacity of around 800, at first glance the venue looks small from the first level. However, after further inspection and looking at the two tiers above, it is a glorious site to behold. It is like walking through a time portal and sitting down in the middle of history.
Ernie Williams, 82 years young, kicked things off with his fiery band The Wildcats. Williams is one of the old guard that is left to carry on the tradition of the blues as it was meant to be played.
Williams and his black electric guitar - neatly signed with his own name beside the legendary B.B. King's John Hancock - took everyone on a ride through his best songs. Williams plays without a pick, the old-fashioned blues-style way, and quite effortlessly. He has a very capable band to back him, a mixture of younger and more seasoned players. His drummer has been with him for 37 years.
Williams was very entertaining and his guitar playing superb but the only drawback was his vocals got lost in the mix of instrumentation. Regardless of the mediocre sound mix, everyone had a good time and Williams gave his best, much to the delight of the crowd.
Toward the end of the show, Williams kept looking at his watch to make sure he swept the band off the stage on time for the main act - Roomful of Blues. Williams would be a tough act to follow and the audience was happy to find that this band from Providence, R.I., was more than up for the task.
Chris Vachon (guitar) Dave Howard (vocals), Ephraim Lowell (drums), Dima Gorodetsky (upright and electric bass), Travis Colby (piano and B3), Rich Lataille (tenor and alto sax), Bob Enos (trumpet) and Mark Earley (baritone and tenor sax) are a well-established recording artist on Alligator Records from Chicago. Alligator was one of those grassroots labels responsible for bringing the blues back into prominence again.
Roomful of Blues offers a full presentation of the blues with the standard guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, with the addition of an award-winning three-piece horn section that makes all the difference in the world with their overall sound, providing a true blues feel and atmosphere.
Howard, fortunately, was above the mix on this set and sounded great. He has a smooth and effective delivery that is a perfect fit for the music behind him. Vachon began playing in a much understated manner that gradually built into a full onslaught of rockin' pinpoint licks during a solo run where he and the drummer were left to fend for themselves. Vachon proved to be a very prolific six-string artisan throughout the night. He played a sparkling gold guitar until the encore when he brought out a teal fender to finish the night off in style.
This was just one aspect of a multifaceted show that gave the crowd a glimpse of a unit in sync. Everyone in the band had an opportunity to display their talents during each song, together as well through entertaining solos.
The entire show was very entertaining and Roomful of Blues showed us why they have enjoyed so much success for so long. As the night came to a close the only one left on stage was Vachon and he looked at the crowd as if to say "Do you want more?" and, in response, the crowd started hollering for a return of the band during a standing ovation.
The Colonial is a very intimate setting and it's easy to become one with the performance you are watching. I don't think there is a bad seat in the house and Roomful of Blues made sure of that for everyone in attendance.
Music reviewer Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck of Adams is a regular contributor to iBerkshires. Check out his Pick of the Week every Sunday. For more of his reviews: www.muzikreviews.com . |
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