Cultural Pittsfield This Week: February 1-7, 2008

Friday night: Brooklyn returns to the Berkshires!

Brooklyn music returns to downtown Pittsfield Come this Friday with Scrambler Seequill, an electro pop rock band duo that layers sounds with intricate compositions. They will be performing an acoustic set that will strip the music down to its core of catchy melodies and heartfelt words. BYOB, $5 corkage fee.

Friday, February 1st 9pm Dottie's Coffee Lounge 444 North Street 443-1792 no cover

Check out Scrambler Seequill by clicking here.

Saturday night: Mark Erelli at Common Grounds This Saturday the wonderful Common Grounds concert series at the First United Methodist Church features Mark Erelli. Says the Washington Post: “Erelli addresses tough issues with the grit of John Hiatt and the melancholy beauty of Ron Sexsmith." And the Boston Globe called his most recent album, “an intimate masterpiece, at once Erelli's prettiest, most personal, and most political recording.” The doors open at 7 p.m. for folks who want to enjoy friendly conversations and desserts. An array of gourmet coffees and teas are for sale as well. Saturday, February 2 8pm First United Methodist Church 55 Fenn St. 499-0866 $15, with special rates for children

All Mark Erelli, all the time by clicking here.

Saturday night: Mardi Gras at the Colonial! The Colonial brings you a Mardi Gras party you won't want to miss, featuring banjo virtuoso and New Orleans native Don Vappie leading the eight piece swinging Creole Jazz Serenaders! They’ll celebrate the true spirit of early jazz with music from Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and many others. State Representative Smitty Pignatelli and others will be honored at the event for their volunteer work in New Orleans. And the Crowne Plaza will feature a special Mardi Gras style dinner beforehand! Saturday, February 2nd 7pm The Colonial Theatre 11 South Street 997-4444 $24-$45

Saturday night: Groundhog Day Dance Party @ SPICE After their fabulously successful New Year’s Eve dance party in their upstairs ballroom, Spice is bringing downtown another dance party with the inimitable O-TONES, playing hot swing, R&B, and Motown with nightclub seating and free nibbles included. Don’t miss the Groundhog’s Day decorations! Saturday, February 2nd 8:30pm SPICE 297 North St. 413.443.1234 $15 cover – includes snacks from our Lounge Menu!

Click here to check out the O-Tones.

Sunday afternoon: Film Feasts features Big Night The Berkshire Museum’s first “Film Feasts,” featuring a food-related film, discussion with food experts, and dinner at a Pittsfield restaurant, will be a screening of Big Night, with guest speaker Francine Segan, author of Movie Menus. Since the film takes place in an Italian restaurant, dinner will be at Trattoria Rustica in Pittsfield afterwards and is a la carte. Sunday, February 3rd 3pm Berkshire Community College Koussevitzy Theatre 1350 West St. 443-7171, ext. 10 $15 ($10 members) for movie & speaker only

Mondays: Jazz Ensemble class begins Learn the jazzy side of music from master player and clinician Bill Chapman. Each session includes theory, ear training, solo improve, and ensemble playing. Bill Chapman is a jazz drummer who has performed with The Empire Brass, The Bob Newhart Comedy Tour, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, The Las Vegas Rat Pack Impersonators, and the Hartford Jazz Festival. Jazz Ensemble starts Monday, February 4: beginning students from 4:00-5:00pm; middle to advanced students from 5:00-6:15pm. Beginning Monday, February 4th 4 pm & 5pm Berkshire Music School 30 Wendell Avenue 442-1411 Tuition for beginners is $150; middle to advanced $200

Wednesdays: Toddler Art Classes Every Wednesday this month Bisque, Beads & Beyond offers an art and storytelling hour for toddlers and caregivers. This Wednesday it’s The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting your child can put his or her handprint on a heart plate. Next Wednesday, read a story and then create a ceramic and mosaic valentine. Wednesdays, Feb. 6th, 13th, 27th 1-2pm Bisque, Beads & Beyond 370 Pecks Road for costs, please call 442-9300

Thursday afternoon: Pittsfield READS presents The Natural World Join Tom Tyning, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and author of the Stokes Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles, for an informative (and always entertaining) talk on the natural world of Berkshire County. The talk is part of the Pittfield READS community bookreading project that focuses on Bill Bryson’s hilarious A Walk in the Woods, which Robert Redford is planning to make into a movie soon! Thursday, February 7 3:30 pm Berkshire Community College 1350 West St. Meredith Cochran, 413-448-9632 FREE

Click here for more information on Pittsfield READS!

Thursday night: Edna St. Vincent Millay�s Love Poetry Peter Bergman, Executive Director of the Edna St. Vincent Millay Society at Steepletop gives a talk and reading of Millay's poetry, showcasing the wide variety of love poetry the Pulitzer Prize winner created during her lifetime. Some emotionally secure, some humorous, some frighteningly intense poems will be heard along with Millay's own voice reading her work. Thursday, Feb.7 7p.m. Berkshire Athenaeum One Wendell Avenue 499-9480 FREE

Click here to check out the Cultural Pittsfield online calendar and see what other events are coming up!

Thursday night: Celebrate Pittsfield's Culture! Each year the volunteers who make up the Pittsfield Cultural Council help distribute grassroots grants to art and cultural groups and artists in Pittsfield. Come meet all who received a 2008 Pittsfield Cultural Council Grant at a public reception at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts while enjoying light refreshments and merriment. The Pittsfield Cultural Council is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. RSVPs requested to pittsfieldculture@yahoo.com. Thursday, Feb.7 5:30-7p.m. Lichtenstein Center for the Arts 28 Renne Avenue 499-9348 FREE

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