Arts

Arts

Old-Timey Future Rock: The Lisps Present "Futurity" at MASS MoCA

Indie rockers do not often traffic in hope, but the Lisps are not your run-of-the-mill, irony-wielding indie combo. With their acclaimed Civil War-era steampunk rock musical Futurity, at MASS MoCA on Saturday, April 27th at 8 p.m., the Brooklyn-based band brings heartfelt storytelling to their mostly Tumblr-friendly audiences, while

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Arts

At Vassar: Focus on the Polaroid Years

“Industry is best," said scientist, visionary, and prolific inventor Edwin H. Land, “at the intersection of science and art." His revolutionary Polaroid SX-70 camera, marketed from 1972 to 1981, epitomizes this maxim. While Land invented instant photography in 1947, the elegant, portable, and inexpensive SX-70 brought to full

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Arts

Let There Be Light: Electric Paris Shines at the Clark

There's no question that April in Paris is on the top of the list in terms of romantic destinations. But Paris at any time of the year isn't too shabby either. The legendary City of Light is featured in Electric Paris (on display now through April

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Arts

Bulgarians Invade Lenox

(L-R) Kevin Coleman, Ivan Dobchev, JoJo Hrstova, Walton Wilson Photos by Enrico Spada Walton Wilson has been cradling his head in his hands for about a half hour now, his face completely hidden from view. The character he’s portraying in an informal performance of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya

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Arts

Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau: A Fine Bromance at the Mahaiwe

Perhaps it’s the macchiato. Singer/mandolinist and MacArthur “genius grant" recipient Chris Thile (at left), a musician for whom adjectives “tireless" and “extraordinary" spring to mind, drinks at least one a day. Rural Intelligence catches the thirty-two-year old in his East Village apartment, fresh off a

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Arts

The Wondrous Words of Junot Diaz

Novelist Junot Diaz exudes an otherworldly level of awesomeness. The author and 2012 MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant recipient is on the phone discussing his third book, the linked short-story collection This Is How You Lose Her, which chronicles the relationship detonations in the life of Yunior, a brainy-yet-emotionally-clueless

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Arts

Todd Snider: Not So Little Rascal

Onstage and in conversation, acclaimed singer-songwriter-raconteur Todd Snider talks freely about potentially depressing subject matter like past incarcerations, poverty, and his ongoing struggles with addiction. Nevertheless, audiences tend to walk away from his shows feeling better than when they arrived. Because Snider, who hits the Helsinki Hudson stage for a

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Arts

The Bacon Brothers Sizzle

Acclaimed actor Kevin Bacon and his big brother, renowned film and TV composer Michael, do not care what gets you to Infinity Hall when they return as the Bacon Brothers on Monday, March 25. (The performance will be filmed for CPTV.) “If people come out because they want to see

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Arts

Brian Selznick: A Head Full of Secrets

(Photo by Jamey Mazzie) Having an imagination is hard work, especially if you're living inside 46-year-old Brian Selznick's head. The author of the Caldecott Award-winning children's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret (which was adapted for the Oscar-winning 2011 Scorcese film Hugo) spends most

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Arts

Art by Serendipity: Isha Nelson Gallery Brings Light

Step one foot into the Isha Nelson Gallery on (Great Barrington's haute highway) Railroad Street and you will not want to leave — not too soon anyway. The gallery, which had a soft opening at the beginning of December, is an aesthetic amalgamation of bohemian chic meets pristine cathedral.

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Arts

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fame: Mary Gauthier at Towne Crier

What do Boy George, country music superstar (and co-host of The Voice) Blake Shelton, and R & B/gospel artist Candi Staton have in common? These disparate artists have each recorded the songs of restaurateur/chef/Americana troubadour Mary Gauthier (pronounced go-SHAY — it’s Cajun). Touring behind acclaimed new CD

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Arts

Women Writers Unite! (and Chat) at Berkshire Festival

At the risk of sounding like a self-help guru, I’m going to share with you my Moment of Personal Transformation. It happened about four years when I attended my first writing workshop in Hudson, New York. The facilitator was a short, sharp New York City author and teacher who’

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