St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.
Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.
First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.
Nov. 28 Becket Federated Church, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.
Dec. 5
Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.
We're trying out blogs to offer shorter, easy-to-find news. Let us know what you think.
Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.
Mammography Dispute The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.
iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line.
By Kevin Liedel Muzikreviews.com 09:56AM / Sunday, June 21, 2009
Rocket Science For Dummies
"Cool" is an underrated concept in modern music, where seemingly every other indie band is lining up to replace the chic with the goofy. Thankfully, some out there are still carrying the dapper torch — the experimentally jazzy Astronauts of Antiquity, for example, whose sophomore release "Rocket Science For Dummies" is like some lost hybrid collaboration of Hooverphonic, The Bird and the Bee, and Everything but the Girl.
As their ironic name might imply, the Astronauts are a heady mix of eclectic urban genres and ultra-cool lounge swagger. Armed with a healthy dose of funk, polished production, and a whole hell of a lot of handclaps, Rocket Science succeeds in being both innovative and accessible, allowing eager listeners to catch an aural glimpse of the Astronauts' fast-paced, rhythmic world.
Of course, it helps to have a vocalist as dynamic and cocky as India, who, fortunately, often comes across as a self-indulgent, crooning jazz songstress rather than some pop star wannabe. Clearly, the foundation of the Astronauts' aerodynamic package is built around her teasing persona — a less-prickly version of Garbage's Shirley Manson, for example. The results are smooth and fearless: songs waste no riff or transition in their glide, compacted into nothing short of cafe-infused pop brilliance that swirls and twists around India's advisory muse.
Genre: Alternative Pop Label: RevCon Records Website AmazonLink SourceLink
Tracks
01.
Everywhere
08.
Emo Healing
02.
Strangest Places
09.
Breakthrough
03.
Sup A Soul
10.
Sup du Jour (F. Cee Knowledge)
04.
Rocket Science
11.
Love Is All Around
05.
Sweet-Tooth
12.
Dance Until Dawn
06.
Beautiful Fate
13.
Love Is A Mantra (Dub Remix)
07.
Miss Caroline
Perhaps the real key to "Rocket Science's" success is the fact that it maintains an authentic, jazzy pulse throughout, no matter how glossy the production gets. Indeed, tracks like "Everywhere" pulse with a clubbish, urban rain, owing nothing to standard radio fare, while "Strangest Places" brims with a bebop soul that outstrips any coffee house-bred singer/songwriter ballad.
The album thus prevails because it is both familiar and yet exotic, melding the habits and techniques of lesser-known musical styles with a tried-and-true sensibility. Such is the method of "Beautiful Fate," which plops alternative guitar, electronica flourish, and rhythmic euphoria into a gigantic blender and goes to town on the highest setting. Whereas some other band would get unrecognizable glop, the Astronauts get a tasty shake.
In the end, "Rocket Science For Dummies" is alluring because of its unending strive toward slick perfection, and in turn, listeners will recognize the effort and self-discipline that emanates from Astronauts of Antiquity's sonic offerings. Then again, perhaps it's not that complicated — perhaps the album is simply the musical equivalent of an unbridled car race, too damn fun to peel away from despite its mindless entertainment. Yet that, too, is a misnomer, as "Rocket Science" possesses an ample brain to go along with its considerable heart.
