The mighty Chris Merenda…Period.

Lizzie & The Makers’ sophomore studio album, Dear Onda Wahl, embroiders their potent Southern-tinged rock with roots, soul, dream-pop, and ethereal elements to spawn something all their own. It’s one of those rare records that combines single-minded artistry with broad commercial appeal.

Created around the dusky yet soaring timbre of force-of-nature frontwoman Lizzie Edwards, Dear Onda Wahl was produced by Grammy winner Mario McNulty (David Bowie, Prince) and Cure guitarist Reeves Gabrels (Tin Machine, Bowie). Their influence ensures an intriguingly adventurous, hugely dynamic – and occasionally otherworldly – take on the traditional.

Defying her constant comparisons to Janis Joplin, the classically-trained Edwards, 5-time official showcasing artist at SXSW, former Pleasantville Music Festival MainStage performer, summons a heartfelt, nuanced mezzo-soprano shaped by Memphis soul legend Ann Peebles, Heart’s Wilson sisters, and jazz icon Billie Holiday. She’s assertive, yet vulnerable; defiant, yet proudly flawed.

Kip Beacco! Matt Downing! Dan Teichert and Jordan Weller!

Whistle and the Stack is a genre-blending band that fuses rock, blues, and indie influences to create a sound that’s uniquely their own. Known for their dynamic performances and infectious energy. Get ready for an evening of powerful grooves, soulful melodies, and raw emotion.

Based in Western Mass, Moon Hollow is a high energy band that performs original and traditional tunes inspired by folk, americana, bluegrass, alt-country & early jazz music. Catchy originals and tight three part harmonies! They have shared the stage with Ryan Montbleau, Bella's Bartok, Mamma's Marmalade, DiTrani Brothers, Jake Slater, Matt Heckler, Fancy Trash, Folkfaces, Chris Pureka & more. 

Come celebrate the night of the spirits at the Dream Away! Dress accordingly for Moby Dick's Drag Ball. Tickets $25. The Misty Blues and DJ Justin Allen will be in the house.

Pumpkin Carving, 5pm-7pm: Come carve pumpkins for our halloween decoration. Bring your creativity. We’ll provide the pumpkins.

Rounders Revival, 8pm-10pm

Rounders Revival invites you to share in an evening of light-hearted and uplifting acoustic music steeped deeply in the folk-americana traditions of universal story telling and soulful harmonies. 

Join in for the Rounders renditions of singer-songwriter favorites and inspired originals.

Instagram: @roundersrevival

In another era, I would have played square dances, been a court musician, or a circus fiddler, and loved every minute of it,” says veteran LA violinist and songwriter Chris Murphy, whose spirited and haunting original music bends genres and even centuries with ease.

Murphy grew up in an Irish-Italian family near New York City, surrounded by the disparate sounds of his neighbors’ traditional music: Italian mandolin songs, pulsing Latin rhythms, and bracing Irish rounds. Eventually falling under the spell of late, great multi-instrumentalist David Lindley (Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Bob Dylan) Murphy went on to explore Turkish and Indian music at Bard College, and studied composition at Boston’s prestigious New England Conservatory of Music.

Since then, Murphy has hypnotized crowds in more than forty US states, done extensive tours of England, Belgium , and The Netherlands, and amassed a breathtakingly deep catalog of over 500 works. His over fifteen original albums—including 2023’s brilliant “The Road & the Stars”—boast A-list players from the Tom Waits band, Wilco, X, The Desert Rose Band, Elvis Costello, and the Buena Vista Social Club.

“To me, music is liquid,” Murphy explains thoughtfully. “I’ll twist and turn, and hammer and mold, and shape, cut, and paste the music to create a fresh experience for my audience at all costs.”

Partners in marriage and music, Liz Queler and Seth Farber are both three time Grammy nominees. Heavy on harmonies with influences from Appalachia, bluegrass and gospel, their music is infused with a rock sensibility, creating a soulful cross between Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Emmylou Harris and John Mayer. The Queler/Farbers have eight CDs between them. Their CD "The Edna Project" set 21 poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay to music, and became both the inspiration and score for "Still Will Be Heard" - their first theater piece, commissioned and produced by Peak Performances at Montclair State Univ. (NJ) and again at The Mondavi Center at UC Davis. They've toured extensively, were featured on Rosie O'Donnell's HBO special "A Family is a Family Is a Family” and the 2019 PBS tribute to Pete Seeger.  Liz and Seth were Cliff Eberhardt’s band for many years, and they are also both members of children’s rock sensation “Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could”.  Liz and Seth founded and run Urban Garage, a free monthly teen open mic and guided jam in NYC.  www.lizqueler.com   @joey.farber

Footings is a vehicle for the songs of Eric Gagne, mostly performed by several musicians, but sometimes, and in this case, just Eric solo. Gagne started his musical career in the experimental instrumental band Death to Tyrants in 2003, touring on an alternative circuit of town halls and basements alongside New England hardcore icons like Ampere. Then in 2008, he launched the quieter, folkier Redwing Blackbird with fellow guitarist Austin Wright, playing the same DIY circuit as Death to Tyrants only unplugged; the band recorded three-full length albums between 2010 and 2013 when Wright left the band. Gagne then played briefly with a solo project called Passerine and started Footings with Candace Clement and Elisabeth Fuchsia in 2012. 

Since then, Footings has made five albums, toured with Marisa Anderson and played as Bonnie Prince Billy’s back-up band in 2022. Celebrated tastemaker Byron Coley once wrote, “Gagne’s songs and deep vocals, often the core of the band’s operation, combine the literary qualities of a heavy reader with the observational data of a poet.”  

Gagne is also a mainstay of the underground music scene in Northern New England, booking a diverse and adventurous bill of artists at Keene, NH-based Nova Arts and curating the excellent Thing in the Spring Festival in Peterborough and Keene for the last 17 years, most recently with Stephen Malkmus and Califone headlining.  

Lady Pills is the indie pop rock solo project of Ella Boissonnault known for raw, introspective songwriting and dynamic, emotionally charged performances. Formed in Boston and now based in Providence, Lady Pills blends sharp lyricism with a distinctive sonic edge, weaving together elements of punk, grunge, and lo-fi pop. 

She describes her most recent album, Renowned in the Roaring Twenties, as a concept album. “It’s kind of a reflection on the post-pandemic treatment of musicians and artists,” explains Boissonnault. “There’s that self analysis of, why am I doing this? Is it a job I need or am I reframing it for why I love it? And through all that, it includes observations of the music industry through this new lens of living through 2020 and the few years after.

Phillip Roebuck is a Virginia-born, New York-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose work channels raw folk, roots and one-man-band intensity.  With DIY spirit and cinematic songwriting, he creates music that’s steeped in tradition but full of modern energy. He’s known for his live solo performances where he plays multiple instruments simultaneously, giving his shows a distinctive and high-impact feel.

Simone Stevens is a singer-songwriter based in the Hudson Valley. After years of honing her skills and recording countless songs in New York and L.A., Bonsai, her latest musical project, received praise from outfits like Paste and Spin magazine. The debut record was produced and recorded by Dan Molad and Pete Lalish (Lucius) and featured pedal steel extraordinaire Greg McMullen (Geln Branca, Trixie Whiteley.)

Originally from San Diego, Snake and the Rabbit use the lessons they’ve learned on the road to create their unique blend of Americana music. Their music is heavily influenced by Psychedelic folk, American blues, Outlaw Country and lo-fi Rock. The result is a sound they call COWGIRL SURF. The band, husband and wife Brett and Leanna “Lee” Patterson, have been married since 2010 and playing as Snake and the Rabbit since 2020.

Wes Buckley, Brian Kantor, Miles Lally, known as Vaguely Pagan, keep an audience moving with their brand of toe tappers, hippy spinners, you name it, but at the end of the night, they kind of just play soul music. You can see, hear and feel them enjoying themselves. The original songs veer into psych, folk, jam and rock territory and the cover songs are the ones you forgot how much you loved to hear. Hop on the train and boogie down to your new favorite jams.

Singer-songwriter Bobby Sweet is an engaging storyteller and dynamic performer. The Berkshire native and sixth generation musician has received praise for his Country-Americana style and story songs about real life. Stylistically, Bobby’s music resides somewhere between John Prine, Jackson Browne, and a countryfied Bruce Springsteen, with a hint of Texas Swing. Between 2008 and 2016, Bobby toured the US and Canada as lead guitarist with Arlo Guthrie. His travels with Guthrie included performances at Carnegie Hall, the New Orleans Jazz Fest, and Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, among many other landmark venues. Bobby’s songs have aired on many hit television series, such as Nashville, Touched By An Angel, Walker Texas Ranger, CSI, and Judging Amy. He has released seven solo albums to date. He will be performing with his trio featuring pedal steel guitarist Pete Adams and vocalist Lara Tupper.

Glori Wilder is back at The Dreamaway Lodge for a soulful night of original music. Accompanying herself on piano and guitar, Glori shares stories of life lessons, triumphs and tragedies through her lullaby lyrics and passionate voice.

The Dream Away Reading Series, 4pm-5pm

Serena Burdick is the USA Today, Toronto Star and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of THE GIRLS WITH NO NAMES. She is the author of the novel THE STOLEN BOOK OF EVELYN AUBREY, FIND ME IN HAVANA, GIRL IN THE AFTERNOON, and A PROMISE TO ARLETTE. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and published in twelve territories to date. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College, holds a Bachelors of Arts from Brooklyn College in English literature and an Associates of Arts from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in theater. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

Dori Ostermiller, MFA, is the founding director of Writers in Progress.  A native Californian, she moved to Western MA to earn her MFA at UMass Amherst in 1992. Her debut novel, Outside the Ordinary World (MIRA, 2010) was an Indie Best pick and an MLA must-read. Her short stories and essays have appeared in The Bellingham Review, Alligator Juniper, Bellowing Ark, Peregrine, Calliope, Roanoke Review, Chautauqua Literary Journal, The American, The Massachusetts Review and Rumpus, among others. Dori has worked for over two decades as a professional editor, has midwived dozens of books, and has taught literature and writing at many area colleges and universities. She is the recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist’s Fellowship and a Tobias Wolff Fiction award, among others.  She lives in Florence, MA with her family and is working on a memoir.

Jon Wynn is a professor of sociology at UMass Amherst and a first-time novelist. Whether fiction or academic work, his writing focuses on the strange and complicated relationship between cities and culture, and a recent reviewer of all his work dubbed him a "sociological detective."

Picnic Committee, 7pm-9pm

A songwriter’s songwriter, known for his lyric craft, distinctive voice and soulful songs steeped in classic rhythm & blues, pop, jazz, folk and country, Milton first gained notoriety in his hometown New York City when his song “In The City” became a hit on New York’s WFUV radio. His live performances, which include material from every one of his albums, are praised for their wit, humor, and captivating charm.

Milton has toured extensively throughout the states since 2005, as a headliner and appearing as support for his hero and mentor Chris Smither, in addition to shows and tours with Joan Osborne, Steave Earle, Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore,  Sonny Landreth, Colin Hay, Kat Edmonson, Josh Ritter and many more.

In late 2019, Milton premiered his 5th and finest album Studio City with a sold out show at City Vineyard NYC.  The album, a veritable tour de force of songwriting and studio craft, features 12 ultra-catchy, concise tunes ranging in style from Sinatra-esque full orchestra swing, to Sgt. Pepper-like whimsical comedy to vintage country and New Orleans rhythm and blues.  In concert, Milton and his ultra-sharp band of NYC veteran session players deliver the songs seamlessly with Milton’s own graceful live arrangements.

Lucas Neil and Olivia Charlotte are Undercover Cameo. The duo has appeared as opening acts for Josh Rouse, The Carleans, Kat Wright, Ryan Montbleau, Will Evans, Nick Bosse, and The Wolff Sisters and has gained entry into The Rhode Island Folk Festival, Hartbeat Music Festival, Next-Up Music Festival, Mystic Folkways Festival, and more.

THE SIRENS are Juicy harmonies and 3 powerhouse women of song: legendary performer Wanda Houston, talented guitarist and solo artist Elizabeth Berliner, and singer/songwriter/ comedienne Liv Cummins.  These three magical muses  infuse the catchy melodies and clever, heartfelt lyrics of the late Sandy McKnight’s original pop songs with some folk, rock, jazzy blues, bluesy jazz and a little country thrown in the mix.

COME…Hear the Sirens.  Heed the Call!

Fannie Pack are natives of the Berkshires. Their music includes a mix of genres and provocative originals by guitarist and vocalist  Melissa Brinton

Lane, a 30-year-old picker currently based in Western Massachusetts, plays an extremely loose, primal, noisy type of improvised and extra-heavy dirt-blues.

The Lucky 5 is a hard-swinging jazz band that blends 30’s and 40’s style swing with gypsy and Parisian flavors to create a unique blend of music that stands by itself. Combining originals and creative reworks of old standards, The Lucky 5 continues to be a favorite among music lovers young and old alike.

The band is comprised of highly seasoned touring musicians, having been part of The Hunger Mountain Boys, Lauren Ambrose & The Leisure Class, and traveled, performed and recorded with artists such as Neko Case, Iris Dement, Bobby Previte, Del McCoury, Jim Lauderdale, just to name a few.

The Lucky 5 brings verve, high energy, and an unpredictable impulse to the tradition of jazz from the 20's, 30's and 40's, grooving deeply, and keeping feet moving on the dance floor.

Sweet Petunia, composed of Mairead Guy and Maddy Simpson, are an alt folk duo based in Boston. Over the years, the duo have grown into their own as both powerful songwriters and harmonizers as well as lightning quick players, beginning every set with explosive double banjo action. Unapologetically queer and unafraid to get loud and angry, they craft music that is informed just as much by their contemporaries in Boston’s punk & DIY scene as it is steeped in rich folk tradition.Maddy Simpson plays banjo, guitar, sings, writes songs, and books a boatload of shows! Her musical interest began with a CD copy of The Essential Simon and Garfunkel, and keeps on growing every day.

https://www.sweetpetuniaband.com

Mairead Guy is a Boston-based vocalist, banjoist, guitarist and songwriter. Their life in music began in their hometown of Richmond, VA where they grew up in a family of musicians. Their environment nurtured a deep connection to both the Old Time and Irish American pub scenes. In 2017, they moved to Boston where they earned their degree in Songwriting and Performance at Berklee College of Music. Mairead brings the same philosophy to teaching that they do to performance: that everyone on earth can be called to make a joyful noise. Through their work, they aim to foster community and empower their students to build connections with others through music. 

A fearless, clever songwriter with a knack for making dark and uncomfortable topics effortlessly funny, Alex is equally at ease on comedy or music stages, keeping things fun and funny with (as the Village Voice put it) “carefree (and sometimes careless) charisma.” (Still not sure if that’s good but it was nice to be noticed.)

Alex won the Judges’ Choice Award at the 2016 NEW YORK FUNNY SONGS FESTIVAL’s 50 FUNNY SONGS competition and founded the firebreathing 10-piece funk monster that is THE GET IT.

In 2024 Alex released  PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY, END TIMES, a darkly amusing reflection on pandemic isolation, despair and recovery, as well as a Christmas collaboration with Marco Benevento, "You Better Believe."

5 Pound Horse has created a regional and international buzz around electric live performances where anything’s on the table — French-language songs, banjos, marimbas, melodies from Africa and Ireland and anywhere else they draw inspiration. They’ve graced Berkshires institutions like The Dream Away Lodge and MASS MoCA’s FreshGrass Festival, appeared at Pittsburgh venues like the Thunderbird Music Hall and James Simon’s sculpture studio Pittsburgh PA, and thrown legendary parties at their home BarN in Williamstown, MA. They toured Europe in 2024 playing as The Durgas and 5 Pound Horse combined into one group. The band are poised to record their first EP with producer Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, etc).

Heart-stirring, original, and epiphany-inducing, 5 Pound Horse is ready to ride into a town near you for a night to remember. Saddle up!

Band founder and lead singer, Gina Coleman, entered the music scene in the early 90’s as the lead singer of the folk/rock group Cole-Connection. It wasn’t until 1999 when she played a gospel singer in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of A Raisin In The Sun that she was steered down the path of blues. The lead actor in the production, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, told Coleman that he felt her... voice was well suited to sing classic blues. This sentiment was echoed by actor/singer, Mandy Patinkin, who sought her out after seeing the opening performance of the production. After actress Gwyneth Paltrow commented on her performance, Coleman knew a musical shift was imminent. Guitarist Jason Webster and bassist Bill Patriquin from Cole-Connection were on board and thus began Misty Blues.

With a deficit of blues music in the Berkshires at the time, they felt the musical change would be well received. Misty Blues pays homage to the older blues made popular by the bold and brassy women of its time, while still paying respect to classic male artists of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. The band hasn’t completely abandoned their musical roots; they have been known to perform classic rock and folk tunes infused with a healthy dose of the blues. Over the years, Misty Blues has produced ten albums. Today the core members includes Gina Coleman, Seth Fleischmann, Bill Patriquin, Ben Kohn, Rob Tatten and Aaron Dean.

Avi was born into a Jewish family in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. His father, historian Robert Michael, is the author of several books about the Holocaust. Jacob left home in his teen years to live in Boston. He spent the next several years developing skills as a songwriter and performer. While living in Boston, he was involved in the DIY music community The Whitehaus Family Record and released several amateur recordings with them. Jacob moved to Charleston, South Carolina in 2010 and began to focus on his professional career in music by playing small music festivals, and being featured in music blogs and samplers. Avi is a writer of the Diana DeMuth song "All the Liars" released in 2020

He unofficially released the song "Cannonball" in 2014 on social media.

In December 2015, he was brought to CMJ by the band Counting Crows who named him the best folk emerging superstar. He opened for Dr John in February 2016.

In March 2016, Avi was featured on A&R Report as an artist to watch.

Avi recorded his EP Surrender with Simone Felice (producer of the Billboard #1 Lumineers album Cleopatra) and members of the Felice Brothers.

In May 2020 Avi released a new album, Preservation, via Bandcamp.

Jacob is an independent artist, formerly signed to Skate Mountain Records, and related to popular ghost-folk songwriter Allysen Callery.

1977. The year that punk was born.With only hours left to spare it also produced a baby boy in the suburbs of Cork, Ireland, born with his ears piqued to the murmurs and clatter around him.As he grew the soundtrack changed. Nirvana on the Walkman. Leonard Cohen on his sister’s stereo. The surge of bands and songwriters emerging from the 1990’s Cork music scene. Later it became snippets of eavesdropped New York conversation. Tales of woe on the radio. The sights and sounds of tours across Europe.All of it gets woven into a tapestry of words. Then melody. Harmonies added in the studio. Electricity, sincerity, and humor on the stage. At the core of every Niall Connolly song is the story, one that unfolds a layer with each listen.

Charming Disaster is a goth-folk musical duo based in Brooklyn, NY, formed in 2012 by Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris. Inspired by the macabre humor of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton, the murder ballads of the Americana tradition, and the dramatic flair of the cabaret, they write playfully dark songs about death, crime, myth, magic, science, and the occult. 

Charming Disaster’s music has been featured on the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, they have toured the United States and Europe, and have opened for Rasputina, Voltaire, The Dresden Dolls. Recent appearances include Dragon Con, the Rochester Fringe Festival, Philadelphia’s Science History Institute, Cleveland's Wizbang Circus Theatre, and the Coney Island Sideshow stage. Their new album, THE DOUBLE, comes out on May 16.