Danielle Ponder brings her alluring blend of pop, R&B, blues, rock, and moody trip-hop to Courtyard C at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., tonight at 8. Ponder, whose early influences include gospel artists such as Shirley Caesar and the Blind Boys of Alabama and blues shouters including Koko Taylor and Big Mama Thornton, left behind a career as a public defender to pursue her musical dreams, as encapsulated in the title of her debut album, Some of Us Are Brave. (Fri, Aug 18)
Hudson Valley-based singer-songwriter Kendra McKinley will bring her mix of psychedelic rock jams, raw love ballads, and neo-soul excursions to the Clark Art Institute on Saturday at 5 p.m., as part of the Clark’s Evening Ecology celebration of its contemporary exhibition, Humane Ecology: Eight Positions. The self-described “California baby”’s music owes as much to the Beatles as it does to Erykah Badu, which gives listeners an idea of the depth and breadth of McKinley’s sound. (Sat, Aug 19)
Six-time Grammy Award-nominated pianist-composer Gerald Clayton leads his jazz trio at Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., on Sunday at 8 p.m. Clayton’s inclusive sensibilities have allowed him to perform and record with such distinctive artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, John Scofield, Terence Blanchard, Dianne Reeves, Kendrick Scott, NEXT Collective, Terri Lynne Carrington, and Avishai Cohen. (Sun, Aug 20)
Folk-pop singer-songwriter Josh Rouse brings his well-honed catalog of sophisticated modern folk songs, his gift for melodies, and his gorgeous, delicate tenor to the Egremont Barn in South Egremont, Mass., on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. After years of living in Spain, the Nebraska native’s music has developed a Spanish tinge. Rouse should appeal to fans of Steve Forbert, Aimee Mann, and early Bruce Springsteen. (Sun, Aug 20)
The Borromeo String Quartet will perform Béla Bartók’s string quartet no. 6; Eleanor Alberga’s Remember (2000); and Beethoven’s string quartet no. 12, in E-flat major, op. 127, in the free Concerts at 7 chamber music series based at the Plainfield Congregational Church in Plainfield, Mass., on Monday at 7 p.m. (Mon, Aug 21)
American roots-rockers Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore join forces with their band, the Guilty Ones, at the Egg in Albany, N.Y., next Thursday, August 24, at 7:30 p.m. Alvin, of the rocking rhythm and roots band the Blasters, and Gilmore, of the Americana supergroup the Flatlanders, will be swapping songs, telling stories, and sharing their life experiences from the stage. The duo will also perform at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Mass., on Sunday, August 27, at 8 p.m. (Thu, Aug 24)
Walking, a new solo exhibition by Scottish-born, Hudson-based photographer, filmmaker, and artist David McIntyre, inspired by the writings of Henry David Thoreau, opens at Hudson Hall in Hudson, N.Y., next Thursday, August 24, with an artist’s reception at 5pm. McIntyre brings the intricate patterns of nature to the forefront through a series of captivating, abstract, and digitally manipulated photographs taken on walks along trails in the Hudson Valley. The exhibit will remain on view through Sunday, October 8, 2023. (Thu, Aug 24-Sun, Oct 8)
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.substack.com.
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