Hilltown Families 
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People’s Music: Songs About Real Life Experiences that Real People Enjoyed Singing Together Do you have a copy of Rise Up Singing? How about companion, Rise Again: A Group Singing Songbook, with preface by Pete Seeger and foreword by Billy Bragg? Conceived, developed, and edited by western Massachusetts based folk singers Peter Blood and Annie Patterson under the guiding hand of the late Pete Seeger, Rise Again is a treasure trove of… Read More
Listen to Podcast: History of Folk Music for Families Episode with Guest DJ, Greg McIlvaine This week on the HFVS, Greg McIlvaine, singer and guitar player with The Hollow Trees guest DJs this week with History of Folk Music for Families Episode. He plays fun and fascinating family songs ranging from the earliest recorded music up to the present. The songs reflect a short history of family music with an emphasis on… Read More
This week’s guest DJ, Andy Furgeson, a.k.a. Red Yarn, hosts a Animals in American Folk Music Episode, exploring the theme of animals in American Folk Music. Andy mixes old folksongs with newer adaptations and original songs in the folk tradition. A few critters from these folksongs even show up in the studio!
Mavis Staples, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and National Heritage Fellowship Award recipient, is coming to the Calvin Theater in Northampton, MA, on Nov 7th… and Hilltown Families has a pair of tickets to giveaway for a parents’ night out!
Let’s Stomp and Shake to… La Bamba! Who would think that a humble little folksong from the region of Vera Cruz, Mexico would grow up to be a best-loved song all over the world – and even get itself listed as # 345 in Rolling Stone’s Magazine’s List of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Such is the impressive history of a song called “La Bamba”. Although La Bamba has been… Read More
Wild and Free Are you lucky enough to go on vacation to the seashore this summer? If you have you’ve probably noticed some wonderful creatures that live in and around the seas like crabs, starfish, conch shells, jellyfish, or maybe even a dolphin jumping through the waves. Have you ever thought about how important it is to keep the oceans clean so all these amazing creatures can be a part of our… Read More
Listen to Podcast: STEVE DENYES FROM HULLABALOO GUEST DJ EPISODE Saturday from 9-10am & Sunday from 7-8am June 16th & 17th, 2012 WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM – Valley Free Radio Northampton, MA Steve from the band Hullabaloo plays his favorite traditional American folk songs about people, places, animals, trains and more. Hear Bruce Springsteen, Dan Zanes, Lisa Loeb, Elizabeth Mitchell and Hullabaloo sing the songs that have been passed down from generation… Read More
Listen to Podcast: JOE & JUSTIN OF THE OKEE DOKEE BROTHERS GUEST DJ EPISODE Saturday from 9-10am & Sunday from 7-8am June 9th & 10th, 2012 WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM – Valley Free Radio Northampton, MA Childhood best friends, Joe and Justin, now known as The Okee Dokee Brothers from Minneapolis, Minnesota, are our Guest DJs this today, spinning some songs of their own childhood, songs in the Americana folk tradition… Read More
That Little Chicken! (Ese Pollito) Is there anything more adorable than a baby chick? A perfect omen that Spring is on the way! This month I’m featuring a huayño – a type of traditional song from Peru. The video to follow tells the story of someone who gets a chicken as a gift and it will not be quiet. Notice that in Spanish, the chicks seem to say “pio, pio, pio,” instead… Read More
Come by Here: A Short History of Kumbayah If you’ve ever gone to summer camp or sat around a campfire with a guitar, chances are good you’ve sung “Kumbayah.” It’s one of those wonderful – make it up as you go – folksongs. After the first verse of Kumbayah, you can sing that someone is crying, laughing, sleeping, etc. and add as many verses as you want. The song is different and… Read More
Tom Paxton The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA Saturday, May 21st @ 8pm Continuing our Parents’ Night Out promotions, Hilltown Families has a pair of tickets to giveaway to one very lucky couple to see acclaimed storyteller and legendary folk musician Tom Paxton at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA on Saturday, May 21st at 8pm – a night out in the heart of the Berkshires! Win a pair of tickets and… Read More
Elizabeth Mitchell: Sunny Day Elizabeth Mitchell’s new CD, Sunny Day, came out earlier this month and at just the right time for my family. With the air getting crisper and school back in session, kids will invariably pick up (and bring home) fall colds. It’s no fun for anyone. When both mommy and child are feeling under the weather the best thing for everyone is to relax and take it easy. Yes,… Read More
Cultural Itineraries
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- Season: March & April
- Season: May & June
- Season: July & August
- Season: September & October
- Season: November & December
