MASS MoCA Announces New Concerts

MASS MoCA in North Adams has announced a 2014 winter/spring slate of concerts that live up to the museum’s edgy and forward-thinking reputation. Phish’s Mike Gordon, reggae legend Burning Spear and cabaret pop-rockers Betty share the calendar with such up-and-comers as the Stepkids and the Brain Cloud, as well as truly unique, one-of-a-kind musical talents like Brushy One String and multi-culti vintage French popster Banda Magna. And more…

Until the end of the month, tickets are available at a 25% discount for all concerts except Mike Gordon. Tickets for Mike Gordon are slated to go on sale to the general public on Friday (December 13).

GO HERE for a complete list of upcoming performance events at MASS MoCA, including dance, film, theater and special events.

Here’s the complete list of newly announced concerts at MASS MoCA:

BRUSHY ONE STRING
Saturday, January 11, 8pm
Club B-10
$20 reserved; $12 in advance; $16 at the door; $10 students
Performing on a classical guitar with nothing but a D-string, Brushy One String manages to pack the energy and soul of an eight-piece Jamaican dance-hall band into just one string and one huge voice. It’s Free Day at the museum, and a fun night up in the club.

THE STEPKIDS
Saturday, January 25, 8pm
Club B-10
$20 reserved; $12 in advance; $16 at the door; $10 students
The Stepkids are keen on transporting you to some conflation of the 1970s and the 2070s. Pitchfork calls the band’s guitar gymnastics, synchronized dance moves, vintage songwriting and Zappa-esque freak-outs “a music nerd’s romp through high-fidelity magic.” The three-man crew combines jazz, rock, and soul in an unforgettable show of psychedelic, energy-wired music. Far out!

THE BRAIN CLOUD
Saturday, February 1, 8pm
Hunter Center
$15; $10 students
The Hunter Center becomes a boot-stomping ranch dance when New York City sextet The Brain Cloud brings its brand of Gypsy jazz dipped in big band swing to town for a western swing dance party. These fiddlers’ fingers are too hot for the speakeasy!

BURNING SPEAR
Saturday, February 15, 8pm
Hunter Center
$22 in advance; $27 at the door; $18 students
With 25 albums over 45 years, Burning Spear has become one of Jamaica’s most enduring treasures. His devotion to the teachings of Marcus Garvey manifests in embracing Pan-African lyrics, while his intoxicating rhythms transform any room into a party. Immerse yourself in the Rastafarian spirit, with plenty of room to dance.

BETTY
Saturday, March 22, 8pm
Club B-10
$20 reserved; $12 in advance; $16 at the door; $10 students
As these legendary all-girl pop-rockers approach thirty years of music-making, they are as current as ever. Irreverent, tongue-in-cheek and always super-fun, they come to MASS MoCA to perform in conjunction with Darren Waterston’s installation “Uncertain Beauty,” which features a voice and cello soundscape composed by the band.

MIKE GORDON
Saturday, April 5, 8pm
Hunter Center
$22 in advance; $26 at the door; $22 students
The Dude of Life, rubber chickens, 4:20am backwoods Vermont jam sessions — Phish isn’t just a band; it’s a culture rich with quirks and legends. In downtime between tours, the band’s charismatic bassist, Mike Gordon, has dived into countless collaborations and become a formidable bandleader in his own right. His latest full-band project turns the Hunter Center into jam central.

BANDA MAGDA
Saturday, April 12, 8pm
Club B-10
$20 reserved; $12 in advance; $16 at the door; $10 students
Leading an eclectic and international banda, Athens-born accordionist and musical polymath Magda Giannikou fuses bossa nova, jazz, and cross-cultural charm into her high-energy performance. She’s a Greek chanteuse fresh off the release of her debut album, and she comes to town playing vintage French pop on a squeezebox.