The Pioneer Valley's Own

We will be rehearsing at Descant Music, 1115 Main St, Holyoke, MA, on Sunday, February 3rd, 2019 from 12:30-2:30pm.

We will be rehearsing Sunday December 30, 12:30-2:30pm, indoors at the Flywheel Arts Collective, 43 Main St, Easthampton, MA.  All welcome.

We are preparing for our gigs on Monday December 31 at First Night in Northampton.

Join us at First Night Northampton on December 31st at 11:45am and 1:45pm in front of The Academy of Music.

On December 30th, 2018, we will rehearse at Flywheel, 43 Main St, Easthampton, MA. 12:30-2:30pm

All our rehearsals are open to prospective members. Check postings on this website to learn the location of other upcoming rehearsals. In warm months (not now!) we rehearse outdoors at Maine’s Field in Florence, MA. In winter we tend to rehearse at Flywheel, or at the Common House at Pathways Co-Housing.

We will be rehearsing at the Common House, Pathways Co-Housing, 5 Mountain Laurel Path, Florence, MA on Sunday, December 9th, 2018 from 12:30-2:30pm.

We will be playing for the 2018 Hot Chocolate Run this coming Sunday morning, supporting this important fundraiser for Safe Passages.  We’ll be leading the walkers at about 9:00am, then continuing to play while the runners pass us by. What a wonderful annual event in downtown Northampton!

See https://hotchocolaterun.greatfeats.com/

“Friends and family will mark Fred Contrada‘s death the same way he lived his life – in style.”
https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/11/republican_reporter_fred_contr.html
“In a nod to his love of New Orleans, where he waited tables after graduating college, his family will hold a New Orleans-style parade, led by the Expandable Brass Band, from the Forbes Library to Hotel Northampton at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.”

His obituary in the Daily Hampshire Gazette included this invitation:  “Please join us for a New Orleans-style parade and celebration of Fred’s life on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 at 12:30 p.m. when the Expandable Brass Band will lead a parade from Forbes Library to the Ballroom at the Hotel Northampton for a celebration from 1-4 p.m.”

[Our band will leave soon after the parade; we have a rehearsal elsewhere, starting at 1:15pm, for another gig.]

We will be playing to raise funds for the Northampton Cot Shelter program on November 17th from 3 to 4pm.

Join us at the Northampton Jazz Festival from noon to 2pm on Saturday October 20th at Pulaski Park.

The Expandable Brass Band will play for the annual “Bread Festival” hosted by the Hungry Ghost Bakery, 62 State Street, Northampton, MA.  The festival runs 11am to 5pm on Sunday September 23. We’ll start playing about 11:45am, and then lead a short parade through the streets of Northampton.  Don’t miss this fun!