5 Berklee concerts that music pros are excited about this season
Check out these concert recommendations from the city's music community.
For music lovers, the Berklee Performance Center’s 1,215-seat auditorium is a haven for catching top-notch performances each year. Virtually all genres pass through the center’s doors in a given year, from faculty jams to star turns, indie rock to fado, and more.We asked several members of the local music community for their top pick for the remainder of the jam-packed fall/winter season. Here are the Berklee concerts they’re most excited about in the coming weeks.The 13th annual Business of Hip-Hop/Urban Music Symposium
Thursday, Oct. 3“I feel like this event converges two worlds I’m heavily entrenched in. I know I’ll be making some of my college students go to this event. The music business is an interesting one, but one that not a lot of people know how to navigate, especially in hip-hop. So, something like this excites me, being that it’s a resource for the community.” — Cliff Notez, a digital artist, musician, founder of HipStory, and a professor at Berklee and EmersonA Tribute to The Beatles’ White Album featuring Todd Rundgren
Friday, Oct. 11“Todd Rundgren plus Joey Milland, of Badfinger, with Mickey Dolenz, of The Monkees, Jason Scheff from Chicago, and Christopher Cross, who in addition to his yacht rock pedigree is also a burning guitarist, all doing the ‘White Album’ top to bottom. I’m not entirely sure what Mickey brings to the table on this, but him just being Mickey should be perfectly fine.” — Corin Ashley, indie pop singer and guitaristThe Paco de Lucía Project
Saturday, Oct. 19 “With the passing of Paco De Lucia, the music did not end there: His former bandmates have picked up the mantle of this legendary flamenco guitarist. As a reader of guitar magazines in the ‘80s, I saw that he had worked with Al Di Meola, Chick Corea, Eric Clapton, and Carlos Santana. His music was like a giant play of great rapid-fire emotions paired with soul and grace. The Paco de Lucía Project, with the members put together by [10-time Grammy winner] Javier Limòn, will bring the music back as a living tribute to de Lucía. It’s a gift to future generations of flamenco guitar music lovers.” — Michael Scott Stewart, guitarist for The Brigands, DJ /producer at Boston Women Rock and WMFOCity & Colour solo, with Ben Rogers
Tuesday, Oct. 22“City and Colour is the kind of songwriter that makes you remember exactly where you were and how you felt the first time you heard them. For me, that was in my teenage bedroom trying to sort through my very teenage frustrations, and finding exactly what I needed in ‘Sleeping Sickness.’ Somehow, after all these years of deep diving and getting very in my feelings to Dallas Green’s songwriting, I’ve yet to see a show. Looks like my time has come!” — Amy Hoffman, singer and guitarist in indie rock band Future Teens, whose second album, “Breakup Season,” was released in SeptemberKeb’ Mo’s Jingle Bell Jamboree
Saturday, Dec. 7“Keb’ Mo’ has one of the most distinctive voices in blues and roots. His guitar playing complements his singing perfectly, and there’s a wonderful ease and grace to his delivery. The thing about Keb’s performance that has influenced me the most is the amount of conviction he performs with. As a great storyteller does, he has the audience hanging on every word and note. Not a show to be missed.” — Seth Rosenbloom, blues singer and guitaristThe full Berklee Performance Center program and more details are available at berklee.edu.
