Wilco Sets June Date for Return Engagement

By Larry MurrayBerkshireOnStage.com
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Solid Sound brought thousands of fans to North Adams last August.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Yeah, they want to build anticipation, and we are going to have to wait another few weeks for the ticket information and official announcement, but the dates for the second annual Solid Sound Festival have been set for June 24-26, 2011.

Happily it will once again be held on the extensive campus of MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts) in North Adams. Music lovers who attended last year loved the integration of Wilco with cutting-edge contemporary visual arts. Performances included far more than Wilco, and were tucked on small stages between buildings as well as the main stage that was pretty well-hidden from view to all but paid attendees.

The first Solid Sound Festival took place this past Aug. 13-15, 2010, and included a handful of other bands and artists including Mavis Staples and Avi Buffalo, a comedy stage, and special activities for children. Well over 10,000 people attended over the weekend. Towards the end of last year’s event guitarist Jeff Tweedy said "Let's do it again next year," and the crowd endorsed the sentiment. And indeed, Wilco is keeping true to their word.

The event helped put North Adams and the beautiful Berkshires on the radar screens of urban Americans from Chicago to Kalamazoo and pioneered the concept of a weekendlong festival in which attendees could only buy a three-day pass, not individual days. As a result virtually every lodging and campground space in the Northern Berkshires and Southern Vermont sold out prior to the festival, a first for the area. The financial impact of the event was estimated to be somewhere upwards of $1.5 million in extra lodging and restaurant sales.

This year the event is in the June shoulder season, which should make more rooms available since it is well before the high tourist season that begins immediately after their appearance with the opening of Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

So get out those calendars and block out the dates, more news will surely follow as 2011 gets under way.

More on the arts and theater in the Berkshires can be found at BerkshireonStage.com.

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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