Doc Watson and David Holt at the Troy Music Hall

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Doc Watson & David Holt
National Medal of Arts recipient and 7-time Grammy winner Doc Watson returns to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Sunday, April 1 at 7 p.m. paired with Grammy winning folk guitarist, claw hammer banjoist and storyteller David Holt in a musical conglomeration The Patriot Ledger calls a natural match. Born in Deep Gap, North Carolina in 1923 into a family already rich in musical tradition a blind young boy began his musical career. Watson virtually invented the art of playing Appalachian fiddle tunes on the flattop guitar and expresses his mountain roots through his special brand of bluegrass, country, gospel and blues. “His music is human,” says the New York Times, “the vivid and simple songs carrying him and the listener to another time, another place. When he sings a bluesy Jimmy Rodgers yodel, one feels the sting of the Great Depression and the solace Rodgers provided. When he sings a Carter Family’s song, one can see their Clinch Mountain home in Virginia.” Doc Watson has played numerous concerts, clubs, colleges and festivals including the Newport Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall; he also toured Europe, Japan and Africa with his son Merle. Watson has produced various recordings over the years, including collaborations with Flatt & Scruggs, Chet Atkins and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. “There have been some who have matched his technical facility and grace, but few who have approached Watson’s expressive abilities or the emotional conviction he brings to his playing and singing,” Los Angeles Times. Doc Watson is joined by the acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, storyteller, historian and television host David Holt. Holt met Watson in 1972 and was so inspired by him and his music that he moved to North Carolina the next year. The duo have been performing together ever since in a show that is informative and entertaining, and fans will consider it a treasure from the heartland, says The Patriot Ledger. In addition to their extraordinary musical bond, Watson and Holt developed an unspoken bond since both had children who died tragically, Watson’s son, Merle, and Holt’s daughter, Sara Jane. The concert will open with a performance by young banjo phenom Abigail Washburn. “While she can pick the banjo like crazy, Washburn also has a big voice that’s perfectly suited for everything from deep blues to mountain songs,” says the San Antonio Express News. Tickets for Doc Watson & David Holt are $28 and $25, and may be purchased through the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Box Office by calling (518) 273-0038 or online at www.troymusichall.org. The Music Hall Box Office opens 90 minutes prior to the performance. Otherwise, Box Office operations are handled at its business office at 30 Second Street, Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall’s full season schedule can be viewed at www.troymusichall.org. The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, named a National Historic Landmark in 1989, is in use over one hundred and fifty days a year. Since it opened its doors in 1875, the Hall has hosted performances by numerous world-renowned artists including Marion Anderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Peter Seeger, Ella Fitzgerald, Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, Henri Vieuxtemps, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jose Iturbi, Vladimir Horowitz, Yehudi Menuhin, and Artur Rubenstein, among many others.
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Pittsfield Affordable Housing Initiatives Shine Light, Hope

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Housing Secretary Edward Augustus cuts the ribbon at The First on Thursday with housing officials and Mayor Peter Marchetti, state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The holidays are here and several community members are celebrating it with the opening of two affordable housing initiatives. 
 
"This is a day to celebrate," Hearthway CEO Eileen Peltier said during the ribbon-cutting on Thursday. 
 
The celebration was for nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at "The First" located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street. A ceremony was held in the new Housing Resource Center on First Street, which was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. 
 
The apartments will be leased out by Hearthway, with ServiceNet as a partner. 
 
Prior to the ribbon-cutting, public officials and community resource personnel were able to tour the two new permanent supported housing projects — West Housatonic Apartments and The First Street Apartments and Housing Resource Center. 
 
The First Street location has nine studio apartments that are about 300 square feet and has a large community center. The West Housatonic Street location will have 28 studio units that range between 300 to 350 square feet. All units can be adapted to be ADA accessible. 
 
The West Housatonic location is still under construction with the hope to have it completed by the middle of January, said Chris Wilett, Hearthway development associate.
 
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