Singer/Songwriter Kori Withers to Perform Special Valentines Day Alt Cabaret

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - Singer/songwriter Kori Withers' low-profile, highly talented father, Bill Withers, is known for singing some of America's all-time favorite love songs -- Ain't No Sunshine, Lean on Me and Just the Two of Us, among others. Capitalizing on the musical gifts her famous yet publically aloof father passed on, Kori has been stepping out of Bill's shadow and creating her own unique place in the music world.

Accompanying herself on piano and guitar, Kori Withers presents a no-frills, soul-in-your-face, acoustic show sure to warm up even the chilliest of February evenings. Withers will be at MASS MoCA for a special Valentine's Day performance on Saturday, February 14, at 8 PM in Club-B10 sponsored by Amtrak. Every advance ticket-buyer will receive a Valentine's gift of "Raspberry Love" chocolates beautifully packaged in a rice paper bag on the night of the performance, compliments of award-winning local chocolatier Chocolate Springs Cafe.

After graduating from Columbia University with a degree in English literature, Withers began exploring her musical abilities and focused on composition which led her to a Master's Degree in musical theatre writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. In 2005, she made her public debut as an artist singing Ain't No Sunshine with her father at his Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York. That experience opened Withers up to performing her own works, and shortly after she was selected to participate in the Lester Sill Songwriting Workshop for advanced songwriters in association with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.

Following the workshop Withers began performing her own work in and around Los Angeles, and recently embarked on a Northeast tour of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, ending at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin. Withers continues to build her bi-coastal fan base, performing at a variety of celebrated singer-songwriter venues including The Knitting Factory, The Bitter End, The Hotel Café, The Temple Bar, The Whisky, Room 5, Lestat's West (San Diego) and Zoey's Café (Ventura). Wither's talent as a lyricist also led her to the 2008 International Songwriting Competition in which the lyrics for her song I Am A Book won second place and enormous praise from the songwriting community. 

Tickets for the Kori Withers Alt Cab are $14 in advance/ $18 day of show/$10 students. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M., closed Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413-662-2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org

On Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 PM, as part of the Cinema Lounge Larger than Life documentary series, MASS MoCA will screen Still Bill, a documentary about the fiercely private acoustic soul pioneer. Filmmakers Alex Vlack and Amani Baker will introduce the film and take questions afterward. Tickets for the film, normally $8, are just $5 with the purchase of tickets to the Kori Withers Alt Cabaret on Saturday. Discounted film tickets are not available online but must be purchased by phone.
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North Adams Double Murder Case Continued to March

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The case of a city man charged with killing his parents was continued to March on Monday.
 
Darius Hazard, 44, was scheduled for a detention hearing on Monday in Northern Berkshire District Court.
 
Prior to the start of the court's business, the clerk announced that Hazard's case was continued to Monday, March 2.
 
Hazard is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson in connection with the Nov. 24 fire that claimed the lives of Donald Hazard, 83, and Venture Hazard, 76.
 
Police say Hazard confessed to the killings and starting the fire and fled the Francis Street home where he lived with his parents.
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