Well, we’re not even a week into 2017 and it seems like Colorway is making headlines in both Franklin and Hampshire Counties. 

There was a very nice story in the Greenfield Recorder on the Warwick Town Hall show that we’re playing on Saturday written by Sheryl Hunter. You can either read it here or I’ll include full text after the jump.

And one of the valley’s most prolific and heralded photographers, Jerrey Roberts of the Daily Hampshire Gazette was on hand at our show at the Parlor Room on First Night and captured a bit of my “Auld Lang Syne” lead in to “Come Back July.”

Check out the bit below. 

https://www.facebook.com/DailyHampshireGazette/videos/10154098894622513/

You can see a longer video with some clips for several of the performers during this amazing day-long event here.  Many thanks to the Daily Hampshire Gazette for always supporting local, independent musicians. 

Here is the full text of the Greenfield Recorder article originally published 1/5/17:

Colorway kicks off winter series

During the winter months, the music scene has a tendency to slow down, but fortunately we live in such a musically rich area, there are still plenty of options out there.

One of these in the winter music series, presented by Wooden Fender, an offshoot of the Warwick Arts Council, is held at the Warwick Town Hall. The kick-off will be with Colorway performing Saturday, Jan 7, at 6 p.m., with a souper supper dinner and concert.

Wooden Fender began to meet in late summer 2005 in an effort to benefit the Jeff Wallace Library Music Fund.

That fall, it adopted the name Wooden Fender and in January 2006 hosted its first musical performance, Dr. G’s Good Medicine Band.

They have presented shows featuring all types of music, including R&B, blues, jazz, rock and even classical. Artists like Trailer Park, Charles Neville and the Skeletons Big Band are a few of the acts that have been part of this winter music series.

Colorway, a pop-rock group from Northampton, is looking forward to kicking off the series’ 2017 season by bringing their melodic, guitar-heavy tunes to Warwick.

The past year was a good one for the band, which wrapped up the year by playing two shows at the Parlor Room in Northampton as part of Northampton’s First Night celebration.

The packed standing-room-only shows saw people bopping in their seats and loudly clapping every time guitarist Alex Johnson delivered one of his trademark guitar solos.

The group led by Johnson, who is also the band’s vocalist and songwriter, spent the early part of 2016 settling in with its new lineup of Riley Godleski on drums and Matt Clegg on bass (replacing original members J.J. O’Connell, the drummer, and bassist Dave Hayes.) But as the year progressed so did the band, and they went on to open sold- out shows for Foreigner, The Yardbirds, Ian Hunter and Richard Lloyd, who called the band, “amazing and inspiring,” in addition to playing their own headlining shows throughout the Northeast.

As far as 2017 goes, the band is gearing up for more shows and plans to record a follow-up to their 2015 album, “The Black Sky Sequined.”

“I have been working on new songs and looking to the future,” said Johnson. “In fact, we have two brand new tunes in the rotation that will most definitely be on the next album we make (and are in the live show). I’m thinking that we’ll book some studio time somewhere this year and put out either a single or an EP. The winter is a great time to slow down and create, and I’m hoping for at least a few more tunes to add to the rotation by the spring.”

Remember to arrive early to Warwick Town Hall, Warwick Common on Route 78,, because all of these shows offer a supper before the show. For this event, The Warwick Arts Council will serve homemade soups, chili, breads and desserts, which will begin at 6 p.m.

The cost of the meal is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Then, head upstairs at 7 p.m. for a night of dancing to the tunes of Colorway.

There is a suggested donation of $5 for the music portion of the evening — that will help pay for the band and support Wooden Fender’s ongoing goal of presenting live music in Warwick.

The series will also feature:

Feb. 11— blues singer Janet Ryan

March (date TBA) — the funky Afrobeat sounds of Shokazoba

April 15 — jazz pianist Khalif Neville

You can also catch Colorway on Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton. They will be opening for British guitarist Davy Knowles.

Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com

Hi all,

I got to play a couple tunes and rap about First Night 2016 on the Bill Newman Show on 1400 WHMP just the other day.  Monte Belmonte and Natalia Muñoz were filling in for Bill. You can check it out below (or click here). My interview starts at the 17:25 mark. But if you want to jump right to the music I perform “Come Back July” at 23:30 and our new song, “Love Is All Around You” begins at about 36:00.

Thanks to Monte, Natalia and all at WHMP/WRSI for always supporting local music, art, and everything else.

Photo: Monte Belmonte

A reminder: Colorway plays at The Parlor Room on Masonic St on First Night at 2pm and 3pm. All the info is over here on our Facebook Event page. 

Hi gang,

Hope everyone who could potentially be cold right now is staying warm. Lord knows it ain’t easy sometimes. 

I wanted to share with you something I’ve been working on for the past few years now. It’s my arrangement of the Martin/Blane holiday classic, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” You can watch it right here:

It was inspired in part by John Denver and Rowlf The Dog’s version of the same song in the classic holiday album, John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together.  I got to perform it on my decades old Fender Stratocaster in front of a sold out crowd when I opened for the amazing Quinn Sullivan and his band at the Narrows Center For The Arts in my hometown of Fall River. It was such a great show and I’m ever so thankful to Patrick Norton at the NCFTA for believing in me and my music and continuing to put me in front of throngs of ravenous music fans. If you are one of the many people who signed up on our mailing list at that show, welcome! Thanks for supporting independent music. 

2017 is shaping up to be one of our busiest years yet with some special shows for this winter yet to be announced. But first we need to close out 2016 with style. It’s be a momentous twelve months. Getting to open for Foreigner, Richard Lloyd, Ian Hunter, and being included in the Green River Festival were just a few of the highlights of our almost 50 shows this past year. We’ve made so many new fans and friends over this past year it’s hard to keep track. So thank you, again, for appreciating what we do and making the effort to get off the couch and get out to see us. We can’t do this without you all. And if you know someone who need the power of some rock and roll, as always, share us with them. Send this email along or just send them a like to our website, our Facebook or Twitter. It’s all at the end of this email. 

We’re working on some new material that will be on our next album and gearing up for a tour of the Southeast this April/May. Stay tuned for more info on those shows. 

But like I said, one more night of music. Or I should say afternoon. That’s right, our final two sets of 2016 will be on New Year’s Eve at 2pm and 3pm at one of the best rooms for live music in the whole valley: The Parlor Room. And no need to go trudging across town for us as the Parlor Room is smack dab in the center of downtown Northampton. Each 45 minute set will be a little different for each crowd. But make sure to get in line early if you want to make sure to have a most relaxing seating experience as the Parlor Room is an intimate venue for sure. 

All the info on the show is below. But if you want to skip right to the Facebook event page it’s right here!

I’ll send another email out after that show about all the rest of January’s shows (like the one on Saturday, Jan 7 at the Warwick, MA Town Hall with “Super Supper”) but let’s just leave it be for now. I know everybody is busy this time of year and I thank you if you’ve read this far. 

My mom always said there is a Polish saying that what you do on New Year’s Eve is a foreshadowing of what the new year will bring. So, in the spirit of Judy J, more music, please. I’ll take it and come back for seconds. 🙂

There you go, folks, on behalf of Riley, Matt and myself we wish you a very peaceful, joyous and serene holiday and a very happy new year filled with music, laughter, love and the magic of endless discoveries. 

Yep, that’s a lot to hope for. But a boy can dream, can’t he?

Thanks again for staying connected. For a full list of all our upcoming shows check out our shows page right here. 

We’ll see you when we see you.

Oh, and rock on, all. 

~FAJ
 

Saturday, December 31, Colorway Performs at The Parlor Room for First Night Northampton (2pm and 3pm)

This will be our third First Night Northampton and we couldn’t be happier to be playing early and in one of the best rooms in the whole town: The Parlor Room!

Colorway will be playing a set at 2pm and 3pm. The Parlor Room is an intimate venue so make sure to come early to ensure a relaxing seating experience. Note: as is the case with all First Night venues, for two set shows the venue is cleared out after the first set. Thanks for understanding.  While we will play a select number of classic Colorway in each set there will be surprises for each audience. 🙂

When: Sat, 12/31
Where: The Parlor Room
32 Masonic St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Directions
Phone: (413) 923-2800
What Time: 2pm and 3pm
Cost: admission included with purchase of First Night Button. 
Details on prices and where to buy here. 

Click here for a list of performers and times. Updated periodically. 

Join the Facebook Event Page here.