By Carolyn Brown For the Valley Advocate Growing up in western Massachusetts, local musician and “artivist” Indë Francis, who ...

By Carolyn Brown For the Valley Advocate The roots music festival Back Porch Festival will return for its 12th year from ...

By Carolyn Brown For the Valley Advocate Singer-songwriter Cass McCombs has gotten his fair share of critical acclaim. The ...

By Melissa Karen Sances For the Valley Advocate Sixteen years ago, Newton-born actress Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, ...

By Sam Ferland For the Valley Advocate Most new businesses use scissors at ribbon cuttings to celebrate opening. When that ...

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“You know what goes on behind closed doors in a polyamorous household?” Fox asks, and I lean in closer. We’re on the phone and he is 800 miles away, so I am leaning toward — nothing. I am on the ...

Springfield, Massachusetts, was a big abolitionist hub during the days of the Underground Railroad — not that many people know this. When talking about Massachusetts history, Western Mass isn’t well ...

One of the most common terms in theater parlance is the “old chestnut.” This is a type of show that has been around a long time and often has themes, music, or values that are guaranteed to encourage ...

A gamechanger, they call it. A chance to face the challenges of your life head on. To free your mind, unencumbered by old negative patterns. Empowering your life. Re-setting your brain. Though it’s ...