Bill Wright and Joe Wilk of Wright and Wilk Studio, assisted by budding photog Christina Biedermann, have been documenting the festival from the jump.
FREE tickets to Saturday’s Closing Show…
Share this page on FacebookIf you are a Pittsfield Public Schools student interested in performing arts, language, creative writing, music we have a treat for you … FREE tickets to our closing night show at the Colonial Theatre Saturday.
(If you know a high schooler you think fits the bill please pass on the information.)
To nab the tickets, head to the Colonial Box Office with a student id, and ask nicely. Only 50 available, first come, first served.
Live Stream
Share this page on Facebook“It was a view that few rarely get to enjoy, and it’s too bad, because it really changes one whole perspective (literally) on the city of Pittsfield.” – Seth Rogovoy, Berkshire Living Magazine on the 2010 Roof Top Gala.
Watch a live stream of the event by clicking below on “read the rest of this entry.” And keep checking back for more “LIVE STREAMS” from Word x Word 2010!
Tickets! Get your tickets here!!
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All-inclusive Festival Passes**, $100, and single event tickets, $5 – $35, are available at Mission Bar + Tapas, 438 North Street, Pittsfield, MA or e-mail your request – wordxwordfestival (at) gmail.com
Tickets to the closing show at the Colonial Theatre may also be purchased from its box office – 413-997-4444 – or by clicking on the link below.
Closing Show – Aug. 28, $25-$35
(Free events do not require tickets and are seated first-come first-served.)
Check out the schedule for prices to specific events.
Word x Word 2010 in the News!
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“The power of the words and the surreal sight of slam poets performing in a barber shop in downtown Pittsfield — unimaginable even three years ago — swirled together to create a brilliant moment in the swelling local nightlife,” – Scott Stafford, Berkshire Eagle
Read the rest of Scott’s story here.
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“It’s rare to see these sorts of performances in the Berkshires,” – Seth Rogovoy, Berkshire Living Magazine.
Read Seth’s Blog Post here.
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“Supporting ventures like this helps ensure that Pittsfield and the Berkshires continues on this extraordinary upswing. Be a part of it. Jim Benson, Carrie Saldo and the crew from Mission/The Market have dumped a guaranteed good time in your lap. Don’t muck it up.” – Paul Boulais, Berkshire Eagle.
Read Paul’s column here.
For more press coverage click below on “read the rest of this entry.”
2010 Festival Announcement
Share this page on FacebookWord x Word – 2009’s “hottest summer party,” – announces its
2010 Festival Line-up
Headliners include musical acts Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Langhorne
Slim, Mike & Ruthy, and spoken word performers Derrick Brown and Rives.
“Words are under assault and we’re here to defend them,” – Ben Knox Miller of The Low Anthem, 2009 Festival Headliner.
PITTSFIELD, MA – Word x Word Festival headliners have their verbal armories at
the ready. This year’s line-up includes Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Langhorne Slim,
Mike & Ruthy, New England Americana Festival performers, and spoken word artists
Derrick Brown and Rives.
They all are among the 60 plus performers who will be in downtown Pittsfield Aug. 21-
29 for the second annual festival, a celebration of words written, spoken, and sung.
“There are only a handful of urban festivals in the country and most are staged in large
cities,” said festival founder and director Jim Benson. “The thing about Word x Word is
it’s new, edgy, and fun as hell but rooted in the Berkshires.”
Word x Word gathers emerging singer-songwriters, spoken word poets, and actors on the
cutting edge of their craft. Media have recognized the gathering of singer-songwriters,
poets, and playwrights as a “lyrical feast,” the “Berkshires’ hottest summer party,”
and “literate-but-edgy.”
“As someone who makes his living with words, I can’t believe it’s taken this long for
there to be a festival entirely devoted to it: The Word,” said Taylor Mali, 2009 festival
headliner. “I would travel across the country to witness this festival, but I don’t have to
because it’s here!”
This year, the festival gets started with a gala roof top party, Aug. 21 at 6 P.M., featuring
Christine Ohlman, known as the “The Beehive Queen” and vocalist of the Saturday Night
Live Band. DJ Ryan Brown, a Pittsfield native turned Bostonian, will spin dance beats
before and after her set atop the Greystone Building.
The festival will be bookended by performances at the Colonial Theatre featuring
nationally and internationally recognized artists. Still, the festival remains committed to
showcasing and nurturing local performers.
For the second year, Mission Bar + Tapas will host an evening of music devoted entirely
to local talent, both emerging and established in the industry. Tuesday, August 24 will
be “local night” across the board with not only local music but spoken word and theater
performed by talent hailing from Berkshire County as well.
August 22nd’s opening concert at the Colonial features headliners Stephen Kellogg and
the Sixers, spoken word artist Derrick Brown and Mike & Ruthy. Langhorne Slim, New
England Americana Festival performers, and poet Rives will help bring the festival to a
close at the Colonial on August 28.
Regarding the opening night performers, The Sixers are an exceptional live act, given to
high-energy showmanship. They were recently recognized by the New York Times as
one of the few performances that stood out at a the Simon and Garfunkel tribute concert
in NYC and named one of the “Top Five Dream Drinking Companions” by USA Today.
Derrick Brown’s spoken word artistry has been likened to “a Christmas present you can’t
wait to open up, and when you do, there’s blood,” by fellow tour mate and actress Amber
Tamblyn.
The music of Mike & Ruthy, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal, embraces “acoustic
instruments, songs with stories, songs with meaning, not just techno-blabber aimed at an
instant-gratification society that shuns depth.”
The festival has seven venues – the Colonial Theater, The New Stage, Micro Theater,
Shawn’s Barber Shop, The Lantern, 305 North, and its host venue Mission Bar and
Tapas.
“Pittsfield is thrilled to host this creative explosion of words written, spoken & sung,”
said Megan Whilden, Pittsfield’s Director of Cultural Development. “The Word x
Word Festival not only entertains, enlightens and inspires, it brings more visitors
and performers into town and helps get the word out that Pittsfield is a creative city
welcoming innovative artists, writers, musicians & more!”
Word x Word is sponsored in part by Berkshire Living Magazine, The Massachusetts
Cultural Council, Narragansett Beer, Cultural Pittsfield, Mission Bar + Tapas,
The Market, Garnish Design, Harrison Design Associates, and CompuWorks.
Tickets to performances at The Colonial will be available July 19 both online at
www.thecolonialtheatre.org and through the box office by calling (413) 997- 4444. All
other passes and tickets can be purchased in-person at Mission Bar + Tapas, 438 North
Street, Pittsfield, and The Market, 391 North Street, Pittsfield.
For more information about the festival check out the web site – wordxwordfestival.com.
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We thought the billboard would get lonely, so we made him some friends.
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Look for our banners flying on the light posts in Pittsfield!!
Check Out Our Billboard on North Street
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Be on the lookout for our new billboard located above The Lantern.
Deval Patrick reps a WordxWord VIP pass…where’s yours?
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Photo courtesy of the wonderful Bess Hochstein of Rural Intelligence.
Deval Patrick has one, where’s yours? It might be here.
Rolling Stone Jives on The Low Anthem
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Who: The Low Anthem, a trio of neo-hippie rockers who, after scoring a slot at Bonnaroo and a gig opening for Ray LaMontagne, have become one of the hottest unsigned bands on the East Coast. With A&R reps flocking to their sold out shows, frontman Ben Knox Miller says, “We can make a living now. Not a luxurious living, but a living.”
Final Countdown to the Festival. Tickets Still Available!
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One month left until the kickoff of the first WordxWord Festival in Pittsfield. Our billboard will be going up next week in the final push towards the event. Seats are limited and tickets are declining rapidly. Get yours today while supplies last!
The Low Anthem gets a Perfect Score According to Jazz.com
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The Low Anthem just received the perfect score on their album review at Jazz.com
Review: 100/100
This track comes from my favorite album of 2009 (Yes, we’re only halfway through, but I swear that I’ll sit through a week of smooth jazz if I change my mind). The Low Anthem are not a jazz group by any stretch of a wishful imagination but this short instrumental should open a few ears. Many of the group’s songs contain elements of folk and gospel, turned out in an old-timey way that’s infused with warmth.
Taylor Mali Sneak Peek in the Berkshires
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Taylor Mali is already sneaking around the shire and will play host to the second annual Berkshire County Poetry Slam. The four-time national champion will be just down the street Thursday, July 16th at the Lichtenstein Art Center. Check out his video above from the Def Poetry Slam sponsored by HBO, hosted by Russell Simmons.