Dar Contest! Dar Contest! Dar Contest!

Photo Courtesy Traci Goudie

Hey everyone, I am pleased to announce that good people who work for Ms. Dar Williams have offered to help us post an exclusive Dar giveaway as thanks for our support. That means, that one lucky winner will win a copy of Dar's new CD "Promised Land," and an additional winner will get a copy of Dar's Live DVD "Live at Bearsville Theater"!

Ok, so the contest will last for an entire month. To enter, you just need to answer a simple Pioneer in the Valley related question:

"What are the names of two songs that Dar Williams wrote while living in Northampton, MA?"

Send your answer to pioneerinthevalley@gmail.com with the subject line "Dar Contest."
You can enter as many times as you like, and on Nov. 28 I will put each entry into a hat a pick the two lucky winners.

Good luck, play nice, and in the meantime take a listen to the first single from Dar's new album "It's Alright" or watch the video below.




Dar's Upcoming Tour Dates

October 30 Texas Union Ballroom Austin, TX
November 1 Eddie’s Attic Decatur, GA
November 2 Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, NC
November 3 The Orange Peel Ashville, NC
November 6 Gravity Lounge Charlottesville, VA
November 7 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA
November 8 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA
November 18 Spalding Auditorium Hanover, NH
November 21 Blueberry Hill St. Louis, MO
November 22 3rd &Lindsley Nashville, TN
November 23 Clifton Center Louisville, KY
December 6 Toad’s Place New Haven, CT
December 12 Bearsville Theater Woodstock, NY
December 13 Narrows Center for the Arts Fall River, MA
December 14 The Opera House Skowhegan, ME
December 26 The Iron Horse Northhampton, MA

Antje Wish Your Singer/Songwriter Was Hot Like Her? Antje?

Man, were we impressed by the modest but extremely talented Antje Duvekot. The show was in the ever-funky orange doused Goldstein Lounge at the gorgeous Smith College. We got there early, and though there was only about a handful of people, Antje really put on a great set. She was a little shy, but talked often about politics and the economy. Even at one point noting that she couldn't help to feel guilty about the Bank of America collapse after the banking giant used one of her songs in their advertisements last year.

I wanted to take a moment to share with you some video clips from the performance. As always, please e-mail us at pioneerinthevalley@gmail.com and let us know what you think.

Also, Antje will be playing a big show on Halloween night right here in Northampton at the Iron Horse! She was well worth going out to see. This may just be one of the last times you get to see her while she is on such a small stage. Check it out on the Iron Horse Web site and buy your ticket today!



Antje Duvekot - Lighthouse - Oct. 17, 2008 at the Goldstein Lounge in the Smith College Campus Center


Antje Duvekot - Vertigo - Oct. 17, 2008 at the Goldstein Lounge in the Smith College Campus Center

As I continue on this interesting journey of writing a blog, I have found that I am continually being introduced to new and often wonderful musicians. Most recently I was attempting to score an interview with one of my favorite folkies, Ellis Paul, when I was introduced to the music of Antje Duvekot (pronounced: Aunt-ya Doo-va-kot), a great new up and coming artist on Paul's label.

Duvekot has been making the rounds all over the country now for a while in support of her album "Big Dream Boulevard." She is now turning a lot of heads, and her song "Merry-Go-Round" was even featured in a Bank of America commercial last year.

So, on Thursday, Pioneer in the Valley is going to be heading over to the Goldstein Lounge at the Campus Center of Smith College to see Antje for FREE! Let me repeat FREE! From what I have heard of this woman so far, this will be one of the last times you get an opportunity to see her for free.

Antje's voice has this subtle tremble to it that magnifies the emotion in her deeply thoughtful and personal lyrics. She also plays a pretty mean acoustic guitar, and to top it off, I think the only thing more strikingly beautiful than her lyrics is her. She seems to be a very stunning girl.

I know we're really excited about this show, and I think you should be too! Please check it out, it's at the Goldstein Lounge in the Smith College Campus Center on Elm Street in Northampton. And stay tuned because we will be posting some video from the show later on.