Berkshire Magazine Fall 2022 | Page 12

Edwards from Springfield . Later on , I went to the University of Massachusetts . I had a band , and we played all over New England . We played around campus a lot at UMass Amherst , and we played a mixer at Smith College and passed out our business cards . We also played one or two fraternity gigs at Williams College . The music side of the room was packed !
You ’ re well-known for integrating different international sounds into your music that go far beyond the scope of traditional blues . Many of the other artists who are coming to play at the FreshGrass Festival are also celebrated for the unique and eclectic ways in which they fuse multiple genres , including Gary Clark , Jr ., Skip Marley , and Yola , among others . What are your thoughts on the current state of Blues and Grassroots music , and what do you think of the new generation of artists and their willingness to take similarly brave musical risks ? I ’ m seeing all of these youngsters come out , and they ’ re unbelievable — starting with Keb ’ Mo ’. Every time he gets on stage , he ’ ll tell people that without me , there wouldn ’ t be him . People have always been afraid to do what I did . It ’ s always , “ Here ’ s the quick money , here ’ s the easy road . Slick your hair , put on a shiny suit , and lie to people .” I value the music and the culture . That was always the most important thing to me , so I stayed the course . I see the
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15 Lawrence Hall Drive | Williamstown , Massachusetts artmuseum . williams . edu
Free Admission | Catalogue Available
Mary Ann Unger , Hoist , 1994 . Terracotta . Mary Ann Unger Estate