The Nields, Lui Collins and Dana Robinson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Nick Brignola

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., June 11, 1998) -- The Nields: Van Aid

Fans of the folk-rock band The Nields have followed the triumphs and defeats of the group's great white van, Moby, with the sort of dedication typically reserved for matters of more, shall we say, spiritual import? Thus it no doubt comes as a great shock to learn that Moby has travelled its last mile, after serving these latter-day road warriors well on several cross-country trips.

So what does a band do when its van dies and it can't afford a new one? Put on a show, of course. Relying on the loyalty (and insane dedication) of its fans and fellow musicians, The Nields are hosting "Jam for the Van" this Saturday, June 13, at 4 at the Pavilion in their hometown of Hatfield, in order to raise money for the purchase of a new vehicle. In addition to The Nields, other performers will include Jim Infantino, the Maggies and Ben Demerath. Tickets are priced on a sliding scale, with lots of great Nieldsian premiums available depending on the ticket price. The Nields' new CD, "'Mousse," a collection of live cuts, outtakes and previously unreleased tracks, should be available at the show. For more information or reservations, call 413-247-0350.

Live folk in North Adams: Lui Collins, Dana Robinson, Ray Wylie Hubbard

Live music returns to downtown North Adams this week, when Music on Main Street kicks off its new season at a new location -- the Manic Stage at 55 Main St. -- on Sunday night, June 14, at 7, with a show by Lui Collins and Dana Robinson, and another on Tuesday, June 16, featuring Ray Wylie Hubbard.

Collins and Robinson are familiar to folk fans in the region as top solo acts on the New England folk circuit. But with the just-released, aptly-titled "Paired Down" -- recorded by Greg Steele at Derek Studios in Dalton earlier this year -- the two singer-songwriters join forces, harmonizing on each other's songs and backing each other instrumentally, as they will in their show on Sunday night. Judging from the gentle, compatible sounds of "Paired Down," this was a duo meant to be, the whole even greater than the sum of its parts.

Ray Wylie Hubbard is a Texas singer-songwriter of the Joe Ely/Townes Van Zandt/Robert Earl Keen ilk. Best known for his '70s outlaw anthem, "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother," made famous by Jerry Jeff Walker, Hubbard checked out of music for a number of years, living the life of an outlaw rather than singing about it.

Now, Hubbard has put the "dangerous spirits" -- the name of his recent album on Philo -- behind him, and he has returned to singing about them, in dark, rootsy, well-crafted ballads and country-rockers that occasionally recall James McMurtry or fellow recovering addict Steve Earle. Local singer-songwriter Ron Raskin warms up the crowd for Hubbard beginning at 7.

For more information about Music on Main Street shows, call 888-936- 4862, or E-mail DCNEnt@aol.com .

Nick Brignola

The baritone saxophone is a big, unwieldy instrument, and therefore few jazz musicians choose to make it their main axe. One of the few who have successfully tamed the beast is Nick Brignola, who has garnered worldwide acclaim -- including first-place in the 1997-98 readers polls in both Down Beat and Jazz Times magazines -- for his playing. In addition to baritone, Brignola -- who calls Troy, N.Y., home and who is a fixture on the Capitol District jazz scene -- plays all the other saxophones, clarinets and flutes. Brignola has shared the bandstand with Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Woody Herman, Elvin Jones, Buddy Rich, Chet Baker, Pat Metheny, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus and many others. He plays a long overdue Berkshire gig at the Celestial Bar at the Castle Street Cafe in Great Barrington this Sunday, June 14. Call 528-5244 for more information.

Northampton festival kicks off with "Real Life Songs"

The Pines Theater Summer Music Festival (www.javanetpresents.com) kicks off next Tuesday, June 16, at 8, with "An Evening of Real Life Songs," featuring a powerhouse triple-bill of songwriting talent including Richard Thompson, Bruce Cockburn and hometown favorite Dar Williams. The show -- the first of a series at the venue that includes Mary Chapin Carpenter (July 4), Africa Fete (July 7), Pat Metheny (July 11), Bela Fleck (July 25) and Buddy Guy (July 30) -- is at the Pines Theater at Look Memorial Park, on the border of Northampton and Florence.

Tuesday's show will also include up-and-coming singer-songwriter Karen Savoca. Incidentally, Dar Williams is currently working on a trio album with Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell, tentatively titled "Cry, Cry, Cry."

For more information or tickets, call 413-586-8686.

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on June 11, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on June 4, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]