Pioneer Valley Folklore Society Happenings

Scott Cook and Pamela Mae will join Oct. 5 Song & Story Swap

Alberta musical couple Scott Cook & Pamela Mae

Please come share in an evening of music and stories at the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society Song & Story Swap.

Saturday, October 5, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at First Church, 165 Main St., Amherst, MA. Free parking is available in back of the church, and the meeting room is near the front.

Guest performers for the October 5 Song & Story Swap will be folk singing couple Scott Cook and Pamela Mae.

Alberta’s Scott Cook has been living out of a van or a backpack for a dozen years now, touring almost incessantly across Canada, the US, Europe, Asia, Australia and elsewhere, and distilling his experiences into straight-talking, keenly observant verse.

His fourth independent release, One More Time Around, was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, and its opening track “Pass It Along” won the Folk and Acoustic category in the 2013 UK Songwriting Contest, with UK magazine Maverick Country naming him “one of Canada’s most inspiring and imaginative storytellers”.

His sixth studio album Further Down the Line won him his second CFMA nomination (English Songwriter of the Year), and comes packaged in a 132-page book containing a look back, in words and pictures, on a decade of full-time travel.

Cook is accompanied by his partner Pamela Mae on upright bass, banjo, and vocals, adding close harmonies and a bluegrass and old-time influence to his usual storytelling folk and roots style.

This month’s opening round theme is Hope This month's opening round theme is 'Hope'

The October 5 Song & Story Swap will be held at First Church, 165 Main St. in Amherst, Mass., at 7pm. Parking is available in the lot behind the church.

Looking ahead to next month, the November 2, 2024 Song & Story Swap will present musical combo Black Door 74.

The Song & Story Swap is held on the first Saturday of each month, excepting July and August, and is organized by the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society. Visit the Folklore Society website at pvfs.us.

The Song & Story Swap is open to the public, free of charge with donations accepted ($5 - $10 is suggested).

People of all ages gather to share stories and songs that are traditional, newly written, or of personal experiences. You can tell, sing, or lead everyone in singing, or request a song or story. Listeners are welcome.

For information contact Paul Kaplan, (413)-687-5002 or visit https://pvfs.us.