This Saturday night, February 13^th, the upstairs of Jae’s Spice will host the second Quite Queer event titled “Heart On”. The party has a high fashion theme and prizes will be given out to the top three most interesting and unique outfits. There also will be a “prom-style” photo booth with on-site printing, wild Valentine-inspired decorations, and specialty cocktails served.

The event is $5 for ages 21+ and $8 for 18+ with a full cash bar for legal drinkers. This event follows the first successful Quite Queer event that took place October 10^th, 2009 at the Elks Club in Pittsfield.

The party gets started at 8pm and will feature live music from Jen Urban & the Box, a fresh, sassy, and sexy electro-rock group that has been taking hold of the NYC electro and queercore scene. On guitar, lead vocals & programming, Jen Urban growls out well-crafted, fiercely emotional lyrics with her trademark powerful vocals & provocative stylings. Alan D’s bass, synth-bass, keyboards & harmonies provide an intoxicating texture that fleshes out the songs’ drive & presence. “Heart On” will also feature music from Minneapolis’s DJ PB&J and other special guest DJs and will keep rocking until 1am.

Quite Queer is a not-for-profit event planning committee whose mission is to throw great parties that are open to people of all lifestyles and backgrounds while showcasing queer musical talent.

QQ’s “Heart On”

Saturday, February 13^th 8pm-1am

$5 (21+) / $8 (18+)

Jae’s Spice Upstairs

297 North Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201

413.997.5237

Here is a synopsis developed by the BVB of the LGBT Tourism Forum that was held last week in Adams. Below is a list of links that can serve as resources for local businesses to that are interested in targeting the LGBT market.

I would like to see a targeted and collaborative effort come out of this region to focus on the LGBT population, both locally and for tourists and second home owners.

Many ideas came up about how to encourage local businesses to become more pro-active on hosting events/entertainment that appeals to this niche market (ex. Gay Ski Weekend at one of our fabulous local resorts, etc.)

Last October, Pittsfield hosted the first Out in the Berkshires Weekend, which had a very positive response and strong attendance to each event in the collaboration.

The City will once again serve as a lead collaborator on this event, which will occur over Columbus Day Weekend, which coincides with National Coming Out Day. We would like to make this year’s event larger and more dynamic.

The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will be hosting the Out in the Berkshires Invitational Art Show, which will feature local LGBT artists, as one of our many events. If you are interested in joining the effort for this year’s event, please contact outintheberkshires@gmail.com

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Thank you for contributing to our open forum on LGBT travel last week. All attendees are included in this email and will be added to our LGBT email list serve so we can continue to share LGBT resources, events and information with each other. Feel free to forward this to others who you think should be part of the dialogue and we will add them to the list.

Below are links to some of the resources discussed:

· Submit LGBT friendly events to massvacation.com micro site
http://www.lgbtmassvacation.com/lgbt.php

· Get listed in MOTT’s LGBT micro site and in their iphone application
http://lgbtmassvacation.com/business_listings.php

· TAGAppproved.com: Designated LGBT welcoming hotels & attractions worldwide
http://www.tagapproved.com/

· IGLTA.org: International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association
http://www.iglta.org/

· LGBT media and website resources
http://www.berkshires.org/Niche%20markets/GLBT%20Ressources.pdf

We’ve reached out to MOTT to see if there are any other LGBT media resources available and will be looking at how we incorporate LGBT message into our website and PR outreach over the next few months. We’ll keep you posted.

Best,

Dara Kaufman
Director of Member Services

Berkshire Visitors Bureau
3 Hoosac Street, Adams MA 01220
(413) 743-4500
dkaufman@berkshires.org

Visit us online at www.berkshires.org

Club Groove in downtown Pittsfield will host its first LGBT club night on Thursday, December 3rd. The cover will be $5 and the event is 21+.  Dj Phanatik will be throwing down the beats starting at 9pm and the party will run until 2am. 

This is the first LGBT night hosted at this venue since the days of Club Red and its “alternative nights.”

If you have not had the chance to discover the Berkshires newest, hottest, wildest, and (only) club, come to downtown Pittsfield and check out this great new establishment! 

Club Groove is at 17 Wendell Avenue Extension, which is off of East St., one block past First St. on the right. There is free parking at the First and Fenn St. parking lot behind City Hall and across from the Common.

 For directions, please click here.

This event depends on YOU to be successful and to become a regular LGBT party in the Berkshires.  Please come out and show your support, and take part in Club Groove’s first OUT Thursday event in downtown Pittsfield.

Berkshire County is joining in on a phenomenon that is sweeping the nation.  The Berkshire Gay Guerrilla Group is planning a series of “takeovers” of bars within the county to create a strong LGBT presence for the evening and create an accepting and fun environment for all within the community.

From the B3G Facebook page:

“Berkshire Gay Guerrilla Group
step 1: We pick a location
Step 2: Post the date, time, and location on facebook to our network
Step 3: You tell your friends too
Step 4: EVERYONE SHOWS UP and we make a place gay for the night and all have fun!

Our Mission: We are here to help, grow, welcome, and promote a healthy stable and honest community within our own LGBT and Allied community. Our Goal is integration not domination of a venue.

Basically at the beginning of the week we will release an event we are going to raid.. the goal is for everyone to show up and have a good time.

This group is set up with everyone in mind and posting will be sent out to everyone who wishes to be a part of these gatherings. EVERYONE is meant to feel welcome.”

The first event kicks off Friday, November 27th at Jae’s Spice Lounge in Pittsfield, with a dueling DJ extravaganza entitled “TRON” featuring the Berkshires’ own DJ Jerrid Coty and DJ BFG are laying down hours of sweaty, funky, electro-fueled mayhem downstairs. The Lounge will be separated from the restaurant that night, with a dedicated bar inside whose prices will match the Press Box. No need to hop next door to get a drink!  You must be 21+ with ID to attend.

DJ BFG & Jerrid Coty| Friday, November 27 | 10pm-1am | Jae’s Spice Lounge | 297 North St | 997-5237 | $5 Cover

This the first event so your involvement is crucial.  Come out and dance off those holiday calories and make this Black Friday a very special one for the Berkshire LGBT community.

On Friday, November 20, Williams College Queer Student Union and Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition will host a candlelight vigil in honor of the 11th International Transgender Day of Remembrance from 8-9 pm on Chapin Lawn in front of Paresky Student Center.

State Senator Benjamin B. Downing will attend and speak at the event. Senator Downing is the sponsor of the bill “An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes” (H. 1728/S. 1687), in the Massachusetts State Senate now. Community members will also speak briefly.

The annual Day of Remembrance memorializes individuals who have been killed throughout the world in the previous year because of gender expression discrimination and anti-transgender hatred.

Since last year’s event, 99 people are known to have been murdered because of their gender identity or gender expression (this is more than twice as many from 2008).  

 
Massachusetts bill (H. 1728/S. 1687) was heard by Massachusetts’ Joint Committee on the Judiciary this past July. “Bills such as this give citizens equal protection under state law regardless of gender identity or expression,” said Justin Adkins, Williams College Queer Life Coordinator, “In doing so it will send a clear message that all citizens of the Commonwealth should be able to work, go to school, and live without fear.”

Thirteen states, including Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont already have similar laws. Within Massachusetts, only the cities of Boston, Cambridge, Amherst, and Northampton prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression.

One hundred fifty-five major Massachusetts employers, such as Stop & Shop, Williams College, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield have non-discrimination protections covering gender identity and expression.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people. It publicly honors the lives of people who might otherwise be forgotten. And it gives transgender allies a chance to step forward in community and stand in vigil.

All are welcome at the Williams event which will be held rain or shine.

For more information contact:
justin adkins
Williams College Queer Life Coordinator
413-822-4892
justin.l.adkins@williams.edu 

Rebel Sound Records in downtown Pittsfield is hosting two nationally-touring queer acts in November, 8 Inch Betsy and The Shondes.

At 7pm on Saturday, November 7th, all-girl lesbian power punk trio 8 Inch Betsy from Chicago will take the stage alongside  The Soundtrack from Atlanta, and The Furiousity from Boston.

The show is open to all ages and is $8 for general admission and $7 for students.

Check out this live video from 8 Inch Betsy, a “rock/pop/punk trio that focuses intensely on lyric driven rock that gets your irish up, can bring you down to earth and get stuck in your head for days.”

On Saturday, November 28th, The Shondes, in their  Western MA debut, will perform with Gimlet Slip, The Disaster March featuring Matt of The Prozacs and Touching Mrs. Dash featuring Nic of White Boy Can’t Jump.  The show kicks off at 7pm and the tickets are $7 (Students w/ID $6).

Here is a clip of The Shondes (taking their name from the Yiddish word for “shame” or “disgrace”) from Brooklyn, NY whose dramatic brand of rock music has been compared to Sleater-Kinney, Patti Smith and The Raincoats and have become one of the premier acts in the queercore scene.

Don’t miss out on these excellent acts making their debut in the Berkshires.  Rebel Sound Records is an all-ages venue and is located in downtown Pittsfield at 146 North St. next to Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant.

Out in the Berkshires joined Barrington Stage Company and  Jae’s Spice Restaurant at the 10th International Conference on Gay and Lesbian Tourism’s Travel Expo on Tuesday November 3rd at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston.  The annual expo is put on by Community Marketing, Inc. and takes place in a different city across North America each year.  This year’s expo drew in hundreds of attendees and exhibitors came from as far as Los Angeles, New Orleans, Alaska, and Spain.

Barrington Stage Company will be releasing its 2010 line-up and visitors to Tuesday’s expo got a sneak preview of the amazing line-up beginning next summer.  Keep an eye out for the public release!

BSC and Jae’s Spice have partnered on a number of events and offer an excellent package deal for dinner and a show during the run of Main Stage productions.  Jae’s Spice also has a gorgeous banquet space upstairs that has been used for a number of gay-weddings recently.

There was a strong showing from western Massachusetts. Other regional representation came from the luxurious 49-guestroom retreat,  Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. Massachusetts was the most well-represented delegation at the conference, including the Massachusetts Office of Tourism & Travel’s new LGBT-focused branch, the first state in the USA to establish such an entity.  Visit the new site at massvacation.com/rainbow.

All in all, the conference was a large success and a great representation for the state and the region on a global level for embracing and catering to the LGBT market.

Here is a list of the current top LGBT destinations in the USA, with Provincetown and Boston both representing Massachusetts.  Perhaps the Berkshires will make their way onto the list in the near future?

Most Visited US Destinations (Source: Community Marketing, Inc.)

The table below illustrates the top 20 most-visited destinations in the US, by LGBT survey respondents who reside in the US (n=4,017).

Halloween night is going to be busy across the county, so make sure to plan your night accordingly.

For last minute costumes, head to downtown Pittsfield and visit Berkshire Masquerade, or if you prefer a vintage look, check out the great deals at Greystone Gardens.

If you have your costume, but haven’t found that perfect party yet, here are a couple suggestions.

Rumpy’s Tavern in Lenox, the Berkshires most LGBT-friendly bar, has a reputation for throwing some of the best Halloween bashes in the Berkshires.  Check out some of the photos from last year.

Another party that is sure to be a blast is the Dark and Stormy Halloween Party

The party kicks off at 8pm, upstairs of Jae’s Spice in downtown Pittsfield with DJ BFG, DJ B-17 Bomber, and Bella’s Bartok!! Gourmet appetizers, costume prize giveaways, cash bar, and some surprises! Something a little different for Halloween!   Tickets available at Jae’s Spice and Pittsfield Brew Works.  21+, $15 in advance or with a costume, $20 at the door without costume.

Make sure to have a safe and exciting Halloween evening.  For more ideas for Halloween fun, check out the Berkshire Eagle and Cultural Pittsfield this Week!

If you aren’t in the spirit yet, check out mock-horror series of shorts from Gay Friday

Nampoli Bennet, a MTF transgendered performer will take the stage at the Stone Soup Café at the Topia Art Center in Adams on Friday, Oct. 23.   The show begins at 9pm and the cost of admission is $10.  Don’t miss this opportunity to catch this unique and talented artist in the Berkshires.

Namoli Brennet|Stone Soup Cafe|Adams, MA|Friday, Oct. 23| 9pm| $10

About Namoli Brennet (from http://www.namolibrennet.com/)

Webster’s defines anomaly as a deviation from the common rule, but look a little farther and you’ll find another definition: hard to classify. And that might be the best way to describe musician Namoli Brennet. Brennet was born male and transitioned to female, but like many gender-variant types, she simply identifies as “trans”. There’s something touching and achingly poignant about Brennet’s voice – maybe it’s the sound of transgender, the experience of knowing what it feels like to be unstable, on the edge, a little hard to define. In the wrong hands, that poignance could easily turn sentimental, but with Brennet’s deft touch the songs have an edge, a rawness and a gritty realness that steers clear of typical singer/songwriter territory. And just like you’d expect from an over-achieving multi-instrumentalist with a composition degree: she does play nearly everything.

Listening to Brennet, you realize this is not just another acoustic singer/songwriter with a guitar. Her technique draws on a wide range of influences, everyone from Shawn Colvin and Jonatha Brooke to Patty Griffin and Joni Mitchell There’s also the fact that she’s equally at home on the piano or mandolin. But beyond the technical is something way more important: Brennet has an innate understanding of the language of music, and she skillfully uses it to communicate insights that are both poetic and powerful.

As someone who both engineers and produces her own CDs, there isn’t much stopping Namoli from putting out records, and her prolific output is pretty remarkable: since 2002 she’s self-produced and engineered 6 CDs starting with Boy in a Dress; her 7th CD, Until From This Dream I Wake is due out in June 2009. In addition to her songwriting, Brennet has also written several commissions for Chorus & Piano as well as scoring 2 plays: Boy (2008), and an adaptation of The Odyssey written by Pulitzer-Prize winner Derek Walcott. Her music has also been featured in the upcoming documentary Out in the Silence. So yes, she’s hard to classify, but like all good things yet undiscovered she’s just waiting to be found.

STONE SOUP CAFE
Park Street (on Route 8), Adams, MA 01220
Is now open offering baked goods, organic gourmet coffees and espresso, organic and vegan foods, wraps and more. Open Tuesday to Sunday

Triple Treat joint tickets are available for sale at the Berkshire Museum. Call 413-443-7171 for more information.

Stonewall Halloween Dance with DJ

Saturday, 10/24  8:00pm

The Elks Club, 27 Union Street, Pittsfield 

 Berkshire Stonewall will be hosting a Halloween Party, complete with decorations, appetizers, and costume contest. This event is open to one and all: bring a costume, bring a friend, and have fun!

$5 Cover Charge; $5 Costume Contest Entry Fee (Cash Prize for 1st Place)

 Nosferatu

Thursday, 10/29  8:00pm

The Berkshire Museum, Little Cinema, Pittsfield

Live score performed by Ben Model, who serves as the resident silent film accompanist at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Nosferatu is the original vampire movie, originally screened in 1922. Starring the mysterious Max Schreck, this movie is the original seed for the vampire movies currently dominating the silver screen today. Don’t miss this creepy and historical film at Berkshire Museum!

 Dark and Stormy Halloween Party

Saturday, 10/31  8:00pm
Jae’s Spice (upstairs), 297 North St., Pittsfield

A Halloween party, BS style! With DJ BFG, DJ B-17 Bomber, and Bella’s Bartok!! Gourmet appetizers, costume prize giveaways, cash bar, and some surprises! Something a little different for Halloween!   Tickets available at Jae’s Spice and Pittsfield Brew Works.  21+, $15 in advance or with a costume, $20 at the door without costume.