This Saturday, Elizabeth Mitchell -- plus a chance at Golden Dragon Acrobats tickets!

[Bill Childs]

Hi folks,

Just a quick note to remind you -- this Saturday we are thrilled to
welcome Elizabeth Mitchell to the Northampton Community Music Center
Recital Hall for a concert at 2:00. It's just $5, with net proceeds
benefiting NCMC's scholarship fund. NCMC is located at 139 South
Street in Northampton; http://www.ncmc.net.

Elizabeth Mitchell (of the band Ida) is one of the preeminent voices
in family music today, with her indie folk -- on legendary Smithsonian
Folkways records -- providing the gentle but rollicking soundtrack for
thousands of childhoods. This will be a full band show -- with her
husband and Ida bandmate Daniel Littleton, daughter Storey, and
violinist Jean Cook. Though their band Ida has been to Northampton,
sharing the stage with the likes of Erin McKeown, this is their first
family show here.

You can read more and listen to some of their music at
http://youaremyflower.org/home.html.

Other upcoming stuff:

Saturday 2/21 at 10:30, The Pop Stars bring their funny music back to
Cup & Top Cafe - http://www.myspace.com/thepstars
Wednesday 3/11 at 3:00, Marcy Gregoire returns to Cup & Top Cafe (3:00
face painting, 4:00 music) - http://www.underthetreearts.com/
Tuesday 3/17, Mariana Iranzi brings bilingual kids' music to Cup & Top
Cafe - http://www.myspace.com/musicmariana

And of course, the big event --

Saturday, March 28, from 10 am to 4 pm at the JFK Middle School, we're
super excited to be presenting the inaugural

MELTDOWN!
The River's Family Music Meltdown and Book Bash!

And it's all FREE.

We'll have:
• Two stages of music (one more rocking, one mellower)
• Some of the most exciting children's book authors working today
• Story time with River DJs
• Great activities - not just the same old stuff you see at every
kids' event; promise
• Local food (including our friends from Cup & Top Cafe!)
• Wonderful local groups and businesses

On the music side, here's who we've got lined up (all subject to
change):

• The Nields (full band show!) - local heroes, national following,
great new two-disc record
• Deedle Deedle Dees - from Brooklyn, longtime friends of Northampton
and the show, fantastic historical rock, including a song based on my
dressing up as Susan B. Anthony, so, you know, there's that
• School for the Dead - more local heroes doing a rare family show
• Aric Bieganek - You know him from the Northampton Parents Center;
the Gazette calls him the "Jack Black of kids' music," and his shows
are great fun
• Uncle Rock - Long-time friend of the show, former Fleshtone, rawk.
• Ratboy Jr. - (new addition to the lineup!) - kids' iteration of the
Hudson Valley roots rock band
• Marcy Gregoire - newcomer to our happy valley, quickly becoming a
local favorite
• Mucho Gusto Spanish - local bilingual performers
• Dennis Caraher - one of the first guests we ever had, and still a
favorite with a fun new record
• Maria Sangiolo - sunny folk rock with local heroes in the trio)
• Mariana Iranzi - bilingual fun
• Laura Cayer - Formerly of the Juice Pops and Pop Rockets, now doing
solo stuff, along with shows with Marcy Gregoire

And for the authors, we've got:
• Timothy Basil Ering - Tim is the illustrator of the award-winning
Tales of Despereaux and the author/illustrator of Frog Belly Rat
BoneI
and Necks Out for Adventure! He's the biggest kid you'll ever meet.
• Jane Yolen - Jane really needs no introduction. Jane has been called
the "Hans Christian Andersen of America" by Newsweek and "the Aesop of
the 20th century" by the New York Times. She has countless books to
her credit - How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, the immortal Owl Moon.
• Jarrett Krosoczka, who's putting together the book side of the
event. Jarrett used to be a goofy kid who liked to draw. Now, he is
an
award winning published author/illustrator with many books to his
credit, including the Punk Farm series and, coming this summer, the
graphic novel Lunch Lady.
• Anna Alter - Anna's work is reminiscent of a modern day Bread and
Jam for Frances. Her work is beautiful! She is the illustrator for
the
lavishly illustrated chapter book The Purple Ribbon and she is the
author/illustrator for Estelle and Lucy and Francine's Day. Her
upcoming book (which should be here in time for the festival) is
called What Can You Do With an Old Red Shoe? (A Green Activity Book).
It's a craft book on recycling and Anna will work with kids at craft
table.

If you're a business or organization interested in becoming a sponsor
of the inaugural Meltdown, get in touch with me (show AT sparetherock
DOT com) and I'll get you a sponsorship package. We're hoping to get a
ton of folks from the community involved and would love to work with
you to get you involved. The vendor tables are presently sold out,
but we can put you on a waiting list, and, at least as of when I'm
writing this, we have slots for a couple more sponsors.