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Nashville Sound Comes to the Berkshires This September
By Jack Guerino, iBerkshires Staff
04:45AM / Saturday, August 26, 2017
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The Nashville music-themed festival is set for September.

ADAMS, Mass. — Dust off your cowboy hat and boots because a taste of the Music City is coming to Bowe Field.
 
Five bands will hit the stage at Bowe Field on Saturday, Sept. 9, for the inaugural Nashville In the Berkshires Music Festival hosted by the Adams-Anthony Center for Political, Economic & Social Discourse.
 
"My wife and I took a trip to Nashville and on one street, there might be 300 acts going on every night and you go into a building and there might be five bands in a building at each level," organizer Michael Mach said. "So I just said to myself,, 'this would be a great fundraiser when I get home.'"
 
The bands are mostly local: Rebel Alliance, Dead Collective, Rev Tor Band and Hot Shot Hillbillies will play sets.
 
Hittin' The Note, an Allman Brothers tribute band from Springfield will also play.  
 
Mach said, like Nashville, there will be more than just straight country music.
 
"It's the Music City there is a little bit of everything," he said. "Blues, rock, jazz you name it. It's not just country and that's how this festival will be."
 
Organizer William Kolis said it didn't take long to get bands signed on and there already seems to be some buzz around the event.
 
"It sounded like a real big project and I knew Mike was excited about it so I told him to do the ground work and next thing I know he has five bands," Kolis said. "Even some bands from Nashville wanted to come up."
 
Mach said proceeds from the event will go toward helping local schools and bringing in programming Northern Berkshire students may not be exposed to normally.
 
"We want to bring music and the arts to the children basically in the entire region because that stuff always gets cut," Mach said. "We want to take some of the pressure off the schools and show others what is going on in this community."
 
Kolis said the ultimate goal would be to connect with local music professionals and harness their expertise in the school system.
 
"What if we could have locals with professional knowledge as adjunct professors that would not cost the school a dime," he said. "Quality people directly involved with the children and it doesn't just have to be music and arts."
 
Mach said there will be beer and wine at the event as well as more than 40 vendors. He added that local restaurants will also be set up.
 
There will be three ticket options at different costs: directly under the pavilion for $30, under a tent directly behind the pavilion for $20 and lawn seats for $10.
 
Mach admitted that they do not really know how many people are going to show up but have high hopes for between 2,000 and 3,000.
 
The event will be family friendly and not only do kids under 12 get in for free, but there will be activities for them.
 
Kolis said he hopes to be able to utilize Bowe Field more throughout the season and Mach said if the event goes well they would like to hold multiple festivals and concerts.
 
"We want to turn that venue into a tiny Tanglewood," Mach said. "If this event is successful I think we could have three or four different shows down there. Maybe have a jazz festival." 
 
Kolis said the event would not be possible without local business sponsors -- they were able to raise more than $8,000 to fund the festival.
 
"The local business community really stepped up and gave more than we asked," he said. "They want to see this town succeed."
 
Mach agreed and said even a lot of the bands agreed to play for lesser amounts than they usually charged.
 
He hopes this spirit in Adams continues and can turn the town around.
 
"This town has been so downtrodden for such a long time and I love his town," he said. "I have lived here my entire life, worked here, raised my family here and I want to see this town grow."   
 
The event runs Sept. 9 from noon to 11 p.m.
 
Tickets can be purchased here or at the Firehouse Café on Park Street. Tickets will also be sold at the door for a slightly higher rate.
 
The event is rain or shine.
 
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