Art, art and more art. And holiday spirits all over!

It’s live music Friday and we’re getting a holiday visit from a collective bringing ska, dub, and rocksteady to western Mass and beyond. The Valley Moonstompers are celebrating a brand new seasonal single and a show next week at the Marigold Theater, and we’ll get our skank on when they swing through the studio.

And once we’re in the spirit, we’ll sit with artist Gayle Kabaker. She’s responsible for several handfuls of New Yorker covers, and is teaching a workshop for all to make paintings of their own this weekend. We speak with the seasoned creator about teaching, the restorative process of making art for yourself,  and the surprising things that bubble up when making art becomes a more regular activity. 

And tis the season for the bubbles to be in glasses, but bubbles doesn’t always mean champagne, but it does pretty much always mean celebrations. So we set the champers aside to taste some exciting offerings from unlikely places and grapes in Shelburne Falls at Juicebox Wine Bar with owner Alice Thompson.