Music Of The Heart

Who’s got the beat? We got th e beat. (And it’s awesome).

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By Sean McAlindin

Music, friends, is the language of love—poetry and melody woven together in exploration of life’s deepest mysteries. Since the dawn of time, we’ve known the power of sound to soothe, to inspire, to change, to woo. Whether in a secretly sung tryst between Romeo and Juliet or ampli ed at a world-changing event like Woodstock Music Festival for half a million people to share in the collective human experience, the capacity of music to touch our souls remains unquestioned and unrivaled.

Fortunately for us, Upstate has long been a place of romantic notions, not to mention the land of great date destinations. If you’re ready to feel the power and love of live music, here are some of our best picks for intimate concerts this spring.

Steal away with your sweetheart to the Catskill foothills where hippies still jam on the sidewalks and street corners of Woodstock hamlet. The Colony Hotel once entertained visitors on their way to the Overlook Mountain House with dinner and a big band show. Now the storied venue hosts a broad range of acts including ’80s New York City rockers The Silos (April 21, 8 pm), Jamaican reggae icon Josh David Barrett and Judah Tribe (April 28) a tribute to Leonard Cohen with Robert Burke Warrenand friends (April 29) and soul singer Terry “Superlungs” Reid and the Cosmic American Derelicts (May 21).

Across town, pay homage to the beloved drummer of The Band at Levon Helm Studios. You can easily while away the evening in this laid-back spot with local lovebirds Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams (April 22, 8 pm), contemporary folk innovators Langhorne Slim and John Craigie (April 29-30), alt-country crooners Drive-By Truckers withOhioan muse Lydia Loveless (May 2), Americana singer Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band (May 4-5) and indie rockers The New Amsterdams with Kevin Devine and Brother Bird (May 13).

If you’re looking for ne dining paired with live music, go no further than The Falcon in Marlboro where you can enjoy cuisine from a perch above scenic Marlboro Falls as you’re entertained by Brooklyn reggae group SunDub (April 22), bluesman and former Conan O’Brien show bandleader Jimmy Vivino (May 5) and Mexican virtuoso guitarist Gil Gutiérrez (May 14). Dining is from 5 to 9pm with music at 7:30pm.

Or you could ramble over to Daryl’s House in Pawling where Daryl Hall of famed pop duo Hall and Oates has recreated a historic home with a restaurant and music club. Upcoming shows include Jersey rockers The Smithereens (April 20, 8pm), Deep South bluesman Clay Melton (April 30, 7pm), Serbian vocalist and guitarist Ana Popović (May 14, 7pm) and English singer-songwriter Graham Parker (May 20, 8pm).

The Towne Crier Cafe in downtown Beacon o ers relaxed dinner and rocking music with pianist Anthony Geraci and the Boston Blues All-Stars (April 22, 8:30pm) and California Celtic rockers Tempest (May 5). And The Egremont Barn is a fabulously cozy room that lives up to its name with wooden ra ers and old-fashioned Berkshire County ambience as Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron plays with Katie Herbst (April 15, 7:30pm).

If your idea of a great rst date is a dive bar with an incredible, under-the-radar indie band, head to Tubby’s in Kingston for The Van Pelt with Stuyvesant (April 22, 7pm), alt-songwriters Ted Leo and Tami Hart (April 28), Southern sounds of Ibex Clone with Patois Counselors (May 19) and NYC art rockers Guerilla Toss (May 20). Or you could check out Dogwood in Beacon for acid rockers Cosmokaze (April 21, 8pm), freak folkies Catbread (May 6) and Hudson Valley jam band Slip Groove (May 13).

Perhaps a primal release is more what you had in mind? Then your happy place just might be The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie where Japanese shredders Loudness go crazy with Omaha, NE boogie-woogie glam act The Midnight Devils (May 6) and Rush cover band Limelight hits all the high notes (May 13).

On the other end of the high art spectrum, you could head with your honey to Ulster Performing Arts Center for Der Rosenkavalier Opera (April 15, 12pm) and doo-wop legends

The Temptations with The Four Tops (May 11).

Maybe your musical romance falls more within the classical realm? Then visit Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington for the Manhattan Chamber Players (April 23, 4pm), Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martínez (May 13) and The Escher String Quartet (May 21, 4pm). Tanglewood’s Linde Center for Music and Learning in Lenox also features Boston Symphony Chamber Players (April 16, 3pm).

Last but not least, take a trip to In nity Hall in Norfolk, CT where some of the best acoustics in the land create a true aural pilgrimage as you listen to folk singer Brett Dennen (April 19, 8pm) and jam cover band Pink Talking Fish (April 28).

Love, this spring, is in sonic bloom. So join in the beauty of humanity’s greatest invention and see some live music soon. What could be lovelier than that?