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Spring 2012 Record Fair Fundraiser!

Don't miss our Spring 2012 Record Fair. Come on over to Easthampton and get your hands on some sweet new sides! Vegan baked goods and zines as well.

Over 30 vendors.
FREE Admission
10am to 3pm
Sunday April 29
43 Main St. Easthampton, MA

Thanks to our sponsors: Mystery Train Records, The Valley Advocate and Turn It Up Records!

Flywheel Arts Collective announces monthly 'Saturday Morning Music Party'

February 1, 2012-Easthampton, MA Known to its neighbors and fans for boisterous concerts and a DIY aesthetic, the Flywheel Arts Collective of Easthampton may not immediately spring to mind when considering a venue for a family-friendly activity for the kids. But with the announcement of the 'Saturday Morning Music Party,' a free monthly breakfast bash featuring a variety of activities, performances and diversions for kids (to run from February through May, initially), Flywheel becomes just that.

Partnering with Hilltown Families and The No-Nap Happy Hour, the first of four installments of the Saturday Morning Music Party kicks off on February 11 at Flywheel's Easthampton location in the town hall building at 43 Main St. in Easthampton. Subsequent events take place on March 10, April 7 and May 12. Each month's bash features a pancake breakfast followed by musical performances, various activities and guided arts and crafts.

Following breakfast, the first installment features a screening of an episode of Pancake Mountain, a Washington D.C.-based, public-access, Saturday morning TV show hosted by a goat puppet who often features indie rock bands as guests. After the show, kids join DJ Youthelectronix for the "best ever dance party before noon".

Dj Youthelectronix, a.k.a. Jeremy Smith, a veteran Flywheel volunteer, led the effort to organize the Saturday Morning Music Party series, which is funded by a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council. Driven to recreate the success of similar Saturday morning activities at Flywheel's previous location, Smith says, "Offering unique and creative activities for families and kids while providing an outlet for artists to connect with the community falls exactly in step with Flywheel's mission." He's particularly proud of the "diverse programming" to be offered, which is anything but the rote kids' fare.

Subsequent month's events will include live performances by Uncle Rock, R.O.C.K., artist-led arts and crafts, and other fun activities. The Saturday Morning Music Party is free, but occurrences featuring live musical performances suggest a donation to cover band expense    

Flywheel Arts Collective hosts holiday fundraiser to improve facilities

December 6, 2011 - EASTHAMPTON, The success of Flywheel Arts Collective's first year in the Easthampton town hall space has proven that the volunteer-run non-profit has legs. After a brief hiatus, the 12-year-old initiative moved into the town hall at 43 Main Street in Easthampton, and continued in its efforts to provide an alternative, independent concert venue and arts space to the community. In order to make improvements to the space, Flywheel is currently holding their first annual winter fundraiser to run now through December 28, featuring incentives of one-of-a-kind ephemera, local crafts and exclusive music collections.

Concerts and events at Flywheel this past year have been well attended, though a hot summer in the space uncovered a need for a much improved air conditioning system. Sound and lighting equipment upgrades and sound-proofing would also go a long way toward improving audience experience, as well as that of our residential neighbors.

Because Flywheel keeps door prices low, does not have a bar that serves alcohol and operates with a volunteer labor force, the organization  relies on community support to maintain a calendar of quality musical performances (which have included internationally renowned acts like Fugazi and Ted Leo), art events, and family-friendly events (like the new Saturday morning dance party for kids), which is why Flywheel is hosting their first annual winter fundraiser. Donations to the fundraiser will help make Flywheel the most fun and comfortable alternative music venue in the Pioneer Valley.

Flywheel has leveraged their relationships with some of the top independent record labels and musicians, as well as local artists to curate a selection of incentives for donors. Including (but not limited to) signed LPs from the likes of Jeff Mangum and Yo La Tengo, a K Records sampler, two limited edition skateboard decks from Ecstatic Peace and Shut Skateboards, and signed albums from local heroes J Mascis and Thurston Moore, each incentive will be awarded to the highest donor to express interest in it. A full list of prizes can be found at http://www.flywheelarts.org/support.php.

Donors and community members are invited to help us celebrate and culminate our fundraising efforts at a party on December 28 from 5-7 pm at the Flywheel space in the Easthampton Town Hall.  The winners of the raffle will be announced there.

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The Flywheel Arts Collective is a collectively-run, not-for-profit space aimed at building community and giving artists of all types the opportunity to craft, practice, and perform their work in an environment where creativity is valued over profit. Volunteer-run and governed by consensus, Flywheel believes that art and information should be equally accessible and affordable to all people. For more information, visit http://www.flywheelarts.org.

FLYWHEEL ARTS COLLECTIVE HOSTS JANDEK CONCERT IN EASTHAMPTON
(Press Release)

The reclusive Texas musician will make a rare live appearance, and will collaborate with a number of local musicians who have been sworn to secrecy.

Presale is now closed for this show. There will be about 100 tickets left on the night of the show. Show up by 7:30 to ensure you get in.

 After more than a quarter-century of making music, the reclusive Houston musician behind Jandek played his first live concert, unannounced, in 2004 at a noise and music festival in Glasgow, Scotland. As the artist started in on his set, audience members slowly recognized the corroded, bluesy sound as that of the mysterious but marveled-at artist.

Before Jandek’s debut as a live performer seven years ago, the public identity of the artist was almost entirely kept secret. Jandek has self-released over 60 albums since 1978 under the guise of Corwood Industries, an apparent record label (with no other known clients), that is cloaked in as much mystery as the musician himself. Besides only the occasional interview and a few cryptic correspondences via snail mail, neither Jandek nor Corwood Industries have offered much if any insight to their motivations or backgrounds. Infrequent performances over the past seven years have done nothing if not add to the mystery, each one confounding audience's expectations.

On October 1, Easthampton, Mass. will be added to the short list of locations where Jandek has performed since his initial appearance in Glasgow, as Flywheel Arts Collective hosts a rare live performance. Flywheel is honored to present this very special evening of music in which the "represtative from Corwood" will be collaborating with a few of the area's best musicians who have been sworn to secrecy about the details of the performance, and as such their identities will be kept secret until the night of the performance.

In spite of his proclivity to cloister personal information, (or perhaps because of it), Jandek has developed a devoted cult following over the past 33 years with his mutant strain of folk music. Astructural and atonal, Jandek’s style is a distant genetic relative of Texas blues and folk that’s been spun through a centrifuge and spit out as the murky, protozoan sound his fans have come to revere.

Members of the press are encouraged to seek out Corwood Industries at your own risk. You may get lucky. Flywheel Arts Collective member Nick Williams, responsible for booking the performance, will be available for comment about the show and its circumstances. A member of the Flywheel Hub will be available for questions about the organization.

The Flywheel Arts Collective is a collectively-run, not-for-profit space aimed at building community and giving artists of all types the opportunity to craft, practice, and perform their work in an environment where creativity is valued over profit. Volunteer-run and governed by consensus, Flywheel believes that art and information should be equally accessible and affordable to all people. For more information, visit www.flywheelarts.org

Flywheel Record Fair!

This is going to be really great: lots of vendors, lots of friends of Flywheel.  Come out and get your vinyl on!  There will be everything from obscure punk and psych records,  classic and affordable favorites to the cutting edge of the contemporary underground.  Surely worth your time and money. The event is happening on Sunday September 11th from 10am to 3pm, right here at the Old Town Hall in Easthampton, home of Flywheel.