Bow Bow Bash benefit concert to showcase young musical talent, support scholarship

The Iron Horse’s main stage
Republican file photo

NORTHAMPTON — A staple concert that doubles as a conduit for a good cause is coming back at the end of the month.

The fifth annual Bow Bow Bash returns Friday, May 29, at 7 p.m. at the Iron Horse Music Hall for another year of the high-energy benefit concert dedicated to raising funds for the J. Scott Brandon Music Scholarship.

The night of music, community and impact fuels the musical dreams of local high school students, while featuring a lineup of Northampton High School’s most talented bands, ensembles and soloists, according to organizers. This year’s acts include The Jackson Briggs-Nine, Mr. Saturn, Fundamental Frequencies, Avis Vomens, Road to Dalton, Quintastic, Nightshade, Bonz, Trust Fall and La Peste.

The J. Scott Brandon Music Scholarship Fund was created to break down financial barriers and provide Northampton High School students with weekly music lessons at a local music school, Downtown Sounds or Northampton Community Music School. It also provides instrument supplies to help students hone their craft, and facilitates a supportive, inclusive music community where talent thrives, no matter a student’s financial background.

Northampton Arts Council Arts Events Producer Steve Sanderson is the founder behind the scholarship program and said he started it in memory of his best friend and bandmate, the bass player for the Drunk Stuntmen. Brandon’s nickname was “Bow Bow,” according to Sanderson.

“When you find music in school, whether it be through a theatrical musical, through chamber choir, through a singing group, through a band, through any sort of music, you find a family. And high school can be incredibly alienating. I literally was skipping class because I just wasn’t a good student. I found myself in the band room, and I found my family. And Bow Bow, he was doing the same thing,” Sanderson said with a laugh. “And we found each other, and through that. I climbed back up with my grades and ended up finishing high school. I won’t say I did great, but I finished it. Having a family and having a place where you feel like you belong is really, really important, and that’s exactly why I love seeing the JSB fund help kids get comfortable, learn new instruments. It’s a great way to remember Bow Bow.”

Sanderson said it has been great to see the growth of the Bow Bow Bash over time. He added that the community’s support for the fundraiser is indicative of the valley promoting and uplifting access to the arts.

Co-producing the event is Northampton High School senior Ruby Ferrari, the current student intern for the Northampton Arts Council. The internship opportunity for one NHS senior each year started in conjunction with the founding of the Bow Bow Bash and JBS fund. The goal is for the student to produce the Bow Bow Bash alongside the Northampton Arts Council.

Ferrari told Reminder Publishing that she first experienced the event during its second year and has performed at the event each of the last two years with a band of her own. These experiences inspired Ferrari to intern this year and help remove barriers for students looking for music education.

“I asked Steve about the internship a year early when I was going to be a junior because I heard about the opportunity and was so excited, I had to jump on it,” said Ferrari. “I’ve always played with bands and loved doing that, and doing it as a variety show with so many other student bands was super appealing to me as an underclassman. It’s such a great opportunity, you can perform multiple times with multiple bands. There’s so much that happens, it’s really great.”

The concert fundraiser also serves as a look into the future talent crop of local musicians, and through the JBS fund, students gain access to opportunities in music that might otherwise not be possible.

“I’ve seen it happen tons of times with a lot of my classmates. I’ve seen people provided with instruments that they wouldn’t have been able to play at all otherwise. A friend of mine took vocal lessons through it and then joined the NHS musical the next year,” said Ferrari. “People learn instruments they would never have been able to play, and they’re able to join band and chorus, and the musical, and all these great things at the high school because of it. I think it’s a really great opportunity.”

Sanderson said that the musical is evident in this year’s lineup, and the event itself has created a healthy system for young musicians in the community.

“I think we’ve noticed from the creative side; people are writing more intricate music, which may have something to do with having access to lessons, and the music seems more diverse this year. It seems like there’s different styles of music this year,” said Sanderson. “It kind of goes with trends. It goes with what people are interested in this year, what are they influenced by? So, I think you’re going to find this year’s show even more diverse than last year.”

To learn more about this year’s Bow Bow Bash and the J. Scott Brandon grant fund, visit www.northamptonartscouncil.org.

“I think it’s such an incredible legacy to be the face of this fundraiser that helps so many kids in Northampton, and I see it over and over again. I just think it’s so wonderful, and I love it a lot,” Ferrari added on the legacy of Brandon.