When you hear the word orchestra, you immediately think of classical music. When you attend a concert by the Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra (HVGO), you are likely to hear something from a composer like Beethoven, but the group might also play an interesting arrangement of a Philip Glass composition and maybe even toss in a Beatles song.

When the self-described, avant-garde ensemble of over 20 acoustic and electric guitarists takes the stage, you never know what they will play as their repertoire spans many genres. They sit in the formation of a regular orchestra, but don’t be fooled. There is nothing regular about this exceptional group. In fact, the Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra is one of the most unique bands to ever come out of western Massachusetts.

When the group performs at Raven Used Books in Shelburne Falls on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m., it will be a somewhat different type of show. This show will be a scaled-down, intimate event to raise funds to support the group’s 2024-2025 season. For this performance, pieces will be performed by small ensembles of orchestra members.

“This event isn’t our typical orchestra concert. It features four smaller groups, each composed of members of the orchestra. The largest group has about eight members. There also are two quartets and one duo,” said Amy Lashley, a member of the HVGO and the organizer of this event. “Each group has spent the summer arranging and rehearsing their repertoire. People can expect to hear music from Bach as well as some instrumental pop music arrangements. We will be playing some standard classical guitar repertoire (by composers such as Leo Brouwer) and even some original music composed by orchestra members. Quite a lot of variety! ”

The Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra was founded by guitarist Peter Blanchette in 2008, and current Artistic Director Joseph Ricker took over in 2018. The group consists of amateur and professional musicians from throughout Valley who all come from extremely diverse musical backgrounds.

They share a common passion for the guitar and are committed to playing all types of music together in a manner that only an ensemble like this can do. (If you think you have the chops to join the group, learn how to audition on their website happyvalleyorchestra.org) The group has played throughout the Valley at venues like the Shea Theater in Turners Falls and First Night in Northampton and has traveled as far as Boston. They released a couple of recordings.

Lashley said she joined the group in 2021 after moving back to the area from Boston.

“I’ve been playing with the orchestra since 2021, the first year I moved back to the area from Boston. It’s been an amazing opportunity for me to build community and do something I love with other musicians,” she said of her experience. “The HVGO is an incredibly unique ensemble. Usually, guitar orchestras (and this is true for the orchestras I’ve played in in the past) are made up of only classical guitars. But the HVGO has a section to represent several guitar types (classical, steel string, electric guitar and electric bass). It’s a very special ensemble and creates an opportunity for some unique and interesting musical arrangements.”

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To encourage everyone to attend this show, it is not a ticketed event. They will be taking donations, with a suggested sliding scale of $15-$30. They also will have shirts and stickers for sale at the show. Cash, check, or credit card will be accepted.

Lashley stressed that the funds raised at this event cover the general operating costs for the upcoming season. “This is greatly needed to support our mission of bringing incredible and unique music to the community and providing a place for all kinds of guitarists to collaborate on in a shared musical endeavor.”

Raven Used Books is located at The Mill at 49 Conway Street in Shelburne Falls.

On Friday, Sept. 6, Shelburne Falls resident Jeffrey Foucault will release “The Universal Fire” (Fluff and Gravy Records), his first album of new material since 2018. The same night, he will celebrate with a full-band show at the Iron Horse in Northampton at 7 p.m.

“The Universal Fire” was inspired by the death of Foucault’s drummer and best friend, Billy Conway, who passed away in December 2021. Foucault estimated that he played about 100 shows a year with Conway in the decade or so that they worked together. Conway previously was the drummer for Treat Her Right and Morphine.

Foucault described the album as a working wake to Conway and a meditation on the nature of beauty, artifact, and loss. Foucault sets Conway’s death against the 2008 fire that happened at Universal Studios in California, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of master tapes, including the works of many legendary rock and jazz artists, he uses this event as a backdrop to further explore questions around loss and legacy.

This all sounds rather heavy, but this album actually rocks at times, thanks to Foucault’s excellent band who will join him at the Iron Hose show. This group of accomplished musicians includes Eric Heywood on pedal steel, Jeremy Moses Curtis on bass, John Convertino (Calexico) on drums, and Erik Koskinen on guitar.

“This is a real special band, this five-piece, and the songs are built around the interplay between Eric Heywood on steel and Erik Koskinen on guitar, with John and Moses locked up on rhythm,” said Foucault in a recent email exchange.

“It’s like a real fast car, incredibly agile, and most of the time I’m just hydroplaning. I don’t tell people what to play, and we’re improvising every night. It’s also the largest footprint I’ve ever tried to move around the country, so I’ll probably go broke, but it’ll be worth it.”

The show is the second of a lengthy U.S tour for Foucault. It also will be his only show here in Valley until sometime in 2025, so don’t miss out.

“I haven’t played the Horse in well over a decade. First time I played there with Bill Morrissey in 2001, you could still smoke in the green room,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going back. My wife (Kris Delmhorst) played there this summer and I went to her show, and the place looks great, and sounds, and feels great. I’m happy for the Valley that the place has come back, happy we can launch the album there.”

Erik Koskinen will open. Tickets are available at ironhorse.prg or at the door if still available.

A reminder that the rescheduled date for the for a performance by Johnny Folsom 4, a tribute to Johnny Cash, at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls is this Friday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m. The show was originally slated for August. If you are a Johnny Cash fan you won’t want to miss this one as I’m told singer David Burney does an excellent job of recreating the music of the man in black.

Also, Tree House Brewing Company in South Deerfield is wrapping up its very successful summer stages series next week. There are still tickets available for the Sept. 10 Cat Power Sings Dylan where she will perform Dylan’s 1966 royal Albert Hall concert. The final show of the series is with Band of Horses on Sept 12 and that show is sold out. For more information visit treehousebrew.com.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.