Scott McLennan

Suzanne Vega isn’t quite done examining her past–a task she started in 2010 with the first volume of her four-part Close Up CD series. Vega is also making a detour back into Solitude Standing, her breakout sophomore album that turns 25 this year.

From its early songs about overcoming racism and poverty, Steel Pulse has always flashed a political edge with its music, but balanced that with a calming, richly grooved hopefulness.

The folk-music icon would have been 100 years old on July 14, and his descendents celebrated the occasion by convening at the Green River Festival this past Saturday.

The centennial of Woody Guthrie’s birth is being celebrated around the county this year. But the biggest bash stands to happen on Guthrie’s actual birthday, July 14, when his descendants gather for a performance at the Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA.

Harborwalk Sounds proved so popular it is now a weekly series, with eight concerts through August 30.