Secret Sage

There's a youthfulness about Secret Sage's music, an upbeat positivity that burns through even in the band's darker songs, such as the wicked "What Jerry Did." The humor and brightness that underscores the music brings an odd sort of modernity to the acoustic, Americana-tinged folk music. Secret Sage performs with Hannah's Field and Eric Brackett at 8 p.m. Feb. 21 at The Cannery Music Hall, 12 Crane St., Southbridge. Free with donation of nonperishable food item. - Worcester Telegram and Gazette

Fete de la Musique Held in Harvard Square - The Cambridge Chronicle

West Brookfield quartet Secret Sage invites everyone to join them for the release party of their first EP, “Wake Up and Sage.” Join Secret Sage and Molly-Jane Gain at The Cannery in Southbridge on Thursday, June 13th at 7pm eat, drink, and celebrate the creation of some amazing local music in Central Mass.

The EP isn’t streaming online, but you can sample a few tracks on Secret Sage’s Reverb Nation page. Also, Strangers Helping Strangers will be at the party, accepting donations of non-perishables, toiletries, feminine, personal hygiene, and baby products. Bring five or more items and receive a poster! - Ten Miles

It might just be the band’s earnest acoustic sound or its sweet, youthful vocals, but there’s something rather charming about West Brookfield’s Secret Sage. Songs such as “Change” and “Motorcycle Song” have a kind of optimism about them, which is rather endearing when so many music options seem a tad heavy and overly cynical. Secret Sage performs with The Flock and Molly-Jane Gain at 8 p.m. April 25 at The Lucky Dog Music Hall, 89 Green St., Worcester. (509) 363-1888. (Victor D. Infante) - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

It might just be the band’s earnest acoustic sound or its sweet, youthful vocals, but there’s something rather charming about West Brookfield’s Secret Sage. Songs such as “Change” and “Motorcycle Song” have a kind of optimism about them, which is rather endearing when so many music options seem a tad heavy and overly cynical. Secret Sage performs with The Flock and Molly-Jane Gain at 8 p.m. April 25 at The Lucky Dog Music Hall, 89 Green St., Worcester. (509) 363-1888. (Victor D. Infante) - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

While I was watching Seed I was trying to decide if I was going to head over the Riverworm stage or not to check out a band called Secret Sage (http://www.secretsage.org/ ). I have a friend named Sage so I figured I’d better go check them out. I realized this was the right decision immediately when I arrived at the Riverworm stage. Secret Sage is a bluegrass/folk band out of West Brookfield, MA. The band consists of an acoustic guitar player (Craig), A mandolin/fiddle player ( Dani), a drummer/kazoo player (Tom), and an upright bass player (Maura). This was late on Friday so the Riverworm stage was rocking. They sung a song called “Motorcycle song” which you can listen to on their reverbnation page here……( http://www.reverbnation.com/secretsage ). It was a song about a 73 Honda CV Motorcycle which ends up in the shitbox. Funny lyrics and they did the tune quite well. The crowd was loving it. They then went into the Old Crow Medicine show hit tune “Wagon Wheel” which seems to be somewhat mandatory for bluegrass bands to play these days. Dani the mandolin player switch from mando to fiddle for wagon wheel which put a nice twist on the tune. Shortly later they had Jeff Williams the guitar player from Ready, Set, Flo (whom I saw do an awesome MCA-Beastie Boys tribute last year at wormtown) join them on lead guitar for “All Along the Watchtower”.

Secret Sage on the Riverworm Stage



Secret Sage then went into a Rusted Root Tribal feeling song. I was very impressed with this tune and the energy was rocking. I think this was supposed to be their last song but the crowd demanded one more tune so who was Secret Sage to say no to that? They then went into an incredible version of “Deal” by the Grateful Dead. I won’t go as far as to say this was the highlight of my wormtown expierence this year but……..it was certainly one of my favorite bands from this years lineup. - livebandstouring.com

While I was watching Seed I was trying to decide if I was going to head over the Riverworm stage or not to check out a band called Secret Sage (http://www.secretsage.org/ ). I have a friend named Sage so I figured I’d better go check them out. I realized this was the right decision immediately when I arrived at the Riverworm stage. Secret Sage is a bluegrass/folk band out of West Brookfield, MA. The band consists of an acoustic guitar player (Craig), A mandolin/fiddle player ( Dani), a drummer/kazoo player (Tom), and an upright bass player (Maura). This was late on Friday so the Riverworm stage was rocking. They sung a song called “Motorcycle song” which you can listen to on their reverbnation page here……( http://www.reverbnation.com/secretsage ). It was a song about a 73 Honda CV Motorcycle which ends up in the shitbox. Funny lyrics and they did the tune quite well. The crowd was loving it. They then went into the Old Crow Medicine show hit tune “Wagon Wheel” which seems to be somewhat mandatory for bluegrass bands to play these days. Dani the mandolin player switch from mando to fiddle for wagon wheel which put a nice twist on the tune. Shortly later they had Jeff Williams the guitar player from Ready, Set, Flo (whom I saw do an awesome MCA-Beastie Boys tribute last year at wormtown) join them on lead guitar for “All Along the Watchtower”.

Secret Sage on the Riverworm Stage



Secret Sage then went into a Rusted Root Tribal feeling song. I was very impressed with this tune and the energy was rocking. I think this was supposed to be their last song but the crowd demanded one more tune so who was Secret Sage to say no to that? They then went into an incredible version of “Deal” by the Grateful Dead. I won’t go as far as to say this was the highlight of my wormtown expierence this year but……..it was certainly one of my favorite bands from this years lineup. - livebandstouring.com

This week’s Five Songs features music from Worcester and the surrounding towns. I’ve already mentioned the Worcester area’s Amanda Cote Project on here, but let me just plug them again because they’re amazing and play out constantly. Listen to them, they’re awesome.

Here’s a sampling of some other music from this part of Central Mass.

IzaJane – Jolene: Maybe I’m biased because Dolly Parton’s original “Jolene” is one of my favorite songs of all time, but Iza Jane’s cover nails the appeal of the original, staying simple, with urgent guitar chords under her aching, pleading voice.

Day One – Hero: An honest, emotional, and hopeful view of fatherhood from this acclaimed hip hop collective. Also features a sample from Robin Wright Penn’s version of “A Hero Comes Home.”

Secret Sage – The Motorcycle Song: A cheerful, laidback country tune that’s perfect for the start of spring. The instrumentation is really cool, with great percussive effects.

Trebek – Bitter End: A rock song with catchy melodies over driving guitars and drums. The music is electric, bringing the passionate lyrics to life.

New Pilot – Sinking Ships & Broken Lips: The prominent electric guitar part grabs you first, then it launches into a song equally influenced by seventies rock and Modest Mouse. It’s a unique combination that blends seamlessly into a wide, unsettling sound. - Ten Miles