Queer Singer Songwriter | Jess Martin

jessmartin.playsguitar@gmail.com

Robert Frost Trail complete! Last section run and done with an extra mile thrown in for the views (6 miles on so many leaves!)

Welcomed at the finish line by @kimbahoff123 & her Pop with signs, flowers and gifts ❤️

A beautiful day to complete this 47 mile journey.

@mhmfitwell

“Shadow, Sound, Spectacle brings a queer, creative twist to classic monster tales.” 🖤

Our final show of the 2025 Literary Monsters tour made the pages of The Heights!

“It took something familiar — these iconic monster stories — and transformed it with music, shadow puppetry, and a new way of seeing.”

Monsters, music, and metamorphosis — what a way to close the curtain.

@ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4 @newtonfreelibrary @newtonculturalcouncil on

Read the full piece ➡️ [link in bio]

#literarymonsters #puppets #shadowsoundspectacle #queerart #livemusic #puppetry #creativetransformation

Section 2 of the Robert Frost Trail completed this morning. 5 miles run and done.

5 miles left of this 47 miler challenge! Thanks for all the encouragement along the way.

First time seeing familiar faces on the trail. When I entered the park section, I saw 3 people I know.

@mhmfitwell

Rehearsal on the eve of all Hallow’s Eve. Time to break out the magic for @greatawakeningbrewco

Summon you there… I mean, see you there Saturday evening when the Singer Songwriter showcase takes the stage from 5-9

I’m second in the line up. Come out and support some wonderful songwriters.

@johnprout.online

#westernmassmusic #westfieldma #singersongwriter #allsaintsday #saturdaynights

How to close a monster tour, hugging for love and warmth in another parking lot and surprise paparazzi!

Shout out of love and gratitude for this amazing Literary Monster creation @ajwpuppets & @abee.jpeg.mp4 !

& so many thanks to all the audiences, supporters and arts funders on this chapter!

@drawingboardbrewingco @newtonculturalcouncil @masscultural @spfldmasslib @holyokelocalculturalcouncil @wistariahurst @fringepvd @clapplibrary @amherstcollege @joyofmusicprogram @kimbahoff123

& more!

We had too much fun so stay tuned for what’s next!

Today’s 7.5 mile run was actually 8.6. Oh potato!

Ran with the Franken-fellow though and managed to complete Robert Frost Trail sections 6, 5, 4, & 3. Oof!

He says Happy Halloween when you press his belly. I pressed a few times! Motivation comes in all forms.

@mhmfitwell

🌿✨ Tomorrow night! ✨🌿

Join us Wednesday, Oct 22 at 6:30 PM at the beautiful Meekins Library in Williamsburg for the final performance of our Echoes of Nature: Hampshire County series — a free, heart-filling evening of music, poetry, and connection.

We’ll gather in the Hawks Hayden Community Room to celebrate the land, the stories it holds, and the ways art can help us restore what feels fragile — our planet, our sense of belonging, our joy. 💚

In a time when both our communities and our environment feel under threat, this is your midweek invitation to pause, breathe, and reconnect. Expect song, poetry, laughter, and a touch of wildness. 🌾

This performance is supported by the Williamsburg Local Cultural Council — and it’s the last stop of our Echoes of Nature journey. Let’s make it a beautiful one.

📍 Meekins Library, 2 Williams Street, Williamsburg, MA
🕕 Wednesday, Oct 22 | 6:30 PM
💸 Free & open to all

@kimbahoff123 @meekinslibrary @masscultural

#echoesofnature #communitythroughart #westernmaartists #livemusicandpoetry #natureinspiredart #belonging #artfortheearth #massculturalcouncil #meekinslibrary #williamsburgma

What a beautiful weekend to be in Maine! We scouted out our stage for tomorrow’s workshop that @kimbahoff123 & I are so excited to lead, an exploration of our Echoes of Nature performance! Then we dove into some amazing creative workshops in a town full of poetry.

More festival events to go!
@belfastpoetryfestival

🌿✨ Join us for a powerful evening of story, sound, and place 🌍
Echoes of Nature: Hampshire County is coming to Meekins Library in Williamsburg on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 PM!
🎶 Live music, poetry, and multimedia storytelling

🆓 Free event — All are welcome!
📍 Meekins Library, 2 Williams Street, Williamsburg, MA

Presented with support from the Williamsburg Cultural Council

#echoesofnature #climateactionweek #ecoart #queerartists #meekinslibrary #poetryandmusic

, @meekinslibrary @kimbahoff123

🦇 Springfield — we’re coming for you this Wednesday! 👻

Join Shadow, Sound Spectacle this Wednesday, October 15 at 6:00 PM at the East Forest Park Branch Library — the newest gem in the Springfield City Library system (opened in 2019!) — for an evening of shadow puppets, poetry, and live music that celebrates the strange, the spooky, and the spectacular. 🌒✨

We’ll transform the library’s large community room into a world of queer monsters, haunted words, and shadowy illusions.

🎭 Shadow, Sound, Spectacle: Literary Monsters
📍 East Forest Park Branch Library — 136 Surrey Rd, Springfield
🕕 6 PM | Free + open to all (recommended ages 15+)

This is our second-to-last Western Mass performance — come get into the Halloween spirit and join us in the shadows before the tour wraps! 💀

This performance is supported by the Springfield Local Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

#literarymonsters #shadowsoundspectacle #springfieldma #spookyseason🎃 #queerart #westernmassart #halloweenvibes🎃 #poetryperformance #shadowpuppetry #massculturalcouncil #puppetry #puppets #westernmamusic

@ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4 @spfldmasslib @masscultural

🎭 NEW VENUE ALERT — SPRINGFIELD! 👻

Next Wednesday, October 15 at 6:00 PM, we bring Shadow, Sound, Spectacle: Literary Monsters to the East Forest Park Branch Library in Springfield (📍136 Surrey Rd).

A mashup of live music, poetry, and shadow puppetry, this show dives into the monstrous and the marvelous — just in time for spooky season. 🌒✨

🎟 Free + open to all (recommended ages 15+)
📚 Presented in partnership with Springfield City Library and supported by the Springfield Local Cultural Council.

This is our final Western Mass performance before the tour wraps — come celebrate, get weird, and join us in the shadows.

Bonus: cute puppy pic for your Friday joy

@ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4 @masscultural @spfldmasslib @haunted_new_england

#shadowsoundspectacle #puppets #puppetry #westernmamusic #literarymonsters #springfieldma #westernmassarts #spookyseason🎃 #poetryperformance #shadowpuppetry #livemusic #massculturalcouncil #cutepuppies

📚👻 Step into a spooky world of shadow and sound!

Join singer-songwriter Jess Martin, puppeteer Amy West, and multi-instrumentalist Abby Hanna (the troupe of Shadow, Sound, Spectacle) as they perform Literary Monsters: a multi-sensory mashup of live music, crankies, and shadow puppetry, inspired by classic monsters of gothic literature and queer identity.

🗓️ Wednesday, October 15
🕕 6:00 PM
📍 Springfield City Library – Indian Orchard Branch
🎤 Artist Q&A to follow
🎟 Free & open to the public. Recommended for adults & teens.

🧛‍♂️ Come for the monsters, stay for the magic.

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Springfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

#literarymonsters #indianorchardma #shadowpuppetry #queerartist🏳️‍🌈 #springfieldma #massculturalcouncil #shadowsoundspectacle #puppet #puppetry #westernmassmusic #lgbtqmusic #livemusic #edgarallanpoe #maryshelley #annerice #washingtonirving

@ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4 @spfldmasslib @masscultural

🎶 Song Share Showcase Night! 🎶
Next Thursday, Oct 9 at 7 PM, join our Song Share Session for Nonbinary, Trans and Women Singer Songwriters as we gather one last time at @drawingboardbrewing to celebrate two amazing years of music, friendship, and community. 💛 Huge love to Corey and Tonka for giving us such a welcoming home for our songs and stories.

There are still a few spots open—DM me if you’d like to grab 10 minutes to share your songs! I’ll be bringing the big speaker so we can fill the room one last time.

Audience is always welcome, we love nurturing this community space for our songwriters, poets, and friends. Let’s raise a glass, sing our hearts out, and imagine what comes next together.

💫 Here’s to every song, every harmony, and every brave voice that’s made this space shine. See you this Thursday!

@drawingboardbrewingco @olivianiedmusic_official @nancyjhoward @anneseuthe

#songshare #songwritersofinstagram #drawingboardbrewing #openmicnight #northamptonma #westernmamusic #lgbtqmusic #nonbinaryartist #trans musician #womensingersongwriters

Sections 8 & 7 complete on the Robert Frost Trail. I’ve completed a marathon!

Beautiful morning to run!

@mhmfitwell

Another fabulous round with this amazing duo @bornmiddleaged @kimbahoff123 while we sang it out @easthamptonporchfest

So grateful for the beautiful sunshine, the Honkytonk crowd (you fabulous sing-a-longers you!), and the best ever driveway sharing band in the state of Massachusetts @reuben_toadstool !

Hope I didn’t break your 💜 Easthampton with my Patsy Cline number, but then again, sorry/not sorry.

Shout out to the magical elves who run the scene behind the scenes, Felicia, Steve, and Rusty (aka our @easthamptonporchfest miracle workers). And thanks to our driveway hosts (Koni!).

An amazing day! Let’s do it again tomorrow. 🤠

Yeehaw y’all!

#queercountry #easthamptonma #westernmamusic #honkytonk #porchfest #easthamptonporchfest

🌈🤠✨ Four days till we queer up the Easthmapton Porchfest (shout out 3rd annual!!!)! Honkytonk Queer Tones (Jess Martin, Emmett Troxel & Kim Hoff) are bringing fabulously gay, unapologetically political country covers to Easthampton’s Porchfest 🎶

We’re taking those twangy tunes you know and love, bending them sideways, and making space for joy, glitter, and rebellion in a genre that doesn’t always welcome us. Come stomp, sing, and yee-haw with us THIS SATURDAY, Oct 4, from 3–4 PM.

We’ll be playing at 10 Bryan Ave in the Park District. Followed by the fabulous Reuben Toadstool and the Plastic Pastrami Band (#albumreleaseparty!), so stick around for an amazing double feature. Wear your boots! Bring your saddle (or chair). Let’s goooooooo!

Country’s never sounded this queer. 💃🏽🌟🌈

@kimbahoff123 @bornmiddleaged @easthamptonporchfest
@reuben_toadstool

#porchfest #queercountry #HonkytonkQueerTones #westernmassmusic #easthamptonma

Sections 11, 10 & 9+ complete. Accidentally ran past my pickup point by 1.1 miles. Oops! Beautiful day on the RFT. But cookin’!

@mhmfitwell

#robertfrosttrail

Section 12 complete, 3 of 14 done on the Robert Frost Trail on this beautiful Sunday.

Shout out to @mhmfitwell !

The audience has spoken! Thanks to everyone who came out to @wistariahurst last night for our premiere of Headless, the music video and the audition of three new songs for Shadow, Sound, Spectacle to puppify next!

There was a tiebreaker involved, but the amazing volunteers at the museum jumped on Shook Shake as the winner!

Did you miss us? No worries, friends and friends-yet-to-meet, LibraryPalooza will pick up on October 15 @spfldmasslib at the Indian Orchard branch. Join us!

As always shout out to @holyokelocalculturalcouncil for your support.

& happy fall y’all!

@ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4 @exploreholyoke @haunted_new_england

#puppetry #puppets #hauntednewengland #literarymonsters #shadowsoundspectacle #westernmass #lgbtqmusic

We’re going on soon! Our @massappealwwlp debut! Check out @abee.jpeg.mp4 and me as we talk about Literary Monsters, our show this Saturday @wistariahurst and getting people all in the know about Shadow, Sound, Spectacle.

Shout at you @ajwpuppets !

Hope to see you there this weekend!

Funding shout out to:
@holyokelocalculturalcouncil

@hauntednewengland @exploreholyoke

#literarymonsters #holyokema #puppets #puppetry #shadowsoundspectacle #westernma #singersongwriter

Thank you @clapplibrary for a wonderful afternoon. Shadow, Sound, Spectacle brought Literary Monsters to a lovely audience. Looking forward to next weekend’s performance @wistariahurst

Meanwhile, tomorrow, @abee.jpeg.mp4 & I go on a field trip to be featured on @masslive !

So amazing to collaborate with you two @abee.jpeg.mp4 & @ajwpuppets

#puppets #puppetry #westernmass #westernmassmusic #belchertownma #singersongwriters #lgbtqmusic #literarymonsters #spookyseason🎃 #hauntednewengland

Robert Frost Trail, section 13 (lucky number). Part 2 for me complete. The start was not under sold by any means. But after that 500 foot climb, things got better.

Shout out to @mhmfitwell !

Next section looks epic.

🚨🎶 THIS THURSDAY! 🎶🚨

This Thursday, SEPT 11 we’re taking over Drawing Board Brewing in Florence for an evening of music, poetry, stories, and community — all by nonbinary, trans & women singer-songwriters.

📅 Thursday 9/11
🕖 7–9 PM (community check-in 7:00, first share 7:20)
📍 36 Main St, Florence, MA
🎤 Original works only (brewery rules!)

✨ Bring that half-finished verse. Try out something totally new. Dust off a piece you’ve been dying to share. Or just come listen and cheer on your fellow artists.

🍻 Beer, soda, water at the bar. BYO snacks.
🅿️ Parking behind the brewery + on Main St.

Let’s fill the room with songs, voices, and good vibes — fall feelings in the air, let’s sing through them.

Come. Create. Connect.

@drawingboardbrewingco

#westernmassmusic #florencema #songshare #originalmusician #transmusician #nonbinaryartist #womenmusicians #communitythroughart #openmicvibes

Today marks the beginning of my Robert Frost Trail run, self-imposed challenge. Completed section 14, working my way north to south, so the last section is my first section. 5 miles of 47 complete!

Shout out to @mhmfitwell for all the personal training and training I’ve been putting in since May.

It’s exciting to get started.

Grateful for @kimbahoff123 for picking me up at the other end so it didn’t have to be a 10 mile challenge!
❤️

#masstrails #robertfrosttrail #trailrunningcommunity #westernmasstrails #mhmfitwell

💧✨ Memory ✨💧
Inspired by the Lake Wallace Sensory Trail in Belchertown, this song holds space for the fragility of memory and the weight of history.

The trail sits on the grounds of the former Belchertown State School, a site of deep harm and resilience. Though science tells us water doesn’t carry memory, places often feel like they do—haunted, yet also offering healing. 🌿

Memory asks: how do we honor the past without turning away? How do we learn, repair, and find sanctuary in community and in nature?

Hear it live at Echoes of Nature / Echoes in Community:
📅 Sat, Sept 6 | 🕖 7 PM
📍 EMedia Studios, Easthampton (Art Walk)
🎟 Free & open to all

🎥 Recorded by Aaron Williams

Creative partners:
@kimbahoff123 @juponglin @thndrkat @carolyn_cushing @easthamptonporchfest @ehlibrary @easthamptonmedia

#echoesofnature #memory #lakewallace #belchertownma #easthamptonartwalk #poetryandmusic #westernmassarts

🖤 Monsters Are Coming to Wistariahurst! 🎭

Join Shadow, Sound, Spectacle on Sat, Sept 20, 7 PM for Literary Monsters — a queer-led, multimedia spectacle with shadow puppets, original songs, video, and crankies.

✨ Special Highlights:
🎬 World Premiere: Headless by Abby Hanna, Amy West & Jess Martin
🎸 Live Music: all-original songs by @jessmartinmusic
🗳 You Decide: vote on the next Literary Monsters story!
🎤 Post-Show Q&A with the artists

💡 A love letter to misfits, monsters & transformation — inspired by Poe, Shelley, Dickinson, Rice & Greek myth.

🎟 Tickets & Merch: on sale now! Grab your ticket + Literary Monsters shirt 👉 link in bio

📍 Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St, Holyoke, MA
Adults & teens welcome!

@ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4 @wistariahurst @exploreholyoke

#literarymonsters #shadowsoundspectacle #queerartist🏳️‍🌈 #livemusic #westernmassmusic #holyokeevents #theater #multimediaperformance #puppets #puppetry

🌲✨ Sanctuary ✨🌲
What does it mean to claim dominion over the wild—only to realize how foolish that is? This song wrestles with colonial legacies, our fragile relationship with the land, and the search for balance + refuge.

Inspired by the Wolf Hill Sanctuary in Southampton, Sanctuary asks us to listen, not conquer. To belong, not own. 🌿🐺

Hear it live as part of Echoes of Nature / Echoes in Community:
📅 Sat, Sept 6 | 🕖 7 PM
📍 EMedia Studios, Easthampton (Art Walk)
🎟 Free & open to all

🎥 Reel Recorded by Aaron Williams

@easthamptonmedia @easthamptonporchfest @ehlibrary @kimbahoff123 @easthamptoncityarts @juponglin @carolyn_cushing @thndrkat

#echoesofnature #sanctuary #easthamptonartwalk #livemusic #poetryandmusic #westernmassartists #queerartists

🌪️✨ Stormchasers ✨🌪️
A song about love, nature, and the pull of forces greater than ourselves—opening our Echoes of Nature / Echoes in Community performance next week.

What does it mean to hold on in the midst of uncertainty? To find beauty in the storm? 🌿💔⚡

Catch this moment live:
📅 Sat, Sept 6 | 🕖 7 PM
📍 EMedia Studios, Easthampton (Art Walk)
🎟 Free & open to all

Full night of music + poetry, filmed by @easthamptonmedia

Other wonderful folks: @ehlibrary @easthamptonporchfest @easthamptoncityarts @kimbahoff123 @thndrkat @carolyn_cushing @juponglin

#echoesofnature #stormchasers #easthamptonartwalk #livemusic #poetryandmusic #westernmassarts #westernmass #westernmassmusic

🌿✨ Echoes of Nature / Echoes in Community ✨🌿
📅 Saturday, Sept 6 | 🕖 7–9 PM
📍 EMedia Studios, 116 Pleasant St, Easthampton (Eastworks)
🎟 Free & open to all

As part of Easthampton Art Walk, we’re gathering for a night of music + poetry that leans into nature, grief, resilience, and renewal.

Article link 🔗 in bio

Echoes of Nature (7–8 PM)
🎶 Jess Martin – singer-songwriter
📝 Kim Hoff – poet + educator
Original work inspired by the landscapes + community of Hampshire County

Echoes in Community (8:05–9 PM)
Featuring powerful voices from our local poetry scene:
✨ Carolyn Zaikowski (Easthampton Poet Laureate, featured reader)
✨ Carolyn Cushing (former Poet Laureate)
✨ JuPong Lin
✨ Isabella Gitana
✨ Kathryn Good-Schiff

Together, we’ll create space for reflection, healing, and connection.
🎥 Recorded live by E*Media

💚 Free entry • Doors 6:45 PM
🌐 jessmartin-music.com

This program is funded in part by grants from the Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, and Williamsburg Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

@juponglin @kimbahoff123 @easthamptoncityarts @easthamptonporchfest @easthamptonmedia @ehlibrary @carolyn_cushing @thndrkat

#easthamptonartwalk #echoesofnature #poetryandmusic #queerartists #communitycare #westernmassarts

Queer Country! It’s here; it’s tonight (Saturday Aug 23 at 7 pm)!

@bornmiddleaged @kimbahoff123
& me!

See you at Luthiers in Easthampton! Yeehaw!

@luthierscoop @lovebird_kitchen
#westernmamusic #queercountry #easthamptonma #lgbtqmusic #saturdaynight

Saturday, August 23 · 7–8 PM · Free
@luthierscoop

I’m partnerin’ up with the delightful & talented Emmett Troxel (@bornmiddleaged & Kim Hoff @kimbahoff123 to bring you some Queer Country at Luthier’s Coop in Easthampton.

Think: country tunes with a queer spin, a little sass, a little politics (because how could we not resist?).

Only one hour, the stakes are high, the songs are twangin’gay—grab a drink, taste the delicious food from Lovebird Kitchen. If you don’t laugh, we’re doing it wrong.

#queercountry #westernmassmusic #lgbtqmusic #theseboots #easthamptonma #luthierscoop #lgbtqcountry

Secrets your parents don’t tell you
Secrets revealed one nail clipper at a time
Not an exhaustive search

Georgia mud
Guitar acquired
From Seth’s closet
Made of clay?
I shall play a quiet country song
Left alone in my Atlanta Hilton

🚨🎶 TWO DAYS AWAY! 🎶🚨

This Thursday, Aug 14 we’re taking over Drawing Board Brewing in Florence for an evening of music, poetry, stories, and community — all by nonbinary, trans & women singer-songwriters.

📅 Thursday 8/14
🕖 7–9 PM (community check-in 7:00, first share 7:20)
📍 36 Main St, Florence, MA
🎤 Original works only (brewery rules!)

✨ Bring that half-finished verse. Try out something totally new. Dust off a piece you’ve been dying to share. Or just come listen and cheer on your fellow artists.

🍻 Beer, soda, water at the bar. BYO snacks.
🅿️ Parking behind the brewery + on Main St.

Let’s fill the room with songs, voices, and good vibes — and maybe a few Perseid-inspired lines (the meteor shower’s still lighting up the skies 🌌💫).

Come. Create. Connect.

@drawingboardbrewingco

#westernmassmusic #florencema #songshare #originalmusician #transmusician #nonbinaryartist #womenmusicians #communitythroughart #openmicvibes #perseidinspiration

Echoes of Natures retreat day in the studio. Spending time with a young videographer I just met. Grateful for a world of creative people

🌈🎶 Queer Country Takes the Stage! 🎶🌈

We’re bringing twang with a twist to Luthier’s Co-op on Saturday, August 23 at 7 PM!

Join Jess Martin, Emmett Troxel & Kim Hoff for a night of country songs turned sideways — full of heart, humor, and a healthy dose of queer & political spice. If you don’t laugh… well, we’ve clearly done something wrong.

📍 Luthier’s Co-op, Easthampton, MA
🕖 Saturday 8/23, 7:00 PM
💃 Come hang, sing along, and raise a glass!

@kimbahoff123 @bornmiddleaged @luthierscoop

#queercountry #livemusic #westernmassmusic #luthierscoop #supportlocalartist #countrywithaconscience #YeehawButMakeItQueer #yeehaw #lgbtqmusic #easthamptonma

🌠✨ Calling all nonbinary, trans & women singer-songwriters in Western Mass! ✨🌠

Join us for an evening of music, poetry, story, and creative connection at our next Song Share Session — a welcoming space to try new things, share your process, and meet fellow artists.

📅 Thursday, August 14
🕖 7–9 PM (Community check-in starts at 7, sharing begins at 7:20)
📍 Drawing Board Brewing, 36 Main St, Florence, MA

🎶 This is an original works only space (no covers—brewery rules!), and you’re welcome to just listen or jump in and share.

✨ New voices encouraged. Returning friends celebrated. Bring your notebook, guitar, loop pedal, or poem scribbled on the back of a receipt. We’re here for it.

🍻 Beverages available at the bar. Bring your own snacks.
🅿️ Parking behind the brewery or on Main St!

Let’s build community through creativity—together. And hey, with the Perseid meteor shower peaking next week, maybe a falling star will inspire your next verse 🌌💫

@drawingboardbrewingco

#westernmassmusic #florencema #songwriterscircles #nonbinaryartist #transmusician #womenwhorock #poetryandprocess #originalmusic #perseidinspiration #communitythroughart

🎶 This Saturday, don’t miss the scene—

Song and story where the trees have been 🌲✨

Join me + Kim Hoff for an evening of sound,
Where nature and verse and music abound.

📍 Ana Bandeira — 48 Main
In Northampton, where art meets rain (metaphorically 😉)
🕕 6 PM — free entry, good vibes, good air

Echoes of Nature: Hampshire County takes the stage,
Lyrical lines, folk tunes, and the wisdom of age.
A set inspired by the woods, the sky,
The questions we ask, the reasons why 💭💚

Come wander with us without leaving town—
See you Saturday as the sun goes down 🌅

@kimbahoff123 @anabandeirachocolates.us

#echoesofnature #northamptonma #weekendplan #folkandpoetry #livemusicma #indiefolk #newenglandartists #songwritersofinstagram

🌿✨ show alert! ✨🌿

On saturday, august 2 at 6 PM, Kim Hoff and I are bringing our collaborative project Echoes of Nature: Hampshire County to Ana Bandeira in downtown Northampton — and we’d love to see you there!

it’s a chill, lyrical set of music and spoken word inspired by our love of local landscapes, seasonal shifts, and the quiet beauty of the woods. we may even slip in a few extra pieces sparked by recent wanderings through new england trails 🌲

📍 ana bandeira – 48 main street, northampton
🕕 music starts at 6 PM
💚 free, cozy, nature-soaked vibes

bring a friend, take a deep breath, and join us for an evening of song + story rooted in place.

@kimbahoff123 @anabandeirachocolates.us

#echoesofnature #northamptonma #livemusic #indiefolk #poetryandmusic #natureinspired #newenglandcreatives #songwritersofinstagram

Last week, we had the amazing experience of performing @fringepvd !

If you were there, yay! Thanks for joining us for our Providence premiere of Shadow, Sound, Spectacle’s Literary Monsters. Featuring the enormously talented folks @ajwpuppets & @abee.jpeg.mp4

You can vote for us: favorite musical performance, favorite ensemble & favorite show - 🔗 in bio

#fringepvd #puppets #puppetry #shadowsoundspectacle #edgarallanpoe #maryshelley #emilydickinson #literarymonsters #tour2025 #lgbtqmusic #providenceri

What an unforgettable week at #fringepvd 💥

We had an amazing time premiering Shadow, Sound, Spectacle: Literary Monsters and are so grateful to the audiences who showed up with curiosity and heart, to the tireless volunteers, and to the incredible FringePVD crew who make this whirlwind celebration of art, theater, and creativity happen.

Huge shoutout to our ensemble: Amy West, Abby Hanna, and me, Jess Martin — we’re so proud of what we’ve built together and can’t wait for what’s next… 👀

AND! You can vote for us in the FringePVD Awards — your support means everything!
🏆 Voting open through July 26: link in bio 💜

@fringepvd @ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4

#shadowsoundspectacle #literarymonsters #fringefestival #puppets #puppetry #fringepvd2025 #experimentaltheater #interdisciplinaryart #supporttheartists #providencearts #singersongwriters #lgbtqmusic

Song Share Session for Nonbinary, Trans & Women Singer-Songwriters is tonight at 7 pm @sip_413 !

Join in this community conversation and opportunity to present your work. Audience always welcome!

#communitysinging #westernmamusic #florencema #songshare #lgbtqmusic #singersongwriters #sweetsandtreats #thursdaynightlive

Art appreciation Ithaca photo scavenger hunt kinda morning

Just popping in with a quick follow-up—we’re less than one week away from our debut of Shadow, Sound, Spectacle: Literary Monsters at FringePVD, and would love to see you there !

We’re a Western Mass/Boston-based trio bringing an original music-and-puppetry performance to 50 Sims on:

Tuesday, July 15 & Wednesday, July 16
7 PM
$20 at the door
FringePVD / Wilbury Theatre Group | 50 Sims Ave, Second Stage
Tix on sale now

The show is a gothic, genre-bending trip through music, shadow puppetry, and literary lore—from Mary Shelley to Poe, Dickinson to summer monster movies. It’s strange, heartfelt, and a little bit spooky—in the best way.

@fringepvd @ajwpuppets @abee.jpeg.mp4 @50simsri

#fringepvd #puppets #puppetry #lgbtqmusic #providenceri #summermonster #literarymonsters #edgarallanpoe #maryshelley #emilydickinson #annerice #vampiress #creaturefeature #livemusic

Join us next week @fringepvd on Tuesday July 15 at 7 pm and Wednesday July 16 @ 7 pm @50simsri

LIVE MUSIC LIVE PUPPETS LIVE SPECTACLE!

Shadow, Sound, Spectacle presents Literary Monsters.

Tix 🔗 in bio
@abee.jpeg.mp4 @ajwpuppets

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🌿✨ Echoes of Nature: Hampshire County — LIVE at Ana Bandeira! ✨🌿
📅 Saturday, August 2 | 🕕 6 PM
📍 48 Main Street, Northampton

Join Kim Hoff & Jess Martin for a magical summer evening of lyrical storytelling & music inspired by the wild beauty of our local landscapes — from the Old Trolley Line Trail in Easthampton to Sweet Alice in Amherst. 🌲🎶

This public performance is also a fundraiser for our fall tour (Easthampton, Williamsburg & beyond!), so your presence helps us keep the music moving.

🍫 PLUS: Ana Bandeira’s famous chocolate + yummy treats = extra reason to come early and stay late. Support local music, local sweets, and your local trails, all in one night.

📣 Bring a friend, spread the word, and let’s fill the room with music, community, and joy.

@anabandeirachocolates.us @kimbahoff123

#echoesofnature #northamptonevents #localmusicians #anabandeirachocolatesus #hampshirecountyartists #supportthetour #natureinspiredmusic #chocolateandchords #westernmamusic
#naturepoetry

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@jessmartinmusic

"Jess's gift for storytelling work in tandem with their evocative vocals on these three works {Haunted Singles: Nevermore, Headless, Every Quiet Night}. Though we've heard these tales before, Martin's layered and intimate approach to the material wholly transports the listener, enfolding us into the goosebump-inducing realm of ghosts."

Lily Sexton,

Splendid Torch & Sweet Lightning

in the media, in the world

Read

Nov 4 2025: The Heights review of Literary Monsters: "Shadow, Sound, Spectacle Brings Queer, Creative Twist to Classic Monster Tales at Newton Free Library"

Listen

May 1 2025: Valley Free Radio

"Literary Monsters visit the Town Crier!"

Watch

Mass Appeal spot: Literary Monsters interview with Jess Martin & Abby Hanna

Bonus

Hampshire Gazette: Making space for Trans Voices

The Projects

Book Us

Shadow, Sound, Spectacle

Media Kit

Book Us

Echoes of Nature: Hampshire County

Media Kit

Haunted Singles Project:

Nevermore, Headless,

Every Quiet Night

Song Share Sessions, Haunting Melodies, Echoes of Nature & Shadow, Sound, Spectacle

Hosts monthly Song Song Share Sessions for Nonbinary, Trans and Women Singer Songwriters at Drawing Board Brewing in Florence, MA. See Events, every second Thursday at 7 PM. Read all about it in the Daily Hampshire Gazette!
New Singles: In Fall 2024, Jess released three new singles: 'Nevermore,' 'Every Quiet Night,' and 'Headless,' each inspired by classic literature. *Special shout out: Nevermore is featured in the latest publication from Ravens Quoth Press: Evermore 4 (now available)!
Echoes of Nature (Media Kit) is a collaborative project with Kim Hoff (nature essayist and poet) that merges music and poetry to inspire stewardship and inclusivity in six natural locations across Hampshire County. Read more here: Hampshire Gazette
Shadow, Sound, Spectacle (Media Kit), merges music and puppetry to create immersive, visual storytelling experiences. Jess is joined by collaborators: Amy J. West and Abby Hanna. Read more here: Mass Live

STREAMING PLATFORMS

Coming Up Next

ABOUT JESS MARTIN

Queer Fire. Haunting Folk. Songs for the Wild and Unruly.

Jess Martin is a queer singer-songwriter and performance artist from Western Massachusetts, crafting music at the charged intersection of gothic folk, poetic punk, and theatrical storytelling. With a voice that stirs like a storm and lyrics that echo with myth, memory, and resistance, Jess has been called “a punk rock Joan Baez”—an artist lighting the way for misfits, dreamers, and fellow truth-tellers.

Their work spans three bold, touring projects:

Jess Martin (solo/duo): Lyrical, raw, and electric. With Spotify standouts like Planet Earth and Misfit Moon Blues, Jess channels queer longing and defiant joy through stripped-down sets that leave a lasting mark.
Shadow, Sound, Spectacle (with puppeteer Amy West and musician Abby Hanna): A genre-blurring theatrical collaboration, fusing live music, puppetry, and visual storytelling. Touring now with Literary Monsters, this queer, gothic spectacle reimagines classic horror through a lens of transformation, ancestry, and survival.
Echoes of Nature: Hampshire County (with poet Kim Hoff): A place-based, acoustic performance series blending original music, poetry, and visuals. Rooted in conservation and community, this queer/ecological project invites audiences to listen closely to land, memory, and myth.

Jess is also a committed activist working to build inclusive stages for trans, nonbinary, and women artists. Whether on a theater stage or deep in the woods, their performances invite you to feel more, question more, and come home to your wild self.