One of my favorite things about going to Amherst as opposed to, oh, I don’t know… Williams… is the fact that Northampton is the second most popular stop for musicians on tour in New England (after Boston). Although the concerts have always been great in my three years thus far at Amherst, I think this fall has a really extra special lineup, so I’ve compiled a list of concerts that I highly recommend, and at which you can give me a high five (read: I’ll be there). Mark your Google Calendars! Tickets are available in person or at the IHEG website, along with even more details, perhaps even information about all of the opening acts I’ve neglected to mention.

Built to Spill: Thursday, September 18, 7 PM
Built to Spill’s “Dystopian Dream Girl” was the first “indie” song I ever heard. I really don’t know what else to say about this band. They’re the reason I ended up dedicating my last five years in the public school system to learning about contemporary music (surreptitiously of course, if anyone went to a school cool enough to actually legitimize such a goal, I hate you). Built to Spill is no longer my favorite band and I’m no longer a frustrated and bored kid on Long Island, but the exuberant jangly pop of “Big Dipper” and the epic driving rock of “I Would Hurt a Fly” remain. Must not miss.

Mount Eerie: Saturday, September 20, 10 PM
Mount Eerie is Phil Elv(e)rum, the man behind the late great Microphones. I make no secret of the fact that I count The Microphones’ brilliant The Glow, Pt. 2 among my top five records of all time (other four TBD), although I do like to keep my possession and encyclopedic knowledge of every Microphones/Mt Eerie live album under wraps. Aside from a poor memory for his own songs, Elverum is known for his creative lo-fi arrangements, many collaborators (Mirah, Khaela Macirich of The Blow, Calvin Johnson, Karl Blau, et al), and overwhelming yet unpretentious lyrics. Go if You Like: José Gonzalez (for the quietly pretty parts), My Bloody Valentine (for the lush fuzzy noise freak outs).

Andrew Bird: Friday, October 10, 8 PM
Andrew Bird is a violinist, singer, and self described professional whistler. Demonstrating the kind of adept multitasking usually reserved for freshmen abusing Adderall during finals period, at any given time during a concert, you are probably hearing him do all of these things at once (with the assistance of a pedal operated sampling machine-thing). Darling of the indie world as well as the “legitimate press,” Bird writes a music blog (much like mine! No… much, much better) for the New York Times when he isn’t singing songs about nuclear war and the likelihood that your conception was an accident.

Mirah: Monday, October 20, 8:30 PM
As mentioned above, Mirah is a sometimes collaborator of Phil Elverum, hailing from that great indie incubator of the Pacific Northwest. The short story is that this Jewish lesbian singer-songwriter-guitarist is so adorably shy that she’s often unable to open her eyes and look at the audience during performances. Her songs range in content and style from Western-influenced (like “Old West” Western) unrequited love power ballad “Cold Cold Water,” to the slow boil sensuality of songs like “Gone Sugaring” and “Make it Hot.” Her most recent releases have been a little off the mark, veering far afield into what can most aptly be described as Joanna Newsom Territory, but that doesn’t change the sheer charm (and high odds of hearing older material) of her live shows.

Ingrid Michaelson: Saturday, November 1st, 7 PM
I had the good fortune to see Ingrid Michaelson last spring when she opened for Feist at Smith College’s Spring Concert (I’m already getting a migraine thinking about the things I will have to write on this blog when planning starts for Amherst’s Spring Concert this year, but I digress). At the time I didn’t know anything about her except that she was the voice behind the Old Navy sweater commercial than ran last summer. Things I learned: women who perform very nice love songs that are featured on Grey’s Anatomy can also curse quite prolifically, and there are people from Staten Island besides the Wu-Tang Clan capable of making good music. In the world of chicks that sing and play a variety of instruments and perform what would be considered extremely good standup between songs, well… Ingrid Michaelson is probably the only one.