State Radio, the Boston-based band known for songs such as “Indian Moon,” “Camilo” and “Calling All Crows,” is coming to the Calvin Theater in Northampton at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
The band consists of Chad Urmston, a former member of the band Dispatch who’s on lead vocals and guitar, Chuck Fay on bass and drummer Mike Najarian.
Opening for State Radio will be Huckleberry Binge, a band formerly known as Tequila Mockingbird. It is made up of upstate New York musicians Jonah Simonak and William Meyer. The band plays alternative folk music.
State Radio isn’t just known for its alternative rock sound, but also its humanitarianism. In 2008, the band developed an activist group called Calling All Crows which was intended to “inspire public service” and “promote human rights,” according to its website. The organization, which is also the name of one of its songs, works to provide shelter to women in Afghanistan and aims to give them the opportunity to be educated.
The band is currently working with Oxfam America’s Stoves for Sudan Project, according to its website. Calling All Crows hopes that it will raise money to provide 5,000 stoves to 5,000 women in Sudan through fan activism before concerts.
State Radio released its first studio album in 2006, “Us Against the Crown,” from which songs such as “Right me Up,” “Camilo,” “Indian Moon” and “Right Me Up” were born. Its second studio album, “Year of the Crow,” was released a year later in 2007, and then in 2009, “Let it Go” was released and in October of 2012, “Rabbit Inn Rebellion,” the band’s fourth album, was released.
The band is currently on a tour and will play at various destinations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Illinois, as well as various destinations in Europe, including Munich and Vienna.
State Radio’s song, “Keepsake” was featured in the third season finale of the Showtime series “Weeds.” The song was also played in an episode of “Cold Case” and in a 2010 episode of “Hawaii Five-0.” It opened for Dave Matthews Band in May of 2008 in Burgettstown, Pa. and in Camden, N.J.
The band played near the Democratic National Convention along with Rage Against the Machine and other bands in an act of protest, according to its Wikipedia page.
Tickets to Saturday’s concert are $26.
Steffi Porter can be reached at [email protected].
