Many musicians dream of leaving a legacy behind with their music, but few actually get to do so in a truly meaningful way.
But one local artist who died eight years ago has achieved that honor, thanks to his friends and the community in which he played.
J. Scott “Bow Bow” Brandon, a staple of the Western Massachusetts music scene for decades, who died at age 44 in 2017, had a fund started in his name in 2021. The J. Scott Brandon Music Scholarship ensures that all interested students in Northampton schools have the opportunity to receive music lessons and supplies for their instruments.
And for the fourth consecutive year, the scholarship will look to raise funds via the “Bow Bow Bash,” a concert at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on May 24 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18, or $6 for students with an ID.
Steve Sanderson, arts events producer for the Northampton Arts Council, was Brandon’s best friend, and he started the scholarship to honor him. A year later, they added the live event.
“We wanted an event that brought attention to what we were doing and why we were doing it,” Sanderson said. “And it needed to include students, because one of the main reasons for creating the fund was because Bow and I met in the band room of Taunton High School in 1987.”
The pair bonded over a mutual love of punk music when Sanderson noticed Brandon wearing a Sex Pistols T-shirt. The very first “Bow Bow Bash” in 2022 brought everything full circle when a mutual friend of both musicians gave Sanderson the shirt right before the show.
“So, I squeezed my beer belly into and wore it,” Sanderson said with a laugh.
Sanderson originally brought the idea for the fund to the Northampton Arts Council, and soon thereafter, Downtown Sounds joined the effort, followed by the Northampton Community Music Center and then last year, the Iron Horse.
“So now it’s a four-part partnership, and we try not to refuse a single student,” he said.
So far, no one who has needed help has been turned down, Sanderson added, and anyone who has an interest in music or a gift for it is eligible. The fund goes to paying for lessons beyond school, but also instruments and repair, if needed.
Sanderson said that not only did Brandon have a vast knowledge of all types of music, (“I learned about more music from Bow than anybody else”), he exuded his love for his art in palpable ways.
“Bow Bow embodied the rock ‘n’ roll spirit, everybody who knew him knew that,” Sanderson said. “So when I go to the Bow Bow Bash and see 175 people jumping up and down to an NHS student band, I know his spirit is alive.”
Liner Notes
- Comedian Tom Segura will play Springfield’s MassMutual Center on May 22 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $39.50 and can be found at massmutualcenter.com.
- Free Music Fridays return to MGM Springfield Plaza on May 23 with The Eagles Experience tribute band. The outdoor concert series is held, weather permitting, each Friday from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
- Likewise, the Sunset Music Series continues on May 23 and every Friday and Sunday through Oct. 9 at Glendale Ridge Vineyard in Southampton. The series features local acoustic acts from 5 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 4 to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
