Areliz Barbosa, founder of The Compassion Project, aims to serve 2,000 meals to those in need this Thanksgiving in Holyoke, marking the 23rd year of her initiative. 


Verse 1
In the heart of the valley where the river runs wide
Lives a woman with kindness that she never hides
For twenty-three years she's been answering the call
Feeding the hungry, one and all

Chorus
Compassion Holyoke, your light still burns
In a world that forgets, your heart returns
To the people who gather when the cold winds blow
Bless the hands of Areliz Barbosa, and the souls she knows

Verse 2
From small kitchens' warmth to the streets outside
Two thousand meals, and her hope as guide
She says love's not words, it's what we do
And each plate she serves makes that truth ring true

Chorus
Compassion Holyoke, your light still burns
In a world that forgets, your heart returns
To the people who gather when the cold winds blow
Bless the hands of Areliz Barbosa, and the souls she knows

Bridge
There's more than food in a gift like this
It's a moment of grace, a taste of bliss
Where strangers meet and hearts are fed
And gratitude is the daily bread

Final Chorus
Compassion Holyoke, may your spirit grow
Through the years and the hearts you know
In every meal, in each life you sew
Compassion Holyoke, let your kindness flow

Compassion Holyoke

Firefighters battle massive fire at Amherst apartment complex. According to a news release from Amherst Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren, the fire was originally reported by 911 callers at 8:19 p.m. on Friday. Units arriving in the area discovered that a four-story building, which was under construction, was fully engulfed in flames, with fire spreading to nearby buildings. 


(Verse 1)
Night broke open on Kellogg Street,
Sirens cut through the autumn heat,
Wood frame rising, dreams half-made,
Now swallowed whole by the fire brigade.
Students watching with faces pale,
Ash like snow on the evening gale,
The lights of Amherst painted red,
Over the place where builders tread.
(Chorus)
Three-alarm fire, hearts in the smoke,
Hope turns to embers, faith to oak,
We stand in the glow where the rafters fall,
Three-alarm fire, it burned through all.
(Verse 2)
Windows cracking, beams collapse,
Engines roar through smoky gaps,
Ladders climbing, hoses scream,
Fighting the ghost of a vanished dream.
Chief calls orders through static haze,
Men and women move through the blaze,
Neighbors praying the flames will die,
While sparks write stories across the sky.
(Chorus)
Three-alarm fire, hearts in the smoke,
Hope turns to embers, faith to oak,
We stand in the glow where the rafters fall,
Three-alarm fire, it burned through all.
(Bridge)
By morning's light the cinders cool,
The air still thick, the silence cruel,
They'll build again, they always do,
From ashes rise a brighter view.
(Chorus - final)
Three-alarm fire, hearts in the smoke,
Hope turns to embers, faith to oak,
We stand in the glow where the rafters fall,
Three-alarm fire, we rise through it all.

Three Alarm Fire

When thousands of Massachusetts residents lost their SNAP benefits on November 1, one Holyoke girl decided to take action in her own community. 


Verse 1
When the SNAP checks stopped on November one,
Folks were hurting, the shelves were done.
A little girl saw what grown-ups missed,
Said, “I can help with hands like this.”

Chorus
Little food bank by the road,
Take what you need, lighten your load.
Kindness built from a child's hand,
Little food bank helps the land.

Verse 2
She found an old box by a maple tree,
Painted it bright so folks could see.
Cans and bread, a bit to share,
For anyone who needed care.

Chorus
Little food bank by the road,
Take what you need, lighten your load.
Kindness built from a child's hand,
Little food bank helps the land.

Verse 3
Her mama posted word online,
And neighbors gave what they could find.
Soon that box was full each day,
And hungry hearts had food to stay.

Chorus
Little food bank by the road,
Take what you need, lighten your load.
Kindness built from a child's hand,
Little food bank helps the land.

Verse 4
Now folks stop by with thanks to give,
A sign of hope for how we live.
One small heart began the spark,
That warms this town when times are dark.

Chorus
Little food bank by the road,
Take what you need, lighten your load.
Kindness built from a child's hand,
Little food bank helps the land.

Little Food Bank

Granby Preservation Society presents a Festival of Trees & Baskets 

November 29th and 30th, 2025 - Adam Sweet and Students from Granby Music will be performing Christmas Carols starting at 2pm

December 6th and 7th, 2025

11am - 6pm

250 State St Granby, MA

fundraising@granbypreservationsociety.org

413-218-1801

413-255-0712

All proceeds to benefit Kellogg Hall

Christmas at Kellogg Hall

Recorded under the Sweet Songs label and released through The Americana Project, “Red Fire Farm Renewal” honors the neighbors, farmers, and families who gathered this November to help rebuild after loss. Inspired by Red Fire Farm’s fall harvest event, the song celebrates resilience in the heart of Massachusetts — where soup, song, and shared labor turn hardship into hope.
Written and produced by Adam R Sweet, the track carries the warmth of late-autumn fields and the quiet strength of community spirit that endures long after the harvest is done.



Verse 1
November wind through the fading fields,
Smoke and soup fill the air.
Frost on boots where the rafters fell,
But kindness is growing there.
The sun sinks low behind the ridge,
Lanterns glow along the bridge.

Chorus
We'll raise that barn again, my friend,
With soup and song and neighbor's hand.
Through the chill, the light will bend-
Red Fire Farm will stand again.
Through the dusk, through the waning year,
The heart of the harvest beats right here.

Verse 2
Tractors hum down muddy roads,
Past rows gone brown and still.
Hands pour broth in paper bowls,
And laughter warms the hill.
The fire took the barn away,
But the roots run deep in clay.

Chorus
We'll raise that barn again, my friend,
With soup and song and neighbor's hand.
Through the chill, the light will bend-
Red Fire Farm will stand again.
Through the dusk, through the waning year,
The heart of the harvest beats right here.

Bridge
From Granby's farms to Sunderland,
They come to lend a steady hand.
Each bowl, each laugh, each nail and beam,
Restores the heart, rebuilds the dream.

Final Chorus
We'll raise that barn again, my friend,
With soup and song and neighbor's hand.
Through the frost, the light will send-
Red Fire Farm its springtime mend.
Through the dusk, through the waning year,
The heart of the harvest beats right here.

BUY ON BANDCAMP!

Red Fire Farm Renewal

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has launched its fourth annual ‘Name A Snowplow’ contest for elementary and middle school students across the state.
The contest invites students to propose names for 12 snowplows that will be used during the 2025/2026 winter season. The initiative aims to celebrate the winter season, highlight the dedication of public works employees, and raise awareness of their critical role in maintaining road safety during winter weather.


(Verse 1)
Winter's coming down across the Bay State line,
Kids are dreaming up names while the plows align.
From Pittsfield hills to the Cape's white shore,
They'll keep us rolling when the snow starts to pour.

(Chorus)
Name a snowplow, give it a cheer,
For the folks who clear the roads each year.
From Frosty Flyer to Blizzard King,
Let's make the highways sparkle and sing.

(Verse 2)
In every schoolroom from north to south,
Ideas flying from every mouth.
“Tireless Titan,” “Snow Patrol,”
They're heroes rolling through the cold.

(Chorus)
Name a snowplow, give it a cheer,
For the folks who clear the roads each year.
From Frosty Flyer to Blizzard King,
Let's make the highways sparkle and sing.

(Bridge)
Through ice and sleet they shine their light,
Guiding us safely through the night.
MassDOT says, “Come take part,”
Let's give these plows a name with heart.

(Chorus - Final)
Name a snowplow, give it a cheer,
For the folks who keep our highways clear.
From Boston lights to the Berkshire glow,
We're naming plows to brave the snow!


Name A Snowplow Contest

Recorded by Roots River, “Amherst Fire Displaces” tells the story of a fire that left 232 people without homes in Amherst, Massachusetts. Though the blaze took much, it could not take the community’s heart. Through a steady roots reggae rhythm, the song honors resilience, gratitude, and the love that rises from loss. 


Verse 1
Flames lit the night near the campus edge,
Smoke rose high where the sky meets the ledge.
Two hundred thirty souls without a home,
But every heart beat on, no one alone.

Chorus
Amherst fire displaces, but love replaces,
Hands come together, lighting up the faces.
No one lost, no life erased,
Just strength and care in Amherst's grace.

Verse 2
The firefighters worked through the ash and rain,
They saved the people, eased the pain.
UMass and neighbors, side by side,
Shelter and food, their doors open wide.

Chorus
Amherst fire displaces, but love replaces,
Hands come together, lighting up the faces.
No one lost, no life erased,
Just strength and care in Amherst's grace.

Bridge
From chaos came a gentle peace,
Community in sweet release.
What was broken will rise again,
Hope in the hearts of Amherst's men and friends.

Final Chorus
Amherst fire displaces, but love replaces,
Hands come together, lighting up the faces.
No one lost, no life erased,
Just strength and care in Amherst's grace.

Amherst Fire Displaces

Neolithic Chinese culture artifacts show systematic human bone modification. worked human bones are the result of an intricate relationship between the worker and the worked, associated with kinship and conflict.

Verse 1

By the wide Yangzi, where the waters bend,

Shadows of ancestors rise and descend,

Carved in the silence, marrow of stone,

Hands of the living shape the bones.



Refrain

Yangzi River bones, drifting with the tide,

Stories of the bloodline time cannot hide.



Verse 2

Echo of battles, kinship in flame,

Names forgotten, yet memory remains,

Honored in fragments, worked by hand,

Binding the people to the land.



Refrain

Yangzi River bones, drifting with the tide,

Stories of the bloodline time cannot hide.



Bridge

Not just remains but voices that sing,

Whispers of sorrow, of war and of kin,

From conflict's ashes the spirit grows,

The river remembers, the river knows.



Final Refrain

Yangzi River bones, carried on the tide,

Kinship and conflict forever allied.



Outro

By the wide Yangzi, the silence moans,

Forever we carry the Yangzi River bones.

Yangzi River Bones

How UMass, the Worst Team in College Football, Got Like This. The 2025 UMass Minutemen are making a strong case for the title of “worst FBS team in modern history.” 
#TheAmericanaProject #SweetSongsRecords #UMassMinutemen 


Verse 1
They charge onto the field with the drums still ringing
Fans in the bleachers wrapped up in the cold
Another long Saturday in the Pioneer Valley
Doing what they can with the hand they were dealt

Chorus
Give me a UMass minute
Hold on, they might just turn it around
Give me a UMass minute
They keep on standing their ground

Verse 2
Some say it's money, but the truth runs deeper
Plenty in the budget but the breaks don't land
Coaches keep hoping for a spark in the shadows
Trying to build momentum on stubborn sand

Verse 3
Still the team gathers by the goal-line huddle
Shoulders together in the fading light
One more chance to make the faithful cheer them
A little flash of glory before the night

Chorus
Give me a UMass minute
Hold on, they might just turn it around
Give me a UMass minute
They keep on standing their ground


UMass Minutemen

Did The Mountains And The Trees Just Happen

Christmas - Rudolph

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Name A Snowplow Contest

Original, community-rooted independent music