This week in Freak Scene, Red Herrings offer a glimpse into what's happening in Holyoke. We also wonder about the implications of the ongoing labor strike at Mass MoCA for upcoming events, including some prominent concerts. One housekeeping thing: if you're reading this on a mobile device and you see grayed-out boxes, those are embedded content. Clicking on them will take you to music, most often on Bandcamp or YouTube.

Holyoke doesn’t tend to get as much attention as some of the other music communities in the Valley, but Red Herrings make a compelling case that there’s more happening in the Paper City than the St. Patrick’s Day parade, or the chaos of the Holyoke Children’s Museum. Released in December, the quintet’s full-length debut, Zax Armoire, is a nine-song slab of no-frills rock ’n’ roll.