Problems With Dragons will showcase the music of one of alternative rock’s seminal bands when they perform as Nirvana at Performance 32 “Nevermind the 90s.” Image courtesy Northampton Arts Council

Soul Magnets will deliver the sounds of rapper and singer/songwriter Lauryn Hill at Performance 32 “Nevermind the 90s.” Image courtesy Northampton Arts Council

Bunnies will channel the sounds of iconoclastic pop specialists They Might Be Giants at Performance 32. Image courtesy Northampton Arts Council

The Bombastics will provide musical interpretation and a bit of alliteration when they perform as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at Performance 32 “Nevermind the 90s.” Image courtesy Northampton Arts Council

Singer-songwriter Kimaya Diggs takes on the role of pop queen Whitney Houston at Performance 32 “Nevermind the 90s.” Photo by Hannah Rose

This year’s Performance concert is dedicated to the late Valley singer and songwriter Kate Lorenz, who died suddenly in late July. She had played at a number of past Performance shows.  Gazette file photo

The 1990s witnessed something of a sea change in popular music, as the glam metal and hair bands of the 1980s gave way to grunge and alternative rock, while rap and hip hop moved out of urban settings, exploding in popularity across other parts of the country.

Perhaps no name was bigger in the first part of the decade than Nirvana, the grunge/alternative rockers from Seattle. So it seems fitting that Performance 32, the annual fundraising summer concert at Look Park, is taking its title from the band: “Nevermind the 90s.”

What started in the early 1990s as Transperformance features area bands and artists “transforming” — playing the songs of noted groups to raise money for arts enrichment programs in city schools and the community. The event is produced by the Northampton Arts Council in conjunction with Parent Teacher Organizations of Northampton schools.

This year’s concert, which takes place Tuesday, Aug. 23 at the Pines Theater, will showcase the work of groups whose underground or college circuit music hit the mainstream in the 1990s: Jane’s Addiction, Oasis, They Might Be Giants, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, and of course Nirvana.

Also on tap is the work of rapper Lauryn Hill and the folk-rock of Indigo Girls, as well as the singalong cadences of Raffi — yes, Raffi — whose children’s albums might well have entertained some of those same ‘90s artists when they were growing up.

Steve Sanderson, the Arts Council’s event producer, says the decade-long theme of “Nevermind the 90s” is a first for the annual concert, though some shows have been dedicated to specific musical moments, like recreating the Woodstock concert of 1969.

“I think a lot of this is me recognizing that I’m getting older,” he said with a laugh. “I talk to a lot of younger musicians, and I notice to my dismay that they look back at that era with a kind of nostalgia.”

Sanderson also remembers when, in his early 20s, he first heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the lead cut from Nirvana’s first big album, “Nevermind,” in 1991.

“It felt like one of those moments when everything changed,” he said. “The ‘90s just seemed like this kind of junction, where all this underground music suddenly became really big, more commercial … well, commercial’s a dirty word, but the music from that era really shook things up.”

And Sanderson notes that with the Performance shows, “We’re always trying to keep things fresh, to introduce new artists, and [the ‘90s theme] seemed like a good way to do that.”

Case in point: The Easthampton band Problems With Dragons, which Sanderson calls “a staple of the Western Mass metal scene,” will make its first appearance at Performance, appearing as Nirvana, with guitarist/lead singer Robe Ives taking on the role of Kurt Cobain.

In program notes, the members of Problems With Dragons say they chose to perform as Nirvana “because we like grunge, because it’s relatively easy to learn, and because it’s a whole lot of fun to play these songs!”

“I have no doubt these guys are going to just crush it as Nirvana,” said Sanderson.

He says he’s also jazzed that another, younger local rock band, The Musical Chairs, proposed to perform the songs of Raffi. Members of the group — they’ll perform at the show under the moniker The Down By The Bay State Band — say they all grew up listening to Raffi songs, Sanderson noted.

He said he’d hoped to work more rap and hip hop into the show, though other opportunities presented themselves. For instance, singer-songwriters Lisa Bastoni and Cloudbelly, with backing musicians on bass and drums, will perform as Indigo Girls — one night before the real Indigo Girls come to the Pines Theater.

That bit of serendipity means the musicians at “Nevermind the 90s” will be able to play under a stage roof that’s being put up a day in advance by DSP Shows, the producers of the Indigo Girls concert.

“We’re really grateful to them, and to Klondike Sounds for the support they’re providing,” Sanderson said.

Other Valley bands at the Aug. 23 concert include Spanish for Hitchhiking (as Pearl Jam), Bunnies (They Might Be Giants), The Donut Kings (The Lemonheads), Kimaya Diggs (Whitney Houston), and Hidden Skyline (Screaming Trees).

On a sadder note, Sanderson says the show is being dedicated to Kate Lorenz, a longtime Valley singer (and a participant in many past Performance concerts) who died unexpectedly in late July. Her brother, Matt Lorenz, the one-man band otherwise known as The Suitcase Junket, posted the news recently on his Facebook site.

“We are heartbroken and there are no words to express the pain of this loss,” Matt Lorenz wrote of his sister. “She’s always been my hero and she is the reason I play music. I aspire to be more like her in all things.”

“Losing Kate really hurts,” said Sanderson. “She was a vital part of the music community here and a wonderful person … It’s important to dedicate this show to her.”

Performance 32 takes place Aug. 23 from 4 to 9 p.m., rain or shine, at the Pines Theater at Look Park. Tickets range from $6 to $11 in advance and are $8 to $13 at the gate. They can be purchased at performance.brownpapertickets.com/ and at State Street Fruit Store and Cooper’s Corner in Northampton.

A wide variety of food will be available on site, with most of the proceeds going to arts enrichment programs.

Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.

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