Thanksgiving might still be a few weeks away, but an event called “Friendsgiving” can’t come soon enough for a group of local musicians.

Northampton’s Friendship Band will host the first-of-its-kind Friendsgiving celebration on Nov. 3 at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton. The show will also feature the Soul Magnets.

The show is a benefit for Whole Children and Milestones, programs of ServiceNet, where people with disabilities take center stage and where the Friendship Band got its start. The Friendship Band brings together musicians both with and without disabilities to highlight music’s power to connect.

Over the past 10 years, the band has built a loyal following with its mix of ages and abilities. The band has also notably collaborated with indie rock icons Yo La Tengo last year and played a set at the Transformance fundraiser at Northampton’s Look Park in August.

Amy Diehl, senior director of communications and development for ServiceNet, said the idea for the benefit came about from a combination of factors.

“We have been trying to do a fundraiser at the Iron Horse, and it looked like November was a good month for them to slot us in,” she said. “And part of the idea for the show is to always do it with another band. So, we came up with the idea of Friendsgiving as a way to do it every year.”

Diehl said that the event has had a really good reception from the community, so she hopes Whole Children can keep growing it and get different musicians every year.

“It already feels successful, so we hope to continue to do it each year because there are so many fantastic musicians in this area we can collaborate with,” she said.

The name Friendship Band came from when Whole Children first applied for a grant to fund a music project.

“As I understood it, the grant was about building community, so the concept was that we were bringing in folks of all abilities,” Diehl said. “So, we have folks with different disabilities, we have teachers in the classrooms, and then we have people from the community. We’re really trying to show and destigmatize some of the things we think about with disabilities through music.”

The sprawling diversity of the players combined with the excitement of the players makes the band a special treat to see, Diehl said.

“I’ve seen them play a bunch of times, and first and foremost what I like is that they are a rock ‘n’ roll band. They always bring total rock ‘n’ roll energy wherever they play,” she said. “They’re also a larger band, so you have multiple singers, and you have a bunch of people playing different instruments, so it’s fun to see the energy they bring, which is amazing.”

The group plays an assortment of cover tunes, but they also do their own songs, Diehl added.

“It’s really eye-opening to see what is possible. They’re very inspiring,” Diehl said. “To see this band get the crowd growing going and see what is possible – it’s just electrifying.”

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