Upcoming Bluegrass Related Events

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Darin and Brooke Aldridge

The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA

Darin and Brooke Aldridge are excited. And why not? With two new band members, a new record label, and five original songs on their latest album, the bluegrass and Americana duo are back with This Life We’re Livin,’ their ninth recorded project together and first release on Billy Blue Records. This Life We’re Livin’ celebrates the space the husband-and-wife team now occupies - the top of bluegrass music. Armed with the talents of the proverbial Triple Threat of uniquely distinctive singing, commanding instrumental skills, and accomplished songwriting, Darin and Brooke continue to ascend to new heights in the industry while maintaining their easy-going, down-to-earth connection with audiences everywhere. Brooke, a former runner-up on TV’s Nashville Star, is a four-time consecutive winner and reigning Female Vocalist of the Year for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). She is nominated for a fifth time in 2021. Once a six-year member of The Country Gentlemen with the late Charlie Waller, Darin is a former IBMA Mentor of the Year and a truly gifted singer and multi-instrumentalist. Together with their band - Billy Gee on bass, Samantha Snyder on fiddle, and Jacob Metz on banjo and resonator guitar - Darin and Brooke have been recognized with the IBMA’s nomination for 2021 Vocal Group of the Year. They have had multiple nominations over the years from the IBMA, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA), and the Inspirational Country Music Association. They have enjoyed top spots on the Billboard, SiriusXM, Bluegrass Today, Bluegrass Unlimited, Americana/Roots, and Gospel charts. Their music videos have been featured on Country Music Television (CMT), CMT Edge, Great American Country (GAC), Bluegrass Ridge TV, and The Bluegrass Situation. Their television appearances include … Read More »

$30

Bluegrass Jam Camp at Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival

Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival 29 Meadow Rd, Brunswick, ME

Check out this Pre-Festival Jam Camp on Monday- Wednesday before the Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival! Join teaching artist Austin Scelzo for Wernick Method Classes teach real bluegrass jamming! Take the classes, miss none of the stage show! Austin plays with Rock Hearts and On The Trail and is a seasoned musician and trained Wernick Method instructor. * Hands-on learning in large and small groups * No jamming experience necessary * You will be jamming the first hour! * All bluegrass instruments welcome * Intermediates welcome, and given added challenges * Friendly, encouraging, knowledgeable teaching * Gentle tempos! Mistakes expected! * Music/tab reading not needed or used Learn many bluegrass standards How to lead songs and how to follow new songs How to find melodies, fake solos, sing harmony Group and individualized instruction on backup skills Understanding, low-pressure, time-tested teaching Register at: https://wernickmethod.org/event/as-2023-08-brunswick

$195

Alison Brown

Groton Hill Music Center 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton, MA

Grammy-winning banjo phenom with her band “Like James Taylor’s voice or B.B. King’s guitar, Alison Brown’s banjo is an instrument possessed of a unique sonic signature and an inescapable beauty…. an artist who never ceases to delight.” — Billboard Magazine One of the most multi-faceted minds in roots music, Alison Brown is a Grammy-winning musician, Grammy-nominated producer, former investment banker (with an A.B. from Harvard and an M.B.A. from UCLA), and co-founder of The Compass Records Group which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023. Alison and her band have toured extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad with stops at some of music’s most prestigious venues, including Newport Folk Festival, The Kennedy Center, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, The Cambridge Folk Festival (England), Celtic Connections (Scotland), Dublin National Concert Hall (Ireland), Galway Arts Festival (Ireland) and Verbier Music Festival (Switzerland).  Although Alison began her musical career as a teenager in the Southern California bluegrass scene, she has built a reputation as one of today’s most forward thinking and innovative banjo players. She is known for taking the instrument far beyond its Appalachian roots by blending bluegrass and jazz influences into a sonic tapestry that has earned praise and recognition from a variety of national tastemakers including The Wall Street Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and USA Today. On her new release, aptly titled On Banjo, Alison continues her musical explorations on a set of original compositions that explore the range of the banjo.  The album features an eclectic cast of collaborators including Steve Martin, Kronos Quartet, Sharon Isbin, Anat Cohen, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan and members of the Alison Brown Quintet.  Alison is the recipient of the USA Artists Fellowship in Music and the Distinguished Achievement Award … Read More »

Recurring

Tuftonboro Country, Bluegrass and Gospel Jam session

The Old White Church, Center Tuftonboro, NH

The weekly Tuftonboro Country, Bluegrass & Gospel Music Jam Session continues at the historic Old White Church of Center Tuftonboro every Tuesday from 6:30 until about 9:30 pm.  Fans of country, bluegrass and gospel music are invited to enjoy an evening of music. There is no admission charge, a donation is requested to help cover operational expenses.  The Church is located on Route 109A, just across from the Tuftonboro General Store & Post Office.  Everyone is invited to attend the jam session while enjoying cookies and a cup of coffee.  For more info call Joe at 569-3861.

Recurring

Bluegrass Tuesdays at Lily P’s Fried Chicken & Oysters

Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters 50 Binney St., Cambridge, MA

Bluegrass Tuesdays began in Central Square in Cambridge in September of 1993 and has since grown to host regional and national artists on stage and serve as a weekly gathering place for the local bluegrass community. For 27 years, Tuesday Night Bluegrass at The Cantab Lounge was hosted by Geoff Bartley, about whom reviewer Nate Dow wrote, “If Massachusetts were ever to appoint a Folk Laureate, the honor would have to go to the one and only Geoff Bartley." Geoff welcomed nationally-known bluegrass artists to the stage such as Dale Ann Bradley, Tony Trischka, Darol Anger, David Grier, Missy Raines, Jim Hurst, Chris Jones, Molly Tuttle, and the late James King. Bluegrass Tuesdays have also been a place where many bluegrass musicians have met and “cut their teeth”, including members of The Infamous Stringdusters, Crooked Still, Della Mae, The Gibson Brothers, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, The Po' Ramblin' Boys, Mile Twelve, and Joy Kills Sorrow. Bluegrass Tuesdays are now hosted by Tony Watt and held at chef Chris Parsons' restaurant Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters in Kendall Square in Cambridge.

Free

Farmington Valley Acoustic Festival

Winding Trails 50 Winding Trails Dr, Farmington, CT

Farmington Valley Acoustic Festival Returns on October 21 The 8th Annual Farmington Valley Acoustic Festival is returning on Saturday, October 21st from 11:00am – 6:00pm at Winding Trails in Farmington.  Set amongst the beautiful 380 acres of forest and fall foliage on Dunning Lake, there will be music on two stages, with a beer garden at the beach featuring free samples from local breweries. The festival headliner is Enter the Haggis. For the better part of two decades, Toronto’s Enter The Haggis has combined bagpipes and fiddles with a rock rhythm section to create a distinctively eclectic sound, praised by The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and Canada’s Globe and Mail.  Their songs offer singalong melodies and deep, meaningful lyrics which tell the stories of everyday hard-working people, often faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.  Signature songs like “One Last Drink”, “Gasoline”, “Down With The Ship” and “Lancaster Gate” have had hundreds of thousands of plays on social media, appeared in Hollywood movies, and have been performed and recorded by artists around the world. The Festival also features Damn Tall Buildings. If you like your bluegrass served with a little punch, attitude, grit and gravy, with that busking spirit that was so present and palpable in the early incarnations of Old Crow Medicine Show and made you realize that string band music could be so much more than fuddy-duddy reenactments by crusty ol’ relics, then the Damn Tall Buildings will slide in nice as a welcome addition to your listening rotation. Bluegrass at heart, but pulling from a wide range of influences including swing, ragtime, jazz, and even a hint of contemporary perspective in the songwriting, they offer virtually unmatched energy and enthusiasm, underpinned by intelligent … Read More »

$30

Goldenrod Bluegrass Festival

Golden Rod Bluegrass Festival 625 Old Homestead Highway, Swanzey, NH

Join Southern Rail for a wonderful autumn bluegrass festival. This is a fundraiser for the Goldenrod Grange restoration project. Free chicken BBQ with festival ticket! Music runs 11 am-5 pm.  BBQ will be served 4-5  pm. Children 7 and under are free.

Joe Walsh/Grant Gordy Duo

Cafe Amici 1640 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT

GuitartownCT presents bluegrass greats Joe Walsh and Grant Gordy in concert on Saturday, October 21 at 7:30 PM. The show is at Café Amici, 1640 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT. Tickets are $35 at guitartownct.com. Joe and Grant are at the top of their game. They bring tons of talent and years of experience at the highest levels of contemporary acoustic music, playing with David Grisman, The Gibson Brothers, and everyone in between. Joe Walsh continues to be the glue that holds New England’s young acoustic musicians together, and Grant has a similar role in Brooklyn. Café Amici features a full menu of delicious Italian food. Come early for dinner, make a dinner reservation at 203-848-1682.

$35