Upcoming Bluegrass Related Events

City Winery Boston Presents David Bromberg Quintet & Band 6:00pm doors / 8:00pm show / $45-$58 Tickets: http://bit.ly/DavidBrombergBOS070319 “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot “There’s only two kinds of music – ‘the Star Spangled Banner’ and the blues.” – Willie Nelson, quoting renowned fiddler Johnny Gimble For Americana godfather David Bromberg, it all began with the blues. His incredible journey spans five-and-a-half decades, and includes – but is not limited to – adventures with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jerry Garcia, and music and life lessons from seminal blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis, who claimed the young Bromberg as a son. A musician’s musician, Bromberg’s mastery of several stringed instruments (guitar, fiddle, Dobro, mandolin), and multiple styles is legendary, leading Dr. John to declare him an American icon. In producing John Hartford’s hugely influential Aereo-Plain LP, Bromberg even co-invented a genre: Newgrass. Add in a period of self-imposed exile from his passion (1980-2002), during which he became a renowned violin expert, and Wilmington, Delaware’s cultural ambassador; top that off with a triumphant return to music-making, and you have an amazing tale leading back to one place: the blues. Now, with The Blues, the Whole Blues, and Nothing But the Blues, his first release for Red House Records, Bromberg and multi-Grammy-winning producer/accompanist Larry Campbell (Dylan, Levon Helm, Paul Simon) focus on the music David discovered in high school, when, circa late 50s, he was introduced to a friend’s dad’s collection of blues 78s. He’d only just taken up guitar as a means to pass the time while in bed with the measles. … Read More »

From Georgia, Little Roy & Lizzy are one of the most entertaining acts in bluegrass today. Front man Little Roy Lewis, 77, is a banjo master, comedian and story teller. Lizzy Long, virtuoso on fiddle, banjo and guitar, has a fantastic voice, and tries to keep Little Roy’s antics in check. Festival favorites, they play traditional bluegrass, country and gospel, with comedy thrown in everywhere.

An acclaimed Texas fiddle trio, the Quebe Sisters delve deep into Western Swing and traditional country with gorgeous three part sibling harmonies. After winning several solo and group fiddling competitions as children, the Quebes have matured into dynamic performers and artists with a distinct Americana style all their own.

With one eye on using the banjo to showcase America’s rich heritage and the other pulling the noble instrument from its most familiar arena into new and unique realms, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn’s second album Echo in the Valley is simultaneously familiar and wildly innovative.

Southern Rail brings their high energy, exuberant Bluegrass to the Wayside Inn's Fresh Strawberry Concert Series on Tuesday July 30 at 7 pm. The concert will be held indoors, in the air-conditioned Martha Mary Chapel, and fresh strawberry shortcake will be served during intermission! Come early and enjoy dinner at the Inn at a special discount. Southern Rail's music is electric, featuring lush harmonies, irrepressible good humor, and sparkling banjo, guitar, mandolin and and bass. Two of their members have just been inducted into the RIBA Buegrass Hall of Fame. The concert always sells out, so reserve your tickets 978-443-1776.

From New Jersey, John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Many well known artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. John has graced the stage of Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown and has appeared on CNN. He continues to tour, playing festivals, theaters and clubs all over North America and Europe. Though small, Godfrey Daniels was and is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions and has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians. In the late 1970’s, John was was one of these aspiring musicians. Although his academic coursework at Moravian College lay in Philosophy and History, music began to offer paramount enticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident MC and sound man, encountering legendary folk troubadours like Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs – mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer-songwriter) became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and original songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him – Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin – had become his peers.In 1987, the young Minnesota-based Red House Records caught wind … Read More »