Upcoming Bluegrass Related Events

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Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

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

On her new album, City of Gold, Molly Tuttle — joined by her band Golden Highway — shares a batch of spellbinding stories that span time and place: wildly colorful fables populated by gold miners and fortune tellers, true-to-life tales of love and loss and a fast-changing world, and a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland set in the backwoods of Kentucky, to name just a few. The follow-up to 2022’s Crooked Tree—a widely lauded LP that won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album, with Tuttle earning a Best New Artist nomination—the Northern California-raised musician’s fourth full-length album brings those narratives to a resplendent form of bluegrass rooted in her virtuosic guitar playing. This time around, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist chose to record with her live band — Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle, vocals), Dominick Leslie (mandolin), Kyle Tuttle (banjo, vocals), and Shelby Means (bass, vocals) — for the first time, lending a potent new energy to her exquisitely crafted sound.  

Nora Brown with Stephanie Coleman + Dirk Powell with Amelia Powell

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

First brought together by Brooklyn’s tight-knit old-time music community in 2017, Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman share a rich musical partnership that belies their 20 year age difference. Dirk and Amelia Powell are a daughter/father duo with strong roots in the bayous of Louisiana and the mountains of Kentucky.  

WUMB Presents Twisted Pine, Damn Tall Buildings & Ali McGuirk

The Sinclair 52 Church Street, Cambridge, MA

WUMB presents Boston's own Twisted Pine celebrating their record release "Love Your Mind" with friends Damn Tall Buildings and Ali McGuirk -- all home for the holiday. Doors open at 7 pm. Tix range from $15-20 in advance. Twisted Pine / LOVE YOUR MIND On October 18th, Twisted Pine releases its joyous third LP, Love Your Mind, on Signature Sounds Recordings. The title represents the quartet landing on a more expansive sound than ever, after years of touring, serious introspection, bouts of self-doubt, glorious bursts of creativity, and many after-hour festival jam sessions and pickin’ till dawn. Co-produced by the band and longtime-collaborator Dan Cardinal at his studio Dimension Sound in Boston, the record is loaded with experimental production, fearless songwriting featuring input from each member, finely-crafted collaborative arrangements, playing that’s virtuosic and visceral. It's a reflection of what the band listens to. It’s buoyant pop and delicate folk, raging old-time energy, and old-school r&b grooves.

Mr. Sun Plays Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite

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

Bluegrass supergroup Mr Sun performs a new interpretation of Ellington’s legendary Nutcracker Suite! If you haven’t heard of the cheerfully named supergroup Mr Sun, you’ve certainly heard its proponents, four of the finest musicians on the American roots scene: Renowned fiddler Darol Anger, Professor Emeritus at Berklee College of Music, who has released many solo albums in addition to his work with David Grisman and Mike Marshall, and founded the Turtle Island Quartet, Psychograss, and Republic of Strings; Joe K. Walsh, mandolin virtuoso and vocalist who spent four years with the award-winning bluegrass act the Gibson Brothers before becoming solo artist and songwriter and Strings Department Professor at Berklee; all-around guitar genius Grant Gordy, a former member of Dawg Music guru David Grisman’s band; and the phenomenal Scots bassist Aidan O’Connell, who has backed harpist Maeve Gilchrist and countless modern Jazz heroes.

A Bluegrass Christmas at the Homegrown Coffeehouse

Homegrown Coffeehouse First Parish Church, 23 Dedham Ave., Needham, MA

A joyous evening of Bluegrass Gospel and Holiday favorites at the Homegrown Coffeehouse!  Wonderful home baked holiday goodies during intermission. Not to be missed! Note the new starting time for this season!

$25

Andrew Marlin String Band / The Murphy Beds

The Red Room @ Cafe 939 939 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

Andrew Marlin is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His latest solo record, Phthalo Blue, is out now. It features all original music by Marlin, recorded with a single mic at the Tractor Shed in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer (a.k.a. The Murphy Beds) present traditional and original folk songs with close harmonies and deft instrumental arrangements on bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin. Red Room @ Cafe 939 Boston, MA

$25

Amy Gallatin and The Hot Flashes Holiday Show

Gladys E. Kelly Public Library 2 Lake St, Webster, MA

The Hot Flash Holiday concerts are lively high-energy shows laced with powerful harmonies, coupled with captivating on-stage camaraderie--a merry mix of upbeat, fun and familiar songs paired with more contemplative quiet music. The numbers range from the pensive "Mary Did You Know" to the paean to homecoming "I'll Be There with Bells On" to an in-costume version of "Christmas Island"--something for everyone. The show provides a welcome respite from the holiday rush, providing simple moments to treasure and a chance to slow down and savor the season.  Take a moment to relax and enjoy a truly unique holiday event.

Free

2nd and 4th Thursdays Bluegrass Jam at Backbeat Brewing in Beverly, MA

Backbeat Brewing 31A Park, Beverly, MA

All pickers, singers and Bluegrass fans are invited to join us on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month at Backbeat Brewing in Beverly, MA.  The jam starts at 7pm and runs until at least 10 (usually ends closer to midnight!) Backbeat Brewing is located at 31A Park St, Beverly, MA, across the street from Beverly Depot and one block off Rantoul St.  There is plenty of on-street parking. (Meters run to 8pm in Beverly) The taps offer many delicious brews ranging from NE IPA's to genuine English style cask ales, and the kitchen cooks up tasty thin crust pizzas (available in gluten free and vegan options).

FREE!

Old Time Almost Fridays at Lily P’s

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

Lily P's is now home to a new weekly night of traditional music in Cambridge every Thursday. Old-Time Almost Fridays, named in part because we're just so excited that it's almost the weekend, aims to bring the Lily P's magic to the Old-Time community.  The night will include performances and multiple jams hosted by many talented Old-Time musicians. Old-Time Almost Fridays are hosted by Tony Watt and held at chef Chris Parsons' restaurant Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters in Kendall Square in Cambridge. Dec 19 Zach Meyer and Friends at 7 pm followed by a jam with the band! Beginner jam at 7, intermediate jam at 8 pm. Free indoor parking garage.

Bluegrass Christmas at Hopedale Unitarian

Hopedale Unitarian Parish 65 Hopedale St, Hopedale, MA

Celebrate the Christmas season with a joyous evening of Bluegrass Gospel and Holiday favorites at Hopedale Unitarian Parish!  Wonderful home baked holiday goodies during intermission. Not to be missed!

$20