Boston Bluegrass Union

Homegrown Coffeehouse presents Southern Rail
2024-04-06 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Homegrown Coffeehouse, First Parish Church, 23 Dedham Ave., Needham, MA, United States
Bluegrass and the world’s best Carrot Cake! What could be better?
Southern Rail brings their upbeat brand of Bluegrass and happy mayhem to the Homegrown Coffeehouse on Saturday April 6.
This promises to be another packed house, featuring high-energy exuberant bluegrass with lush harmonies, irrepressible good humor, and sparkling banjo, guitar and mandolin. Come early before the Carrot Cake runs out!

Jay Unger and Molly Mason, Masters of American Traditional Music
2024-04-12 19:00 - 20:30 | First Parish Unitarian Church, 7 Harrington Rd, , Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
Concert at First Parish Milton, 535 Canton Avenue, Milton MA sponsored by the Forbes House Museum as part of the Heritage Music Series.
Jay’s haunting ‘Ashokan Farewell’ was featured throughout Ken Burns’ award winning series The Civil War. The duo has recorded albums with the legendary James Galway and Thomas Hampson. Featured on Prairie Home Companion, they provided music for film Brother’s Keeper.

7X National Fiddling Champion Luke Bulla, Harvard MA
2024-04-19 19:30 - 21:00 | notloB Parlour Concerts at Fivesparks, 7 Fairbank Street, Harvard, MA, 01451, United States
Luke Bulla
Presented by notloB Parlour Concerts
at the old Harvard library, 7 Fairbank Street, Harvard MA 01451

Friday, April 19, 2024, 7:30pm

Luke Bulla has been singing and playing music most of his life, touring with and singing in his family band from age four, Luke took up the fiddle at seven. Over the course of the next few years, he won the National Fiddle Contest (in Weiser, Idaho) six times in his respective age categories. His seventh win came in the Grand Champion division at age sixteen, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time.
In the spring of 1999, Luke moved to Nashville to establish himself as a full time musician. He spent his early years in Tennessee playing fiddle in Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder, which earned him his first Grammy Award. Luke was a member of the John Cowan Band. Luke has also performed and/or recorded with Brandi Carlile, Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Russ Barenberg Trio, Shawn Colvin, Tony Rice, Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, Patty Griffin, Glen Phillips, Rodney Crowell, and Earl Scruggs, to name a few. In 2009, Luke released a solo EP featuring Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Aoife O’Donovan and more. Since 2009, Luke has been touring with Lyle Lovett.
Luke released an LP, Who Loves You Better, produced by Bryan Sutton in May 2016. After many years as a sideman, Luke is currently touring the country playing solo performances.
ARTIST’S WEBSITE: lukebulla.com
ARTIST’S VIDEO: https://youtu.be/mgKqxoWbkQI?si=E5Zkt7QWKfPdoDxQ
ADMISSION: by free-will offering, suggested amounts:
Adults $20+, teens and seniors $15, children $10.
RESERVATIONS REQUESTED:
notloB Parlour Concerts are run on the “house concert” model. An accurate headcount is necessary. We also understand “life happens”. To reserve or change a reservation, please email notloBresersevations at gmail dot com
RESERVATIONS EXPIRE AT SHOWTME.
VENUE: The concert will be presented at the old library, 7 Fairbanks Street, Harvard, Massachusetts 01451. Doors Open at 7:00pm. This is a notloB concert in rented space, please do not contact the venue.
COVID PRECAUTIONS: Mask-friendly. Please read the venue’s COVID-19 protocols for events at https://www.fivesparks.org/
ABOUT NOTLOB PARLOUR CONCERTS: Since 2007, notloB has presented >200 not-for-profit folk, Celtic, old-time, bluegrass, and progressive string concerts in unique venues throughout the greater Boston area. notloB’s current home is space rented in Harvard’s renovated 1887 Harvard, Massachusetts library – https://www.harvardpubliclibrary.org/about/history-library
Concerts in your home can be arranged.
Contact – notlobreservations at gmail dot com
mail list ~ https://groups.google.com/g/notlob-parlour-concerts/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/notloBParlourConcerts/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/notlobmusic
Blog – https://notlobmusic.blogspot.com/

UPCOMING CONCERTS:

Saturday, June 1, 2024
Fódhla

Friday, October 18, 2024
Don White

Sanford Springvale Historical Museum presents Southern Rail
2024-04-20 19:30 | SANFORD-SPRINGVALE HISTORICAL MUSEUM, 505 MAIN ST (RT 109), SPRINGVALE, ME, 04083, United States
Southern Rail welcomes spring with their exuberant blend of upbeat bluegrass and riveting vocals to the acclaimed Sanford Springvale Historical Museum. This promises to be another packed house, featuring lush harmonies, irrepressible good humor, and sparkling banjo, guitar, mandolin and bass. Come early to browse the wonderful exhibits! Doors open 6:45. concert is at 7:30.

Bluegrass Band Scramble
2024-04-27 12:00 - 16:00 | Concord Conservatory of Music, 1317 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Come jam with us for an unforgettable and lively session of learning, coaching, and performing bluegrass all in one whirlwind afternoon!
It’s time to join a band at the CCM Bluegrass Band Scramble.
Reserve your spot with two easy steps:

Please pay in advance ($35). Yeah, we know you’ll understand that we have to cover our costs.
Complete the short registration form in advance. Tell us your name, contact information, and instrument for placement.

To create well-formed bands, individuals sign up for the Scramble and are paired with other musicians by picking names out of a hat, one for each instrument. Bandmates then have over two hours to practice and prepare songs and stage patter for a three-song turn performing for a live audience, with a professional sound system and engineer.

Meet and perform with other musicians who love bluegrass!

There’s no competition, only an incredible learning and skill-building experience. Invite your friends and family for the live concert at 4:00 pm that’s free and open to the public.

The Ruta Beggars, A Bluegrass Concert
2024-04-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Concord Conservatory of Music, 1317 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
The Concord Conservatory of Music is set to host an extraordinary evening of traditional bluegrass music with a twist on April 27th, as The Ruta Beggars take the stage. The band is made up of talented musicians who studied together in the American Roots Program at Berklee College of Music. Micah Nicol on guitar, Sofia Chiarandini on fiddle, Ariel Wyner on mandolin, Trevin Nelson on banjo, and Noah Harrington on bass make up the impressive ensemble.
The Ruta Beggars are celebrated for their imaginative musical arrangements, their intricate vocal harmonies, and their impressive musicianship. They have earned a well-deserved place among the top-tier of the bluegrass community, and their live performances are known for their vibrant energy and engaging showmanship. Combining bluegrass with early swing, The Ruta Beggars’ music is a unique and captivating sound that’s not to be missed.
This talented group of musicians has received recognition for their musical talents and was the winner of the Thomas Point’s band competition in 2019. Now, they’re set to thrill the audiences at the Concord Conservatory of Music with their infectious melodies and dynamic musicianship. Tickets for the show are now available at ConcordConservatory.org.
The concert is part of the 2023-2024 CCM Concert & Lecture Series, made possible thanks to the generous support of our Lead Sponsor, Emerson Health, and our Supporting Sponsor, Middlesex Savings Bank. The Concord Cultural Council and Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council, local agencies that the Mass Cultural Council supports, have also provided grants to support the event. Thanks to our sponsors, we are able to bring diverse and high-quality concerts to our community, and we hope you’ll join us for this exciting performance.

About CCM Concord Conservatory of Music: It is a community of people who are passionate about music education. CCM enrolls over 500 students annually and offers programs for all ages and abilities. As a non-profit school, CCM serves Concord, MA, and 17 surrounding communities. Its curriculum includes private instruction, group classes, and performance opportunities. Financial assistance is available.

Tony Trischka's Earl Jam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs
2024-05-04 20:00 - 22:00 | Groton Hill Music Center, 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton, MA, 01450, United States
“Once again, Tony has set the world afire with his banjo and his storytelling skills…”— Bluegrass Today
Tony Trischka is considered the consummate banjo artist and perhaps the most influential banjo player in the roots music world. For more than 50 years, his stylings have inspired a whole generation of bluegrass and acoustic musicians with the many voices he has brought to the instrument. His show honors the music of Earl Scruggs, pioneer of the three-finger banjo style and one of the most important musicians in bluegrass, or, in Trischka’s opinion, in any genre.
Trischka recently came into possession of extremely rare recordings of jam sessions with Scruggs and John Hartford, and he transcribed and recorded Scruggs’s note-for-note solos from a number of these, including many songs that were never recorded. Together with his ace band — Michael Daves on vocals and guitar, fiddler Alex Hargreaves and bassist Jared Engel — Trischka will trace the story of Scruggs from his childhood to his final years. “The depth of his genius becomes ever more apparent when I transcribe his solos, which I’ve been doing my entire musical life and with renewed vigor,” says Trischka. “Discovering new twists and turns in his playing is pure joy and, in fact, the inspiration for this tribute show and album.” The show debuted at Joe’s Pub in New York City which drew lots of interest, including an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, a rarity for a banjo player these days.
“Earl is my North Star, a lifetime pathway. And I’m not alone,” says Trischka, a banjo innovator and educator who has influenced everyone from Béla Fleck to Steve Martin. “Through his music, this shy kid from Flint Hill, North Carolina went on to enrich countless thousands of lives. At the age of 13, when I first heard 16 notes of Scruggs style banjo playing, I put down my folk guitar and mercilessly pestered my parents to buy me a banjo. Once in my hands, that 5-string became my obsession and has been for 60 years.”

Kaïa Kater
2024-05-17 20:00 - 22:00 | Groton Hill Music Center, 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton, MA, 01450, United States
“You want some authenticity in your folk music or bluegrass – I give you Kaïa Kater.” – No Depression
Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian Kaïa Kater’s jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR’s Tiny Desk, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and No Depression. Kaïa draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background; her family’s deep ties to the Canadian folk music scene; her college years spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia and her father’s experience growing up in Grenada, arriving in Canada in 1986, after the U.S. invasion.
Kaïa released her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release three more albums, Sorrow Bound (2015), Nine Pin (2016) and Grenades (2018). For the JUNO-nominated and Polaris Music Prize long-listed Grenades, Kaia leaned into a wide array of sounds and styles in order to convey a broad range of emotions and topics, most notably her Caribbean ancestry and her father’s experience as a refugee in Canada. In 2020, Kaïa took part in the Slaight Music Residency at the Canadian Film Center, released a new single, and wrote original music for The Porter (BET+ 2022).

Southern Rail at Highfield Hall and Gardens in Falmouth
2024-06-16 16:00 - 18:00 | Bluegrass on the Lawn at Highfield Hall, 56 Highfield Drive, Falmouth, MA, 02540, United States
Popular summer series in Falmouth at the lovely Highfield Hall and Gardens. Enjoy a rousing afternoon of high spirited bluegrass and sweet harmonies.

Bluegrass Jam at The Bebop
2024-07-03 21:00 - 23:30 | The Bebop, 1116 Boylston St, Boston, MA, 02116, United States
Bring your instrument and play some tunes with this talented bunch of bluegrass musicians! Or just come to eat and drink at The Bebop Boston.
Every Wednesday 9-midnight.

Golden Rod Bluegrass Festival
2024-07-06 09:00 - 17:00 | Golden Rod Bluegrass Festival, 625 Old Homestead Highway, Swanzey, NH, 03446, United States
The Goldenrod Bluegrass Festival-2024 will be held on Saturday July 6, 2024 from 09:00 AM to 5:00 PM, at the Goldenrod Grange Hall located at 625 Olde Homestead Highway in Swanzey New Hampshire.
Returning are Southern Rail, The Splinters and The New Englanders and for the first time in Swanzey, Mr. Bill. People of all ages will enjoy a day of traditional bluegrass including standards, originals and gospel tunes.
Inside the Goldenrod Grange Hall, patrons will find the Goldenrod Coffee Shop serving coffee and goodies, the gift shop selling clothing including tee shirts as well as mugs and other items related to the festival. Seating for the BBQ will also be available.
Tickets are 40.00 each and include: the day long music festival, Firefighter’s open fire chicken BBQ. Field Picking near the grounds and plenty of parking at any of the town’s school lots conveniently located across the street from the Grange Hall.

Bluegrass Brunch at The Bebop
2024-07-07 12:00 - 15:00 | The Bebop, 1116 Boylston St, Boston, MA, 02116, United States
Join us for some mimosa’s and breakfast while listening to your favorite bluegrass tunes! Feel free to bring your instruments and join in!
Hosted by Dan Africk.

JP Jam
2024-07-07 14:00 - 16:00 | MA
Mostly bluegrass jam at the Jamaica Pond boathouse when the weather is nice.

Old Time Jam at The Bebop
2024-07-07 19:00 - 22:00 | The Bebop, 1116 Boylston St, Boston, MA, 02116, United States
Groovy old time jam every Sunday night, 7-10 pm.

Grain Thief Residency
2024-07-10 19:00 - 22:00 | The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Somerville, MA, 02144, United States
Wednesday nights in The Front Room. 5 piece stringband playing everything from bluegrass to old time to cajun to plain ol’ Americana.

Bluegrass Throedown at Nick-a-Nees
2024-07-10 20:30 - 23:30 | Nick-A-Nee’s, 75 South Street, Providence, RI, 02907, United States
Bluegrass every week featuring local and touring bands from all over New England and beyond.
Wednesdays 8:30 – Cash only bar, tip the band, too!
Providence, RI’s finest dive bar.

The New Grown-Ups
2024-07-11 19:00 - 22:00 | The Porch Southern Fare and Juke Joint, 175 Rivers Edge Drive, Medford, MA, 02155, United States
The New Grown-Ups put a modern twist on American roots music, blending traditional folk, country, blues, celtic, old time, originals, and bluegrass into contemporary acoustic music.

Concord Open Bluegrass Jam
2024-07-11 19:30 - 21:00 | The Concord Conservatory of Music, 1317 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
The Concord Open Bluegrass Jam is a weekly, community driven jam session that prides itself in being an open space for local musicians and music-lovers to socially engage and create music together.
Maxfield Anderson leads the group through vocal songs and instrumental tunes from a variety of musical traditions, including bluegrass, old time, classic country and western, blues, swing, and beyond. Musicians are encouraged—never required—to bring in songs to play with the group.
The Jam is open to acoustic musicians including voice, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, dobro, bass, cello, harmonica, etc. and at all levels, as well as community members who wish to listen and enjoy the beautiful sanctuary.
The Jam is open to the public. A $10 suggested donation is greatly appreciated! Thank you.
July 11, 18
August 1, 29

Harry Smith Frolic
2024-07-12 17:00 - 2024-07-14 17:00 | Camp Kiwanee, Camp Kiwanee Road, Hanson, MA, 02341, United States
Camping and old time jam weekend in Greenfield, MA
On the Green River at Camp Keewanee, Greenfield, Mass.
July 12-14, 2024
Friday 5pm through Sunday 5pm
(No early birds! Day Camp in session weekdays)
Suggested donation: $40/weekend or $20/day
Summer day camp facilities including:
•Unfurnished cabins to play music in (no beds)
•Bathrooms and showers
•Picnic pavilion & basketball court
•Camping and parking on flat ground
•Frolicking in the Green River
•Swimming Pool open select hours
Saturday Morning Secular River Immersions
Potluck Saturday Night
&
Midnight Reenactment Vol. 2 Harry Smith Anthology
This volume has everything: fiddle & string band tunes, cajun, gospel, blues, shape note. So study up!

Old Time Jam at The Burren
2024-07-14 18:00 - 21:00 | The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Somerville, MA, 02144, United States
Long-standing, weekly Sunday night old time jam led by Alan Kaufman and friends in the Front Room.

Bluegrass Tuesdays at Lily P's Jams
2024-07-16 17:00 - 23:30 | Lily P’s Fried Chicken & Oysters, 50 Binney St., Cambridge, MA, 02142, United States
In addition to the weekly concerts at Lily P’s there is a lot of jamming happening all over the restaurant and outside. Also:
Beginner & Intermediate Bluegrass Jams at Lily P’s
There are now three distinct jams scheduled nearly every week:
(1) The weekly Beginner-to-Intermediate Bluegrass Jam continues to meet nearly every Tuesday starting at 5:15 pm at Lily P’s (but you’ll have to email me at tonywatt@gmail.com to be sure). This is a “teacher-directed” jam where we never know what songs we’re going to play, but we’re limited to no instrumentals and no very fast nor very complex songs.
(2) The Intermediate Bluegrass Jam hosted by Kelley meets every week starting at 6:30 pm. This jam is likely suitable for those who have some experience jamming already and can play songs and tunes, recognize chord changes, and play well with others.
(3) The Int/Adv Bluegrass Jam hosted by Wayne usually starts at 7 pm. This jam typically evolves out of the Intermediate Jam and then moves out back unless the weather is nice enough to play outside.

For more information about any of these jams, please email me at tonywatt@gmail.com

Zoe and Cloyd with Evan Murphy
2024-07-16 19:00 - 22:00 | The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Somerville, MA, 02144, United States
Zoe & Cloyd – The innovative “klezgrass” music of Zoe & Cloyd springs from the rich traditions and complementary styles of fiddler/vocalist Natalya Zoe Weinstein and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist John Cloyd Miller. Descending from a lineage of klezmer and jazz musicians, Natalya trained classically in her home state of Massachusetts before moving south in 2004. John, a twelfth generation North Carolinian and grandson of pioneering bluegrass fiddler, Jim Shumate, is a 1st place winner of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest. Based in Asheville, NC, Natalya and John are also experienced educators and are both instructors in the traditional music program at Warren Wilson College.
With B.B. Bowness and Nate Sabat.
Evan Murphy opens.
$20 advance; $25 at the door.

Weekly BG Jam at MrSippy
2024-07-17 18:00 - 20:30 | MrSippy BBQ, 184 South Main Street, Rochester, NH, 03867, United States
Bluegrass and BBQ Jam in NH every Wednesday, 6-8:30 pm

Jamvember in July!
2024-07-19 - 2024-07-21 | Camp Kiwanee, Camp Kiwanee Road, Hanson, MA, 02341, United States
JamVember in July, a weekend-long bluegrass non-festival, will be held on the 19th, 20th & 21st of July
at Camp Kee-wanee in Greenfield, MA just 10 minutes from the intersection of Rt. 2 & I-91.
It starts at 6 pm on Friday and ends at 1 pm on Sunday.
https://jamvember.com/index.html for more information

3rd Friday Jam at PCA
2024-07-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Parish Center for the Arts, 10 Lincoln St, Westford, MA, 01886, United States
Featuring, but not limited to Bluegrass music
Bring your Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, Bass, Dobro, Harp (all types), mandolin,
bones, etc.. and come and enjoy a night of great music.
The Parish Center For The Arts (The PCA). 10 Lincoln Street Westford, MA
PCA is a BYOB facility, so feel free to bring snacks, a bottle, whatever!
Please bring whatever you need, and be sure to police up everything when we go. I ask you to leave no trash, garbage, bottles, cans, etc behind.
There are chairs and tables as needed.
This is a pass-the-hat event, with proceeds going to the PCA to offset the cost of our usage.
Welcome to players of all skill levels and audiences alike.
Free parking
Monthly on 3rd Fridays, 7-10pm

Aoife O’Donovan and Hawktail: All My Friends Tour
2024-07-19 20:00 - 22:00 | Groton Hill Music Center, 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton, MA, 01450, United States
Aoife O’Donovan and Hawktail join together for a night of joyous music. Hawktail opens the evening with their signature songs and cosmopolitan sound. Aoife O’Donovan will then take the stage with Hawktail as her band, performing songs from the Grammy-award winning musician’s 4th studio album All My Friends (out March 22, 2024).
O’Donovan continues to enchant audiences worldwide with her soul-stirring music and unwavering passion for storytelling through song. Deemed “a vocalist of unerring instinct” by the New York Times, she has released three critically-acclaimed and boundary-blurring solo albums including literarily crafted Age Of Apathy, which received three Grammy nominations.
Her newest album, All My Friends is based around a collection of songs Aoife O’Donovan wrote, inspired by women’s suffrage and the passage of the 19th amendment. The album is a deep dive into the reimagining of the life of Carrie Chapman Catt – one of the movement’s leaders and founder of the League of Women Voters – juxtaposed with Aoife’s own experiences as a woman and mother.
Hawktail is the acoustic instrumental trio of fiddler Brittany Haas, bassist Paul Kowert, and guitarist Jordan Tice. Though at first glance it looks like an acoustic super-picker side-project, their all-original music is cohesive and unique, distinguishing them as an ensemble with a sound built from the ground up. Flush with orchestral sweeps and sparse vigils, with strains of the American South and the North Atlantic. Together, they have fostered a reputation as a rare ensemble of composers and instrumentalists able to take the listener on a journey, without the use of words.

Little Wishbone at Mr. Sippy's BBQ
2024-07-19 20:00 - 22:00 | MrSippy BBQ, 184 South Main Street, Rochester, NH, 03867, United States
Little Wishbone is a rollicking old-time string band based in the New Hampshire & Maine seacoast. If you like Old Hat Stringband or Green Heron, you’ll love Little Wishbone! $10 cover

Meeting House Bluegrass Festival
2024-07-20 09:00 - 20:00 | Smith Meetinghouse, 451 Meetinghouse Rd, Gilmanton, NH, 32370, United States
New England’s Five Best Bluegrass Bands
Saturday July 20, 2024 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
451 Meetinghouse Rd. Gilmanton, NH
Free Rough Camping Fri & Sat with Advance Tickets
Join us at “Smith Meetinghouse” for an AMAZING DAY OF BLUEGRASS! This event is the 250th Anniversary of the establishment of the Meetinghouse. The First Congregational Society in Gilmanton is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization that maintains the historic buildings on this site. The Bluegrass Festival is a fundraising event to help the annual costs of maintaining and preserving the buildings and grounds.
Bring your own lawn chairs, blankets and appetite, we will have great vendors onsite!
*$50 Tickets at the gate or $45 available by check or money order through June 30, 2024
Please address check to “FCSG Meetinghouse” and mail to:
544 Meeting House Road, Gilmanton, NH 03237
Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope

Brookline Old Time Jam
2024-07-21 13:00 - 15:00 | st pauls episcopal church, 79 Cross St., Gardner, MA, 01440, United States
Held every Sunday 1-3 in either St Paul’s Church inside or along the Charles River at Herter Park.
Hosted by Andrew Tanis

We get together and play old-time music. During the warmer months we meet outdoors at Herter Park Boston, MA. Once it’s cold we meet indoors in Brookline, MA.

Join us if you play fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar, cello, bass, mandolin, ukulele, autoharp, pennywhistle or anything else, or join us to listen and/or dance.

Check for weekly details on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/427113585480922
