Upcoming Bluegrass Related Events

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 »

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.

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.