Showcase Bands
There’s always something new and fun happening on the Showcase Stage in the Sovereign Room. Check the full schedule here. Bands appear in the order of their appearance.
The Grillbillie Project – Friday, 6:30 pm
The Grillbillie Project is a collective of talented musicians and long-time friends who share a deep-rooted passion for bluegrass music. Having played together for years, both informally and as a professional band, they bring a natural chemistry and seasoned expertise to every performance. Their music is a testament to their enduring friendship and commitment to the genre, capturing the authentic, soulful spirit of traditional bluegrass with a collaborative energy that only decades of playing together can produce.
The Blurs – Friday, 7:15 pm
Three-fifths of The Jeff Horton Band, this trio brings great rhythm and strong vocals to the stage. Two-time inductee into the RI Bluegrass Hall of Fame, Jeff Horton has been a fixture in New England bluegrass for almost 50 years, playing in numerous bands and leading harmony singing and other workshops at major bluegrass festivals. Matt Carlen’s deft and imaginative guitar playing has led Wide Open Spaces (catch them later tonight) for 2 decades. Gary Beekmann sings some great songs, adds harmony, and plays bass, guitar, dobro, mandolin, and a little banjo.
Simon Brogie & The XLTs – Friday, 8:00 pm
Simon Brogie & The XLTs is a Blue Grass band featuring several accomplished NE musicians with diverse backgrounds. The group aims to deliver music that touches the soul and puts a smile on the listeners face.
Wide Open Spaces – Friday, 8:45 pm
Eastern New England’s Wide Open Spaces uses bluegrass instrumentation to play a wide open repertoire of bluegrass-tinged Americana with beautiful vocal harmonies, sparkling instrumentation, and original songs & instrumentals taking audiences on a musical joy ride through “bluegrass without borders.”
The Fretbenders – Saturday, 10:00 am
New England Americana duo, the Fretbenders, featuring Dee Kordas (songwriter, vocals, guitar) and Bob Kordas (vocals, dobro, slide guitars, banjo), have a sound based in blues/roots music, with a dash of bluegrass & folk for good measure. Fun, toe tapping tunes served with humor and fantastic musicianship, where a “down-home barbecue meets a speakeasy.”
Rocky Woods Express – Saturday, 10:45 am
Rocky Woods Express specializes in traditional bluegrass and country classics done in bluegrass style, with tasteful instrumental breaks and multi-part harmony vocals. The previous incarnation of Rocky Woods Express, known as Merrimack Valley Bluegrass has played at many venues and town events in the Greater Boston region including the fondly remembered Cantab Lounge. They have played bluegrass festivals across New England including Joe Val, Thomas Point Beach, and Pemi Valley.
White Mountain Ramblers – Saturday, 11:30 am
White Mountain Ramblers is an acoustic quartet playing bluegrass and beyond. The band features Nathaniel Haas (bass), Ben Rossetter (mandolin), Luke Bartol (fiddle), and Robbie Neeb (guitar). Playing a mix of original, familiar, and traditional music, WMR’s unique sound draws from the members’ diverse musical backgrounds. As outdoor enthusiasts who’ve lived in mountain regions across the US, they named the band after the mountain range that brought them together in 2023. Found in venues, bars, and fields across Northern New England, WMR’s hot licks, three-part harmonies, and fresh arrangements are guaranteed to get you ramblin’ along!
The Splinters – Saturday, 5:00 pm
The Splinters, a bluegrass band from Massachusetts, deliver a relentless groove to accompany their tight 3-part harmonies. Tom Pritchard (fiddle) brings the heat to his playing. J Johnson (mandolin) adds a jazzy flair to his breaks. Chris Reckling (guitar) picks solid rhythm and punchy leads, on top of Garrett Wallace’s grooving bass fiddle. Newest band member, Max Petersen provides the rolling firepower on banjo. A Splinters set veers from straight ahead bluegrass to traditional fiddle tunes and back, with the occasional detour into a modern song.
Gentleman’s Gambit – Saturday, 5:45 pm
Part drift and part drive, Gentlemen’s Gambit is a band of friends bridging the gap between modern and traditional bluegrass. Influenced by bands like Alison Krauss And Union Station, Lonesome River Band, and the Punch Brothers, they bring a fresh combination of original music and high horsepower bluegrass favorites to stages across the Northeast. Sam Stage (fiddle), Devin Jones (guitar), Quinn Eastburn (mandolin), Arlea Forbes-Prater (bass), and Micah Philipp (banjo) are all current students at the Berklee College of Music. Gentlemen’s Gambit is a forward-facing testament to what young bluegrass has to offer.
Beyond Dixon – Saturday, 6:30 pm
Beyond Dixon is led by bassist Gary Upton (founder/owner of Upton Bass String Instrument Company) whose lifelong musical background and newfound love for bluegrass have shaped the band’s direction, tone, and evolving identity. He met Cab Burkhart (guitar) and Caleb Swan (fiddle, mandolin) at Boston area jams where the late Gabe Hirshfeld encouraged them to form a band. Now with Maxwell Petersen (banjo), Beyond Dixon blends traditional bluegrass roots with a modern, rhythmic edge, tight harmonies, strong drive, and acoustic energy that lives somewhere between the Old and the New: “Old roots, New roads – Beyond Dixon”.
Sharp Five – Saturday, 7:15 pm
Sharp Five is a Boston area band drawing from the tradition of the great swing quintets of Reinhardt, Grappelli and Grisman. Whether offering up a jazz standard or a double banjo tune from Bill Keith, their infectious rhythms and tight arrangements will put a smile on your face.
The Lion Sisters – Saturday, 8:00 pm
The Lion Sisters are a sibling duo from New Hampshire, with Josi on fiddle and vocals and Lily on guitar and vocals. Their sound, blending folk and bluegrass with Irish fiddle and vintage country, has subtle pop and rock influences, creating a warm, contemporary style that’s distinctly their own. With their signature sister harmonies, musical synchronicity and genre-blending sound, they are quickly emerging as a fresh voice in the modern acoustic scene.
The Something Brothers, Featuring Julie Metcalf– Saturday, 8:45 pm
The Something Brothers featuring Julie Metcalf showcases Foundational Bluegrass. This gathering of various yanks from the greater Boston area bluegrass scene will shine with plenty of hot picking and sweet vocals.
JB and Cardineau Sin – Saturday, 9:30 pm
Mandolinist, singer, and songwriter Jean-Baptiste Cardineau manifests his unique musical and lyrical vision with his “Nouveau-Traditional” style. He won the 2025 Freshgrass Award in mandolin and attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, studying jazz, classical, and various ethnic styles while developing his spontaneous bluegrass technique. JB will be backed by Emma Turoff (bass), Stewert Werner (banjo), and Jack Holland (guitar), and perhaps some other special guests…
MrBill – Sunday, 10:45 am
MrBill is a four-piece bluegrass band from the Monadnock Region of southern New Hampshire, performing traditional and original bluegrass as well as “grassified” versions of popular non-bluegrass songs. Together for three years, the group has released two albums: the all-original “When Pigs Fly,” written by John Meehan and arranged by the band, and their debut, “You Can’t Bit The Hog,” both available on Spotify. Known for their original compositions and signature tongue-in-cheek humor, MrBill makes frequent local appearances, including monthly shows at Harlows Pub in Peterborough.
The New Grown-Ups – Sunday, 11:30 am
Hailing from the Boston area, The New Grown-Ups is an octet taking a modern twist on American Roots music. They blend Traditional Folk, Country, Blues, Celtic, Old-time, Originals, Bluegrass, and Pop into a snafu of contemporary acoustic music. The band has toured regionally around New England and has an infectious onstage energy that comes with loving to perform and being around each other. The New Grown-Ups are: Ben Leddy (guitar/banjo/mandolin/vocals), Julie Metcalf (fiddle/vocals), Ben Truboff (guitar/banjo/mandolin/vocals), Cecily Mills (cello/vocals), Dan Africk (guitar/mandolin/vocals), Mike Siegel (bass/vocals), Lisa Pinals (fiddle/vocals), Lindsay Straw (guitar/bouzouki/vocals)
Stillwater – Sunday, 12:15 pm
Stillwater is a bluegrass sextet founded in 2023 on the banks of the Stillwater River in Old Town, ME featuring Trip Nickel (guitar), Yoni Musher (mandolin), Kiera Luu (double bass), George Horvat (fiddle), and Jack Pasternak (dobro). Stillwater incorporates modern renditions of traditional American folk and bluegrass tunes with contemporary jamgrass, respectfully exploring their creative freedom within the wide world of improvisational music and songwriting.
The Chickenshack Bluegrass Band – Sunday, 2:15 pm
Chickenshack is a dynamic bluegrass band with influences from traditional bluegrass, classic rock, country and beyond. With five lead singers and high-octane harmonies, each song is entertaining and different from the song before it. Hailing from the Seacoast of New Hampshire, The Chickenshack Bluegrass Band has enjoyed performing at music festivals and fairs around New England.
Hound & Handler – Sunday, 3:00 pm
Hound & Handler is a high-energy Bluegrass/Americana stringband from Boston featuring Sean Davis on mandolin, guitar and high-lonesome harmonies, Ross Kiah on guitar and lead vocals, and Joe Everett on upright bass and vocals. Their lively original songs center around the struggles of establishing oneself in a time & place where the vast majority of money is funneled straight to the fortunate few, leaving the rest of us to fight for scraps. The band released their debut LP ‘Lies & Advice’ in 2023 and followed it with the ‘I Feel It All’ EP in April 2025 and has been nominated for Americana Artist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards.