Past Bluegrass Related Events

Twisted Pine is a wild and unpredictable bluegrass band delivering powerful vocals, hard-driving rhythms, and virtuostic musicianship. Based in Boston, the band is composed of Dan Bui on mandolin, Ricky Mier on banjo, Kathleen Parks on fiddle and vocals, Chris Sartori on bass, and Rachel Sumner on guitar and vocals. Twisted Pine has performed on the main stages of major festivals such as Greyfox Bluegrass Festival, Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Greenriver Festival, FreshGrass Festival, Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival, and more. In 2014 they won both the FreshGrass and Thomas Point Beach Beach band competitions. Recently, the band received a grant from the Iguana Music Fund at Club Passim to record their debut full length album at Compass Records Studio. They were nominated for the 2015 IBMA Band Performance Momentum Award and tied for first place at The Rocky Grass band competition. They are now in artist development at Signature Sounds.

Long recognized and praised as a creative force in acoustic music, Claire Lynch is a pioneer who continually pushes the boundaries of the bluegrass genre. She was the 2013 Female Vocalist of the Year for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and a 2012 recipient of the United States Artists Walker Fellowship. Her career has been decorated with many other accolades including two GRAMMY nominations and three International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist awards in 2010 and 1997. Recently, at the 2014 IBMA Awards, she received two trophies: "Song of the Year" and "Recorded Event of the Year.” Dolly Parton credits Claire with "one of the sweetest, purest and best lead voices in the music business today   Riverwalk Cafe and Music Bar is a unique venue and listening room, delivering "Craft Coffee, Craft Cocktails, and Craft Music" under a single roof.

Dietrich Strause and The Blue Ribbons, Boston based folk and rock artists, will be performing together on Friday, January 13th at Riverwalk Cafe & Music Hall in Nashua, NH. It's a classic love story. A young doe-eyed literate songwriter meets a dangerous avant-garde rock and roll band. Such is the story of Dietrich Strause and The Blue Ribbons' burgeoning collaboration. They met seven years ago sharing back to back Tuesday night residencies at Toad, a small rock club in Cambridge. Now with funding from Passim's Iguana Grant, Dietrich Strause and The Blue Ribbons are recording together in Maine in January 2017. Immediately following the session they are collaborating live for the first time, with three shows throughout New England, bringing the magic and glow of the record making process straight into the venue. The Boston Globe has said The Blue Ribbons “combine upbeat disillusionment and celebratory fatalism with musicianship." An unlikely and exciting match for Dietrich Strause’s meticulously crafted songs - which WBUR says are a mix of timeless melody, literate lyricism, and a "virtuosic command of imagery." Boston Music Award winning four piece band, The Blue Ribbons have a fearless sound; evolved over a decade of tirelessly and joyously playing bar rooms, clubs, and festivals. Their influences are rooted deeply in the jazz and rock and roll anti-traditions, described as “Ray Charles and Tom Waits on a pirate ship with Sun Ra and Captain Beefheart." In his eight years living in New England, Dietrich Strause has evolved in his own parallel way, from writing Appalachian nostalgia porn to mid-century modern pop in the vein of Nick Lowe and Randy Newman. He spent the fall living alone in London and traveling extensively throughout the United … Read More »

LOCUST HONEY STRING BAND w/ Heather Pierson Band Riverwalk Cafe & Music Hall Thursday, May 4th, 2017 8 pm Tickets: $5/7 http://riverwalknashua.com/checkout/4644   As Locust Honey, Chloe Edmonstone and Meredith Watson bring their experience in Old-Time, Bluegrass, and Pre-War Blues to both their original material and the traditional songs and tunes of the American Southeast.  With a rotating instrumentation of fiddles, open-back and resonator banjos, acoustic and resonator guitars, they set an emphasis on lively arrangements that showcase their signature vintage vocal harmonies.  Joined by John Miller, (The Fox Hunt, The Hackensaw Boys,) on upright bass, they have been touring the US, UK and Ireland since 2012. Locust Honey is featured as one of Merlefest's "Must See Fresh Faces" of this year's festival, alongside Sierra Hull, Chris Jones, and Front Country. Their original song, "When The Whiskey's Gone," was featured in the 2014 film "Time Out of Mind," starring Richard Gere and directed by Oren Moverman.  Their record "Never Let Me Cross Your Mind" was released to critical acclaim in 2014 and remained inthe top ten onthe Folk DJ Charts for 4 months. http://www.locusthoney.com/ http://facebook.com/locusthoney  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6yyDDY0zdI For interviews, CDs, and further information please contact: - Mollie Farr [email protected] Lost Buffalo Artists (941) 356-3118 www.lostbuffaloartists.com

Dietrich Strause and The Blue Ribbons, Boston based folk and rock artists, will be performing together on Friday, June 23rd at Riverwalk Cafe and Music Bar in Nashua, NH. It's a classic love story. A young doe-eyed literate songwriter meets a dangerous avant-garde rock and roll band. Such is the story of Dietrich Strause and The Blue Ribbons' burgeoning collaboration. They met seven years ago sharing back to back Tuesday night residencies at Toad, a small rock club in Cambridge. Now with funding from Passim's Iguana Grant, Dietrich Strause and The Blue Ribbons recorded together in Maine in January 2017. Immediately following the session they collaborated live for the first time, with three shows throughout New England, bringing the magic and glow of the record making process straight into the venue. The Boston Globe has said The Blue Ribbons “combine upbeat disillusionment and celebratory fatalism with musicianship." An unlikely and exciting match for Dietrich Strause’s meticulously crafted songs - which WBUR says are a mix of timeless melody, literate lyricism, and a "virtuosic command of imagery." Boston Music Award winning four piece band, The Blue Ribbons have a fearless sound; evolved over a decade of tirelessly and joyously playing bar rooms, clubs, and festivals. Their influences are rooted deeply in the jazz and rock and roll anti-traditions, described as “Ray Charles and Tom Waits on a pirate ship with Sun Ra and Captain Beefheart." In his eight years living in New England, Dietrich Strause has evolved in his own parallel way, from writing Appalachian nostalgia porn to mid-century modern pop in the vein of Nick Lowe and Randy Newman. He spent the fall living alone in London and traveling extensively throughout the United Kingdom, touring … Read More »

GROUNDBREAKING ACOUSTIC SEXTET NIGHT TREE RETURNS TO THE RIVERWALK CAFE ON JANUARY 28th   Night Tree continues to celebrate the release of their self-titled debut album at the Riverwalk Café and Music Bar in Nashua, NH on Sunday, January 28th at 7:00PM, during their a 20-date East Coast winter tour from the East Coast to the heart of the Midwest.  This exciting show will feature the album’s ten new compositions, ranging from somber and plaintive melodies to raucous and energized tumult.  The album was produced by Séamus Egan, a founding member of SOLAS, who says, “I’m thrilled to have been part of this brilliant young band’s debut album. They play with such spark and musicality. Thoughtful compositions, precise, inventive arrangements. An absolute joy. Go hear them!” In September of 2016, six diverse musicians came together unexpectedly within the walls of Boston’s New England Conservatory to form New Acoustic band, Night Tree.  The sextet of attracts dramatic attention not only for its abnormal instrumentation of two fiddles, cello, accordion, saxophone, percussion, voice, and the occasional viola and mandolin, but for their collective representation and incorporation of traditions from Irish, Classical, Swedish, Jazz, Klezmer, and Afro-Cuban music. Night Tree was named the NEC Wildcard Honors Ensemble for 2016, granting them sponsorship from NEC, a headlining performance at the historic Jordan Hall, and a year of working with Winifred Horan, fiddler and co-founder of Irish super-band, SOLAS.  Brian O’Donovan, Senior DJ at Boston’s WGBH, calls Night Tree, “One of the most exciting roots-based music groups to emerge from the New England Conservatory in many years.  Their individual chops and adventurous approach make Night Tree a band to watch for.”