A rare and intimate evening of acoustic music featuring Tim O’Brien, Sam Grisman, and Victor Furtado. This special trio performance brings together three musicians whose shared love of song, storytelling, and instrumental mastery continues the timeless lineage of American acoustic music.

A note from Sam Grisman:

The legendary Tim O’Brien is one of the most beloved and influential singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists in American acoustic music and the impact that his songs and musicianship have had on our tribe of acousticians is immeasurable.

When I was a Junior in high school if you would have asked me what my dream job would be, without a doubt I would have answered “to be in the Tim O’Brien Band.” It is a great honor to get to play some of my favorite Tim tunes with the man himself, and to get to do it in a trio setting with the great Victor Furtado, one of my favorite pickin’ pals who also grew up on Tim’s music, is going to make for a special experience for everyone on stage and in the audience! We can’t wait to see y’all out there.

Dead & more like never before! Bearly Dead, a nationally-touring Grateful Dead tribute, is a true party band delivering a full-spectrum live experience filled with danceable energy, extraordinary performance antics, and world-class musicianship. The band's concert-style show celebrates the journey of the Grateful Dead from their earliest records until their final tours while weaving in potent classics from notable jam, rock, and funk artists. Each and every Grateful Dead member is honored through unique takes on the hits, b-sides, and deep cuts. Holding true to the spirit of the music, Bearly Dead frequently adds to their 250+ song catalog and continues to showcase spontaneous improvisation and exploratory jams – live and in-person – making each show a wildly cosmic experience you do not want to miss!

Bearly Dead performed their first show at Church of Boston, in 2015, marking the beginning of its hallowed Wednesday Night Residency. Over the next 5 years the phrase “Never Miss A Wednesday Show” became ubiquitous around Boston and Bearly Dead was nominated many times for Boston Music Awards Live Music Residency of the Year. Fans really never knew what might happen, the band never knew what might happen! Bearly Dead shows have featured special appearances by Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Paul Wolstencroft (Slightly Stoopid), Steve Molitz (Particle/Phil Lesh & Friends), Kebbi Williams (Tedeschi Trucks Band), Rob Compa (Dopapod), Hayley Jane (Hayley Jane & The Primates), Richard James (Neighbor), and Johnny Trama (Dub Apocalypse) — and even a surprise appearance by Jerry Garcia’s “Wolf” guitar in 2018 on Jerry Garcia’s birthday.

Bearly Dead performs at Massachusetts’ most prestigious venues, including Paradise Rock Club, Sinclair, and the Worcester Palladium, as well as headlining at MGM Music Hall Fenway and House of Blues Boston. After becoming a staple in the Northeast US festival community with multiple appearances at Camp Creek, Jerry Jam, Strange Creek Campout, and many more, it was only a matter of time before Bearly Dead shows were being requested around the USA. In October 2022, Bearly Dead saddled up a van and began touring nationally, performing their interpretation of the catalog across the United States and growing the family all along the way.

Bearly Dead is Tyler Brooks (Drums, Vocals), Michael Butler (Vocals, Percussion), Sarah Elaz (Bass, Vocals), Nick Swift (Guitar, Vocals), and Kris Yunker (Keys/Organ/Synth, Vocals).

Following the release of their most recent album ‘SPIRIT GATHERER • Tribute to Don Cherry in 2023 via Spiritmuse Records. The legendary Chicago multi-percussionist and composer Sir Kahil El’Zabar, celebrates 50 years of The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s legacy and unwavering contribution to Great Black Music,

EHE was formed in 1974 shortly after Sir Kahil El’Zabar graduated from Lake Forest College, with the goal “To combine concepts of African American music with its earlier roots in traditional African music, to produce new motifs and sounds true to their origins yet firmly pointed in a new artistic direction ”of enlightenment and deep listening”. Half a century later and the rich, compelling, ever-evolving sound they are known for, is still going strong. Together with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is one of the two remaining original groups active in the world today that were nurtured in the AACM( Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians).

[ “I knew in my heart, that this band Would endure. My concept was based in logic as it pertains to the history of Great Black Music. In other words, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has a strong rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, well-balanced interplay and polyphony among the players for highly developed ensemble dynamics. We are strong individual soloists with an in-depth grasp of music history, originality, fearlessness and deep spirituality.” ]

Alongside multi-faceted El’Zabar, the EHE’s current line-up includes Corey Wilkes on trumpet, who has worked with numerous jazz masters, including Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Elling, and multi-instrumentalist Alex Harding on baritone sax, who has performed with Dollar Brand, Julius Hemphill Sun Ra, and Fela The Musical. These three sonic scientists whip up an electrifying mix of spiritual jazz with afro-inspired rhythms built around fundamental brass improvisations and a swing-induced groove. The resulting trance-like fervor, transports one into a mind opening journey of spiritually enlightened deep listening.

Building on half a century of this iconic band’s work, for this anniversary project, Kahil intends to keep looking forward in terms of a contemporary approach to authenticity in concept, music, arrangements, and performance. Corey Wilkes, Alex Harding, and special guests, James Sauders, and Ishmael Ali, are exemplary players, as well as being extraordinary improvisers! It is a new EHE sound with strings that combines the history of our music to a contemporary approach to arrangements, performance, and ensemble interplay, that speaks to the now and beyond.

Corey Wilkes
Trumpeter Corey Wilkes’ impact on the Chicago music scene is near boundless. Having grown up immersed in the sounds of blues, soul, jazz, funk and R&B, he took up the trumpet at the age of 10, and immediately flourished as a performer. His confidence and talent soon took him to Berklee College of Music and the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans, to immerse himself in the city’s rich musical cultures. Upon returning to his native city, Chicago, his profile rose rapidly in jazz society. He became an Artist in Residence for the Jazz Institute of Chicago, and a member of the AACM. For years he’s developed under Kahil El’Zabar’s wing in the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, and has played on stage and recorded with greats such as Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, James Moody, Kurt Elling, Greg Osby, Nicole Mitchell, Marcus Belgrave, Clark Terry, Evan Parker, IG Culture, Tortoise and Bonnie Prince Billy and Makaya McCraven All the while playing with the Art Ensemble of Chicago filling the incredibly large shoes of the late Lester Bowie.

Corey Wilkes has been with Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble for over 15 years now, and can be heard on the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s phenomenal “Be Known: Ancient / Future / Music” LP and ‘Spirit Gatherer, Tribute to Don Cherry’ on Spiritmuse Records and on Junius Paul Quartet’s acclaimed “Ism”. As nearly a two-decade member of Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, it was natural that Corey would be tapped to be part of Kahil E’lZabar’s Quartet releasing a seminal album in Feb of 2022 with “A Time for Healing” on Spiritmuse.  

Featured extensively by NPR, Downbeat & Jazz Times, the New York Times described Wilkes’s playing style as “smartly balanced bravado, power, and control” all while being one of the very few trumpeters able to practice circular breathing while playing – an impressive feat!

Alex Harding
Critics have hailed him as “the new voice on baritone saxophone, the carrier of the great legacy of Harry Carney, Pepper Adams and Hamiet Bluiett”. Alex Harding has released several albums as a bandleader garnering glowing reviews while also appearing as a guest on more than 40 other albums. The October ’97 issue of Jazz Times review of Hamiet Bluiett’s Baritone Band stated “Alex Harding attacked the music with steamroller momentum and uncommon ferocity…it was sheer fireworks”.

A powerful and innovative saxophonist, Alex Harding has a unique and contemporary baritone sound, and has been a core member of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble for the last 6 years. The sincerity of his musical expression and the dynamism of his performances with the EHE reach out and touch the human spirit and soul.

Harding was voted ‘Best Baritone Saxophonist in the World’ by Downbeat Magazine in 2022.  

Together, Jim, April, and Kiah create a beautiful tapestry of sound to help take you deeply inward.  

And for this performance, deeply “under”: We will be using the gently psychedelic “Liquid Light” of Ryan Fenelon to transport the whole theater under water in blues and greens while images of undersea life and  submersed sounds will blend from the stage to really take you there.

Jim will be bringing his expansive gong array, and that , accompanied by Cello, Trumpet, Voice, and some surprises, will create an Atlantean blend of sonic vibrations never before experienced.

Jim Doble has been creating and using musical instruments to help inspire creativity and well-being for over thirty years. More recently he has been directing his talents directly towards creating sonic landscapes that invite the listener to go deep within to make shifts in health and well-being. 

Using a large array of gongs from around the world, Jim creates a trance like atmosphere, inviting the brain and psyche to loosen up a bit, help break up old unhealthy patterns and invite new ways of being in the world. 

The first half of the deep dive will go as described above. This will blend into the  second half where you will be invited to close your eyes for a sonic meditation, diving into your own submersed self, letting the magic fully take you. 

April Reed-Cox began playing cello at the age of 4. She studied for 12 years using the Suzuki Method, and entered college at 16 as a performance major. She holds a BM and a MM from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. She has performed in symphony orchestras across the country. April moved to Maine in 2009 to be with family and now performs with the Bangor Symphony, and a slew of local bands. Since moving to Maine, April has fallen in love with session recording work and has been featured on 14+ albums. April melds classical and folk playing techniques as well as improvisation into her very expansive repertoire.

Kiah Abendroth (“Lady Kiah”) is an internationally loved trumpet artist and multi-instrumentalist who has been based on the magical island of Kaua’i for the last 9 years. Kiah channels a potent combination of gentleness and passion through her music. A third-generation female trumpet player, Kiah holds a Master’s Degree in Music, specializing in Classical Trumpet Performance. 

Kiah’s uplifting and loving presence aims to open hearts. She is known for her ability to perform in many different genres and to improvise original music in the moment, often customizing her songs for the audience- including mimicking the sounds of nature. Kiah has performed with some incredible artists (Ozomatli, Elijah Ray, Fantuzzi, Amber Lily) in addition to collaborating with world-class bands and ensembles across the United States.

Kiah’s intention as an artist is to open and elevate the heart and to bring people together through music. Curious to learn more? Connect with Lady Kiah’s music at: www.linktr.ee/kiahmusic

Join us as we play stripped down Twiddle favorites alongside our typical improv & jams!
Gubbulidis is the longtime musical partnership of guitarist & vocalist Mihali Savoulidis and bassist Zdenek Gubb, founding members behind jam-rock band Twiddle. Reconnecting as part of a fresh new chapter, the duo taps into the chemistry that shaped their sound for over a decade, playing out Twiddle favorites alongside explorational improvisation and genre-blending grooves, resulting in something both familiar yet brand new. It’s stripped down, soulful, and built on a pure lifelong friendship.

With the help of a loop pedal Gubbulidis is able to create a unique sound that is much bigger than what a duo usually has to offer. Between Mihali’s BeatBoxing and Zdenek’s percussive bass lines they are able to create a variety of beats that fill out there sound and enable them to create the full band vibe that makes them so much fun to see live. With ripping solo’s and spot on vocal harmonies these two guys are able to captivate music lovers from all over the world time and time again.

Jesse Bardwell is a genre-blending singer-songwriter whose music fuses traditional country, rock, bluegrass, and Americana. A former frontman of the Quimby Mountain Band and a seasoned solo performer, Bardwell has toured extensively, sharing stages with legends like Phil Lesh and Steve Forbert. A New Jersey native now based in rural Pennsylvania, his deep love for the outdoors informs his music and his life—when he’s not on stage, you’ll likely not find him because he’s lost fly fishing or scouring woodlands with his Boykin “Pheobe”. With heartfelt songwriting and a soulful presence, Bardwell delivers music that’s as grounded as it is inspiring.

Hailed by American Songwriter as “one of America’s most intriguing, creative, and idiosyncratic voices,” Eilen Jewell rises from the ashes on her captivating new album, Get Behind The Wheel, picking up the pieces of her shattered world and finding new purpose and meaning after watching her marriage, her band, and what felt like her entire career fall apart in a series of spectacular, heartbreaking implosions. Co-produced by multi-instrumental wizard Will Kimbrough (Todd Snider, Hayes Carll), the collection pushes the acclaimed singer and songwriter’s trademark blend of vintage roots-noir into more psychedelic territory, with spacious, cinematic arrangements complementing her revelatory explorations of grief, loss, resilience, and redemption. 

An Idaho native, Jewell built her career the old fashioned way, touring relentlessly with the kind of undeniable live show that converts the uninitiated into instant acolytes. Over the course of nine albums, she’s crisscrossed the globe countless times and shared bills with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Loretta Lynn, Mavis Staples, Wanda Jackson, George Jones, and Emmylou Harris. Rolling Stone lauded Jewell’s “clever writing,” while NPR declared that she has a “sweet and clear voice with a killer instinct lurking beneath the shiny surface,” and The Washington Post mused that “if Neko Case, Madeleine Peyroux and Billie Holiday had a baby girl who grew up to front a rockabilly band, she’d probably sound a lot like Eilen Jewell.”

Following up the international success of 'Rhumba Country', Pokey LaFarge is set to embark on a SOLO tour this January through March, playing an intimate set to theaters and jazz clubs throughout California and the Northeast. He'll be reimagining songs from his nine-album catalog as well as new interpretations of Gospel, Rock & Roll, and Country classics.

Solas is lighting up stages across the globe as they celebrate three decades of pushing boundaries and honoring traditions in Irish music. Hailed by The Boston Globe as “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced,” and by The Wall Street Journal as “an Irish traditional band bearing all the marks of greatness,” Solas continues to captivate audiences with their spellbinding musicianship and genre-defying creativity.

Formed in New York City in 1995, Solas quickly rose to prominence as a revolutionary force in Irish-American music. The very first iteration of Solas brought together a lineup of extraordinary talent including multi-instrumentalist Séamus Egan, fiddler Winifred Horan, vocalist Karan Casey, guitarist John Doyle, and accordionist John Williams. Together, they redefined the Celtic sound for a new generation, weaving traditional Irish tunes with elements of folk, bluegrass, Americana, and contemporary songwriting.

Now, with twelve critically acclaimed albums and a reputation for dynamic, emotionally charged live performances, Solas has set new standards for musicianship, repertoire, and intensity. Their debut album Solas (1996) established a bold new voice in traditional music, and each subsequent release has showcased the band’s remarkable ability to tell stories that resonate across time and cultures.

Among their most ambitious works is the 2013 concept album Shamrock City, a deeply personal project inspired by Egan’s great-great-uncle, who immigrated from Ireland to the mining town of Butte, Montana in the early 1900s. The album is a powerful meditation on immigrant identity, labor struggles, and lost dreams, and it solidified Solas’ reputation as not only virtuosic musicians but evocative storytellers.

Their 2016 release, All These Years, marked the band’s 20th anniversary and featured contributions from every past and present member. It was both a celebration of their journey and a showcase of their creative evolution.

While the band has seen various lineup changes over the years, the spirit of innovation and reverence for Irish tradition has remained constant. As Solas takes to the road for this milestone tour, they’re joined by a stellar lineup that honors the band’s legacy while lighting the way forward.

Founding members Seamus Egan, Winifred Horan, and John Williams are joined by guitarist Alan Murray and – depending on the night! – audiences will be treated to the luminous vocals and flute work of Irish folk star Nuala Kennedy or the genre-defying brilliance of multi-instrumentalist and vocal polyglot Moira Smiley. Each performance promises its own unique magic, as these world-class artists breathe new life into the band’s rich and ever-evolving soundscape.

This powerhouse ensemble brings the magic of Solas to life in a performance that promises to be both a homecoming and a new beginning. Audiences can expect an unforgettable musical journey filled with driving rhythms, soaring melodies, and heartfelt vocals that pay tribute to Irish roots while embracing new creative frontiers.

Solas’ music has always existed at the intersection of tradition and transformation. Whether interpreting a centuries-old ballad or unveiling an original composition, the band approaches each piece with curiosity, skill, and deep emotional resonance. Their ability to evolve without losing their essence has made them a cornerstone of the Celtic music scene and an inspiration to countless artists.

As Solas marks their 30th anniversary as a band, they invite longtime fans and new listeners alike to join the celebration!

Each generation, perhaps once a decade, bluegrass experiences a band or an artist that redefines and recenters the genre itself. Della Mae is one such band. 

The GRAMMY-nominated string band was founded in 2010 and over the next decade and a half they’ve demonstrated to the roots music world, once and for all, that a band of all women is not, nor has ever been, a mere novelty. They remain at the forefront of the explosion of women instrumentalists and all-women acts in roots music and their impact is striking and measurable – not just in North America, but around the globe.

Now 15 years since their origin, Della Mae can boast their strongest lineup yet. Founders Kimber Ludiker and Celia Woodsmith are joined by guitarist and songwriter Avril Smith and vocalist and two-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year Vickie Vaughn.

There has never been a band like Della Mae in roots music before, but thanks to Kimber Ludiker, Celia Woodsmith, Avril Smith, Vickie Vaughn – and all of the women who have been part of this band over its long life – we know there will be many more bands, singers, songwriters, and pickers just like Della Mae in the future.

Hummingbird Highway street date 9/12/25

“It’s a highway, filled with deep, exotic colors and beautiful delicate things as well as the perils that come from moving so fast,” says Dar Williams, describing modern life. On her 13th album, Hummingbird Highway, out September 12 on Righteous Babe Records, Williams celebrates the colors she glimpses from her vantage as a touring musician. “I was a kid from the suburbs who listened when her hippie teachers said to get out in the world,” Williams muses. Hummingbird Highway is the latest chapter in a richly unfolding story. Drawing on her experience as a playwright, Williams populates her latest album with nuanced characters that come alive in the space of a few minutes. 

 On the title track, Williams sings from the perspective of a child speaking to her peripatetic and sometimes struggling parent.  Blooming columbines, china blue teapots, and cinnamon bark number among the “treasures” in her life, despite the “pirates” that she imagines populating her worldly parent’s life. “The pirates can be all sorts of things living inside and outside your head. The child, for better or worse, knows that there is joy, unpredictability, and instability on the home front. She’s rooting for the joy.” 

 Since 2013, Williams has been leading songwriting workshops where she teaches students to let songs find their own trajectories. While writing the breezy bossa nova “Tu Sais Le Printemps,” (single release 7/29/25) Williams questioned why she was writing a light, flirty song amidst many gloomy news stories. “I was having coffee with some of my fellow retreat leaders and Beth Nielsen Chapman, telling them about my ‘frilly’ song, and Beth said, ‘That's just what I want to hear right now!’ It was a nice moment to follow my own advice and let the song find its way.” 

 With help from Williams’ collaborators, the other songs found their paths as well.  Mainly produced by Ken Rich at Brooklyn’s Grand Street recording (with two tracks produced by Dave Chalfant in Western Massachusetts), the Hummingbird Highway sessions were a microcosm of the interdependence that provided inspiration from inception to full production. These songs are ecosystems that thrive on co-creation. Daisy Mayhem brings roots-rock energy to the bluegrassy “Put the Coins on His Eyes,” while long time touring-mate and collaborator Bryn Roberts creates both the hooks and immersive sonic landscapes of every musical genre.  Simpatico “studio magic” can be heard in the happy rowdiness of the Richard Thompson cover, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight,” as well as in the contemplative “Sacred Mountain” where Williams wraps a halting melody around the narrator, a Buddhist who struggles to reconcile inward contemplation and political action. Through gray skies, snow pigeons, and petitions to stem industrial pollution, the character moves through shifting mindsets to work towards “what we see; what we breathe in time.” 

 Williams sees and breathes the way people connect with one another, as chronicled in what she calls her “take on urban planning,” What I Found in a Thousand Towns (Basic Books, 2017). “I traveled and watched how other people created these cool things like town-wide science fairs and hilarious celebrations of potatoes and chili, often going hand-in-hand with providing serious resources like food banks and free clinics,” she recalls. Along the way, she’s seen the devotion of strong unions (as in “Put the Coins On His Eyes”) and congressional reps alike. “Maryland, Maryland” was inspired by conversations with her friend, Rep. Jamie Raskin, about what a new state song would include. “In the end, my definition of a Maryland song was song about Jamie, who is a proud, patriotic son of the state.”  As Williams continuously takes in the social landscapes of towns and cities, she has also taken them home, helping to start a thrift sale, chairing a community board, and helping to organize group sings in her New York hometown. “For someone who’s seen a lot of pavement and airports along with all the great places where I’ve played, it’s especially nice to come home,” she says.

 As hummingbirds and folk singers fly, they gain perspective and not just distance.  She finds that wise perch on “Olive Tree,” a single out on August 26. With production of stirring percussion and twinkling keys, she considers everything that’s led up to our current moment. Williams observes “all of these strangers and friends” talking about world events at parties and dinner gatherings and thinks back to all the iterations of those conversations from Aristotle on. In a moving verse, she conjures a time in 1913 when California Berkeley scientists planted an olive grove in the United States and imagined the generations who would meet in the olive trees’ shade for “over one thousand years.”  When Williams promises “I’ll meet you here under an olive tree,” we all know that both she and we will, wherever and whenever we continue to foster olive trees and a human-scale, deeply-rooted democratic society.

 Longtime listeners know that Williams and her music are always up for those kinds of conversations that glimpse the brightest colors, woven into the larger context of time. “As I've gotten older, I feel more comfortable holding a lot of different threads in my hand to create more complicated patterns. Time has given me a better ability to hold a bunch of colors and temperaments and see what happens, where they become interesting new stories and also where I need to stop and untangle the themes and characters. It's daunting, and I've learned that, you know, daunting is fine, just keep going.”

Spencer LaJoye is making queer indie folk music for everyone. They are a coast-to-coast singer/songwriter and vocal loop artist with Midwest roots, a classically-trained violinist with an inner theater kid’s love of group choreography, and a student of Americana music with a theology degree hanging in their studio. The 2021 Kerrville Songwriting Competition winner and 2024 Songwriter Serenade winner has been writing and touring their autobiographical folk songs for over a decade, but their viral 2021 anthem “Plowshare Prayer” secured them a permanent place in hearts and households across the world, as well as a peculiar career as a veracious songsmith with an unshakeable pastoral presence. Charming and banter-heavy, Spencer’s performances keep audiences laughing one moment and weeping the next.

Martin Sexton tours in support the 25th anniversary of Live Wide Open - the critically-acclaimed double vinyl live album. The show will include these fan-favorites as well as some new material and surprise covers.

“The real thing, people” 

—Billboard

"Soul-marinated voice” 

—Rolling Stone

“Mr. Sexton as an impassioned performer can bring women and men to tears when they see him live” —Wall Street Journal

“The best live performer I’ve ever seen.” —John Mayer

“Master of dynamics, reducing a room to silence with his blustering baritone, then teasing that silence with a fluttering falsetto."  

—Acoustic Guitar

Pet Sounds Live is the premier Beach Boys album experience celebrating Brian Wilson’s iconic masterpiece that altered the course of rock & roll. Pet Sound Live transports you back in time inside the studio and behind the glass as you experience the creation of some of the greatest and most beloved music in rock & roll history performed right before your eyes and ears.

This is far more than a tribute and much more than just a band. Pet Sounds Live is rock & roll history come to life on
stage like no other show before. In addition to the complete Pet Sounds album, the show also features many other Beach Boys classics like; “California Girls”, “Don’t Worry, Baby”, “I Get Around”, “Help Me, Rhonda”, “In My Room”, “Surfin’ USA”, “Do It Again” and the legendary pocket symphony, “Good Vibrations” among others.

Relive the magic of Pet Sounds through live music, narration and visual multi-media with fascinating historical facts all
through the lens of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys’ masterpiece, PET SOUNDS! Experience the iconic masterpiece album LIVE in its entirety along with all of The Beach Boys greatest hits and Good Vibrations!

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This show is proudly sponsored by Alewives Fabric.