Upcoming Bluegrass Related Events

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Steve Forbert

Spire Center for Performing Arts 25 1/2 Court St, Plymouth, MA

More than four decades have passed since Steve Forbert made his way to New York City from his Meridian, Mississippi birthplace in quest of a career in music. It was the most unlikely time and place for a folk singer to leap into the fray in a burgeoning scene where new wave and punk were emerging while he took the stage as a the archetypal folkie, armed with just an acoustic guitar and sheaf of very personal songs.

$28

Parsonsfield

Spire Center for Performing Arts 25 1/2 Court St, Plymouth, MA

Parsonsfield, praised for making “the most jubilant and danceable indie roots music this side of the Carolinas” (NPR), is a folk-rock outfit known for their rich harmonies, vibrant songwriting and energetic live performances. Catch them onstage any night and the band’s joy is palpable. They trade instruments, share microphones, and shoot each other big grins. They sing in tight multi-part harmonies, their voices blending like they've been doing this together all their lives. That’s because Parsonsfield is a family band, not by birth but by choice.

$25

The Gibson Brothers

Spire Center for Performing Arts 25 1/2 Court St, Plymouth, MA

Bluegrass royalty Leigh and Eric Gibson step into what some might at first see as uncharted territory on their country-soul breakout Mockingbird, the new album produced by Grammy Award winners Dan Auerbach and Fergie Ferguson. The celebrated bluegrass duo — named back-to-back Entertainers of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2012 and 2013 — played the Nashville game two decades ago, while in their early 20s, and were offered a major label deal, only to be told at the last minute that they were too “retro” for modern country music.

$30

Bluegrass Church Service

St. Paul's Episcopal Church 79 Cross Street, Gardner, MA

An episcopal church service where all the hymns are bluegrass.

Free

Amy Helm (Acoustic)

Spire Center for Performing Arts 25 1/2 Court St, Plymouth, MA

Amy Helm sought what she calls a “circular sound” for her new album. It’s a well-rounded one, one marked by streaks of Americana, country, blues, and gospel, and the kinds of four-part harmonies that can burst open a melody and close the loop of an octave. And sentimentally, it’s a sound that represents the feeling of community. This Too Shall Light, released September 21, 2018 on Yep Roc Records, comprises 10 songs produced by Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Joe Henry.

$32

Fiddle Hell

Westford Regency Inn Westford, MA

Fiddle Hell features over 500 workshops, jams, and concerts taught by roughly 100 teachers, and covers dozens of traditional music styles!  

JamVember 2019

Sheraton Framingham 1657 Worcester Road, Framingham

JamVember is a weekend-long "non-festival" focused on jamming, jamming, and more jamming... with over 100 workshops and jams hosted by over 50 amazing musicians and teachers, and one big difference from usual festivals: no stage show to distract from the picking. JamVember 2019 will be held the weekend before Thanksgiving, November 22nd, 23rd & 24th, at the Sheraton in Framingham, MA.

Loudon Wainwright III

Spire Center for Performing Arts 25 1/2 Court St, Plymouth, MA

Loudon’s long and illustrious career is highlighted by more than two dozen album releases, Movie and TV credits, and his autobiography, Liner Notes (2017 Penguin/Random House). In 2010 Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album for High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project. His 2012 recording, Older Than My Old Man Now, was named one of NPR’s Top 10 Albums of the Year. September 2018, Loudon releases his 27th career album to-date, Years In The Making, a retrospective double CD with more than 45 tracks – live performances, demos, outtakes, unreleased songs spanning 50 years.

$35