Past Bluegrass Related Events

/Tony Watt
­

“Songs Beyond” Fast Jam

On the Cambridge/Arlington border Cambridge, MA

These weekly Teacher-Directed Jams hosted by Tony Watt are open to all bluegrass instruments, both rhythm and lead players. Each week we play through songs from the same set repertoire at various tempos depending on the experience level of the jam. You can attend even if you don’t know all of the tunes as I have mp3s and copies of tab, chords, and lyrics for most of these tunes, however, I only have tabs for mandolin, guitar, and bass at this time. Every Wednesday the “Songs Beyond" fast jam meets from 9 until 10 pm in north Cambridge. Each week we play through songs chosen by a rotating "DJ" (a regular jam member) from the following repertoire: Big Sciota (in G), Big Spike Hammer (in A), Bill Cheatham (in A), Gold Rush (in A), Billy in the Lowground (in C), Fireball Mail (in G), Wayfaring Stranger (in Em), Blackberry Blossom (in G), St. Anne's Reel (in D), and possibly Old Joe Clark (in A). These are my fastest teacher-directed jams, and some might argue we play some of these songs too fast. The jams are held in north Cambridge, about a half mile from where Rt. 2 hits Cambridge at the Alewife T station. This location is one block from the intersection of Rt. 16 and Mass. Ave., near the Cambridge/Arlington border. There is plenty of meter-free, permit-free parking on Mass. Ave., and the location is only a 10-minute walk from Alewife and 15 minutes from Davis Sq. Most of the attendees of the jam are what I call “subscribers”, which means they have paid in advance and committed to attend a block of six jams. The subscriber cost is $10 per hour-long jam, but you … Read More »

$10 – $15

“Songs Beyond” Fast Jam

On the Cambridge/Arlington border Cambridge, MA

These weekly Teacher-Directed Jams hosted by Tony Watt are open to all bluegrass instruments, both rhythm and lead players. Each week we play through songs from the same set repertoire at various tempos depending on the experience level of the jam. You can attend even if you don’t know all of the tunes as I have mp3s and copies of tab, chords, and lyrics for most of these tunes, however, I only have tabs for mandolin, guitar, and bass at this time. Every Wednesday the “Songs Beyond" fast jam meets from 9 until 10 pm in north Cambridge. Each week we play through songs chosen by a rotating "DJ" (a regular jam member) from the following repertoire: Big Sciota (in G), Big Spike Hammer (in A), Bill Cheatham (in A), Gold Rush (in A), Billy in the Lowground (in C), Fireball Mail (in G), Wayfaring Stranger (in Em), Blackberry Blossom (in G), St. Anne's Reel (in D), and possibly Old Joe Clark (in A). These are my fastest teacher-directed jams, and some might argue we play some of these songs too fast. The jams are held in north Cambridge, about a half mile from where Rt. 2 hits Cambridge at the Alewife T station. This location is one block from the intersection of Rt. 16 and Mass. Ave., near the Cambridge/Arlington border. There is plenty of meter-free, permit-free parking on Mass. Ave., and the location is only a 10-minute walk from Alewife and 15 minutes from Davis Sq. Most of the attendees of the jam are what I call “subscribers”, which means they have paid in advance and committed to attend a block of six jams. The subscriber cost is $10 per hour-long jam, but you … Read More »

$10 – $15

Recurring

BBU’s Second Saturday Bluegrass Jam at CCM

Concord Conservatory of Music 1317 Main Street, Concord, MA

Starting October 14th, 2017 at 7 pm, the BBU is partnering with the Concord Conservatory of Music (CCM) to co-sponsor a new Second Saturday Bluegrass Jam in West Concord. This monthly jam is open to all ages, all levels, and all bluegrass instruments, and the fee is $5. The jams are located at the Concord Conservatory of Music, which is housed in the West Concord Union Church at 1317 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742. There is plenty of free street parking around CCM, but please note that the entrance is through the side door on Pine St. (opposite Main St.). We will only have access to the lower level of the church, but that includes at least five separate rooms to jam in. More details can be found online at https://concordconservatory.org/Monthly_Bluegrass_Jam

$5

Ashokan Bluegrass Camp

The Ashokan Center 477 Beaverkill Road, Olivebridge, NY

This first-ever bluegrass camp at Ashokan will include instrument-specific instruction as well as singing classes, electives, and lots and lots of jamming. The inaugural camp features some of the best in bluegrass: Tony Trischka, Claire Lynch, Matt Flinner, Becky Buller, Scott Nygaard and Mike Bub. Don’t miss this chance to learn from and jam with some of the best musicians and teachers in bluegrass music.

$345

Joe K. Walsh & Friends at Lily P’s Fried Chicken & Oysters

Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters 50 Binney St., Cambridge, MA

On Saturday, February 25th, Joe K. Walsh - the uber-talented Berklee Professor, former mandolinist for The Gibson Brothers, and founding member of Mr. Sun - will be performing at Lily P’s Fried Chicken & Oysters in Cambridge, MA. Lily P's is the new home for Bluegrass Tuesdays, and the long-running weekly bluegrass series has now expanded to include some Saturdays. Joe will be joined by some of the most talented and finest people you can imagine - Lincoln Meyers on guitar, Steve Roy on bass, and Ella Jordan on fiddle! This will be our second Saturday Night Concert and just like Tuesdays, it’s going to be a Pass-the-Boot show with no cover charge and a requested donation of $20. Please bring your instruments and join a jam after the show (both on stage and off). Joe K. Walsh & Friends play from 7 until 9 pm and the jamming goes from 9 until closing time (probably around midnight or later). To get a feel for this Saturday's show, please check out this article (https://bluegrasstoday.com/danny-paisley-the-southern-grass-in-cambridge-ma/) about our first-ever Saturday Night Concert featuring Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass co-sponsored by the premiere bluegrass organization in the region, the Boston Bluegrass Union. And in addition to this Saturday's show with Joe K. Walsh & Friends, we also have Mike Compton & Joe Newberry on March 11th, and The Foreign Landers on March 18th. Please check out our website (https://bluegrasstuesdays.com/) for a list of upcoming bands on both Saturdays and Tuesdays. This show will share some things in common with Bluegrass Tuesdays, while some things will be a little bit different. Here are a bunch of details to consider if you're thinking about joining us: — There is … Read More »

Free

Mike Compton & Joe Newberry at Lily P’s Fried Chicken & Oysters

Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters 50 Binney St., Cambridge, MA

To get a feel for our Saturday shows, please check out this article (https://bluegrasstoday.com/danny-paisley-the-southern-grass-in-cambridge-ma/) about our first-ever Saturday Night Concert featuring Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass co-sponsored by the premiere bluegrass organization in the region, the Boston Bluegrass Union. And please check out our website (https://bluegrasstuesdays.com/) for a list of upcoming bands on both Saturdays and Tuesdays. This show will share some things in common with Bluegrass Tuesdays, while some things will be a little bit different. Here are a bunch of details to consider if you're thinking about joining us: — There is unlimited FREE garage parking (with no purchase required) but you'll want to familiarize yourself with the parking details listed below. — Mike Compton & Joe Newberry will be playing from 7 until 9 pm with a brief intermission between their sets. — Just like Tuesdays, it’s going to be a Pass-the-Boot show with no cover charge, and the requested donation will be $20. — There will be jamming all over the restaurant (and beyond) after the show; there are basically unlimited jamming locations throughout the building (beyond the restaurant which has just a few). — After-show jamming will go on as long as people are around to jam, but a typical Tuesday night at Lily P's goes until well after midnight. — There will also be a Third Set Jam on stage starting around 9:15 or so, just like we do every week at Bluegrass Tuesdays. Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters was Boston Magazine's Best of Boston 2022 Best Fried Chicken, so please come early and join us for dinner. Lily P's is located near Kendall Square at 50 Binney Street in Cambridge, MA 02142. This location is less … Read More »

Free

The Foreign Landers at Lily P’s Fried Chicken & Oysters

Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters 50 Binney St., Cambridge, MA

To get a feel for our Saturday shows, please check out this article (https://bluegrasstoday.com/danny-paisley-the-southern-grass-in-cambridge-ma/) about our first-ever Saturday Night Concert featuring Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass co-sponsored by the premiere bluegrass organization in the region, the Boston Bluegrass Union. And please check out our website (https://bluegrasstuesdays.com/) for a list of upcoming bands on both Saturdays and Tuesdays. This show will share some things in common with Bluegrass Tuesdays, while some things will be a little bit different. Here are a bunch of details to consider if you're thinking about joining us: — There is unlimited FREE garage parking (with no purchase required) but you'll want to familiarize yourself with the parking details listed below. — Mike Compton & Joe Newberry will be playing from 7 until 9 pm with a brief intermission between their sets. — Just like Tuesdays, it’s going to be a Pass-the-Boot show with no cover charge, and the requested donation will be $20. — There will be jamming all over the restaurant (and beyond) after the show; there are basically unlimited jamming locations throughout the building (beyond the restaurant which has just a few). — After-show jamming will go on as long as people are around to jam, but a typical Tuesday night at Lily P's goes until well after midnight. — There will also be a Third Set Jam on stage starting around 9:15 or so, just like we do every week at Bluegrass Tuesdays. Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters was Boston Magazine's Best of Boston 2022 Best Fried Chicken, so please come early and join us for dinner. Lily P's is located near Kendall Square at 50 Binney Street in Cambridge, MA 02142. This location is less … Read More »

Free

Jamvember in July!

Camp Kiwanee Camp Kiwanee Road, Hanson, MA

JamVember in July, a weekend-long bluegrass non-festival, will be held on the 19th, 20th & 21st of July at Camp Kee-wanee in Greenfield, MA just 10 minutes from the intersection of Rt. 2 & I-91. It starts at 6 pm on Friday and ends at 1 pm on Sunday. https://jamvember.com/index.html for more information

Recurring

Bluegrass Tuesdays at Lily P’s Jams

Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters 50 Binney St., Cambridge, MA

In addition to the weekly concerts at Lily P's there is a lot of jamming happening all over the restaurant and outside. Also: Beginner & Intermediate Bluegrass Jams at Lily P’s There are now three distinct jams scheduled nearly every week: (1) The weekly Beginner-to-Intermediate Bluegrass Jam continues to meet nearly every Tuesday starting at 5:15 pm at Lily P's (but you'll have to email me at [email protected] to be sure). This is a "teacher-directed" jam where we never know what songs we're going to play, but we're limited to no instrumentals and no very fast nor very complex songs. (2) The Intermediate Bluegrass Jam hosted by Kelley meets every week starting at 6:30 pm. This jam is likely suitable for those who have some experience jamming already and can play songs and tunes, recognize chord changes, and play well with others. (3) The Int/Adv Bluegrass Jam hosted by Wayne usually starts at 7 pm. This jam typically evolves out of the Intermediate Jam and then moves out back unless the weather is nice enough to play outside. For more information about any of these jams, please email me at [email protected]

Recurring

Bluegrass Tuesdays at Lily P’s Fried Chicken & Oysters

Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters 50 Binney St., Cambridge, MA

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.

Free