Playing songs both new and old, Pretty Saro burst into New England Bluegrass scene in 2016. Since then the group has been honing in on their love for traditional music and contemporary songwriting. Dynamic arrangements and high energy performances take the listener on a journey through their personal experiences. Devon Gardner (Fiddle), Alex Formento (Guitar), and Joe Everrett (Bass) bring together their wide array of musical backgrounds to create a sound that builds on the foundation made by the heros who came before them.
The band has appeared on the stages of Grey Fox, Ossissipee Valley Music Festival, Freshgrass, Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, and many more. They frequently play all around the New England area at places like Club Passim, The Burren, Nick-a-Nees, Zenbarn, and other lovely venues as well.
LOVE CANON brings their acoustic-roots sensibilities to the electronic-tinged pop hits of the 80’s and 90’s to create Cover Story, their 4th album, out on Organic Records July 13, 2018. With Cover Story, LOVE CANON delivers a fresh set of classics, crossing genres to recount music of decades past from the likes of Peter Gabriel, Billy Joel, Depeche Mode, and Paul Simon. The self-produced album hosts a plethora of special guests including Jerry Douglas, Aoife O’Donovan, Keller Williams, Michael Cleveland, and Eric Krasno, among others.
The band’s diehard fans are music lovers first and are drawn to the charismatic and wide-ranging vocal stylings of lead singer and guitarist Jesse Harper matched with banjo master Adam Larrabee, mandolin pickin’ by Andy Thacker, Darrell Muller holding down the low-end on standup bass, and the slick sounds of resonator guitar king Jay Starling on the Beard MA-6. It’s acoustic rock! Acclaimed fiddler Alex Hargreaves [Turtle Island Quartet, Sarah Jarosz] does all of the fiddling on this record with the exception of two tracks, and he occasionally joins them on tour.
As seasoned virtuoso string players who have been touring the mid-Atlantic since 2010, LOVE CANON stays true to the approach, arrangements, and keen artistry of these nostalgic hits. Cover Story was engineered by Rob Evans at Dave Matthews Band’s Haunted Hollow Studio in LOVE CANON’s hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia and mixed by Wayne Pooley, Bruce Hornsby’s Engineer/Producer. Cover Story is a follow up to the band’s previous efforts, Greatest Hits Volumes 1-3.
Celebrate the release of the Stash Band’s 3rd album, “Chapter 3”!
Referred to by the Boston Herald as a “Sonic Kaleidoscopic of Weirdness and Wonder” the STASH band is bluegrass meeting heavy metal meeting outer space music. Fronted by Stash Wyslouch they play original music on fiddle, guitar, bass and drums combining the song-writing of snarky rock bands of the days of yore and fresh psychedelic bluegrass-metal riffs churned out at lightning speed. Prepare to laugh, cry, jam and mosh.
Bluegrass Gospel Project alums Taylor Armerding, Andy Greene, and Kirk Lord have come together to present original, time-honored, and contemporary Americana music to venues throughout New England.
Showcasing compelling, intricately braided vocals, richly textured instrumental work, and solid, innovative rhythm, the three band members bring decades of performing experience to the stage. Through their many years of musical collaboration, they speak soulfully with one voice.
It’s a new day, and The Revenants have arrived. We’d love to share our musical stories with you.
JigJam are a multi-award winning quartet from the heart of the midlands in Ireland. Blending the best of traditional Irish music with Bluegrass and Americana in a new genre which has been branded as ‘I-Grass’ or “CeltGrass”, their onstage energy along with their virtuosic musical ability has captivated audiences throughout the world.
Jamie McKeogh, Cathal Guinan and Daithi Melia all hail from Tullamore, Co.Offaly with Co. Tipperary born Gavin Strappe completing the quartet. All four members grew up immersed in Irish traditional music and culture which is reflected by the band collectively achieving over twenty All-Ireland titles at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann competitions. They have now developed their own unique style of music influenced by American Folk music whilst staying true to their Irish roots. Described as ‘The best Irish group so far in bluegrass’ this sharply dressed outfit deliver an energy-fuelled, foot-stomping live performance. All multi-instrumentalists, JigJam interchange between banjos, guitars, fiddles, mandolins and double bass onstage which creates an experience which is pleasing to both the eye and the ear.
Tony Trischka is considered to be the consummate banjo artist and perhaps the most influential banjo player in the roots music world. For more than 45 years, his stylings have inspired a whole generation of bluegrass and acoustic musicians with the many voices he has brought to the instrument.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Trischka’s interest in banjo was sparked by the Kingston Trio’s “Charlie and the MTA” in 1963. Two years later, he joined the Down City Ramblers, where he remained through 1971. That year, Trischka made his recording debut on 15 Bluegrass Instrumentals with the band Country Cooking; at the same time, he was also a member of America’s premier sports-rock band Country Granola. In 1973, he began a three-year stint with Breakfast Special. Between 1974 and 1975, he recorded two solo albums, Bluegrass Light and Heartlands. After one more solo album in 1976, Banjoland, he went on to become musical leader for the Broadway show The Robber Bridegroom.
With his fearless musical curiosity as the guiding force, Tony Trischka’s critically acclaimed release, Territory roams widely through the banjo’s creative terrain. Nine selections partner Tony with fellow banjoists Pete Seeger, Mike Seeger, Bill Evans, Bill Keith and Bruce Molsky.
The Slocan Ramblers (2020 IBMA Momentum Band of the Year Award Winner & 2019 Juno Award Nominee) are Canada’s bluegrass band to watch. Rooted in tradition, fearlessly creative and possessing a bold, dynamic sound, The Slocans have become a leading light of today’s acoustic music scene. With a reputation for energetic live shows, impeccable musicianship and an uncanny ability to convert anyone within earshot into a lifelong fan, The Slocans have been winning over audiences from Merlefest to RockyGrass and everywhere in between.
On their new album Up the Hill and Through the Fog, the all-star Canadian roots ensemble channels the past two years of loss into a surprisingly joyous collection of twelve songs intended to uplift and help make sense of the world. Bluegrass music is nothing short of catharsis for The Slocan Ramblers.
Though the past few years have brought the group accolades, that same momentum was abruptly halted by the pandemic’s brutal impact on live music. Over the next year, bandmates Adrian Gross and Darryl Poulsen both lost close family members and their bassist decided to step back to spend more time at home. They channeled these tumultuous changes into some of their most honest and direct compositions yet. Up the Hill and Through the Fog showcases the breadth of their varied influences while staying true to their roots in the rough and tumble bluegrass scene of Toronto’s no-nonsense bars and dancehalls. From Frank Evan’s classic, dusty vocals, to John Hartford-inspired lyrical musings, it’s all buttressed by impeccable musicianship, and emotionally raw songwriting from the three core members. This is roots music without pretension, art powerful enough to cut through the fog of the past two years and chart a more hopeful course forward.
Say hello to your new favourite band.
The Slocan Ramblers are:
Frank Evans: Banjo/Vocals
Adrian Gross: Mandolin
Darryl Poulsen: Guitar/Vocals
With Charles James: Bass/Vocals
Flying fingers and maple syrup voices blend into the harmonious melting pot that is Theory Expats.
Comprised of two accomplished singer-songwriters and a national mandolin champion, the band met in a classical music theory class at Goshen College in Goshen, IN and naturally, they formed a jazz-pop-folk band. Theory Expats, featuring Andrew Pauls on guitar and vocals, Sadie Gustafson-Zook on vocals and fiddle, and Ethan Setiawan on mandolin, recorded an EP, “What A Way To Start Your Day” and played shows from Pennsylvania to Kansas during their 2014- 2015 run. While Setiawan’s move to Boston prompted a hiatus in 2015, marked with a quick reunion in the spring of 2016, the other two members have recently relocated to the East coast, marking a new era and opening new doors for the Theory Expats.
Joe Kenneally sings lead and high tenor and flatpicks for the bluegrass outfit Cousin Bobby (cousinbobbybluegrass.com). Dan Africk is the frontman for Sick, Sad & Lonesome, a Somerville-based bluegrass collective. Come see them singing brother tunes, flatpicking barn-burners, and serenading the audience with their buttery harmonies. This is a rare pairing you do not want to miss.
