Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon joins forces with Jeremy Clyde of Chad & Jeremy to star together in an unforgettable evening of music and memories. This “storytellers” style evening features songs and stories from their sixties heyday as recording artists to Jeremy’s success on stage, television (Downton Abbey) and film (The Iron Lady) and Peter’s Grammy-Winning career as Producer and manager of the likes of James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and more.
Their respective British Invasion duos were collectively responsible for 30 Billboard chart hits. From the Chad & Jeremy catalog, they bring you “Distant Shores”, “Yesterday’s Gone” “Willow Weep For Me”, “Before and After”, “A Summer Song” and more. From the Peter & Gordon songbook comes “Woman”, “I Go To Pieces”, “I Don’t Want To See You Again”, “Lady Godiva”, “A World Without Love” and more.
Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear the stories behind the lives and music of these two legendary duos from the era that wiped clean and drew again the face of popular culture.
Presented by Last Dance Productions
This will be THE folk singer/songwriter event of the year. Tickets Here
For over forty years, Dick Pleasants was a mainstay on Boston radio, as well as part of the Boston and New England music community.
Proceeds from this concert will go to “The Richard E. Pleasants Supplemental Needs Trust.”
We have some of the most respected musicians lending their talents for this show. Lori McKenna, Patty Larkin, Garnet Rogers, Cliff Eberhardt and Mark Erelli.
Lori McKenna
Lori McKenna puts a magnifying glass on un-championed lives. She doesn’t just notice the quiet and ordinary, she delights in it – effortlessly transforming the average to extraordinary. Lori is one of the most sought after songwriters in the industry with her songs recorded by top artists including Reba, Alison Krauss, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban. McKenna’s songwriting credits include the 2x Platinum Billboard No. 1 hit, I Want Crazy, by Hunter Hayes. She penned the 2015 massive Little Big Town hit, Girl Crush, which reached 11 weeks on the Billboard’s Hot Country Songs and netted McKenna a CMA Award, NSAI Songwriters and her first Grammy. She wrote Tim McGraw’s hit, Humble & Kind. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart marking the first time in more than four years a song written by one writer topped the chart.
Patty Larkin
Patty Larkin redefines the boundaries of folk-urban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics. Acoustic Guitar hails her “soundscape experiments” while Rolling Stone praises her “evocative and sonic shading.” She has been described as “riveting” (Chicago Tribune), “hypnotic” (Entertainment Weekly) and a “drop-dead brilliant” performer (Performing Songwriter )
Cliff Eberhardt
Cliff Eberhardt knew by age seven that he was going to be a singer and songwriter. Growing up in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, he and his brothers sang together and their parents played instruments. His dad introduced him to the guitar and he quickly taught himself to play. Fortunate enough to live close to the Main Point (one of the best folk clubs on the East Coast), he cut his teeth listening to the likes of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt, and Mississippi John Hurt — receiving an early and impressive tutorial in acoustic music. At the same time, he was also listening to great pop songwriters like Cole Porter, the Gershwins, and Rodgers and Hart, which explain his penchant for great melodies and clever lyrical twists.
Garnet Rogers Photo -Steve Ide
Garnet Rogers has established himself as “One of the major talents of our time”. Hailed by the Boston Globe as a “charismatic performer and singer”, Garnet is a man with a powerful physical presence – close to six and a half feet tall – with a voice to match. With his “smooth, dark baritone” (Washington Post) his incredible range, and thoughtful, dramatic phrasing, Garnet is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the finest singers anywhere.
Mark Erelli
Mark Erelli has won several prestigious awards, including the Kerrville New Folk Contest and the International Song Contest, where a song he co-wrote with Catie Curtis (“People Look Around”) bested 15,000 entries to win the grand prize. He has maintained a rigorous touring schedule, appearing onstage everywhere from coffeehouses and major folk festival stages (Newport, Philadelphia) to Fenway Park, where he once sang the national anthem before a Red Sox game. In recent years, Mark has gained notoriety as a multi-instrumentalist sideman and producer, accompanying GRAMMY-winning artists such as Lori McKenna, Paula Cole and Josh Ritter everywhere from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry to London’s Royal Albert Hall.
More information and tickets here.
Presented by Barnes Newberry of My Back Pages Radio & Brian Quinn of Last Dance Productions
New Bedford Folk Festival brings together over 70 renowned and emerging performers and 90 plus juried arts and crafts vendors in New Bedford’s authentic historic district in July. In 2017, we celebrated the 22nd New Bedford Folk Festival on July 8 & 9. In 2018 the festival will be held on July 7 & 8.
The two day family-oriented festival offers continuous folk music from 11 AM to 9 PM on seven sound stages in and around the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park ranging from the majestic 1200 seat Zeiterion Performing Arts Theater to the intimacy of the National Park Garden Stage.
The Artisans’ Marketplace showcases the handcrafted work of many local artists as well as artisans from Maine to California and the International Bazaar offers high-quality, imported handcrafts, many of them Fair Trade, from around the globe.
Food is also a great part of the festival. From street carts, to the food court to the restaurants in and around the festival you can sample some of the tasty cuisine the area has to offer.
Presented by the Zeiterion Performing Arts Theater and hosted by the City of New Bedford, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and the New Bedford Whaling Museum the New Bedford Folk Festival offers an exciting atmosphere with great music, beautiful arts and crafts and fun activities for the whole family.
The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center entertains, educates, and inspires our community by presenting a diverse array of high quality performing artists and providing engaging learning opportunities that contribute to the cultural, social, and economic vitality of the Southcoast. By presenting hundreds of world-class performing artists and hosting countless other community events, The Z is a gathering place that connects generations, unites diverse groups, and opens a world of possibilities to our children
Check out the performers here
It’s the best deal of the summer. Get your tickets here.
The 32nd Lowell Folk Festival continues to provide the finest in traditional music, craft, foodways and more in downtown Lowell. This annual celebration is the best in traditional folk music, artisan crafts and ethnic foods, and will be returning to downtown Lowell with a full lineup beginning with the traditional parade of nations from Lowell’s City Hall Plaza to Boarding House Park. The free festival offers something for everyone, from 8 to 80-year-olds all within the heart of Lowell National Historical Park.
“This will be the 32nd year of the Lowell Folk Festival,” said Kevin Dwyer, Executive Director of the Lowell Folk Festival. “There will be a number of great new artists to the lineup this year. For a lot of performers, it will be their first time in Lowell. It’s really exciting to bring new world class artists to Lowell and get our attendees to see them for the first time! This community has embraced a festival that has drawn millions of people over the last 30 years. We’re very excited to present the 32nd festival this July.”
To celebrate the Festival’s 32nd Anniversary the Foodways area will be featuring Flatbreads: Plain & Fancy. Check out cooks who have adapted their traditions and how they found their way to America, and to the Lowell Folk Festival! Make sure you stop by and have a “Taste of Tradition!”
The Lowell Folk Festival is presented by Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell Festival Foundation, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Lowell, the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce.
The perfect summer festival. More info here.
We are inviting volunteers, businesses, and organizations to donate their time and energy. Individual volunteers will continue to be the event’s backbone, and we are also recruiting teams of volunteers sponsored by businesses and organizations.
- Call the Lowell National Historical Park Volunteer Office at 978-275-1740, or
- Stop in at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center at 246 Market Street, Lowell (free parking at 304 Dutton Street) and fill out an application.
The Meadows Brothers’ gut-bucket, dirt-road, twangy spirit takes hold in a new road-tested collection of original songs. When The Meadows Brothers decided it was time to start recording, they discovered a tangle of rich imagery, atmospheric states and narratives, both real and imagined – that together create a fine tapestry of listening. These songs culminate in “TRUTH,” a diverse compilation on of modern folk-rock-infused Americana. Some of you might recognize Ian Meadows, who was a finalist in our Performing Songwriter Competition in 2016.
Their distinct brand of roots music draws inspiration from a huge list of influences, combining folk, blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll genres into what The Boston Globe calls ”An engagingly twangy sibling sound all their own.” The brothers original songs, which they typically write together, have been lauded for their emotive, relatable lyrics and memorable hooks. They have performed hundreds of shows around their native New England, the Midwest, Great Lakes Regions and the Southeast, continuing to hone their craft and enjoying new audiences along the way.
The Kennedys! Two of our favorites make a return to the Garden, helping us to celebrate our 30th season! Pete and Maura Kennedy, both East Coast natives, met in Austin, Texas, joined forces with Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra for a couple of years, and set out on a road that, for two decades, has led them not only west but all over the US and the UK many times. This year, they celebrate their twentieth anniversary both as a band and a married couple. Rather than indulge in a nostalgic look backward, they’ve taken Dylan’s dictum “don’t look back” to heart; writing and recording forty new songs.
2015 sees a Maura solo CD, a Pete solo CD, and the release of “West,” an instant classic Kennedys duo set that seamlessly weaves their influences over the last two decades; Buddy Holly style roots, the tuneful cadences of the Everly Brothers, and the ringing 12-string jangle of the early Byrds, interspersed with darker moments that recall British folk rock a la Fairport Convention.
Ultimately, Pete and Maura knit these disparate threads into a coat of many colors that sounds like a “best of The Kennedys,” but is in reality an all-new collection of songs. The road west is central to the American mythos; it’s the search for musical roots and the fulfillment of a personal American dream that takes shape in songs. Two decades on, The Kennedys are hitting a songwriting high point, and from that point they follow the well-worn American path West.
Another of our favorites, April Verch, comes home.
The Ottawa Valley (Canada) fiddler, step-dancer, singer and all-around wonderful performer is back as part of a new dynamic trio. An unassuming delight in person, April’s talents are many, and she has gained worldwide renown. You might have seen her performing at 2010 the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Vancouveras part of a segment called “Fiddle Nation.” We are thrilled to have her back to conclude our 30th season and be the featured act after our 27th annual Performing Songwriter Competition.
April knows how relevant an old tune can be. She was raised surrounded by living, breathing roots music—her father’s country band rehearsing; the lively music at church and at community dances; the tunes she rocked out to win fiddle competitions. She thought every little girl learned to stepdance at the age of three and fiddle at the age of six. She knew nothing else and decided early on that she wanted to be a professional musician.
She took that leap, and for over two decades has been recording and captivating audiences worldwide, exploring new and nuanced places each step of the way. In 2017 she released The April Verch Anthology (Slab Town Records), an 18-track collection celebrating her life’s work. Hand-picked by Verch, the songs on this compilation offer an enchanting mix of regional Canadian, American old-time, bluegrass, country and Americana tracks.
The April Verch Anthology is a testament to the many chapters in Verch’s musical journey.
Moving from exuberant stepdancer to fiddle wunderkind and silver-voiced singer; from upstart prodigy to mature and reflective songwriter, interpreter, and storyteller. The compilation is an excursion through Verch’s 1998-2015 recordings, featuring tunes and songs dear to Verch as well as a healthy dose of fan favorites and two newly recorded tracks. “Through this anthology, I am reminded of the inspirations with which I began and of the hopes I hold for the future. I take a moment to reflect and to celebrate,” says Verch.
While Verch is perhaps best known for playing traditional fiddle styles from her native Ottawa Valley, Canada, her performances extend into old-time American and Appalachian styles and far beyond.Verch and her fellow trio members pare down their arrangements, highlighting the simple pleasures of upright bass, guitar, clawhammer banjo, voices, fiddle, and stepping in intimate conversation. At the heart lie Verch’s delicate voice, energetic footwork, and stunning playing. Sometimes she sings, steps and fiddles all at once, with apparent ease and precision. Verch is – as they say – a triple threat in performance, her live show a beautiful companion to her music: versatile, robust, and masterfully executed.
Verch began her full time touring career in 2000 and has performed around the world.
including festival, theatre and performing arts centre appearances in Canada, USA, China, Australia, United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Czech Republic and the United Arab Emirates. She also presents workshops, master classes, and lectures as part of her tours and at selected music camps.
Verch won’t be the one to tell you about her championship titles, nominations, and awards, or the fact that she was one of 6 fiddlers who represented the Canadian fiddle tradition to the world at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, as part of a segment called “Fiddle Nation.” Instead, in speaking with her, you’ll hear about how passionate she is about sharing her music; in small gatherings in remote communities in Iqaluit, to large prestigious concert halls like Mozartsal in Vienna.
Even as she plays with the tradition she inherited, Verch keeps the community-fired celebratory side of her music at the forefront, honing a keen awareness of how to engage contemporary listeners. It’s why Rolling Stone cited her “One of the 12 best things we saw at MerleFest in 2016.”
“Just as contemporary bluegrass has Alison Krauss as an ambassador, the Ottawa Valley has April Verch,” said NPR’s Marco Werman on “The World.” And Verch never forgets the roots of her music, that connection to the people out there in the audience, on the dance floor, to the community sparked by a good song. “It’s about joining together to celebrate everyday life, through music. We’re all in this together.”
Welcome home to Mansfield, April!
A Tribute to Todd Rundgren, Gary Backstrom’s Road to Utopia, comes to the Regent Theatre, 7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA on Friday, June 7, at 8 pm. Tickets here.
Todd Rundgren
Considered by many to be the “Ultimate Rock Cult Hero” Todd Rundgren has maintained a legion of fans through four decades. Todd’s searing guitar work reached a nationwide audience in his role as lead guitarist for the blues-psychedelic band Nazz. He wrote and arranged almost all of the work that went into the three albums the group produced.
His first big solo success was in 1971 with “We Gotta Get You a Woman” and in 1973 from the double album “Something/Anything?” He scored big on the charts with “I Saw the Light” and a revision of a Nazz song, “Hello, It’s Me.”
Rundgren has scored huge as a music producer, most notably on Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” opus. In the late 1970s and through the 1980s Todd formed the group Utopia, each member an accomplished musician and vocalist. He has also been called on by films and TV for his musical scores and sometimes tours with Ringo Starr as a member of his All-Star Band.
Gary Backstrom
Gary is the founder and frontman of the acclaimed Jam Band “Jiggle The Handle.” The Gary Backstrom Band is a Boston-based Band that mixes Soul, R&B, Funk, Rock and Latin grooves blended into a unique sound. Their sound features exciting, unpredictable improvisation that can only be heard in the best live acts on the scene today. Gary is considered “one of the most underrated, fluid, and melodic players in the Northeast.”
Some of the proceeds from this concert will go to
The project brings personalized iPods to people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, helping them reconnect with the world through the music they love.
This will be a quite the night for a great cause.
The New Bedford Folk Festival
New Bedford Folk Festival brings together over 70 renowned and emerging performers and 90 plus juried arts and crafts vendors in New Bedford’s authentic historic district in July. In 2018, we celebrated the 23rd New Bedford Folk Festival on July 7 & 8. In 2019 the festival will be held on July 6 & 7.
The two-day family-oriented festival offers continuous folk music from 11 AM to 9 PM on seven sound stages in and around the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park ranging from the majestic 1200 seat Zeiterion Performing Arts Theater to the intimacy of the National Park Garden Stage.
The Artisans’ Marketplace showcases the handcrafted work of many local artists, as well as artisans from Maine to California and the International Bazaar, offers high-quality, imported handcrafts, many of them Fair Trade, from around the globe.
Food is also a great part of the festival. From street carts to the food court to the restaurants in and around the festival you can sample some of the tasty cuisines the area has to offer.
Presented by the Zeiterion Performing Arts Theater and hosted by the City of New Bedford, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and the New Bedford Whaling Museum the New Bedford Folk Festival offers an exciting atmosphere with great music, beautiful arts and crafts and fun activities for the whole family.
Check out the crafts and commercial vendors
New Bedford Folk Festival – Vendors
33rd Lowell Folk Festival
The Lowell Folk Festival continues to provide the finest in traditional music, craft, foodways and more in downtown Lowell. This annual celebration is the best in traditional folk music, artisan crafts and ethnic foods, and will be returning to downtown Lowell with a full lineup beginning with the traditional parade of nations from Lowell’s City Hall Plaza to Boarding House Park. The free festival offers something for people of all ages all within the heart of Lowell National Historical Park.
