Events at this location

“Shemekia Copeland has established herself as one of the leading blues artists of our time.” –NPR Music

Award-winning blues, soul and Americana singer Shemekia Copeland possesses one of the most instantly recognizable and deeply soulful roots music voices of our time. She is beloved worldwide for the fearlessness, honesty and humor of her revelatory music, as well as for delivering each song she performs with unmatched passion. Copeland — winner of the 2021 Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year— connects with her audience on an intensely personal level, taking them with her on what The Wall Street Journal calls “a consequential ride” of “bold and timely blues.” NPR Music says Shemekia sings with “punchy defiance and potent conviction.” The Houston Chronicle describes her songs as “resilient pleas for a kinder tomorrow.”

Tickets – $26, $34, $46

“Grace Kelly has an electric charisma onstage that instantly ignites the room” —Jon Batiste

An unequivocal musical prodigy, singer-saxophonist-songwriter-composer and band leader Grace Kelly has rocked the jazz world with sold-out concerts, 14 acclaimed albums and a resume that includes performing at the Hollywood Bowl and as part of the house band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” —all before reaching her mid-twenties. Kelly’s early career featured performances at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration at age 16 and at 14 as a soloist with the Boston Pops playing an original composition arranged for the legendary orchestra; she has since then played over 900 shows as bandleader in 35 countries at venues like the Kennedy Center and Moscow Symphony Hall and for the Montreal, Newport, and Montreux international jazz festivals. Touted for her scorching saxophone stylings and purring vocals, Kelly has performed and recorded with renowned artists including Lin Manuel-Miranda, Dave Brubeck, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Huey Lewis, Harry Connick Jr., Gloria Estefan, Questlove, and Wynton Marsalis.

“…broad tone and tenacious flow on the alto saxophone, clearly in possession of virtuoso talents… impressive singing voice, flitting among a range of styles.” —New York Times

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The Swing Peepers, a vocal-harmony and multi-instrument duo, perform inventive, earth-friendly and interactive songs and stories. The Swing Peepers are lively, improvisational, and endearingly goofy. Instruments strummed, swung, and tapped include: guitar, mandolin, violin, harmonica, banjo, ukulele and accordion. Most songs and stories are participatory, and body movement is part of the action!

The Swing Peepers draw out the creativity of audiences by having them participate in creating impromptu songs and stories. The Peeps take ideas from the audience and weave them into highly dramatic tall tales. These made-up-on-the-spot rollicking stories are The Swing Peepers’ trademark – watch out for colorful surprises!

After a series of indie releases and growing buzz in the Atlanta music scene, Shawn Mullins’ critical and commercial breakthrough came when 1998 Soul’s Core shot him to fame on the strength of Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit, “Lullaby” followed by AAA/Americana No. 1 hit “Beautiful Wreck” from 2006’s 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor. His song, “Shimmer” was used in promotion of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and was included on the Dawson’s Creek soundtrack. His co-write “All in My Head” from 2008’s Honeydew was featured in episode one of the hit TV sitcom “Scrubs.” Mullins also co-wrote the Zac Brown Band’s No. 1 country tune “Toes.” In early 2002, he formed super group The Thorns with Matthew Sweet and Pete Droge. “No Blue Sky” from the resulting album, is a modern day classic. For the 20th anniversary of his breakthrough album, Shawn revisited the music of Soul’s Core by recording two new versions of the album. He calls this Soul’s Core Revival. This is not a remix or a remaster of the original, but rather brand new recordings with new arrangements of the songs – one album is stripped down solo performances, some on guitar, some on piano and maybe one a cappella and the second is a new studio recording with his full band, Soul Carnival.

Tickets – $22, $34, $44

A bubbly undersea musical adventure based on the award-winning book, The Rainbow Fish!

With shiny, multi-colored scales, Rainbow Fish is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind fish. When Rainbow Fish refuses to share the shimmering scales, the whole ocean seems to turn against the vain creature. Unhappy and no longer adored, the Rainbow seeks out the wise Octopus to learn the universal lessons of love, friendship, sharing, and kindness.

Book, Music and Lyrics by Austin Zumbro
Adapted from the book by Marcus Pfister, translated into English by J. Alison James, with illustrations by Marcus Pfister.

All tickets $7 at the door.

“Mamselle Ruiz bridges the gap between Mexican tradition and contemporary musical trends. Here is a hyper expressive artist who brings the house down wherever she goes…” –Philippe Fehmiu, Espace Musique

Mamselle Ruiz is a Mexican-Quebecois singer-songwriter based in Montreal since 2010. Festive and romantic, her music is a unique blend of Latin American rhythms, traditions, Mexican legends and Quebecios cultural influences. She was nominated for ADISQ* in 2018, Révélation Radio-Canada in 2014, and has lent her voice to several shows by the renowned Cirque du Soleil.

Tickets – $26, $32

Michael Menes is a contemporary vaudevillian who has performed all over the world. A juggler for over 30 years, Michael has performed in festivals, theaters, television, and on a dozen luxury cruise lines including Disney Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line. Michael’s television credits include appearing on the SOLTROM SERIES produced by CIRQUE du SOLEIL for the Bravo Channel, three appearances on French TV Variety Show “Le Grande Cabaret du Monde” in Paris, JUST FOR LAUGHS in Montreal, and on the “INTERNATIONAL HUMOR FESTIVAL” TV Special on CCTV in Beijing, China, a program that aired to over 200 million people across Asia. When not on tour, Michael makes his home in the Oxford Hills Region of Western Maine where he has his own retreat and arts studio for creating shows, directing and workshopping.

Tickets – $7 at the door

“…beautiful harmonies, honest lyrics, and varied (and oft-enveloping) melodic approach.” —No Depression

Early in 2020, an article was released declaring that the music industry needed more happy songs. As Martin Earley and Calin Peters recall, they laughed while reading it, knowing that their work as The Ballroom Thieves explores the spirit of that paradigm. Well, sort of…they’re not interested in easily defined worldviews.

“We read that article and thought, ‘how are we supposed to write happy songs right now?’” says Earley. “We don’t write happy songs, but this time we decided to try something new by pairing optimistic sounding music with dark lyrics. If the listener is not a lyrics person, they might not notice.”

The Ballroom Thieves’ fourth album, Clouds, is a song cycle born of mixed experiences and fueled by the power of imagination. The album is a lush meditation on longing to return to touring—to see different sunsets and cities. But, it’s also a reflection of its difficulties, e.g., insomnia brought on by sleeping in different hotel rooms every night. After a major car accident and the departure of a band member, the duo has taken the duality of all these experiences and translated them into song.

“We miss exploring the country,” says Peters. “The road offers us structure and it gives us something to write about. These past two years we learned just how much we love and need it.”

Producing Sponsor: Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank

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Three-time BMA nominee’s The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band are “the greatest front-porch blues band in the world”. They are led by Reverend Peyton, who most consider to be the premier finger picker playing today. He has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy, country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. Their latest record Dance Songs For Hard Times went #1 on the Billboard, iTunes and Sirius XM Blues Charts and was produced by Grammy winner Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton). The record is critically acclaimed by Rolling Stone, Relix, Popmatters, Guitar World, American Songwriter, No Depression, Glide, Wide Open Country, Paste, American Blues Scene and many more!

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Since making their acclaimed debut with 2013’s Dark Holler Pop, North Carolina-bred four-piece Mipso have captivated audiences with their finely layered vocal harmonies, graceful fluency in the timeless musical traditions of their home state, and a near-telepathic musical connection that makes their live show especially kinetic. On their self-titled sixth album and Rounder Records debut, fiddle player Libby Rodenbough, mandolinist Jacob Sharp, guitarist Joseph Terrell, and bassist Wood Robinson share their most sonically adventurous and lyrically rich work to date, each moment charged with the tension between textural effervescence and an underlying despair about the modern world.

Tickets – $18, $28

Duo Kayo, featuring the dynamic pairing of cellist Titilayo Ayangade and violist Edwin Kaplan, delivers a powerful performance with their unique ensemble. Boasting over a decade and a half of professional experience as members of esteemed groups like the Thalea and Tesla String Quartets, this innovative duo is making a bold statement in the classical music world. Committed to both commissioning new works and championing lesser-known pieces from the repertoire, Duo Kayo can be found performing live across the Northeast. Known for their vibrant energy and joyous musical expression, the duo is on a mission to be a vessel for new and exciting music, and to challenge traditional thinking about the genre. When not exploring new techniques on their instruments, Edwin and Titi can be found tackling the New York Times crossword puzzle.

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Memphis-based, Grammy-nominated Southern Avenue inked their first record deal with legendary Stax Records in 2016. The first Memphis band signed to Stax in over 40 years, their self-titled debut was an immediate phenomenon, reaching #1 on iTunes’ “Top Blues Albums” chart before being honored with the 2018 Blues Music Award for “Best Emerging Artist Album.” 2019’s KEEP ON proved an even greater success, debuting among the top 5 on Billboard’s “Top Blues Albums” chart amidst worldwide critical acclaim, ultimately earning Southern Avenue their first GRAMMY® Award nomination, for “Best Contemporary Blues Album”. In addition to the early success that the band has had with their recordings, they have also found a home on the road. The band has performed in 15 countries on three continents and averages over 150 shows in a typical year, making the group one of the most sought-after live performance experiences. Their high-energy shows have captivated audiences around the globe, making this eclectic group a must-see at venues and festivals alike.

Tickets – $20, $32

“Amythyst Kiah Found Her Powerful Voice. Now She Has a Sound to Match It.” —The New York Times
“One of Roots music’s most promising new voices” —Rolling Stone
“Kiah’s spirit, vast talent, and musical savvy yield dazzling results” —Pitchfork

Amythyst Kiah’s Rounder Records debut, Wary + Strange, marks the glorious combination of two vastly different worlds: the iconoclastic alt-rock that first sparked her musical passion and the roots/old-time music scene where she’s found breakout success in recent years, including recognition from Rolling Stone as “one of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets.” With an unforgettable voice that’s both unfettered and exquisitely controlled, the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter expands on the uncompromising artistry she most recently revealed as part of Our Native Daughters—an all-women-of-color supergroup whose Kiah-penned standout “Black Myself” earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best American Roots Song and won Song of the Year at the 2019 Folk Alliance International Awards. When met with the transcendent quality of her newly elevated sound, what emerges is an extraordinary vessel for Kiah’s songwriting: a raw yet nuanced examination of grief, alienation, and the hard-won triumph of total self-acceptance.

In bringing her album Wary + Strange to life, Kiah revisited another form of therapy: the powerfully cathartic records she turned to for solace as a child and teenager. “The way I listened to music when I was younger was very much based on trying to find some kind of healing,” she says. “The way that someone like Tori Amos took these incredibly personal things and expressed them with piano and vocals was spellbinding to me, and it was my dream to create something that evocative.” At age 13, Kiah started writing songs on a Fender acoustic guitar from her parents; she later broadened her musical vocabulary by studying in the Bluegrass, Old-Time, Country Music program at East Tennessee State University. Not long after self-releasing her 2013 debut, Dig, she began garnering acclaim from leading outlets like NPR and The New York Times, who remarked that Kiah’s “razor-sharp guitar picking alone guarantees her a place among blues masters, but it’s her deep-hued voice that can change on a dime from brushed steel to melted toffee that commands attention.”

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“Session Americana comes up with some gems, full of folk’s honesty and rock’s urgency.”
—The Boston Globe

Session Americana is a group of musicians’ musicians: a cast of top-shelf players, singers, and writers: Billy Beard, Jon Bistline, Ry Cavanaugh, Dinty Child, and Jim Fitting. From the beginning, there were lines around the block to get into Toad and Lizard Lounge for Session Americana’s weekly residencies in Cambridge, MA. Those nights included an astonishing array of collaborations and sit-ins, and long-term “seventh chair” guests.

The group tours internationally, including an annual tour of Europe, taking their songs and hundreds more from the American songbook, on the road. Whether you catch Session Americana in a rock hall, listening room, performing arts center, or on a festival stage, you’ll be part of the mob from the intimate, raucous scene they built years ago at Toad.

Festivals have included Sisters Folk, Galway International Arts, Rocky Mountain Folks, New England Festy, Green River, Wheatlands, Stockholm Kulturfest, Cork Folk, Crashfest, High Sierra, Four Corners, Naked Song, Old Settlers, Ramblin Roots, and Strawberry.

Session Americana is touring this fall with new songs the band is recording and in celebration of 20 years together.

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