With only two months until Freshgrass is upon us and another mainstay New England festival sees the light after a very difficult year and a half for the arts (understatement of the century), the Mass MoCa based fest is rolling out day tickets for those who cannot commit to the full weekend.
You’d be hard pressed to find a more unique musical event than Freshgrass. With an ever present family and community vibe, multiple stages, pop up performances in its vast halls of visual art and so much more, its a destination that all music lovers should experience at least once (if not every single year).
We can’t simply say “you should go on such and such a day”, but here’s a few acts for each day worth checking out in our eyes (and through our ears).
Friday, September 24th – He is the father of modern day bluegrass or newgrass, or whatever you want to call it. Sam Bush leaves everything he has on the stage with each and every performance. Do not miss him and his band. The artist in residence also includes banjo genius Noam Pikelny. These curated sets are always a wonderful addition and Pikelny will make you have an entirely new and unique appreciation for the banjo with all he can do.
Saturday, September 25th – What is so great about Freshgrass is the community it has both established and continued to foster among artists. Aoife O’ Donovan, Sarah Jarosz and Sara Watkins play in the supergroup I’m With Her together, but all have individual sets Satuurday. Don’t miss them…chances are you may see one of the others collaborating on stage during their sets. Perhaps the most unique and differing acts of the week is Trombone Shorty. When I saw him a few years back at another New England based festival I left with my jaw on the floor. The energy and the vibe emanating from the stage was palpable.
Sunday, September 26th – If you have been around for a bit here on RLR, you already know how we feel about Watchhouse, so, no more needs to be said. Bela Fleck, however, celebrates a new release “My Bluegrass Heart” upon which an impressive cast of characters perform. Many of who will be at the festival to help him celebrate, including Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz and Bryan Sutton. Now sure how they plan to fit and contain all that talent on just on stage, but its sure to be a doozy!
Get your individual day tickets now at the link below!