Fiddle, guitar, and bass—it’s a combination as old as the hills. But follow Jason Anick, Max O’Rourke and Greg Loughman into those hills, and you’ll find yourself taking unexpected turns and discovering vistas you never knew were out there. It’s a new brand of acoustic music they make—traditional instrumentation spinning ear-catching melodies, channeling the wit and spontaneity of three irrepressible musical storytellers.
Virtuoso fiddler, Jason Anick, grew up listening-in on his Dad’s bluegrass rehearsals and competing in fiddle contests around his native New England. Jason went on to study jazz at the Hartt School of Music, where he was recruited by Grammy winning guitarist, John Jorgenson, to join his renowned, world-touring quintet. Through the John Jorgenson Quintet, as well as his own subsequent projects, Jason rose to the top ranks of jazz violinists, earning himself a position at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music. But all along, he kept an ear out for the right opportunity to apply his formidable improvisational and compositional chops to the roots music of his youth. His long time musical collaborator, Greg Loughman, a top-call Boston bassist with an affection for both jazz and international folk music, was an obvious choice. Berklee student at the time, Max O’Rourke—a guitarist and composer with an insatiable harmonic curiosity—made an impression on Jason and Greg while playing together in the Rhythm Future Quartet. They recognized they had a chemistry well-suited to the artistic freedom afforded by the trio format, allowing them to explore and pull from multiple genres to create an exciting and sophisticated musical conversation that has been wowing audiences since 2017.
$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
Club d'Elf has been helping audiences lose track of time for twenty five years with its mesmerizing synthesis of Moroccan traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk. Circling about bassist/composer Mike Rivard and drummer Dean Johnston, each Club d'Elf performance features a different line-up, drawn from a constellation of some of the most creative improvisers from the jazz, DJ, rock & world music scenes of Boston, NYC and beyond.
The band's music draws from a startlingly wide spectrum of styles, including jazz, hip hop, electronica, avant garde, prog-rock and dub. Under the tutelage of member Brahim Fribgane (who hails from Casablanca) the band has absorbed Moroccan trance music, which is now an essential part of the mix. Diverse audiences are drawn to Fribgane’s mesmerizing oud stylings, and Rivard’s commanding playing of the Moroccan sintir. Trance forms the central core of the Club d’Elf aesthetic, weaving together the band’s various influences.
In April 2022 the band released its latest album, 'You Never Know', which rose to #2 on the Relix chart. The record unfurls upon kaleidoscopic clouds of spiced smoke, shifting from chopped dub-jazz through trance epics that reimagine Boston as a city of bazaars. Club
d’Elf pay tribute to the music and musicians who have been primary influences, with half the album being covers of gnawa, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Moroccan band Nass el-Ghiwane, and Frank Zappa. The other half consists of original music inspired by Rivard's personal journey into darkness following a near death experience in the remote jungle of the Peruvian Amazon.
"You Never Know is a wide ranging romp, full of serenity, chaos, longing, improvisation and peerless musicianship inspired by music from India and Morocco as well as the maverick jazz of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa." - Banning Eyre, Afropop Worldwide
$20 advance | $25 day-of | $15 student
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
Join PMAC for the Spring 2025 Adult Rock and Blues Show, featuring the Classic Rock Band, Alt Rock Band, Roots Rock Blues and Beyond I, and Roots Rock Blues and Beyond II bands.
About PMAC:
Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) is a 501c3 nonprofit community music and arts school serving the Seacoast. PMAC’s mission is to build community through the arts by providing all people with the opportunity to achieve their full creative potential, regardless of their age, ability, or economic status. We accomplish this through high quality music and visual arts education programs and by creating ensemble, performance, and exhibition opportunities for students, professionals, and audiences.
PMAC's Adult Ensemble program covers a variety of genres, instruments and is open to a variety of playing levels. For more information about PMAC’s adult ensemble opportunities and more, please visit pmaconline.org.
Foxglove is a 5-piece indie folk/soul band from southern Maine, led by singer/songwriter Laura Fox, who writes about love, the lack thereof, and the in-between. Her songs and her voice are soothing and soulful—if you’ve ever loved someone, you’ll surely connect with her heartfelt lyrics.
She’s joined by seasoned players:
Whitney Roy, vocals + acoustic guitar (Old Hat Stringband, Fox + Roy, The Hazel Project)
Jim Dozet, electric guitar (Tourist Attraction, Crown Jules, Press Project)
Roland "Lefox" Nicol, upright bass (Rhye, Rusty Boys, Jon Nolan & Good Co)
Rick Habib, drums (The Kate Redgate Band, Jon Nolan & Good Co, North Village)
Cilla Bonnie is a working bass player, singer and songwriter. Over the past 20 years she’s played, toured and recorded in numerous projects from Maine to Los Angeles. In 2020 she released her fourth recording project, ‘August’ with her bandmates Emmett Harrity (keys) and John Suntken (drums). Cilla Bonnie’s music is a blend of R&B-inspired groove and structutal rock. In addition to her solo project, Cilla currently plays bass for the 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest Winner, Alisa Amador and Boston-based soul artist Ali McGuirk.
$17 advance | $22 door | $10 Student
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
Join PMAC for the Spring 2025 Jazz Institute Show, featuring the Jazz Pioneers, Brewery Lane Big Band, Wednesday Teen Jazz Ensemble, and Saturday Teen Jazz Ensemble.
About PMAC:
Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) is a 501c3 nonprofit community music and arts school serving the Seacoast. PMAC’s mission is to build community through the arts by providing all people with the opportunity to achieve their full creative potential, regardless of their age, ability, or economic status. We accomplish this through high quality music and visual arts education programs and by creating ensemble, performance, and exhibition opportunities for students, professionals, and audiences.
PMAC's Adult Ensemble program covers a variety of genres, instruments and is open to a variety of playing levels. For more information about PMAC’s adult ensemble opportunities and more, please visit pmaconline.org.
Havana Libre
(screening and filmmaker Q+A)
run time: 84min
The Dance Hall presents Havana Libre as the next installment of it's burgeoning film series, "inFocus film".
FILM SYNOPSIS
In Cuba, where people fled en masse from Fidel Castro’s regime, surfing and other water activities have been banned for decades. Today, surfing exists in a murky legal gray area and is viewed with suspicion by the Cuban authorities.
Despite these challenges, a group of passionate Cuban surfers is determined to carve out a place for surfing in the country's culture of athletic excellence. Frank is one of the most established surfers and to many the best surfer on the island. Yaya is a community leader and surfer who has made it her mission to ensure that the next generation can surf freely. When surfing is announced as an official sport for the Tokyo Olympics, they see their chance to bring their sport out of the shadows and on to the world stage. What follows is a tale of underground surfers building their own boards from scratch, dodging the authorities as they travel the island looking for the perfect wave, and attempting to legitimize their passion by persuading the Cuban authorities to field an Olympic team.
When Frank is invited to participate in a qualifier event out of the country, he must decide whether to compete, which would mean embarking on an illegal journey and risking permanent separation from his wife and newborn baby. Yaya is similarly torn when she is invited to participate in a surf symposium in Hawaii. Havana Libre is a story of people following their passion at great danger to themselves and ultimately begs the question: what would you risk to chase your dreams?
$15 General Admission
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
Kat Wallace is a Boston-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. Her affinity for original music has her working and recording with a myriad of touring bands, most notably as the fiddle player in Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light. Her debut solo album, Grand Design, set to be released early in the year of 2025, captures Wallace’s musings on world's ending, sailing across the western ocean, and moving on. Her timeless lyrics and virtuosic guitar playing are the foundation of this record and grounded in traditional Celtic and American folk repertoire.
High Horse is a progressive-acoustic boy band based in Boston, known for their unique blend of Bluegrass, Old-time, and Celtic music infused with the energy of alternative rock. They draw from their varied musical backgrounds to explore and perform original compositions as well as tunes from diverse folk traditions. Their music is a captivating fusion of genres, showcasing their technical and compositional skill and their passion for pushing musical boundaries. Comprised of four friends, three bows, and one pick, High Horse delivers a rollicking romp of great vibes, virtuosic chops, and tight vocals.
$17 advance | $22 day-of | $10 student
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
Join PMAC for the Spring 2025 Teen Rock, Blues, and Jazz Show, featuring *SEVEN* amazing teen ensembles! Come be amazed by sets from three Teen Rock Band groups, two Rock 101 groups, and two Teen Jazz Ensembles.
About PMAC:
Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) is a 501c3 nonprofit community music and arts school serving the Seacoast. PMAC’s mission is to build community through the arts by providing all people with the opportunity to achieve their full creative potential, regardless of their age, ability, or economic status. We accomplish this through high quality music and visual arts education programs and by creating ensemble, performance, and exhibition opportunities for students, professionals, and audiences.
PMAC's Teen Ensemble program covers a variety of genres, instruments and is open to a variety of playing levels. For more information about PMAC’s teen ensemble opportunities and more, please visit pmaconline.org.
Rafa Moreno and Vibra Tropical
We are a creative, inspiring collaboration of Rafa Moreno, singer and song writer and Stephen E. Whitney, a longtime professional percussionist. Rafa was lead singer, songwriter, and producer for Orquesta Sociedad Anόnima from 2011 to 2019. In addition, he was an actor and TV host from 2010 to 2019 in Panama. Rafa has 3 studio albums: Real (2015), 15 Años with Orq. Sociedad Anόnima (2016), and Album 1 (2023). Rafa is a Berklee College of Music graduate, majoring in Contemporary Writing and Production (2023).
Stephen is a band leader who started Vibra Tropical as the house band for La Fabrica Central in Cambridge MA in 2017. Rafa and Stephen started working together in 2021. Vibra Tropical is an engaging 10 to 12 piece, international, intergenerational salsa band whose members are Berklee students and graduates plus professional musicians from all over New England. We perform Rafa’s original compositions and his arrangements of classic salsa standards and get audiences dancing!
Vibra Tropical members:
Brad Smith – piano
Eduardo Ramirez - bass
Kristalis Sotomayer - flute
Yibran Aponte - trumpet
Mark Hamilton - trombone
Sam Padua - trombone
Luis Portalatin - baritone
Pedro Sanjur - timbal
Stephen E. Whitney - conga
$17 advance | $22 day-of | $10 student
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
Old Hat
Based out of Southern Maine, Old Hat fuses tight vocal harmonies with a driving acoustic rhythm section. With a sound draws from folk, old time, bluegrass, and country traditions, the band is comprised of Whitney Roy (Guitar, Vocals), Steve Roy (Mandolin, Fiddle, Vocals), and Amanda Kowalski (Bass) and special guest Julie Metcalf (Fiddle).
Their debut album was released in 2022 and features 10 original compositions by Steve and Whitney Roy.
Whitney’s lilting vocals provide the backbone of the vocal blend, while her solid rhythm guitar anchors the band’s pulse.
Steve is a veteran of New England’s acoustic music scene, and has performed and toured with many of the acoustic world’s top acts.
Amanda is one of the more sought after bass players in the worlds of bluegrass and old time music, and her rhythmic drive and energy on stage are second to none.
Old Hat has performed on world class stages such as Prescott Park Arts Festival, Ossipee Valley Music Festival, Portsmouth Music Hall, Stone Mountain Arts Center and Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival.
Multi-instrumentalist, producer, step dancer and host of the TradCafe podcast, Neil Pearlman is a vital and distinctive voice in contemporary folk music. Described as “a tremendous pianist” on BBC Radio Scotland and “a force to be reckoned with” by WGBH’s Brian O’Donovan, Neil is best known for his groundbreaking approach to the piano in Celtic music. Motivated by a deep musical curiosity and a love of collaboration, his playing is continually evolving and spontaneous without losing its roots in the traditional piano styles of Atlantic Canada, New England and Scotland. He has appeared internationally at major festivals such as the Newport Folk Festival, Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Celtic Colours in Cape Breton and the Orkney Folk Festival and has recorded or performed with luminaries of traditional folk music including Natalie MacMaster, Darol Anger, Seamus Egan and Alasdair Fraser.
Neil’s deep love of the Gaelic music traditions has seen him welcomed into spaces that few other Americans have been. He was selected for the 2025 Shannon Residency at Beinn Mhabu in Cape Breton and has performed and guest lectured at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at University of Limerick, Ireland and the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton, Scotland. His first solo piano album Refractions features frequently on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and BBC Radio Scotland and his 2020 release with Shetland fiddler Kevin Henderson received 5 stars from Scotland’s national newspaper The Scotsman.
In addition to touring regularly with Kevin Henderson, the Pine Tree Flyers, and as a solo pianist, Neil teaches at festivals throughout North America and Europe and has guest lectured at Berklee College of Music, Northeastern University and the aforementioned University of Limerick. He co-directs an annual St. Patrick’s Day concert with Katie McNally at Groton Hill Music Center and releases podcasts and video collaborations with musicians from around the world through his production company TradCafe.
$17 advance | $22 day-of | $10 Student
Truffle
Together for nearly 40 years, Truffle are passionate players and entertainers who are in it for the long haul; it’s what they do and who they are! Their travels have taken them to all but ten states in the US; and now tour the New England region constantly.
The ongoing list of international acts they have supported is huge: Dave Matthews Band, Little Feat, Phish, The Band, Blues Traveler, The Radiators, Buckwheat Zydeco, Spin Doctors, Arlo Guthrie, Merl Saunders, Baba Ulatundje, New Riders Widespread Panic and Toots and the Maytalls. They have released five full length albums, as well as numerous compilations. Their latest is a studio release “That’s Right:” Roots, and Soul music with strong songwriting makes for truly unique Truffle sound all their own.
$17 advance | $22 day-of | $10 student
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
MetaBeat is a project created by life-long Beatles fans Les Harris, Jr (Drums) and Mark Shilansky (Keyboards), to explore the music of the Beatles and their contemporaries in an
improvisational and historically interesting context. The repertoire includes songs recorded and written by the Beatles, as well as Beatles solo material and collaborations, and music which was inspiring to the Beatles.
The "Meta" aspect of the band comes in the arrangements, as an early Beatles tune will be rendered in a late-period style, or vice-versa, and in medleys and "mashups" in the style of the Giles and George Martin remix project "Love." This band should appeal to die hard
Beatles fans, who will revel in the musical references and attention to detail, as well as fans of jazzy, improvised music and groove.
Band Leader Mark Shilansky says, “I call the Beatles band "The Meta-Beat," because we play "meta" versions of Beatles tunes... jazzified, or combined into interesting medleys and mash-ups, or tunes that the Beatles wrote with other people.”
The current lineup:
Taylor O’Donnell (Berklee, Phillips Exeter faculty) on vocals;
Chris Klaxton (UNH faculty) on trumpet, guitar and vocals;
Mark Shilansky (Berklee, UNH faculty) on piano and vocals;
Les Harris Jr.(UNH, USM, Phillips Exeter faculty) on drums and vocals;
Eric Byers (Berklee faculty) on guitar and vocals;
Mark Poniatowski (Berklee Faculty) on bass
$17 advance | $22 day-of
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
Springtide is: Willy Clemetson on fiddle and foot percussion, Elsie Gawler on cello and fiddle, and Ethan Tischler on guitar. We are musicians, songwriters, and central figures in the Mid-Coast Maine fiddling scene. We combine a love of high energy traditional Celtic and Scandinavian fiddle music, heartfelt original tunes and songs, and spacious creative improvisation to produce our unique trio: Springtide. We aim to lift audiences with the music of the landscapes we come from, drawing inspiration from the tidal rhythms and creative energies of the coastal land we’re grateful to call home.
Celebrating the Music of Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard
The Hazel Project pays tribute to the music written or recorded by bluegrass pioneers and legendary musicians, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. Hazel and Alice tackled subjects from social injustice to the hardships of workers, as well as love and loss. With Betsy Heron (fiddle), Gretchen Bowder (banjo), Whitney Roy (guitar), and Lindsay Lassonde (bass), The Hazel Project features sweet soaring harmonies and tasteful tunes – traditional grassroots music to fill your heart and soul.
$17 advance | $22 day-of | $10 student
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
Under the co-artistic direction of Jessie Jeanne Stinnett and award winning, Dutch-Israeli, choreographer Itzik Galili, Boston Dance Theater (BDT) is Boston’s first contemporary dance repertory company with international ties at the leadership level. With a commitment to presenting works of socio-political relevance, BDT matches the talents of Boston-based dancers with those of acclaimed global choreographers, broadening the scope of contemporary dance practice and performance in our city. BDT is a registered 501(c)3 tax-exempt charity as of 2019.
Little Wings
with special guest Ben Troy
Kyle Field is a visual artist and the songwriter behind the 25-years-running group Little Wings. Over the course of more than a dozen albums, he has written a classic cannon of songs that continues to gain listenership to this day. Working without the help of powerful record companies, the songs have earned their place viscerally, person by person, creating a cherished and loyal following around the world. Little Wings continues to release records at an incredible clip and shows no signs of slowing, the songs keep growing. His latest and greatest High on the Glade was recorded with legendary producer Kramer. It’s due out June 7th on Perpetual Doom.
October’s Yankee Charms IV is Little Wings’ fourth tour with the New England rhythm section of bassist Nat Baldwin and drummer Peter McLaughlin.
"...Kyle Field, the Golden State’s mercurial troubadour, is back with a vengeance—songs of vaudeville and villainy, renewal and rebirth."
-Perpetual Doom
$17 advance | $22 day-of
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
FRIDAY 10.03.25 @ 7:00PM :
Rhythm Future Quartet
SATURDAY 10.04.25 @ 7:00PM :
The EarRegulars w/Atla + Matt DeChamplain opening
SUNDAY 10.5.25 @ 2PM :
"Django's Campsite All-Star Jam"
In collaboration with Kit & Supply Co.
**For more info about the festival and bio for each artist, visit:
Darlin’ Corey features the singing and playing of three well known musicians of the thriving music scene of Portland, ME. Award winning and accomplished fiddler and singer Erica Brown on fiddle, guitar, vocals, notable songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Shipman on guitar, vocals, mandolin, bouzouki, banjo and Portland’s favorite bass player, Kris Day.
Their music is a unique blend of folk with influences from bluegrass and old time music. Together they create an engaging performance of thoughtful originals, traditional songs and songs that influenced them along the way.
With recent highlights including performances at prestigious venues and festivals like Stone Mountain Arts Center, Ossipee Valley and collaborations with The Bangor Symphony Orchestra, they continue to captivate audiences across the Northeast and Canada.
High Range is a New Hampshire-based band playing both original and cover songs featuring fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass and drums. Making music together since 1999.
"HIGH RANGE has forged a tight, compelling ensemble sound that is highly musical and thoroughly entertaining."
--David McCarty, Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine
Todd Jones – acoustic and electric guitar, banjo and vocals
Rob Kneeland – mandolin, drums and vocals
Ellen Carlson – fiddle and vocals
Steve Roy – mandolin and bass
Brendan Dowd – bass
Zac Francis – bass
$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 Student
*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
