Live Acoustic Music Near Essex, Massachusetts

If you've never experienced hearing talented musicians perform in a small, intimate environment, you are in for a treat.

House concerts are a growing trend across the country, where people invite friends and neighbors into their homes for an up-close concert experience. And there are many house concerts being held in and around the Essex area that you can check out - you just need to contact the host and ask to be invited.

Churches and non-profit community groups around Essex host occasional coffeehouses that feature traditional folk musicians and other acoustic artists as a way of bringing the community together. Local libraries also host free concerts that are open to the general public.

In addition, live acoustic music can be heard in several listening rooms and small theaters in and around the Essex area. Local restaurants and cafes in the area sometimes host nationally touring musicians as well.

Below you can find a listing of upcoming shows in these smaller venues by nationally and internationally touring artists.

Upcoming Acoustic Shows

April 19
The wit and honesty of this renowned Minnesota-via-New Jersey guitarist and songwriter have made him one of the most beloved artists currently carrying on the folk tradition.
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
April 19
The Dance Hall (Listening Room)
Kittery, ME
April 19
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
April 19
Cafe 939 (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Boston, MA
April 19
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
April 19
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
April 19
One Broadway Collaborative (Listening Room)
Lawrence, MA
April 20
Westford Parish Center For The Arts (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Westford, MA
April 20
Old Sloop Presents (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Rockport, MA
April 20
The Rockwell (Small Theater)
Somerville, MA
April 20
The Sinclair (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Cambridge, MA
April 20
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
April 20
One Broadway Collaborative (Listening Room)
Lawrence, MA
April 20
The Porch Southern Fare and Juke Joint (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Medford, MA
April 20
Songwriter, banjo-piano-uke-guitar player, Rachael Davis is as renowned for her expressive–and explosive–voice as she is for uniting the often disparate worlds of folk, blues, country, and pop.
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
April 20
Open Book Coffeehouse (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Canton, MA
April 20
New Moon Coffeehouse (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Haverhill, MA
April 21
Press Room Restaurant (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Portsmouth, NH
April 21
Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Cambridge, MA
April 21
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
April 25
Incredible music by Maxfield Anderson, Lydia Harrell, Anju Madhok, Stephanie McKay, Kim Moberg, Alastair Moock, and Gabriella Simpkins!
April 25
Sisters Natalie (cello) and Brittany Haas (fiddle)
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
April 25
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
April 26
North Reading Community Coffeehouse (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
North Reading, MA
April 27
New Revival Coffeehouse (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Stow, MA
April 27
Concord Conservatory of Music (College/University)
Concord, MA
April 27
The Music Hall Lounge (Small Theater)
Portsmouth, NH
April 28
Press Room Restaurant (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Portsmouth, NH
May 2
Soundcheck Studios (Listening Room)
Pembroke, MA
May 2
May 2
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
May 3
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
May 3
One Broadway Collaborative (Listening Room)
Lawrence, MA
May 3
Press Room Restaurant (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Portsmouth, NH
May 3
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
May 3
The Sinclair (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Cambridge, MA
May 3
Me & Thee Music (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Marblehead, MA
May 4
Linden Tree Coffeehouse (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Wakefield, MA
May 4
The Music Hall Lounge (Small Theater)
Portsmouth, NH
May 4
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
May 5
Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Cambridge, MA
May 7
The Wilbur Theater (Small Theater)
Boston, MA
May 9
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
May 9
Fallout Shelter (Listening Room)
Norwood, MA
May 9
Greg Klyma is a road-tested troubadour and a relentless songwriter. You'll find him weaving lanes between Tom Petty and Merle Haggard on music's highway.
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
May 10
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
May 10
The Music Hall (Small Theater)
Portsmouth, NH
May 10
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
May 10
Second Friday Coffeehouse (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Belmont, MA
May 10
Old Sloop Presents (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Rockport, MA
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Places to see live acoustic music in and around Essex, Massachusetts

House Concerts

Borrowed House Concerts (Plaistow)
Fractal House (Medford)
Homegrown House Concerts (Marblehead)
Kiva House Concerts (Billerica)
The Rec Room House Concerts (Belmont)
Whale Cove House Concerts (Rockport)

Listening Rooms

2nd Shift Concerts at the Charles River Museum (Waltham)
3S Artspace (Portsmouth)
City Winery (Boston)
Club Passim (Cambridge)
Fallout Shelter (Norwood)
Lizard Lounge (Cambridge)
Melrose UU Church (Melrose)
Old South Meetinghouse (Boston)
One Broadway Collaborative (Lawrence)
Somerville Songwriter Sessions (Somerville)
Soundcheck Studios (Pembroke)
The Dance Hall (Kittery)
The Lilypad (Cambridge)
The Somerville Armory (Somerville)
The Stone Church (Newmarket)
The Word Barn (Exeter)
Wilbur Fiske Haven House (Malden)

Folk Music Societies

Folk Song Society of Greater Boston (Watertown)

Folk Music Coffeehouses

Crossroads Music Series (North Andover)
First Church Unitarian (Littleton)
Homegrown Coffeehouse (Needham)
Linden Tree Coffeehouse (Wakefield)
Me & Thee Music (Marblehead)
Music on Centre (Boston)
New Moon Coffeehouse (Haverhill)
New Revival Coffeehouse (Stow)
North Reading Community Coffeehouse (North Reading)
Old Sloop Presents (Rockport)
One World Coffee House (Essex)
Open Book Coffeehouse (Canton)
Open Road Coffeehouse (Rockland)
Second Friday Coffeehouse (Belmont)
Westford Parish Center For The Arts (Westford)

Cafes, Restaurants & Coffee Shops

Cafe 939 (Boston)
House of Blues Boston (Boston)
Kickstand Cafe (Arlington)
Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub (Cambridge)
Press Room Restaurant (Portsmouth)
The Burren (Somerville)
The Gulu-Gulu Cafe (Salem)
The Haven (Jamaica Plain)
The Porch Southern Fare and Juke Joint (Medford)
The Sinclair (Cambridge)
The Square Root Café (Boston)
Walnut Street Coffee Cafe (Lynn)
Whale's Jaw Cafe (Rockport)

Libraries

Cary Memorial Library (Lexington)
Concerts in the Courtyard at Boston Public Library (Boston)
Morrill Memorial Library (Norwood)
Rabb Hall Boston Public Library (Boston)
Robbins Library (Arlington)

Small Theaters

Cary Hall (Lexington)
Firehouse Center for the Arts (Newburyport)
Groton Hill Music Center -Meadow Hall (Littleton)
Orchard Chapel (Hampton Falls)
Regent Theatre (Arlington)
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Rockport)
Somerville Theatre (Somerville)
The Cabot (Beverly)
The Center for Arts in Natick (Natick)
The Music Hall (Portsmouth)
The Music Hall Lounge (Portsmouth)
The Rockwell (Somerville)
The Wilbur Theater (Boston)
Tupelo Music Hall (Londonderry)

Outdoor Music Series

Maudslay Arts Center (Newburyport)
Herter Park Ampitheater (Boston)

Bars & Nightclubs

Blue Ocean Music Hall (Salisbury)
Brighton Music Hall (Allston)
Toad (Cambridge)