Live Acoustic Music Near Boston, 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 Boston 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 Boston 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 Boston. 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

November 21
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 21
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
November 21
The Spire Center for Performing Arts (Small Theater)
Plymouth, MA
November 21
Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Cambridge, MA
November 21
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 21
With songs as sweet and biting as the nectar and venom in her voice, Lennon Award winner Rachel Sumner has been captivating audiences throughout the country with her lyric-forward folk songs and snaking chord progressions.
The Cut (Nightclub)
Gloucester, MA
November 21
Joy Clark, New Orleans singer-songwriter, lyrical guitarist and composer who creates soulful original compositions that celebrate peace and the undeniable power of love.
November 22
The Bull Run Restaurant (Nightclub)
Shirley, MA
November 22
The Cut (Nightclub)
Gloucester, MA
November 22
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 22
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
November 22
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 22
Groton Hill Music Center - Concert Hall (Small Theater)
Groton, MA
November 22
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
November 22
The lead singer of acclaimed roots band Low Lily, Simmons is an Indie Music Award-winning songwriter with a new soon-to-be-released solo album.
Blackstone River Theater (Small Theater)
Cumberland, RI
November 22
The Spire Center for Performing Arts (Small Theater)
Plymouth, MA
November 23
The Met (Neighborhood Bar)
Pawtucket, RI
November 23
Robinson & Rohe deliver a powerful live show replete with effortless harmony singing, soulful grooves, playful humor, and razor-sharp lyrics.
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 23
The Snug (Neighborhood Bar)
Hingham, MA
November 23
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
November 23
Groton Hill Music Center - Concert Hall (Small Theater)
Groton, MA
November 23
American Songwriter describes Eilen Jewell as “one of America’s most intriguing, creative and idiosyncratic voices.”
Narrows Center For the Arts (Small Theater)
Fall River, MA
November 23
Firehouse Center for the Arts (Small Theater)
Newburyport, MA
November 24
The lead singer of acclaimed roots band Low Lily, Simmons is an Indie Music Award-winning songwriter with a new soon-to-be-released solo album.
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 24
The Bull Run Restaurant (Nightclub)
Shirley, MA
November 24
An americana, celtic, folk, songwriter, traditional group from West Townshend, Vermont
Morrill Memorial Library (Library)
Norwood, MA
November 24
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
November 24
“Captivating, unorthodox songwriting.” — PopMatters “Brilliant musicianship, a warm and welcoming stage presence and a voice as rich, matured and knowing as the finest thrice-distilled Irish malt whiskey.” — fRoots
Middleborough Public Library (Library)
Middleborough, MA
November 25
With songs as sweet and biting as the nectar and venom in her voice, Lennon Award winner Rachel Sumner has been captivating audiences throughout the country with her lyric-forward folk songs and snaking chord progressions.
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 27
Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center (Small Theater)
Foxborough, MA
November 27
The Bull Run Restaurant (Nightclub)
Shirley, MA
November 29
Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center (Small Theater)
Foxborough, MA
November 29
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
November 30
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
November 30
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, MA
November 30
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
December 1
Blackstone River Theater (Small Theater)
Cumberland, RI
December 1
The Wilbur Theater (Small Theater)
Boston, MA
December 1
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 1
Original heartfelt music from the streets of New Orleans to the hills of Appalachia.
Old Sloop Presents (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Rockport, MA
December 2
Blackstone River Theater (Small Theater)
Cumberland, RI
December 3
The Rockwell (Small Theater)
Somerville, MA
December 4
Rainshadow Recording welcomes The Faux Paws, featuring Port Hadlock’s own Chris Miller, Sunday January 15 at 7:30pm at The Palindrome at Eaglemount Cidery, 1893 S. Jacob Miller Rd.
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 4
Patterson Hood is a musician and songwriter living in Portland, OR. He's originally from Muscle Shoals, AL and plays with a band called Drive-By Truckers as well as being a solo artist.
The Bull Run Restaurant (Nightclub)
Shirley, MA
December 4
The Met (Neighborhood Bar)
Pawtucket, RI
December 5
December 5
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
December 5
Rock, jazz, funk and alternative folk, all wrapped in the spirit of the Latin music she grew up with. NPR calls Alisa, “a pitch-perfect rendition of my wildest dreams.”
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
December 5
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, MA
December 5
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
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Places to see live acoustic music in and around Boston, Massachusetts

House Concerts

Borrowed House Concerts (Plaistow)
Fractal House (Medford)
Homegrown House Concerts (Marblehead)
House Of Play House Concerts (Newton)
Kiva House Concerts (Billerica)
Lakeview Houseconcerts (Sharon)
Pond Front House Concerts (Carver)
Studio 84 House Concerts (Middleborough)
The Rec Room House Concerts (Belmont)
Whale Cove House Concerts (Rockport)

Listening Rooms

2nd Shift Concerts at the Charles River Museum (Waltham)
City Winery (Boston)
Club Passim (Cambridge)
Fallout Shelter (Norwood)
Hopkinton Center for the Arts (Hopkinton)
Lizard Lounge (Cambridge)
Melrose UU Church (Melrose)
Niagara Coffee Haus (Millis)
One Broadway Collaborative (Lawrence)
River Club Music Hall (Scituate)
Sanctuary Maynard (Maynard)
Somerville Songwriter Sessions (Somerville)
Soundcheck Studios (Pembroke)
The Lilypad (Cambridge)
The Somerville Armory (Somerville)

Folk Music Societies

Folk Song Society of Greater Boston (Watertown)

Folk Music Coffeehouses

Circle of Friends Coffeehouse (Franklin)
Crossroads Music Series (North Andover)
First Church Unitarian (Littleton)
First Parish of Sudbury Coffee House (Sudbury)
Harmony on the Green Coffeehouse (Lexington)
Homegrown Coffeehouse (Needham)
Linden Tree Coffeehouse (Wakefield)
Me & Thee Music (Marblehead)
New Moon Coffeehouse (Haverhill)
New Revival Coffeehouse (Stow)
New Song Coffeehouse (Bedford)
North Reading Community Coffeehouse (North Reading)
Not Just Another Coffeehouse (Sharon)
OCC Coffeehouse (Wrentham)
Old Sloop Presents (Rockport)
One World Coffee House (Essex)
Open Book Coffeehouse (Canton)
Open Road Coffeehouse (Rockland)
Rose Garden Coffeehouse (Mansfield)
Second Friday Coffeehouse (Belmont)
Westford Parish Center For The Arts (Westford)

Cafes, Restaurants & Coffee Shops

Cafe 939 (Boston)
John Harvard's Brew House (Cambridge)
Lily P's Chicken (Cambridge)
Markohs (Ayer)
Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub (Cambridge)
The Burren (Somerville)
The Gulu-Gulu Cafe (Salem)
The Square Root Café (Boston)

Libraries

Bolton Public Library (Bolton)
Boyden Library (Foxborough)
Cary Memorial Library (Lexington)
Duxbury Free Library (Duxbury)
Franklin Public Library (Franklin)
Holliston Public Library (Holliston)
Middleborough Public Library (Middleborough)
Morrill Memorial Library (Norwood)
Plymouth Public Library (Plymouth)
Rabb Hall Boston Public Library (Boston)
Red Ink Community Library (Providence)
Seekonk Public Library (Seekonk)

Small Theaters

Amazing Things Art Center (atac) (Framingham)
Blackstone River Theater (Cumberland)
Cary Hall (Lexington)
Firehouse Center for the Arts (Newburyport)
Groton Hill Music Center - Concert Hall (Groton)
Groton Hill Music Center - Meadow Hall (Groton)
Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center (Foxborough)
Mass Arts Center (Mansfield)
Narrows Center For the Arts (Fall River)
Needham Town Hall (Needham)
Regent Theatre (Arlington)
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Rockport)
Somerville Theatre (Somerville)
The Cabot (Beverly)
The Center for Arts in Natick (Natick)
The Rockwell (Somerville)
The Spire Center for Performing Arts (Plymouth)
The Wilbur Theater (Boston)
Tupelo Music Hall (Londonderry)

Outdoor Music Series

Bellforge Arts Center (Medfield)
Bridgewater Music Alley (Bridgewater)
Herter Park Ampitheater (Boston)
Boston City Hall Plaza (Boston)

Bars & Nightclubs

Cantab Lounge (Cambridge)
The Met (Pawtucket)
The Snug (Hingham)