Live Acoustic Music Near Cambridge, 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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge 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

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
The Met (Neighborhood Bar)
Pawtucket, RI
November 23
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
November 23
Groton Hill Music Center - Concert Hall (Small Theater)
Groton, MA
November 23
Firehouse Center for the Arts (Small Theater)
Newburyport, 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 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
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 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 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
The Bull Run Restaurant (Nightclub)
Shirley, MA
November 27
Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center (Small Theater)
Foxborough, MA
November 29
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
November 29
Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center (Small Theater)
Foxborough, MA
November 30
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
November 30
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
November 30
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, 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 1
The Wilbur Theater (Small Theater)
Boston, MA
December 1
Blackstone River Theater (Small Theater)
Cumberland, RI
December 1
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, 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
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
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 5
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, MA
December 5
December 6
Chevalier Theatre (Concert Hall)
Medford, MA
December 6
The Square Root Café (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Boston, MA
December 6
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 6
Hopkinton Center for the Arts (Listening Room)
Hopkinton, MA
December 7
Original heartfelt music from the streets of New Orleans to the hills of Appalachia.
Circle of Friends Coffeehouse (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Franklin, MA
December 7
The Bull Run Restaurant (Nightclub)
Shirley, MA
December 7
Nick Carter is a New England-based singer songwriter whose music has been called soulful folk and a coffee break for the soul. His voice and guitar bring you shelter inside the song.
Somerville Songwriter Sessions (Listening Room)
Somerville, MA
December 7
A joyful Christmas concert with sparkling instrumental work and lush Christmas harmonies. Southern Rail is one of the hottest groups on the circuit. Plus the world's best home made carrot cake! Not to be missed!
Homegrown Coffeehouse (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Needham, MA
December 7
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 8
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
December 8
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
December 8
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
December 8
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 8
Founder of the Irish-American powerhouse band Solas, is now touring as a solo performer, bringing along friends and musical guests.
Blackstone River Theater (Small Theater)
Cumberland, RI
December 10
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
December 11
Cafe 939 (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Boston, MA
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Places to see live acoustic music in and around Cambridge, 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)