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

November 23
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
November 23
The Snug (Neighborhood Bar)
Hingham, MA
November 23
Firehouse Center for the Arts (Small Theater)
Newburyport, MA
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 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
An americana, celtic, folk, songwriter, traditional group from West Townshend, Vermont
Morrill Memorial Library (Library)
Norwood, MA
November 24
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
November 24
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, 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 29
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
November 30
Folk-pop artist Halley Neal is a Nashville based singer and songwriter. Inspired by music from the 1970's, Halley released her debut record in June 2021.
Orchard Chapel (Small Theater)
Hampton Falls, NH
November 30
Press Room Restaurant (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Portsmouth, NH
November 30
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, MA
November 30
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
November 30
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, 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 1
The Wilbur Theater (Small Theater)
Boston, MA
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
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
December 5
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, MA
December 5
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
December 5
December 5
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, 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 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 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
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 7
The Music Hall Lounge (Small Theater)
Portsmouth, NH
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 8
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 8
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
December 8
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
December 8
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
December 10
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
December 11
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 11
Cafe 939 (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Boston, MA
December 12
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 13
Fallout Shelter (Listening Room)
Norwood, MA
December 13
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
December 13
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 13
Orchard Chapel (Small Theater)
Hampton Falls, NH
December 13
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 Lilypad (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 14
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
December 14
Crossroads Music Series (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
North Andover, MA
December 14
3S Artspace (Listening Room)
Portsmouth, NH
December 14
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, 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)
House Of Play House Concerts (Newton)
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)
One Broadway Collaborative (Lawrence)
River Club Music Hall (Scituate)
Sanctuary Maynard (Maynard)
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)

Folk Music Societies

Folk Song Society of Greater Boston (Watertown)

Folk Music Coffeehouses

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

Libraries

Cary Memorial Library (Lexington)
Morrill Memorial Library (Norwood)
Rabb Hall Boston Public Library (Boston)

Small Theaters

Cary Hall (Lexington)
Firehouse Center for the Arts (Newburyport)
Needham Town Hall (Needham)
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

Herter Park Ampitheater (Boston)
Boston City Hall Plaza (Boston)

Bars & Nightclubs

Cantab Lounge (Cambridge)
The Snug (Hingham)