Live Acoustic Music Near Gloucester, 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 Gloucester 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 Gloucester 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 Gloucester 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 21
Will Overman
Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Cambridge, MA
November 21
Darlingside
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 21
Rachel Sumner,  Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light
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
Session Americana
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 21
Joy Clark
Joy Clark, New Orleans singer-songwriter, lyrical guitarist and composer who creates soulful original compositions that celebrate peace and the undeniable power of love.
2nd Shift Concerts at the Charles River Museum (Listening Room)
Waltham, MA
November 22
Session Americana
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 22
Amy Helm,  Mark Erelli
The Cut (Nightclub)
Gloucester, MA
November 22
Honeysuckle
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
November 22
Three at Home
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
November 22
David Francey
A truly authentic folk singer, Francey is a documentarian of the working person who never imagined earning a living from his music.
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
November 23
Jeffrey Gaines
Firehouse Center for the Arts (Small Theater)
Newburyport, MA
November 23
Steve Forbert
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
November 23
Michael Paul Brennan
The Snug (Neighborhood Bar)
Hingham, MA
November 23
Robinson & Rohe
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
Liz Simmons
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
Jeffrey Gaines
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
November 24
Keith Murphy and Becky Tracy
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
November 25
Rachel Sumner
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
Tim Gearan
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
November 30
Tim Gearan
Press Room Restaurant (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Portsmouth, NH
November 30
Freebo,  Alice Howe
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
November 30
Marina Evans
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, MA
November 30
Twisted Pine,  Damn Tall Buildings,  Ali McGuirk
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
December 1
The Secret Sauce
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 1
Heather Pierson Duo
Original heartfelt music from the streets of New Orleans to the hills of Appalachia.
Old Sloop Presents (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
Rockport, MA
December 1
Gillian Welch
The Wilbur Theater (Small Theater)
Boston, MA
December 3
Ezra Furman
The Rockwell (Small Theater)
Somerville, MA
December 4
Grant Gordy
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
December 4
The Faux Paws
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 5
Shawn Colvin
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, MA
December 5
Mike Block
2nd Shift Concerts at the Charles River Museum (Listening Room)
Waltham, MA
December 5
Griffin House
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 5
Alisa Amador
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
Emily Baker
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 6
Terry Kitchen,  Danielle Miraglia,  Jim Infantino
The Square Root Café (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Boston, MA
December 6
Indigo Girls
Chevalier Theatre (Concert Hall)
Medford, MA
December 7
Nick Carter,  Rachel Marie
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
Sol y Canto
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 7
Griffin House
The Music Hall Lounge (Small Theater)
Portsmouth, NH
December 7
Southern Rail
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
Amy Speace
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
December 8
Lúnasa
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, MA
December 8
Garnet Rogers
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 10
Willie Watson
The Sinclair (Nightclub)
Cambridge, MA
December 11
Tony Trischka,  Tim Eriksen
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 11
Jefferson Hamer,  The Murphy Beds
Cafe 939 (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Boston, MA
December 12
Anne Heaton
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 13
Rachel Sumner,  Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light
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 13
Cassie and Maggie
Orchard Chapel (Small Theater)
Hampton Falls, NH
December 13
Mark Erelli
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
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Places to see live acoustic music in and around Gloucester, 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)
Lizard Lounge (Cambridge)
Melrose UU Church (Melrose)
One Broadway Collaborative (Lawrence)
River Club Music Hall (Scituate)
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)
Harmony on the Green Coffeehouse (Lexington)
Homegrown Coffeehouse (Needham)
Linden Tree Coffeehouse (Wakefield)
Me & Thee Music (Marblehead)
New Moon Coffeehouse (Haverhill)
New Song Coffeehouse (Bedford)
North Reading Community Coffeehouse (North Reading)
Old Sloop Presents (Rockport)
One World Coffee House (Essex)
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)
Duxbury Free Library (Duxbury)
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 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)