Live Acoustic Music Near Melrose, 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 Melrose 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 Melrose 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 Melrose 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

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 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 5
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 5
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
December 5
The Cabot (Small Theater)
Beverly, MA
December 5
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
The Square Root Café (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Boston, MA
December 6
Hopkinton Center for the Arts (Listening Room)
Hopkinton, MA
December 6
Lizard Lounge (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 6
Chevalier Theatre (Concert Hall)
Medford, MA
December 7
The Bull Run Restaurant (Nightclub)
Shirley, 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
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
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
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 8
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 8
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
December 8
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
December 8
Lakeview Houseconcerts (House Concert)
Sharon, MA
December 8
Shalin Liu Performance Center (Small Theater)
Rockport, 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
Narrows Center For the Arts (Small Theater)
Fall River, MA
December 12
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 12
Multi-instrumentalist Jenna Nicholls is giving vintage genres a new spin with her own lush nostalgic style and melodic sensibility. Jenna has toured with Ingrid Michaelson, shared the stage with Oscar Winner Glen Hansard, Amanda Palmer and Lucius.
The Spire Center for Performing Arts (Small Theater)
Plymouth, MA
December 13
Orchard Chapel (Small Theater)
Hampton Falls, NH
December 13
The Center for Arts in Natick (Small Theater)
Natick, MA
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 13
Fallout Shelter (Listening Room)
Norwood, MA
December 13
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 14
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 14
John Harvard's Brew House (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Cambridge, MA
December 14
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
December 14
Narrows Center For the Arts (Small Theater)
Fall River, MA
December 14
Groton Hill Music Center - Concert Hall (Small Theater)
Groton, MA
December 14
Crossroads Music Series (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
North Andover, MA
December 14
Erin Harpe country blues duo with Jim Countryman, award winning blues artist
The Bull Run Restaurant (Nightclub)
Shirley, MA
December 15
Club Passim (Listening Room)
Cambridge, MA
December 15
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
December 15
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
December 15
The Spire Center for Performing Arts (Small Theater)
Plymouth, MA
December 17
The Burren (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Somerville, MA
December 18
City Winery (Listening Room)
Boston, MA
December 18
Orchard Chapel (Small Theater)
Hampton Falls, NH
December 19
If folk, roots, and Americana were on a Venn diagram, Grace Morrison would be squarely in the center. With a career that began as a backup singer for rock icons like Eddie Money and Joey Molland (of
The Spire Center for Performing Arts (Small Theater)
Plymouth, MA
December 19
The Word Barn (Listening Room)
Exeter, NH
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Places to see live acoustic music in and around Melrose, 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)
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)
The Word Barn (Exeter)

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)
Rabb Hall Boston Public Library (Boston)

Small Theaters

Amazing Things Art Center (atac) (Framingham)
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)
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 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 Snug (Hingham)