Bluegrass legend Peter Rowan will be joining the Sam Grisman Project to play the music of Old & In The Way - the original superstar roots-music group that featured Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Vassar Clements, and John Kahn -- at this year’s Freshgrass Festival at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., today through Sunday. Other festival performers include Alison Brown, Old Crow Medicine Show, Greensky Bluegrass, Darol Anger, and a team of banjoists playing a unique rendition of the minimalist classic In C by Terry Riley. (Fri, Sep 19-Sun, Sep 21)
Canadian alt-rock group Cowboy Junkies celebrates its 40th anniversary at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., tonight at 8pm. The quartet still boasts its original lineup, and the group continues to mine its unique territory where folk, blues, rock, and country seamlessly merge to create the Junkies’ trademark sound -- hushed, languid, somber, and beautiful, largely owing to lead singer Margo Timmins’s haunting, ethereal vocals. (Fri, Sep 19)
Jazz vocalist Laura Anglade brings her quartet to the New Marlborough Meeting House in New Marlborough, Mass., on Saturday at 4:30pm. Anglade’s musical style is often described as a blend of traditional jazz with her own modern, nostalgic touch. She is as much a singing storyteller as she is a musician. Laura draws inspiration from a wide range of vocalists, including classic jazz figures like Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Blossom Dearie. (Sat, Sep 20)
Icelandic experimental pop and electronic music group Múm brings its whimsical indietronica to Hudson Hall in Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday at 7pm. The group’s moody fusion of electronic elements — including glitchy beats, innovative samples, and eerie effects — with a variety of traditional and unconventional acoustic instruments like cellos, accordions, and even toy pianos conjure images of the stark Icelandic landscape. (Sat, Sep 20)
Also of note:
Members of the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) bring their dance-music piece The Cello Player to Adams Theater in Adams, Mass., tonight at 7:30pm.
Basilica Soundscape celebrates its 10th anniversary at Basilica Hudson in Hudson, N.Y., today and Saturday. This year’s performing artists include Deafheaven, Billy Woods, Vines, Maria Sommerville, Soul Blind, Sloppy Jane, Yatta, Tiny Vipers, Lucky Break, Nuxx, and Katzin.
Harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss plays J.S. Bach’s ‘Goldberg’ Variations at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Stockbridge, Mass., on Saturday at 3pm, presented by Berkshire Bach.
The Orchestra Now, featuring mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, performs Mahler’s Third Symphony in the Fisher Center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday at 7pm, and again on Sunday at 2pm.
Classical ensemble Frisson kicks off the 30th season at Saugerties Pro Musica at Saugerties United Church in Saugerties, N.Y., on Sunday at 3pm, performing piano quartets by Mozart and Brahms.
The New England premiere of Mother Play: a play in five evictions, by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel, is running at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass., now through October 5.
