Star-studded is the word that fiddle player Eric Lee used to describe the lineup of the Stringband Jamboree that will take place at Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield Friday night at 7 p.m. And he is absolutely right — the Jamboree, which Hawks and Reed calls ” a hefty dose of mid-winter medicine,” will features some of the area’s finest songwriters and players —Tracy Grammer, Mamma’s Marmalade, John Sheldon, the Mikey Sweet Band and Lee himself, who will be playing with a band.
While all the musicians have elements of folk in their music and, of course, play stringed instruments, you will still find a lot of diversity in this lineup. Bluegrass, rock, Americana, and country are some of the styles that you’ll hear at this show. And it’s not often that you find a lineup stacked with this much talent unless it’s a big festival.
“I’m very excited by this lineup,” said Lee. The Easthampton-based musician has a varied career; he steadily works as a backing musician and has played mandolin, guitar and fiddle for a wide range of artists, from the Strangelings to local musicians like the Boxcar Lilies and Mikey Sweet. He also has a solo career as a singer-songwriter. In 2015, he released the EP, “Miles Above the Ground,” and is currently finishing up work on his first full-length release, “Heartache Town.” In December, he released a three-song EP that serves as a sampler for the upcoming album. Expect to hear some of this new music when he takes the stage at the Stringband Jamboree. Take advantage of this chance to see Lee as come April as he will be hitting the road as a member of acclaimed songwriter Eric Andersen’s touring band.
Folk musician Tracy Grammer doesn’t often play her adopted hometown of Greenfield because she spends a great deal of her time touring. Last week, she played at the Folk Alliance in Kansas City and also played gigs in Texas and New Jersey. She’s currently out promoting her latest release, “Low Tide,” her first album of original material. Grammer, who’s known for her sweet singing voice and skilled playing on guitar and violin, has been working as a solo artist since the death of her partner Dave Carter in 2002, but did not fully come into her own as a songwriter until now. On this personal collection of songs, Grammer writes of loss of her father, failed relationships and more. It will be a treat to hear these new songs played live.
Also on the lineup are Mamma’s Marmalade, a young quintet from Amherst that is composed of a fiddle player, mandolinist, banjo player, bassist and guitarist. That may sound like a typical bluegrass band but Mamma’s Marmalade take their inspiration from progressive bluegrass bands like the Punch Brothers, who like to tweak our expectations of the genre by adding a mix of styles into their sound. A Mamma’s Marmalade show is always an uplifting and entertaining affair.
John Sheldon of Amherst is a political activist, a storyteller, songwriter and amazing guitarist who has been delighting area audiences for many years now, with projects ranging from his band, Blue Streak, to his solo work. In fact, he is celebrating his 50th year of writing, composing and performing music. In recent years, Sheldon, who has played with musicians like James Taylor and Van Morrison, has worked on many new projects, including his autobiographical performance piece, “The Red Guitar.” He’s also joined forces with world music percussionist, Tony Vacca and poet Paul Richmond to form the group, Do It Now.
The night will wrap up with the Mikey Sweet Band. Sweet, who lives in Northampton, established him as one of the area’s leading songwriters with his most recent release, 2016’s “Road Dog Gospel.” This honest collection of songs about life on the road manages to be both heartbreaking and humorous. Sweet, who sings in a world weary voice and is a nimble guitarist, is known for an folk-Americana sound, but his music will be given a rockin’ boost as he plays a rare full band show at the Stringband Jamboree.
The order of the performances are:
7 p.m. — Tracy Grammer
8 — Eric Lee & Company
9 — Mamma’s Marmalade
10 — John Sheldon
11 — Mikey Sweet Band
This promises to be a night of incredible music, of songs that will touch your soul and move your feet.
And when you have this many artists at the same event, you have to wonder if there won’t be some collaborating going on. I had to pose this question to Lee, since in the past he has shared the stage with both Mikey Sweet and Tracy Grammer.
“I’m not too sure at this point. We haven’t discussed anything, but you never know what will happen,” said Lee. “You’ll just have to come see for yourself!”
Tickets are $20 in advance and available at hawksandreed.com. Day of show tickets are $25, Hawks and Reed is located at 289 Main St. in Greenfield. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com