Schedule: Folk / Roots Stage from Club Passim
Noon - Gabriella Simpkins
Gabriella Simpkins is an award-winning singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Informed by her vast experiences across many genres and performance settings, her music exists at the intersections of folk, classical, jazz, and indie rock. Growing up in a musical home, Simpkins’ passion for her craft was almost inevitable. She began playing the flute at age 9. Having perfect pitch, she taught herself music theory, and by age 13, she was writing songs and arranging pieces by ear for chamber wind ensembles. She later taught herself to play the guitar and started accompanying her songs with a thoughtful and intricate guitar style that is often compared to that of Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake. Her classical compositions are heavily inspired by late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century composers such as Debussy, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky. Blending all of these experiences together, Simpkins’ work showcases her diverse talents and creates a listening experience that subverts expectations of genre and conventionality.
1 p.m. - Anju
"I am a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and performer. Music is my medicine and my sanctuary. I hope you’ll stay a while and share in it with me."
2 p.m. - Mercedes Escobar
Fluctuating between unleashed and sweet, Guatemalan singer-songwriter Mercedes Escobar’s raw, guttural vocals dominate any stage. Her voice has been likened to a mix between Linda Ronstadt and Howlin’ Wolf. She’s created a unique genre which blends the rawness of old blues and country vocals and guitar, with the intensity of magical realism lyrics and the sonic traditions of her home culture; All while staying true to her modern values against prejudice in music, race and gender. She calls this “Latin Americana.”
3 p.m. - Casey Murray & Molly Tucker
Casey Murray & Molly Tucker are a Boston-based folk duo. With Molly on fiddle and Casey on cello, guitar, and banjo, the two play original and traditional tunes in Celtic, New England, and Old Time styles. They spent the first few years of their duo writing tunes and songs from a distance while Casey attended Berklee College of Music and Molly attended Oberlin College and Conservatory. At the start of the pandemic, they graced the screens of virtual dances and performances across the country. They can more recently be found in dance halls, festivals, and listening rooms across New England, including Club Passim, Festival Trad Montréal, and Sutton Fiddle Festival, delighting audiences and dancers alike with their infectious energy and groove. Casey and Molly released their debut album After the Sky Weeps in April 2022.
4 p.m. - Almira Ara
Almira Ara is a 21-year-old songwriter, singer, and producer that focuses on melding Rock and R&B together to create a genre that is truest to their creations. With influences ranging from Queen and Tracy Chapman to Kehlani, Almira captures aspects of the past and present to create music that can resonate with future generations. Their music is also heavily influenced by their community, which consists of queer Black and POC people, whether their music is talking about queer love or issues that members of the community face.
5 p.m. - Dinty Child
Dinty Child is a longtime member of the Boston roots/folk scene. A fearless multi-instrumentalist, he can most often be seen with the band Session Americana, as well as the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, the unapologetically loud and grimy Catbirds, as sensitive sideman to any number of singer/songwriters, including Rose Cousins and Kris Delmhorst, and even fronting the twenty piece party band, the Funky White Honkies.
