A look inside the Blue Room during the first CitySpace Bluegrass.
Photo credit: Darian Gonzalez, CitySpace
EASTHAMPTON — The Blue Room at Old Town Hall was jamming to start 2025 as the first CitySpace Bluegrass took place, a new monthly bluegrass jam session designed to bring the community together in the spirit of music, joy and fun.
The one night of bluegrass music so far under the belts of CitySpace saw an enthusiastic crowd warming up their strings and vocal cords as close to 80 new and experienced pickers made it out to share their love of the genre and join the jam circle.
“It sounded beautiful,” said CitySpace President Burns Maxey of the one session so far. “It was super magical and we’re very excited to host again and every month.”
Maxey added much feedback from participants and audience members was filled with excitement for this type of event to be in the region.
“The way we set it up is we have a bluegrass circle so people can jump in or out of the jam and David [Clark Carroll, bluegrass musician] really leads the jam but it’s very collaborative. One person will suggest a song, give a chord progression, then the next person will do the same and so on. And the audience can really see all the things that are going on within the bluegrass jam.”
According to Maxey, bluegrass musician David Clark Carroll got into discussions with members of the nonprofit where he asked if they would be interested in hosting a bluegrass jam.
“There were a couple here and there but there’s just not a lot that are happening [in the region] and he said that there was a real need to have something that was open to everybody that wasn’t a super bar atmosphere that was really welcoming and friendly to all ages and gives the opportunity to musicians to come in and jump into the jam whether they’re skilled or newbies to bluegrass,” Maxey said.
The session is a lively and welcoming atmosphere where musicians of all skill levels and ages can join the circle and share songs in the traditional bluegrass style. No matter the talent or interest, this is an opportunity for people to jump in, connect and create music in a supportive, spirited community space.
The event returns Saturday, Feb. 1 from 4-7 p.m. and will return on the first Saturday of each month going forward. This upcoming session will coincide with the return of Art Walk in Old Town Hall so there will be other events and happenings throughout the building participants can look forward to.
“It really developed out of [Clark Carroll’s] interest and our interest in creating a continuous opportunity for people to come in and to enjoy CitySpace and experience live performances and we thought what a great idea to have this during the Art Walk which is generally free and open to the public and welcoming to all people of all ages throughout the region,” Maxey said.
Maxey said she hopes those interested in learning about bluegrass, or those looking to join to the session can make it out that night ready to jam.
“They can grab their stringed instrument if they play, banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bass, whatever floats their boat to come to CitySpace and join in because it’s really just a great experience to see people who have never played before then make music. It’s just a magical experience,” shared Maxey.
