Past Events

“Jake Blount is a brilliant banjoist, fiddle player and singer... his fingering thrilling and pacy, his voice charismatic and limber.” - Jude Rogers, The Guardian
Jake Blount and His Band are playing a huge festival in Champaign, IL on Friday night. They will make a stop here on Thursday and share his authentic Old Time sound. In the same vein as Rhiannon Giddens and Amythyst Kiah, make sure to catch this rising star in an intimate venue.

" an incredible knack for putting a little pop twist on a traditional folk/Americana sound... it’s a blend that works beautifully."-PopMatters
The Fiddle catches this Boston-based band on a rare Midwest tour. This trio does a marvelous job interpreting songs and tunes from all genres, with the help of fiddler extraordinaire, Lissa Schneckenburger.

"It's hard to imagine another artist on the folk scene who combines the same concise, deceptively understated, lyrical insight and sometimes devastating wit with such world-class instrumental prowess." -MUSICHOUND FOLK

“…the leading singer/songwriter of the New Folk movement” – Rolling Stone
John Gorka has been a mainstay in the folk music community for over 30 years. Every 3-4 years, he stops by the Fiddle to share some new pieces and help us remember his classics.

“The air left the room when Richie and Rosie sang their first notes together...everyone had their breath taken away at once. ” — Jen Hughes, Bluegrass Today
Richie Sternes (banjo; The Horse Flies, Natalie Merchant) and Rosie Newton (fiddle and accordion; The Duhks) are a dynamic duo in the world of Old Time music, and beyond.

A favorite of Singing Festival fans, peace and justice activist Reggie Harris will present the Friday night Ten Pound Fiddle concert within the annual two-day Alternative Holiday Gift Sale sponsored by the Peace Education Center at Edgewood Church, East Lansing.

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day week, this veteran Irish band presents both fine instrumentals and outstanding vocal performances. Do you love Celtic music? Do not miss this show!  

In the early 1930’s America enjoyed a heyday of small band jazz... hot jazz, laced with exciting improvisation, ballads - blue and melancholy, and stories of joy and tragedy. Ray Kamalay and his Red Hot Peppers are reminiscent of this peculiar era. With some of the finest players in the United States, they play this music with all the excitement and sentiment typical of the period. 

Annual Ten Pound Fiddle Membership Meeting, 6 pm – 7 pm. All are welcome. (Only) Fiddle members vote on any issues. Meet the Fiddle Board of Directors. Held at the UUMC before the concert.

A favorite of Ten Pound Fiddle audiences, Sally and Claudia have shared their talent both as solo artists and as a duo.  Claudia Schmidt and Sally Rogers have been weaving their voices, dulcimers, and guitars together for decades, creating an atmosphere of joy and musical lushness that audiences find so irresistible, they frequently join right in.

Clawhammer banjo picking songwriter Chris Coole and his long-time musical collaborator, fiddler extraordinaire, John Showman.

“John Showman has made his mark as “one of the very best and most influential fiddle players in Canada” -Steve Pritchard, CIUT 89.5 FM

“Chris’ clawhammer banjo playing is, frankly, incomparable” -Mitch Podolak, Penguin Eggs Magazine

Emma's Revolution is the dynamic, award-winning activist duo of Pat Humphries & Sandy O, whose songs have been sung for the Dalai Lama, praised by Pete Seeger, and covered by Holly Near. With beautiful harmonies and genre-defying eclecticism, Emma’s Revolution delivers an uprising of truth and hope for these tumultuous times.

Michigan's favorite songbirds Rachael Davis, Lindsay Lou, and May Erlewine, return to the Fiddle for a SATURDAY evening with the organic vocal harmonies and seamlessly interwoven instrumentation that leaves listeners breathless.

Co-produced with The Robin Theatre, in Lansing's REO Town. Already leaders in the young generation of roots musicians, de Groot has become known for her intricate clawhammer banjo work with Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, while Hargreaves has brought her powerhouse fiddling to the stage with Gillian Welch and Laurie Lewis. Together they create a sound that is adventurous, masterful, and original, as they expand on the eccentricities of these old songs, while never losing sight of what makes them endure.

Singing Festival favorite and Lost World String Band founder, Frank Youngman teams up with Earthworks Music founder, songwriter and environmental activist Seth Bernard for a night of these two great friends sharing music, stories and fun.

From Ann Arbor, the Chenille Sisters return to the same building where they played their first Ten Pound Fiddle performance 30 years ago.    Word was out. That night, the Copper Chimney Lounge was packed to the brim. For this show, we'll be in the much larger sanctuary. The night will begin with a shorter set by the incredibly talented, Michigan-based Royal Garden Trio.  

In Sound an Echo, Rachael Kilgour and Sara Pajunen bridge their distinct yet complementary musical histories within traditional music from their European heritages. What happens when a Finnish fiddler extraordinaire teams up with a veteran singer songwriter? Magic. These Minnesota natives match energy, speed and intonation and deliver an evening of solid sound and song.

"The Old Blind Dogs play with a compelling energy and intoxicating rhythm," says The Scotsman, “...as players and audience seem to share a wild ecstasy of emotion."

“If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might have been something close to the great Vance Gilbert.” It has been too long since Gilbert has given a Fiddle show. We welcome him back! 

'Kitty Donohoe is a true treasure - a rare songwriter with tremendous range, a beautiful voice and an ability to write haunting, melodic and literate songs.' - All Music Guide

Stella! is the Michigan-based, singer-songwriting trio of Jo Serrapere, Jen Sygit, and Julianna Wilson. From comic relief to heartbreaking ballads, they accompany their three-part harmonies with guitar, banjo, upright bass, and percussion. For this special event, each member of Stella! will also perform with their respective lesser half: John Divine, Geoff Lewis, and Andy Wilson.

It's a 10-year Reunion show! Co-produced with the East Lansing Women in the Arts Festival, the Fiddle is excited to welcome back Kate Peterson and Sarah Cleaver of Nervous but Excited for a very special evening at Edgewood United Church.

Co-produced with The Robin Theatre, in Lansing´s REO Town. 

Their infectious stage show and breadth of material pushed Full Cord through to a win of the 2022 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition in June and a nomination as the Momentum Band of the year at the upcoming International Bluegrass Music Awards. With two shows never the same, their followers in Michigan and beyond try to catch every show, never knowing what teaser or new song will be in the set list.

The Fiddle is thrilled not only to present Michigan's own Wilson brothers, but the addition of Elden Kelly makes this a 'can't miss' night for acoustic music lovers.

“Damn tall buildings is a damn fine trio, mixing bluegrass, swing, and foot-stomping old-time music you wouldn’t think possible from a band from Brooklyn.” — No Depression