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For the last year, Zelermyer and a group of volunteers have been organizing monthly performances in Bedford, bringing a folk-forward lineup of national and regional artists to the Reed Room of Bedford Town Hall. The auditorium space, which usually hosts town meetings and public services like early voting, creates an unexpectedly ideal venue. Curtains and carpeting make the sound quality “pristine,” Zelermyer says, while a cozy capacity of 146 people puts guests in close proximity to contemporary folk mainstays like Vance Gilbert and Christine Lavin. With the full support of the town, including securing a grant from the Mass Cultural Council for a new sound system and other equipment, New Song has thrived in Bedford Town Hall. Every show from the series’ first “season” sold out in advance. Now, amid the second season, New Song marks its one year anniversary with a Saturday performance from Deadgrass, a tribute act that reinvents Jerry Garcia’s catalog through the lens of bluegrass. “I mean, some of those guys have played the Hollywood Bowl,” Zelermyer says of Deadgrass. “But they really like the interaction and the intimacy” of a small space. Deadgrass is a prime example of the far reaches of folk music that Zelermyer has booked for the space. New Song’s organizers chose to root the series in the genre to establish a cohesive identity, but the type of “folk” fluctuates every month. Boston Pan-Latin ensemble Sol y Canto offered a glimpse at folk music from Latin America earlier this fall, while last month’s performer, Rob Flax’s Boom Chick Trio leaned more towards swing. Other performers slated for the series’ second season includeErin Ash Sullivan &Rupert Wates, Ellis Paul, Tracy Grammer & Jim Henry, Garnet Rogers, Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light, and Peter Mulvey. Zelermyer thinks of the series as a “regional” venue for residents of Middlesex County who are looking for a night out, although he says the turnout is “anything but strictly local.” Over the past year, New Song has welcomed guests from Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, as well as volunteers from cities like Cambridge and Wellesley. It’s unsurprising, then, that Zelermyer believes that the town of Bedford’s eager involvement partially stems from a desire to “put Bedford on the map.” That’s not to say that Bedford doesn’t already have a musical legacy. The title of the series is an homage to New Song Coffeehouse, which operated in the town from 1985 to 2008. Zelermyer, who fronts his eponymous band Mark Zelermyer & Friends, witnessed the venue’s impact firsthand as an occasional attendee. “New Song [Coffeehouse] really had a very strong legacy. People will still talk about it,” Zelermyer says. “That really resonated with certain people who used to go to it, so we thought, rather than abandoning that, we would sort of build on that.” One year in, New Song is already showing promising signs of growth. When the series launched last November, the capacity of the Reed Room was 120 people, although a recent reassessment expanded the capacity to just shy of 150, which Zelermyer predicts will impact future lineups. “Our expanded capacity sort of opens up another tier of performer that we probably couldn’t have afforded previously,” he says. GIG GUIDE “Survivor” fanatics won’t want to miss a local appearance from Season 46 finalist Ben Katzman, who revs his garage rock project Ben Katzman’s DeGreaser at City Winery on Friday. The capital-R Rocker is currently based in Florida, but Katzman’s cred in Boston’s music scene runs deep; he founded the local indie label BUFU Records in the early 2010s. Another act with Boston ties, Rachael & Vilray, spin a mix of jazz at Royale on Saturday with cuts from their third album “West of Broadway.” Fans will recognize singer Rachael Price’s pipes: She also fronts the Boston-born group Lake Street Dive. MGM Music Hall at Fenway corrals a sundry mix of sounds this week: Atlanta rapper Gunna (Monday), soul and R&B royalty Erykah Badu (Tuesday), and K-Pop-esque girl group KATSEYE (Wednesday). After selling out two nights at Fenway Park in 2024, Watertown folk-pop star Noah Kahan downsizes and performs at MGM on Thursday to benefit the Busyhead Project and the Red Sox Foundation. Devout Kahan fans might also want to check out Massachusetts singer Lily Fitts — who went viral for covering Kahan’s song “Stick Season,” in part because of a repost from Kahan himself — at the Sinclair on Friday. Other highlights from the week at the Sinclair include rugged Texas punk band Die Spitz (Sunday), Netflix’s first-ever “Rhythm+ Flow” winner D Smoke (Monday), and Portland, Maine rippers Weakened Friends (Thursday). Geese’s rapid ascension is on display at the Paradise Rock Club on Friday; the success of the Brooklyn band’s September album “Getting Killed” has resulted in many a bank account getting killed by ticket resale prices that are upwards of $500. Tom Morello, who performed at Boston Calling this past May, brings blunt politics and pumped fists to the venue on Monday. Two delightful bouts of the blues this week include visits from Boz Scaggs and Shemekia Copeland.Copeland, singer and daughter of blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, belts cuts from her album “Blame It On Eve” at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River on Friday. Scaggs heads to the Chevalier Theatre in Medford on Sunday with tunes from his 2018 record “Out of the Blues,” plus his standard, suave mix of jazz and rock. NOW SPINNING STL GLD, “Good Music For Bad Kids.” It turns out that Boston’s premier hip-hop group makes damn good pop, too. STL GLD’s latest album, “Good Music For Bad Kids,” is another thunderous collaboration with the city’s music scene, weaving appearances from acts like Jill McCracken, ToriTori, Zola Simone, and Oompa into its tapestry of genres. Leader and emcee Moe Pope’s ferocity meshes with every collab, but it’s the group’s newfound pop undercurrent — in songs like “Dances With Wolves” — that feels the most electrifying. Cheap Trick, “All Washed Up.” This one’s for the fans of “All Shook Up.” The title of Cheap Trick’s 21st studio album (yes, you read that right) is a nod to their 1980 record, while the project itself is a loud testament of the band’s tenacity. Even 50-plus years into their career, see-sawing single “The Riff That Won’t Quit” makes Cheap Trick’s thoughts about retirement pretty clear. BONUS TRACK As Noah Kahan helps raise money for two non-profits this week, other area musicians are rallying support for folks impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Proceeds from Friday’s World Music Caribbean Hurricane Relief Concert at Warehouse XI in Somerville will be donated to organizations like Haiti Youth Partnership and Better Jamaica. Chip in a donation to see performances from Haitian-American singer Zama, jazz-tinged reggae artist Safiya Leslie, and Malagasy Berklee alumna Niu Raza, among others.
