Viva Fall River

Joan Osborne Sings the Songs of Bob Dylan
2026-12-05 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Saturday, December 5, 2026
$60 Advance | $63 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
In 2017, Grammy-nominated artist Joan Osborne released the critically acclaimed album, Songs of Bob Dylan. Her artistic and soulful reinterpretations of the selection of Dylan songs was an eye-opening moment in an already celebrated career.
Eight years after milestone recording, Osborne released the stunning Dylanology Live on April 25th, 2025. The captivating recording finds the gifted vocalist performing in front of a live audience, with special guests Amy Helm, Robert Randolph and Jackie Greene. Songs include “Spanish Harlem Incident”, “Buckets Of Rain” “Masters Of War”, “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” and “High Water (For Charley Patton)”.
Throughout her three-decade, multi-Grammy nominated career, Joan Osborne has never been an artist confined to one space as she continues to seamlessly blend into any genre. Her incredible and distinctive voice always shines through her own songs, while she has also become one of her generation’s finest interpreters. Dylanology Live is yet another testament to her artistic range.

The Technicians
2026-12-05 13:00 - 16:00 | Canned Heat Craft Beer Co., 52 Ferry Street, Fall River, MA, 02724, United States

Chris Smither
2026-12-03 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Thursday, December 3, 2026
$49 Advance | $51 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm

Born in Miami, during World War II, Chris Smither grew up in New Orleans where he first started playing music as a child. The son of a Tulane University professor, he was taught the rudiments of instrumentation by his uncle on his mother’s ukulele. “Uncle Howard,” Smither says, “showed me that if you knew three chords, you could play a lot of the songs you heard on the radio. And if you knew four chords, you could pretty much rule the world.” With that bit of knowledge under his belt, he was hooked. “I’d loved acoustic music – specifically the blues – ever since I first heard Lightnin’ Hopkins’ Blues In My Bottle album. I couldn’t believe the sound Hopkins got. At first I thought it was two guys playing guitar. My style, to a degree, came out of trying to imitate that sound I heard.”
In his early twenties, Smither turned his back on his anthropology studies and headed to Boston at the urging of legendary folk singer Eric von Schmidt. It was the mid-’60s and acoustic music thrived in the streets and coffeehouses there. Smither forged lifelong friendships with many musicians, including Bonnie Raitt who went on to record his songs, “Love You Like A Man” and “I Feel the Same. (Their friendship has endured as their career paths intertwined over the years.) What quickly evolved from his New Orleans and Cambridge musical experiences is his enduring, singular guitar sound – a beat-driven finger-picking, strongly influenced by the playing of Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins, layered over the ever-present backbeat of his rhythmic, tapping feet (always mic’d in performance).
Smither’s first albums, I’m A Stranger, Too! (1971) and Don’t It Drag On (1972) were released on Poppy Records, home of kindred spirit Townes Van Zandt. By the time Smither recorded his third album, Honeysuckle Dog with Lowell George and Dr. John helping out, United Artists had absorbed Poppy and ultimately dropped much of their roster, including Smither. Smither made his next record in 1985, when the spare It Ain’t Easy on Adelphi Records marked his return to the studio.
By the early ’90s, Smither’s steady nationwide touring and regular release of consistently acclaimed albums cemented his reputation as one of the finest acoustic musicians in the country. His 1991 album, Another Way to Find You, was recorded live in front of an in-studio audience with no overdubs or second takes. This would be the first of two albums with Flying Fish Records. His next recording, Happier Blue, was embraced by Triple A radio and received the NAIRD (now AFIM) award as Best Folk Recording of 1993. Up On The Lowdown (1995) marked the first of a trio of albums to be recorded with producer Stephen Bruton at The Hit Shack in Austin and his first of five albums with roots label HighTone Records. Up On the Lowdown rode the crest of the newly formed Americana radio format wave and sparked considerable interest abroad. A tour of Australia with Dave Alvin and extensive solo touring in Europe led to an expanding global interest in Smither. His song, “I Am the Ride,” from this album inspired the independent film, The Ride, for which Smither also composed the original score.
In early 1997 Smither released Small Revelations. It climbed the Americana and Triple A radio charts and led to concert dates with B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Nanci Griffith, and the hugely successful, original Monsters of Folk’ tour with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Dave Alvin and Tom Russell. Small Revelations also generated several film projects for Smither. Emmylou Harris recorded his song, “Slow Surprise,” for the The Horse Whisperer soundtrack on MCA. And his recording of “Hold On” was used in the indie feature film Love From Ground Zero. Smither also shared insight into his guitar style and technique on two instructional DVDs, available from Homespun Video.
His CD, Drive You Home Again (1999), garnered four-stars from Rolling Stone. And with it, Smither continued to tour world-wide. Shortly after, in 2000, Smither released his one-man-tour-de-force, Live As I’ll Ever Be. Recorded in-concert at various clubs and concert halls in California, Dublin, Galway, Boston, and Washington DC, it has proven to be a fan favorite, capturing Smither at what he loves to do: performing in front of an audience.
Train Home (2003) was Smither’s last record for HighTone and his first with producer David Goodrich. Over a six-week period, basic tracks for Train Home were recorded in the relaxed environment of Smither’s home near Boston. Working with new session musicians, the record is simultaneously sparse and assured. Bonnie Raitt graciously provided backing vocals and slide guitar on Smither’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row.” And Smither’s “Seems So Real” from the CD earned a Folk Alliance Award as “Song of the Year.”
In 2005, jazz great Diana Krall covered “Love Me Like A Man,” introducing what is now a blues standard to a whole world of jazz fans. Shortly after, Smither’s song “Slow Surprise” was included in the independent film, Brother’s Shadow. In addition, Smither narrated a two-CD audio book recording of “Will Rogers’ Greatest Hits.” Continuing to expand his creative horizon, Smither was invited to contribute an essay to Sixty Things to Do When You Turn Sixty, a 2006 collection of essays by American luminaries on reaching that milestone. In 2009, Melville House published Amplified, a book featuring 16 short stories by notable American performing songwriters. Smither’s story Leroy Purcell about a touring musician’s encounter with a Texas State Patrolman leads off the collection.
With the release of his 12th recording Leave The Light On (2006) on his own imprint, Mighty Albert, Smither began a new label relationship with the renowned acoustic and modern folk label, Signature Sounds. For the recording, Smither reunited with producer David Goodrich and session musicians Mike Piehl, Lou Ulrich and Anita Suhanin. As an added treat, Smither invited good friend and Grammy Award-winning multi- instrumentalist, Tim O’Brien, along with rising American roots stars, Ollabelle, to add their distinctive talents on several tracks. Smither followed this with Time Stands Still (2009), his most stripped down recording in some time, working with just two accompanists after the same trio had played a rare band performance – a non-solo setup required in order to play a Netherlands festival.
About the recording Smither says, “We’re the only three guys on this record, and most of the songs only have three parts going on. We had a freewheeling feeling at that festival gig, and we managed to make a lot of that same feeling happen in this record.” In 2011 Smither put out two fan projects: a collection of live tracks from newly discovered concert recordings from the 1980s-1990s titled Lost and Found and the rollicking EP, What I Learned in School, on which Smither covered six classic rock and roll songs.
Smither followed these fan-projects with Hundred Dollar Valentine (2012), a ★★★★★ (MOJO) studio record of all Smither-penned songs. With longtime producer David “Goody” Goodrich at the helm, this collection sported Smither’s trademark acoustic guitar sound and evocative sonic textures meshed with spare, brilliant songs, delivered in a bone-wise, hard-won voice.
In 2014 Smither released Still on the Levee (2014) – a double-CD retrospective. Recorded in New Orleans at the Music Shed, this career-spanning project features fresh new takes on 24 iconic songs from his vast career and some very special guests including the legendary Allen Toussaint and Loudon Wainwright III.
The coffee table style book Chris Smither Lyrics 1966-2012 and Signature Sounds’ Link of Chain – an all-star tribute record including a stellar list of artists offering their takes on some Smither favorites including Josh Ritter, Bonnie Raitt, Loudon Wainwright III, Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Tim O’Brien, Patty Larkin, and many others were fan-favorite accompaniments to the retrospective CD .
In March 2018, Smither released his eighteenth record, Call Me Lucky (Signature Sounds/Mighty Albert) once again teaming up with producer and multi-instrumentalist David Goodrich. Also joined by Billy Conway (Morphine) and Matt Lorenz (The Suitcase Junket), Smither recorded eight new originals along with some very special and surprising covers at the Blue Rock studios in the Texas hills in June 2017.
In October 2020, More From The Levee, the followup to the 50-year career retrospective Still on the Levee, was released. Said Acoustic Guitar: Smither sings about “the big things – life, love, loss – in a penetrating and poetic yet unpretentious way.”
The 20th release, All About the Bones (release date: May 3, 2024 on Signature Sounds/Mighty Albert, distributed by Redeye) is as elemental as the inky black shadows cast by a shockingly bright moon. Featuring eight brand new Chris Smither songs and Smither renditions of Eliza Gilkyson’s “Calm Before the Storm” and also Tom Petty’s “Time to Move On”, the listener is welcomed into some gothic mansion on an imaginary New Orleans street, and there in the lamplit parlor confronts the band, a minimalist skeleton crew: Smither’s inimitable propulsive guitar and rumbling baritone are joined seamlessly to producer David Goodrich’s carpetbag of instruments, Zak Trojano’s rock-steady, primal drumming, BettySoo’s diaphanous harmony vocals, and the flat, mournful flood of Jazz legend Chris Cheek’s saxophone. Recorded at Sonelab Studios in Easthampton MA by Justin Pizzoferrato All About the Bones has a feel that is somehow baroque and austere at once.

Neal McCarthy Electric Band
2026-11-28 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Saturday, November 28, 2026
$30 Advance | $32 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
For over 30 years, Neal McCarthy has been at the forefront of the regional music scene. Neal doesn’t play the music, he channels it.

Falco and Book Play Jerry Garcia
2026-11-21 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Saturday, November 21, 2026
$43 Advance | $45 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
Andy Falco and Travis Book are both members of the Grammy award winning bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters. Inspired by their love of the music of Jerry Garcia, the duo branches off on their own for occasional tours to celebrate Garcia’s timeless songs.
“The project actually originated back stage at ‘Dusters shows where Travis and I would typically warm up with some fun Jerry songs” Falco explains. “At some point we just thought it would be fun to do it in public

They draw from Garcia’s solo material, his Grateful Dead catalogue as well as the Traditional songs Jerry loved to play.
“Performing this music as a duo allows us to explore the songs and jam in a way that’s unique to playing as a Duo” Says Book. “We typically hear these songs in larger ensembles, but the songs done with just bass and guitar somehow make the music very interactive with the audience. It’s really a testament to the quality of the songwriting, and we like to put a spotlight on that aspect of Jerry.”

Blind Draw Double Elimination Cornhole (weekly)
2026-11-18 18:00 - 21:00 | Canned Heat Craft Beer Co., 52 Ferry Street, Fall River, MA, 02724, United States
Every Wednesday sign up and join our Social Cornhole games!

Blind Draw, Double Elimination tournament! $10 on site to enter. Sign up on Scoreholio app and look up “Canned Heat Social Cornhole”

Bags start flying at 6pm!

Robbie Fulks & Heath Maloney
2026-11-13 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Friday, November 13, 2026
$39 Advance | $41 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
“It’s time to make a change,” Robbie Fulks declares at the start of Now Then, his second album on Nashville’s Compass Records. This statement is familiar to anyone who follows this critically acclaimed and GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter’s career. Since emerging in the 1990s as a pioneer of today’s Americana movement, Fulks has consistently explored different sounds, genres, and themes across 16 albums, performing on stages from the Grand Ole Opry and Late Night with Conan O’Brien to the Hollywood Bowl and Jimmy Kimmel Live with Steve Martin, Alison Brown, and Tim O’Brien.
That restless spirit lies at the heart of Now Then. Like a well-stocked jukebox in your favorite bar, the 12 songs on Now Then range from folk to power pop, jazz to old-time country. But the perspective threaded through each one comes from the realization that the time behind you spans a greater distance than what lies ahead. “It’s from an older person’s outlook, and mostly true,” Fulks says. “The tone is about 70 percent reflective, 20 percent amused, and 10 percent angry.”
Indeed, the album opener “Workin’ No More Blues” quietly resists a world that demands greater conformity by the day: “Now I’m weary of those around me/And I know for sure they’re sick of me/They say I won’t do as I’m told/They say I’ve lost the thread/I’m too old.” The aged narrator of “Savannah is a Devilish Girl” — a dance between banjo and fiddle — dreams of disappearing into rural life. Love appears in the song “The Thirty-Year Marriage” as something more potent than romance. The narrator and his wife smile at young couples who don’t yet realize what only years reveal: “We didn’t fall out of love/We fell into rhythm.”
A constant across Now Then is the novelist’s eye for lyrical detail. Peeling back these story songs often uncovers harsh truths, as in “Your Tormentors,” where the music’s late-night setting hides family secrets. In “That was Juarez, This is Alpine,” a narrator describes a cross-border journey into a troubled landscape of political division and historical injustice, with the music providing an epic sweep. And “Ocean City” tells a coming-of-age story set in summer 1974, narrated by a young boy. Adults drink and play gin rummy, and the boardwalk holds lifelong desires. “The girl downstairs/Has wavy yellow hair/That I’ll be seeing a long time in dreams,” Fulks sings.
Throughout his career, Fulks has collaborated with some of music’s most distinguished artists, including Lucinda Williams, jazz violinist Jenny Scheinman, bluegrass pioneers Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Alison Brown, and Sierra Hull, singer Kelly Willis, NRBQ’s Al Anderson, and steel guitarist Lloyd Green. Now Then expands this circle with contributions from Scheinman, drummers Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello) and Jay Bellerose (Aimee Mann, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss), bassist Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann, Jeff Parker), keyboardist Wayne Horvitz (John Zorn, Bill Frisell), guitarists Duke Levine (Bonnie Raitt, Peter Wolf) and Kevin Barry (Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash), and accordionist Pepe Carlos (La Santa Cecilia), among many others. As an ensemble, they craft intertwined musical textures that drive each song’s rhythm, highlight their personalities, and add depth.
Now Then can be seen as Fulks’ proper “L.A. record,” as it’s his first complete collection of songs written since moving to Los Angeles in 2019, featuring musicians he connected with soon after arriving. “Working with people I admired on records but had never met, who I was just starting to meet — that was at the front of my mind when I started working on the songs,” he said. “They influenced me when I was trying to put the songs on the page, and later when I was bringing them to life.”
Robbie Fulks has always been more than a conventional country singer and songwriter. After growing up in North Carolina and spending time in New York City, Fulks began his professional music career playing bluegrass in the band Special Consensus before emerging as a solo artist in Chicago during the mid-1990s. His early albums received nationwide praise for blending a modern sensibility with honky-tonk country. His creative partnership with the late Steve Albini resulted in a string of highly regarded albums, showcasing his sharp lyrical wit, sophisticated instrumentation, and inventive storytelling.
Along the way, Fulks gained recognition for his instrumental virtuosity and powerful songwriting. Artists like Sam Bush, Andrew Bird, John Cowan, the Old 97’s, and Hiss Golden Messenger have covered his songs, and he has released full albums reinterpreting the works of Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan, along with two collections of unreleased songs and rarities totaling 103 tracks. His creative ventures include an unhinged 2013 collaboration with the punk legends The Mekons, productions of albums by alt-country songwriters Brennen Leigh and Dallas Wayne, and a fiery duo with rockabilly pioneer Linda Gail Lewis. Fulks also performs with comic improvisers; he is a regular at Second City’s holiday fundraisers and has shared the stage with talents like Michael McKean, Tina Fey, Bob Odenkirk, and Fred Armisen.
Fulks resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Donna Jay Fulks.
About Heather Maloney: With over 1,000 international shows and 9 studio albums under her belt, Heather Maloney has released her most personal record to date, Exploding Star (Jan 2025).
On Heather’s 2019 album, Soil In The Sky, her “ability to channel emotion is radical” (PopMatters) and the tracks are stacked with special guests who help her deliver an immense range of sound and sentiment in 12 songs; there’s a duet with Dawes front-man Taylor Goldsmith and vocal harmonies by Lake Street Dive’s Rachael Price. The all-star band includes drummer Griffin Goldsmith (Dawes), and multiple members of the Amos Lee band. The Bluegrass Situation called her 2015 release, Making Me Break (produced by Band of Horses’ Bill Reynolds) “an intoxicating blend that captures the sonic texture of indie rock, the humanity of folk and the spirituality of a Rumi poem.” In 2014 she released “Woodstock”, her collaborative effort with Boston quartet Darlingside, which drew praise from the New York Times and Graham Nash.
Heather’s songs have played on NPR stations across the country and her live appearances have aired on syndicated programming like eTown and AudioTree. Her song “Nightstand Drawer” was featured in the season finale of the CBS TV series “Elementary”, and her songs have also been streamed hundreds of thousands of times on editorial Spotify playlists & Starbucks’ in-store nationwide playlists.
As well as a songwriter and performer, Heather is an illustrator and linocut artist who carves and prints visual representations of her songs on a variety of mediums.
Heather has toured throughout the US & Canada as a headliner and also in support of acts including Anais Mitchell, Lake Street Dive, Shakey Graves, Gary Clark Jr., Rodrigo y Gabriela, Colin Hay (Men at Work), Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams and many more.

East Nash Grass
2026-10-29 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Thursday, October 29, 2026
$30 Advance | $32 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
How did East Nash Grass follow up their 2024 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Best New Artist? By earning a nomination for Entertainer of the Year, IBMA’s highest honor, in 2025, and celebrating fiddler Maddie Denton’s win as Fiddler of the Year. In short, East Nash Grass have quickly established themselves as the fresh new face of Nashville’s storied bluegrass tradition, a supergroup of rising stars: Grand Master Fiddle champion Denton is joined by banjo player Cory Walker (banjo player on the five-time nominated “Carter & Cleveland” album this year, among numerous accolades), 2022 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year Harry Clark, and new guitar player Frank Rische. This is an all-star band that harkens back to the sort of talent collected in the original Blue Grass Boys and a powerhouse leader of the next generation in bluegrass excellence.

Rolling Stone had them among the “best of what we saw” at RockyGrass in 2025, praising their “rowdy set of high-octane bluegrass numbers,” and noting, “The group itself is a rapidly-rising force on the national touring scene.”
And “rowdy” is right. They are far more than just a group of impressive instrumental technicians, building on night after night of three-set gigs on Nashville’s East Side, playing tiny stages for the love of it between tours backing bigger acts. It’s a hard-forged bond that translates into an infectious on-stage energy that audiences can’t seem to get enough of.
With their new release, “All God’s Children” (Mountain Fever, August 22, 2025), they show a depth and feel, too, that goes well beyond the traditional bluegrass fair, with nods to Gypsy jazz and East Village folk, and eye toward moving bluegrass forward and keeping it from being too mired in the past. If East Nash Grass isn’t the future of the genre it’s only because they’re already among its leading lights.

Kids Art Workshop
2026-10-24 15:00 - 16:00 | SoCo Art Labs, 418 Quequechan St. 2nd floor, Fall River, MA, 02721
Join local artist, Susan Drayton for a free monthly children’s workshop. These workshops are free of charge due to a generous grant from the Fall River Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Each month will feature a different workshop. Please see monthly post for details, parents must be present at all times.

Beyond The Vision Board with Maria Holme
2026-10-24 12:30 - 14:30 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Narrows Yumaverse Series
Saturday, October 24, 2026
$55 workshop
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 12:00pm | Start 12:30pm

Special 2-hour workshop event limited to 20 participants held in the Yumaverse, a beautifully renovated intimate space on the second floor of the Narrows Center for the Arts.

Leave the pressure of the day behind as you step into this relaxing experience of learning new ways to manifest the life you desire. Join us as motivational speaker/coach Maria Holme teaches about realistic goal setting, the importance of daydreaming and how to accomplish both.

Maria will begin the program with lively storytelling about the role we play in our day to day choices and how to tackle obstacles that hold us back. Learn the importance of positive emotional wellbeing & how to achieve it.

Then we’ll roll up our sleeves as we create a collage style vision board that provides inspiration and motivation on a daily basis. While attendees are creating, Maria will share tips and techniques that sprinkle levity into your day.

Attendees will leave with a canvas board of their vision that serves as a daily reminder, an activation quote/mantra and inspiration to implement their steps along with lightness in their hearts.

About Maria Holme: Mixed media artist Maria Holme is the owner of Your Next Step and has been providing motivational coaching, workshops and insight to groups and clients for several years. Maria’s journey through years of anxious thoughts, that once limited her, to now facing the day with lightness and levity, serves as her beacon to provide insight and well-being practices to others.

For Smiles, Inspiration and a bit more…please check out:
Website: Your Next Step Guide
Instagram @mholme.yournextstep
Facebook: Your Next Step with Maria Holme
Contact Maria 401-499-6764 or email maria@yournextstepguide.com

Dar Williams
2026-10-22 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Thursday, October 22, 2026
$49 Advance | $51 Day of show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
“It’s a highway, filled with deep, exotic colors and beautiful delicate things as well as the perils that come from moving so fast,” says Dar Williams, describing modern life. On her 13th album, Hummingbird Highway, out September 12 on Righteous Babe Records, Williams celebrates the colors she glimpses from her vantage as a touring musician. “I was a kid from the suburbs who listened when her hippie teachers said to get out in the world,” Williams muses. Hummingbird Highway is the latest chapter in a richly unfolding story. Drawing on her experience as a playwright, Williams populates her latest album with nuanced characters that come alive in the space of a few minutes.
On the title track, Williams sings from the perspective of a child speaking to her peripatetic and sometimes struggling parent. Blooming columbines, china blue teapots, and cinnamon bark number among the “treasures” in her life, despite the “pirates” that she imagines populating her worldly parent’s life. “The pirates can be all sorts of things living inside and outside your head. The child, for better or worse, knows that there is joy, unpredictability, and instability on the home front. She’s rooting for the joy.”
Since 2013, Williams has been leading songwriting workshops where she teaches students to let songs find their own trajectories. While writing the breezy bossa nova “Tu Sais Le Printemps,” (single release 7/29/25) Williams questioned why she was writing a light, flirty song amidst many gloomy news stories. “I was having coffee with some of my fellow retreat leaders and Beth Nielsen Chapman, telling them about my ‘frilly’ song, and Beth said, ‘That’s just what I want to hear right now!’ It was a nice moment to follow my own advice and let the song find its way.”
With help from Williams’ collaborators, the other songs found their paths as well. Mainly produced by Ken Rich at Brooklyn’s Grand Street recording (with two tracks produced by Dave Chalfant in Western Massachusetts), the Hummingbird Highway sessions were a microcosm of the interdependence that provided inspiration from inception to full production. These songs are ecosystems that thrive on co-creation. Daisy Mayhem brings roots-rock energy to the bluegrassy “Put the Coins on His Eyes,” while long time touring-mate and collaborator Bryn Roberts creates both the hooks and immersive sonic landscapes of every musical genre. Simpatico “studio magic” can be heard in the happy rowdiness of the Richard Thompson cover, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight,” as well as in the contemplative “Sacred Mountain” where Williams wraps a halting melody around the narrator, a Buddhist who struggles to reconcile inward contemplation and political action. Through gray skies, snow pigeons, and petitions to stem industrial pollution, the character moves through shifting mindsets to work towards “what we see; what we breathe in time.”
Williams sees and breathes the way people connect with one another, as chronicled in what she calls her “take on urban planning,” What I Found in a Thousand Towns (Basic Books, 2017). “I traveled and watched how other people created these cool things like town-wide science fairs and hilarious celebrations of potatoes and chili, often going hand-in-hand with providing serious resources like food banks and free clinics,” she recalls. Along the way, she’s seen the devotion of strong unions (as in “Put the Coins On His Eyes”) and congressional reps alike. “Maryland, Maryland” was inspired by conversations with her friend, Rep. Jamie Raskin, about what a new state song would include. “In the end, my definition of a Maryland song was song about Jamie, who is a proud, patriotic son of the state.” As Williams continuously takes in the social landscapes of towns and cities, she has also taken them home, helping to start a thrift sale, chairing a community board, and helping to organize group sings in her New York hometown. “For someone who’s seen a lot of pavement and airports along with all the great places where I’ve played, it’s especially nice to come home,” she says.
As hummingbirds and folk singers fly, they gain perspective and not just distance. She finds that wise perch on “Olive Tree,” a single out on August 26. With production of stirring percussion and twinkling keys, she considers everything that’s led up to our current moment. Williams observes “all of these strangers and friends” talking about world events at parties and dinner gatherings and thinks back to all the iterations of those conversations from Aristotle on. In a moving verse, she conjures a time in 1913 when California Berkeley scientists planted an olive grove in the United States and imagined the generations who would meet in the olive trees’ shade for “over one thousand years.” When Williams promises “I’ll meet you here under an olive tree,” we all know that both she and we will, wherever and whenever we continue to foster olive trees and a human-scale, deeply-rooted democratic society.
Longtime listeners know that Williams and her music are always up for those kinds of conversations that glimpse the brightest colors, woven into the larger context of time. “As I’ve gotten older, I feel more comfortable holding a lot of different threads in my hand to create more complicated patterns. Time has given me a better ability to hold a bunch of colors and temperaments and see what happens, where they become interesting new stories and also where I need to stop and untangle the themes and characters. It’s daunting, and I’ve learned that, you know, daunting is fine, just keep going.”
A prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews has found inspiration in her surroundings; from driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains to the compelling and heart-breaking love story of Richard and Mildred Loving. Thoughtful, realistic and emotional, Matthews’ songs speak to the voice of our generation and remind us why music indeed soothes the soul.

The Children's Museum of Greater Fall River's 3rd Annual Bingo Night
2026-10-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Fall River Elks Lodge #118, 4500 North Main Street, Fall River, MA, 02720
Join us for an exciting evening of bingo, prizes, and fun at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River’s 3rd Annual Bingo Night! For just $30, you’ll receive 12 games of bingo and have the chance to win great prizes while supporting the museum. Enjoy snacks, a cash bar, and a lively atmosphere with friends and family. This is a 21+ event, so gather your crew and mark your calendar for October 22nd!

Eric Lindell
2026-10-17 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Saturday, October 17, 2026
$50 Advance | $52 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
New Orleans-based singer/songwriter and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Eric Lindell melds West Coast rock, swampy Gulf Coast R&B, hard country, and Memphis soul in a hybrid American roots music that, while thoroughly respectful of traditions, blazes a trail of its own.

Born in San Mateo, California, Lindell spent much of his youth in nearby Santa Rosa and Forestville. Although he worked as a baker by day, Lindell turned his focus to music in the evenings, honing his chops as a competent vocalist and guitarist by playing in bars around Sonoma County. He produced his debut album, Bring It Back, in 1996, and in 1999 he won the John Lennon Songwriting Competition with his original piece “Kelly Ann.” That same year, Lindellrelocated to New Orleans to pursue music as a career. The move was beneficial; Lindell soon hooked up with Galactic’s Stanton Moore and began playing shows around town, frequently enlisting drummers Johnny Vidocovich and Harold Brown (from War) to sit in. He issued a self-released, self-titled record in 2002, but the following year saw him move to Sparco Records, where he released both Piety Street Session and EP Volume 1. Tragic Magic followed in 2005 and sparked serious interest from Alligator Records, which signed him. They released his Change in the Weather in 2006 and Low on Cash, Rich in Love in 2008. Lindell continued his prolific output with 2009’s Gulf Coast Highway, another album of blue-eyed soul and confident guitar work before leaving the label for a few years. Lindell privately issued a couple of albums to sell at gigs — 2010’s Cazadero and 2011’s Between Motion and Rest — the two were combined in a two-disc release entitled West County Drifter on M.C. Records in 2011. That year also saw the release of Live in New Orleans, the first record from his New Orleans-based supergroup Dragon Smoke, which also featured Ivan Neville. The next year brought I Still Love You, another studio set from the guitarist. Dragon Smoke put out another live set, Live at Wanee 2015, but Lindell’s next big project was Matters of the Heart. Released in the spring of 2016, Matters of the Heart was co-produced in part by Luther Dickinson and featured guitar from Anson Funderburgh. Lindell returned to Alligator for 2018’s Revolution in Your Heart, with percussionist Willie McMains as his only accompaniment.

Paul Bielatowicz’s “Nosferatu” Live
2026-10-16 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Friday, October 16, 2026
$30 Advance | $33 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
Back at the Narrows by popular demand… and this time it’s going to be bigger, better and bloodier.
Step into the shadows this Halloween season with Nosferatu Live, a spine-tingling rock spectacle that brings the 1922 silent horror masterpiece Nosferatu back to life. Created by world-renowned guitarist and composer Paul Bielatowicz (Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy, Neal Morse), this multimedia concert fuses classic horror with jaw-dropping musicianship and heart-pounding progressive rock.
Performing an original score live on stage, Paul and his band transform the silent film into a thrilling cinematic experience unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Three giant screens surround the band with immersive visuals, a synchronized light show and surprise virtual appearances from an all-star lineup including Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses, Sons of Apollo, Asia), Arthur Brown (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown), Dave Bainbridge (Strawbs, Iona), Peter Zay (New Bedford Symphony Orchestra), and Simon Fitzpatrick (ELP Legacy, Jennifer Batten).
Part concert, part film, part Halloween ritual, Nosferatu Live is an unforgettable night where classic horror meets electrifying progressive rock.
Costumes encouraged. Screams welcome.

$2 Oyster Mondays (weekly)
2026-10-12 16:00 - 22:00 | Pier 52, 52 Ferry St, Fall River, MA, 02721
Kick off your week with the freshest oysters on the waterfront for just $2 each. Starting at 4 PM every Monday only, grab a seat by the water, pair them with an ice-cold drink, and enjoy the best deal in town.

Joshua Burnside
2026-10-10 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Saturday, October 10, 2026
$33 Advance | $36 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
Joshua Burnside is an experimental folk songwriter, singer and producer. He takes influence from alternative electronica and Irish folk, chopping and blending them with a mixture of found sounds, world music and unorthodox production methods.
Following an award-winning debut album and an acclaimed follow-up released during the height of the global pandemic, his music lives against the grain, in both style and spirit. Raised in the north of Ireland between the lush drumlins and hills of Strangford Lough, and the narrow entries and alleyways of East Belfast, Joshua’s music has defined and defied the post-conflict society of his home.

Taking in the economics of existence, family, trauma and renewal, while set against a backdrop of tense electronica and lush Irish folk and traditional songwriting, Joshua has entrenched himself within the fabric of the modern folk canon, alongside the likes of Bon Iver, Ben Howard and Sufjan Stevens.
While his award-winning first album Ephrata took in lush landscapes, technological horrors, night terrors and wistful Columbian vistas (set against a bed of Irish folk, cumbia rhythms, and electronica), his critically acclaimed second Into The Depths Of Hell, took a far darker approach. Melding swirls of clanging metallic found sounds, alt-rock, and Irish songwriting traditions were supported by UK and US national radio and international tastemakers NPR, Guitar Magazine, CLASH, The Guardian, The Times and more.
His third album, Teeth Of Time, sits comfortably and confrontationally between the alt-folk realms of Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens while retaining the indie singer-songwriter and traditional folk elements of Josh’s signature songwriting.

Maria Muldaur
2026-10-09 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Friday, October 9, 2026
$43 Advance | $46 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
A special intimate acoustic concert featuring a fun repertoire of Naughty Bawdy Blues & Swingin’ Syncopatin’ Jazz tunes from the ’20s & ’30s! Maria Muldaur is best known world-wide for her 1973 mega-hit “Midnight at the Oasis,” which received several Grammy nominations, and enshrined her forever in the hearts of Baby Boomers everywhere; but despite her considerable pop music success, her 60 year career could best be described as a long and adventurous odyssey through the various forms of American Roots Music.
During the Folk Revival of the early ’60s, she began exploring and singing early Blues, Bluegrass and Appalachian “Old Timey” Music, beginning her recording career in 1963 with the Even Dozen Jug Band, and shortly thereafter joining the very popular Jim Kweskin Jug Band, touring and recording with them throughout the ’60s.

In the 53 years since “Midnight at the Oasis” Maria has toured extensively worldwide and has recorded 44 solo albums covering all kinds of American Roots Music, including Blues, Gospel, R&B, Jug Band, Jazz and Big Band (not to mention several award-winning children’s albums). She has now settled comfortably into her favorite idiom, the Blues. Often collaborating with some of the top names in the business,( Jerry Garcia, Aaron Neville, Dr. John, Bonnie RaItt, Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Bill Wyman, etc.), Maria has recorded and produced on-average an album per year, several of which have been nominated for Grammys and other awards.
Her critically acclaimed 2001 Stony Plain Records release, Richland Woman Blues, was nominated for a Grammy, and for a Blues Foundation Award for Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year, as was the follow up to that album, Sweet Lovin’ Ol’ Soul.
Her timely 2008 album, Yes We Can!, featured her “Women’s Voices for Peace Choir,” which includes: Bonnie Raitt, Joan, Baez, Jane Fonda, Odetta, Phoebe Snow, Holly Near and others.
In 2009 Maria teamed up with John Sebastian, David Grisman, and Dan Hicks for Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy, which garnered Maria her 5th Grammy Nomination, and was also nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year by The Blues Foundation.
In 2011 Maria released Steady Love, a contemporary electric Blues album that reflects the kind of music she loves to perform live – what she calls “Bluesiana Music” - her own brand of New Orleans-flavored Blues, R&B and “Swamp Funk”. Steady Love reached #1 on the Living Blues Chart, and garnered her another nomination for Best Traditional Female Blues Artist from the Blues Foundation.
In 2012, for her 40th album, Maria produced the critically acclaimed…. “First Came Memphis Minnie”, a loving tribute to the pioneering Blues woman who inspired and influenced so many female Blues artists who followed in her footsteps, many of whom joined Maria on this special project: Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow, Ruthie Foster, Koko Taylor and Rory Block accompanied by the amazing guitar work of Del Rey, David Bromberg, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roy Rogers, and others.
In 2013, taking a brief hiatus from her yearly recording schedule, Maria focused on 3 special collaborations, performing worldwide with the 50th Anniversary Kweskin Jug Band Reunion concerts, teaming up with the Campbell Brothers, world-renowned Sacred Steel Gospel artists, for a very special presentation entitled, “Spirit & The Blues”, and touring as Special Guest Artist with Bill Wyman and The Rhythm Kings.
2014 marked 40 years since Maria’s big hit “Midnight at the Oasis” was riding at the top of the charts. To celebrate this landmark, Maria created a multi-media retrospective ”Way Past Midnight”, which chronicles her long journey to “The Oasis and Beyond”. This special presentation features all her hits and fan faves from every stage of her career, as well as fascinating, entertaining, (often humorous!) stories of her personal encounters, friendships, and collaborations with many of the greatest names in music.
In 2018, Maria released her 41st album ”DON’T YOU FEEL MY LEG ~ The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker”, which was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues category. Recorded in New Orleans with an amazing cast of A-List NOLA musicians, this album finds Maria at her finest, and is true to the spirit and soul of New Orleans and Barker’s funny, coy, and risqué material. This marked her 6th Grammy Nomination! Maria says “it’s an honor to be nominated. I’m so grateful that this music is being recognized & enjoyed again after all these years!’
In Sept. 2019, The Americana Music Association awarded Maria ”The Lifetime Achievement Americana Trailblazer Award” for her lifelong work of covering the depth and breadth of American Roots music and for being one of the pioneers who laid the groundwork for what we’ve come to call ‘Americana Music’.
In 2020, Maria collaborated with world acclaimed New Orleans band Tuba Skinny & recorded her 43rd album, ”Let’s Get Happy Together”, a collection of 20s & 30s vintage Jazz & Blues. Released in May 2021, the album received nothing but rave reviews. It received The Blue’s Foundation’s Nomination for Best Acoustic Album, and was voted Best Traditional Jazz Album in OffBeat Magazine’s Best Of The Beat Awards.
In 2021, Maria and her guitarist, Craig Caffall, wrote and co-produced her latest single “I’m Vaccinated and I’m Ready For Love” to help inspire others to get vaccinated and to celebrate her feeling of liberation and renewal after her second shot.
2026 finds Maria with her 7th Grammy nomination for her 44th album, ”One Hour Mama: the Blues of Victoria Spivey”, as well as 2 Blues Foundation nominations, for Best Traditional Blues Album & Best Female Blues Singer This year marks the 53rd Anniversary of ”Midnight At The Oasis”, and Maria and her band will be presenting her Way Past Midnight multimedia retrospective in special performances throughout the country.

Appy Hour Thursdays (1/2 off apps; weekly)
2026-10-08 16:00 - 17:00 | Pier 52, 52 Ferry St, Fall River, MA, 02721
Half-priced appetizers at the bar, 4–5 PM every Thursday!From crispy bites to shareable favorites, this is your golden hour on the waterfront.

$10 Sushi Roll Wednesdays (weekly)
2026-10-07 16:00 - 22:00 | Pier 52, 52 Ferry St, Fall River, MA, 02721
Craving sushi with a side of sunset? Every Wednesday starting at 4 PM, enjoy our delicious sushi rolls for just $10 each Wednesdays only.Fresh, flavorful, and right on the waterfront. Tag your sushi lovers!! Pier 52 Wednesdays just hit differen

$18 Margarita Flight Tuesdays (weekly)
2026-10-06 12:00 - 23:00 | Pier 52, 52 Ferry St, Fall River, MA, 02721
Why choose one margarita when you can have three?Our signature $18 Margarita Flight is back & available on Tuesdays only. Featuring refreshing flavors perfect for the waterfront and sipping all season long.

Narrows Center and Arte Institute present The Gift & Noiserv
2026-10-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Narrows Center and Arte Institute present
Saturday, October 4, 2026
$42 Advance | $44 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 5pm | Show 6pm

Formed in 1994 in Portugal, The Gift has become one of the country’s most acclaimed and internationally recognized alternative pop bands. Fronted by vocalist Sónia Tavares alongside Nuno Gonçalves, John Gonçalves, and Miguel Ribeiro, the band quickly gained attention with their dynamic live performances and independent spirit, founding their own label, La Folie Records, in 1998. Their debut album Vinyl was named Album of the Year by Diário de Notícias, while subsequent releases, including Film and AM-FM, achieved Gold certification. Over the years, The Gift has performed extensively across Europe, Asia, and North America, appearing at major events such as SXSW, MIDEM, and Expo 2000, and sharing stages with artists including The Flaming Lips. They won the 2005 MTV Europe Award for Best Portuguese Act, topped the Portuguese charts with Explode in 2011, and in 2016 began a celebrated collaboration with legendary producer Brian Eno on the single “Love Without Violins” and the band’s subsequent recordings, further cementing their reputation for ambitious, genre-defying music.

About Noiserv:
Life is built around small details. From the very first listen, it’s clear that in Noiserv‘s universe, attention is focused on the smallest moments, which come together to create deeply moving songs. His poetic and ethereal sound draws comparisons to artists such as Yann Tiersen, Radiohead, Sigur Rós, and Explosions in the Sky.

Noiserv is the solo project of Portuguese musician David Santos. His debut album, One Hundred Miles from Thoughtlessness, was released in 2008 to widespread critical acclaim. It was followed by the EP A Day in the Day of the Days and the soundtrack for José & Pilar, the documentary about Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago, which was shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

In late 2013, Noiserv released his second album, Almost Visible Orchestra, which earned the prestigious Portuguese Authors Society Award for Best Album of the Year. Between 2008 and 2013, he toured extensively, performing more than 400 concerts across Portugal’s leading venues and festivals while sharing stages with artists including Arcade Fire and Portishead. His growing international profile led to performances throughout the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Austria, and Sweden, with standout appearances at Eurosonic Festival in Groningen and Europavox in France, where Les Inrockuptibles described his performance as “a tender triumph… strong and opulent.”

In 2015, Almost Visible Orchestra received an international release through the French label Naïve, home to artists including M83 and Yann Tiersen. At the end of 2016, Noiserv released the conceptual piano album 00:00:00:00. In 2018, he was invited to compose the music for Portugal’s national television branding, and after creating several film soundtracks in 2019, he returned in 2020 with his fourth studio album, Uma Palavra Começada Por N.

On stage, David Santos has earned a reputation as a true “one-man orchestra,” seamlessly combining metallophone, melodica, bells, synthesizers, omnichord, megaphone, guitars, vocals, toys, music boxes, and a variety of other instruments through live looping. The result is an immersive, inventive performance that transforms each concert into a unique musical experience.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed live at the Narrows
2026-10-03 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Saturday, October 3, 2026
$31 Advance | $33 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
Eli “Paperboy” Reed is a survivor. He was one of the first of the new wave of singers and songwriters to embrace unabashedly soulful music and he has been tearing up stages all over the world with his heart-stopping falsetto screams for more than a decade with no plans to slow down. From humble musical beginnings growing up outside of Boston, at 18 Reed moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi and cut his teeth playing and singing in juke joints all over the Delta. From there he took the well-trod path to Chicago where he spent a year as minister of music the Southside church of Soul legend Mitty Collier.
Soon after returning to Boston, he was bit by the songwriting bug and released his first full length, “Roll with You” in 2008. Reed’s combination of powerful soulful vocals coupled with his strong pop sensibility as a songwriter made people all over the world stand up and take notice. Soon there were calls coming in from everywhere; television shows in the UK, festivals in Australia, and a jaw-dropping schedule of national and international tour dates.
Major record labels came calling, deals were signed and Reed’s star kept rising, now with the help of song placements in major movies, television shows and commercials. The albums “Come and Get it” (Capitol – 2010) and “Nights Like This” (Warner Brothers – 2014) went on to do more than $2.5 million in total licensing, while Reed and his crack band continued to wow audiences on five continents. In 2016, after some much-needed time off from the road, Reed returned to the studio to cut “My Way Home” (Yep Roc – 2016); an album that is at once back-to-basics and startlingly current.
Starting in 2013 Reed began teaching at an after-school music education based in Harlem called for Gospel for Teens during his breaks from touring. The program worked with at-risk youth from around the New York City area and Reed specifically began teaching these young men about Gospel Quartet music, its history and harmony. Out of those classes emerged a new project that Reed dubbed The Harlem Gospel Travelers. He produced, arranged and played guitar on their debut album which came out on the revered soul label Colemine records in 2019 to rave reviews. Now The Harlem Gospel Travelers are at work on their second full-length and have begun conquering festival stages as well.
Parenthood gave Reed a newfound wisdom and self-reflection. His daughter Stella was born in 2016 and son Oscar in 2019. With that in mind he returned to the south to record his 7th full-length “99 Cent Dreams” at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording studio in Memphis, TN. This time around he was joined by Soul legends The Masqueraders on background vocals. The title track was given an unexpected boost with a feature by hip-hop pioneer Big Daddy Kane! No Depression wrote: Reed never disappoints and on 99 Cent Dreams he takes his musical game to a new level, elevating us with it.”
In 2022 he fulfilled a career-long dream, making an album of his own Soulful interpretations of songs by the country legend Merle Haggard. This album brought another milestone: the opportunity to perform on the hallowed stage of The Grand Ole Opry. Now approaching two decades in his field, Reed has improbably become an elder statesman of the genre, and he’s begun seeing new artists who are taking inspiration from his unique sound. A sound that, over everything else, prizes feeling, energy, and, yes, Soul.

Jon Cleary and The Absolute Monster Gentlemen
2026-10-02 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Friday, October 2, 2026
$50 Advance | $52 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
After thirty-five years of being at the forefront of the ever-evolving musical landscape of New Orleans, Grammy Award winner Jon Cleary decided to bring that sound back home, both figuratively and literally. He assembled his Absolute Monster Gentlemen (his acclaimed all-star big band) in his home studio in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, drew up a setlist of some of his most beloved songs–and some new favorites–and rolled tape. “We set out to capture that sound in the old-fashioned way: everybody in the room, playing together,” Cleary explains.
The result is The Bywater Sessions, a musical tour-de-force that showcases the grit, funk and joy that’s packed concert halls from New Orleans to Tokyo and beyond. Co-produced by Cleary and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Taj Mahal), it’s a stunning collection of performances that affirms Cleary’s place in the New Orleans musical vanguard.
“There’s a lot to be said for the ‘lean and mean’ sound of a piano trio, stripped down to basics, simple and direct,” Cleary says. “But recently, I’ve been experimenting with different combinations; adding horns, guitar, percussion and even another keyboard player. This expanded line-up has allowed the arrangements to blossom in new directions.”
As for the musicians, it’s the best of the best. Long time Monster Gentlemen Cornell Williams and A.J. Hall anchor the band on bass and drums, respectively. They are joined by Nigel Hall (Lettuce) on Hammond organ, Pedro Segundo (Ronnie Scott’s All Stars) on percussion, Xavier Lynn (MonoNeon, Ledisi) on guitar, and an all-star horn section of Aaron Narcisse (Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra), Charlie Halloran (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Preservation Hall All Stars) and Jason Mingledorff (Galactic).
“Sophisticated, nasty, good-time, low-down funk is the folk music of New Orleans,” Cleary says. “Everyone playing on this recording is a New Orleanian by birth or by choice, having learned their craft at the feet of the masters who in turn were taught by the old lions in their day – it’s a tradition stretching back over two hundred years. The roots go deep, but each generation, growing up with street parades and second-lines, absorbs the old and introduces the new, gently coaxing the essential essence into and out of each succeeding decade.”
It’s an apt description of Cleary’s career thus far. Born in London and on a plane to New Orleans before he turned twenty years old, he grew up absorbed by the sounds and rhythms of the Crescent City. His mastery of the city’s music landed him gigs playing as a session musician in the bands of local legends Earl King, Johnny Adams, Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington, Snooks Eaglin, Ernie K-Doe, Jessie Hill–and as a guitarist for Dr. John. He later toured extensively with icons like Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal. His solo career began in earnest in 1989 and includes beloved records like their self-titled band debut and his 2015 Grammy winner, Go-Go Juice.
In fact, his first job in New Orleans was as a painter at beloved local club the Maple Leaf Bar, and it wasn’t long until he was playing piano in that very room. To this day, he and his band continue to pack that room to crowds that gather from around the world, playing their unique and ever-evolving take on New Orleans funk and R&B.
“These grooves are not museum pieces, they are alive, breathing and fresh – and that’s why joints like Tipitina’s, The Maple Leaf Bar and Chickie Wah Wah are always packed when the locals, young and old, come out to hear the Gentlemen do they thang,” Cleary proudly adds.
On The Bywater Sessions, the band that Rolling Stone’s David Fricke called “as broad, deep and rolling as the Mississippi river” is finally captured as intended–live, in the room and as funky as ever. And with that comes an invitation from Cleary himself:
“Close your eyes, imagine you’re in the room with us, me and the band, Mike Dorsey the engineer, John Porter the producer and Reed the manager. Turn it up and enjoy the experience. I hope you have as much fun listening as we did playing.”

North Mississippi Allstars
2026-10-01 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Thursday, October 1, 2026
$50 Advance | $52 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
North Mississippi Allstars started by brother Luther and Cody Dickinson in 1996 as a loose collective of musicians from their North Mississippi home inspired by their father Jim Dickinson as well as neighbors and musical elders of their community; RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Otha Turner and Fred McDowell. Luther’s first national tour was the RL Burnside Ass Pocket of Whiskey tour in 1997, selling out shows in the US and Canada. “Kenny Brown hired me to tour with RL and Cedric and showed me the ropes. That experience blew my mind. Cody and I have been on the road ever since.”
NMA began touring in 1998 and over the years the touring lineup has included, Cedric, Duwayne and Garry Burnside, Chris Chew, Berry Oakley Jr, Oteil Burbruidgem and currently Joey Williams of the Blind Boys of Alabama and Ray Ray Hollowman, guitar player for Eminem and Nee-O.
Since their debut album in 2000 and hitting the never ending road, they have shared the stage with countless legends; Phil Lesh, Mavis Staples, Robert Plant, John Hiatt, the Allman Brothers, The Black Crowes, Buddy Guy, Snoop Dogg, and Jon Spencer to name a few, while earning multiple grammy nominations for their experimental albums of they like to call Modern Mississippi Music.

Five for Fighting with String Quartet
2026-09-29 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
$55 Advance | $57 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
Opener: Lace & Lee
The only way for a story to progress is to turn the page.
John Ondrasik— the songwriter and performer known as the platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated, Five For Fighting—knows this well. In the two decades since his first major single, “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” hit the stratosphere, the artist has both evolved and come back ‘round full circle. Creativity, if nothing else, is paradoxical.

To date, Five For Fighting, has released six studio LPs, including the platinum certified America Town and The Battle for Everything; and the top-10 charting Two Lights, along with an EP and live albums. Ondrasik has penned major hits, including the chart-topping “100 Years,” “The Riddle,” “Chances,” “World,” and “Easy Tonight,” which have earned over one billion streams and place him as a top-10 Hot Adult Contemporary artist for the 2000s. The reflective “100 Years” has joined “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” as part of the American Songbook and continues to stand the test of time at weddings, birthdays, graduations, memorials, and many a home video. Five For Fighting’s music has also been featured in more than 350 films, television shows, and commercials, including the Oscar-winning The Blind Side, Hawaii Five-O, The Sopranos and the CBS drama, Code Black.
Referencing Fight For Fighting’s success in the 2000s, AllMusic called Ondrasik “one of the decade’s leading balladeers.” But perhaps his biggest achievement is performing “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” at the 2001 Concert for New York, a benefit show at Madison Square Garden that honored first responders and the fallen about a month after the tragic September 11th attacks. Ondrasik performed alongside other big-name artists like Paul McCartney, The Who, Elton John, Billy Joel, and dozens more.
Says Ondrasik, “It was a surreal experience. I was honored and blessed to pay tribute to the heroes who ran into those buildings at ground zero, and hopefully, through a song, provide a little solace to family members who’d lost loved ones.”
Now, though, what once was a dream is a reality. Buoyed by his unique falsetto voice and his prowess on the piano—a skill bestowed to him by his piano teacher mother—Ondrasik has made a solid reputation for himself in the world of songwriting and performance, selling upwards of three million albums over his career. Not only does he tour with his popular string quartet and play solo and rock band gigs, but he is also a high demand keynote speaker in which he combines themes of creativity and innovation with his business acumen. Along with his father, he has managed the family business throughout his musical career. As Ondrasik happily puts it, his company, Precision Wire Products, “makes the best shopping cart in the world!”
He’s presented at TEDx, The Salk Institute, American Cancer Society, and dozens more. Perhaps being the son of an astrophysicist dad and having a degree in mathematics from UCLA has something to do with it.
“Math was the Plan-B to get a real job when the music thing imploded,” says Ondrasik, with a chuckle.
But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t always a student at heart. As he wrote songs in his late teens and early 20s, the Los Angeles-born Ondrasik studied his favorite rock vocalists. Finding out that singers like Freddie Mercury and Steve Perry studied classical voice, he did too, even seeking out some of those icons’ former teachers. No stone unturned.
In September of 2021, Ondrasik released the powerful, “Blood on My Hands,” a protest song that takes a non-political, moral stance against the 2021 United States chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. While he’s well-versed in politics, he isn’t of a bickering mindset. For Ondrasik, it’s about the conversation. “Blood on My Hands,” the track, accompanying acoustic version, and docu-music video, “Blood on My Hands (White House Version),” has had millions of streams to date (despite little-to-no radio play). Like other protest songs of the past— “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young or “The Times They Are a-Changin’” by Bob Dylan—Ondrasik aimed to point out a problem. While it’s critical of President Biden’s administration, he says that if a Republican were President, the song would remain the same, only the names would change.
Thanks to the song, years later, Ondrasik is still working with evacuation groups that strive to help the American citizens left behind in Afghanistan by the U.S. government, as well as the Afghan people who remain there largely under the threat of terrorism. It’s a difficult, and at times a polarizing subject, but it’s one Ondrasik is not shying away from. Not because of any politics or partisan pats on the back, but simply because he knows it’s the right thing to do.
Ondrasik notes, “There has been a tradition of musicians speaking truth to power. In the current tribal culture, our freedom of expression has never been more critical.”
In 2022, Ondrasik released “Can One Man Save The World?” with a powerful companion music video, featuring the Ukrainian Orchestra filmed in Ukraine. The song, inspired by the courage of President Vladimir Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine, asks the nation, and the world, to stand up for core values of freedom and justice.
Moved to action that extended beyond songwriting, Ondrasik entered an area, outside of Kyiv, that had seen heavy combat shortly after the Russians pulled back from the capital with an American production crew.
“I was honored to perform my new Ukraine tribute song Can One Man Save the World? with the Ukrainian Orchestra in the ruins of the Antonov Airport – in front of the Ukrainians’ beloved Mriya, the world’s largest cargo plane that Russia destroyed at the outset of the war,” said Ondrasik. “In sharing this musical collaboration on such hallowed ground, I saw firsthand the fortitude and grace of the Ukrainian people, who whether playing a violin or driving a tank, will not be deterred by Putin’s atrocities and aggressions.”
Proceeds from the single and its companion video benefit the NGO Save Our Allies and further its mission of providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Throughout his multi-decade career, which began when music publisher Carla Berkowitz (now his wife of 25 years) discerned him in a dive bar, Ondrasik has been involved in multiple charity efforts. Along with supporting the troops via multiple USO tours, Ondrasik created “The CD For the Troops” project with song and comedy compilations featuring artists like Billy Joel, Melissa Ethridge, Chris Rock, and others, gifting more than one million CDs to veterans and military families. John has also been deeply involved with the ALS charity “Augie’s Quest.” and is an ambassador for his pal Gary supporting the Gary Sinise Foundation.
While he may not be as obsessive as he once was—writing upwards of dozens of songs per month, Ondrasik is more focused today. He knows who he is, as an artist and as a human being. His is a career molded by light and darkness. At one point, he’d been looked over by every publishing house and label out there. At another, he had one of the biggest songs in the world. Those extremes give a person perspective.
“I’ve been incredibly blessed,” he says. “I still pinch myself.”
As Five For Fighting, which is a professional hockey term designating a five-minute penalty for fisticuffs on the ice, Ondrasik has also developed a close relationship within the world of sports. He was a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated as well as for his beloved Los Angeles Kings. Five For Fighting was one of the first musical artists to perform on ESPN’s SportsCenter, and has played The Daytona 500, Monday Night Football, The Heritage Classic, the L.A. Kings outdoor hockey game, and more. Recently, John performed a version of 100 Years for CBS sports celebrating “100 Days to the Superbowl” and is routinely featured in Bally Sports broadcasts at the start of L.A. Kings hockey games.
“Singing from home plate at Dodger stadium,” Ondrasik says, “where, as a five-year-old boy, my dad and I would catch bleacher bombs during batting practice—that was a dream.”
Today, Ondrasik spends his time writing music, touring, working at the family business, supporting various charities, and enjoying life with his wife, two children, and dog Ender.
Through “What Kind of World Do You Want,” Ondrasik’s charity driven website – WhatKindofWorldDoYouWant.com – he has raised funds for Afghan evacuation organizations, refugees and Augie’s Quest to cure ALS. He continues to support Save Our Allies and the Ukrainian people through “Can One Man Save the World”, multiple charities fighting antisemitism globally, and looks forward to returning to Ukraine and Israel in the near future.
What motivates him musically now?
His latest three songs tell the story. He wants to promote dialogue. He’s set to speak his mind, with words, melody, and conviction.
Ondrasik doesn’t shy away from nuance. He embraces it and seeks it – just as he does the next chorus, the next verse, all the while searching for a bridge
It’s what artists and freethinkers do, after all.
It’s his gift to share.
His decided obligation, too.
About Lace & Lee:
Lace & Lee is a folk rock duo heavily influenced by the mystical wisdom of 60s and 70s storytelling, with a twist of humor and bard-like prose. Caroline Lace and Olivia Lee began their musical journey at NYU Tisch, and have since toured with Five For Fighting. Their ethereal vocals and risky harmonies carry the spirit and charm of Celtic music, often holding a mirror up to the 21st century.

Kid's Art Workshop with artist, Susan Drayton
2026-09-26 15:00 - 16:00 | SoCo Art Labs, 418 Quequechan St. 2nd floor, Fall River, MA, 02721
Join local artist, Susan Drayton for a free monthly children’s workshop. These workshops are free of charge due to a generous grant from the Fall River Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Each month will feature a different workshop.

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Ana Popovic - Fall River
2026-09-25 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Fall River’s got a can’t-miss night on the calendar: Ana Popovic live at Narrows Center For The Arts in Fall River, a local favorite for top-tier entertainment. Join fellow blues and jazz lovers for **Ana Popovic – Fall River Fall River** on Friday, September 25, 2026 at 8:00 PM.
Ana brings a fierce, soulful guitar voice, razor-sharp band chemistry, and grooves that slide from smoky blues into punchy, modern funk—built for a room that listens close and cheers loud.
Narrows Center offers an intimate, great-sightline setting right in the heart of the city, with easy access for a smooth night out at **Ana Popovic – Fall River Narrows Center For The Arts**.
Grab your seats now and come be part of the buzz—this is one you’ll talk about all week.

Ana Popovic
2026-09-25 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Friday, September 25, 2026
$50 Advance | $52 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
Los Angeles-based and critically acclaimed guitarist and singer Ana Popovic released her highly acclaimed album Dance To The Rhythm (Electric Heel Records) on September 26, 2025. Produced by Popovic and Buthel, the album showcases a groundbreaking fusion of groove, blues, funk, and soul.
Building on the success of her previous work, Dance To The Rhythm pushes boundaries, seamlessly blending infectious dance grooves (“Dance To The Rhythm” / “Sho Nuff”) with raw blues guitar and powerful lyrics. From the soulful “Soul’ution” to the funky “Hottest Ticket In Town” and the bluesy “Dwell On The Feeling”, “California Chase,” the album weaves a rich tapestry of musical styles, reflecting Popovic’s masterful versatility. The track “Sisters and Brothers” channels a Steely Dan-like arrangement, while “Hurt So Good” brings a contemporary mainstream flair. The ultimate jam comes in the form of a clever reimagining of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”

Ana says: “One of my biggest strengths on stage is my ability to make people dance. Music should take you to a place where you can let go, feel the groove, and move. You want music to grab you, to have a pocket that you can’t resist. —everything else revolves around it. Blues guitar has never really been part of dance music before, and in that way, it’s revolutionary. Guitar plays a central role in these tracks, breaking down the boundaries created by time, culture, and musical traditions. With this album, I’m pushing those boundaries.” For Ana, blues guitar is the foundation of everything in her music. Yet, she masterfully blends genres, effortlessly shifting from blues to dance, jam band, funk, pop, and even gospel—it’s all part of her evolving sound.
A true pioneer, Ana combines her blues guitar roots with bold experimentation, redefining the intersection of blues and dance music. Her live performances, whether with her six-piece or eleven-piece funk band FUNTASTAFUNK, are electrifying, blending fierce guitar work with irresistible rhythms that compel audiences to move.
A multi-award-winning artist, Popovic has earned recognition from major outlets and industry figures, including Bruce Springsteen, who called her “one helluva guitar player.” She’s been nominated for seven Blues Music Awards, and her latest album POWER hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. Ana has shared stages with legends such as B.B. King, Joe Bonamassa, Warren Haynes, Robert Plant, and Gary Clark Jr., and is an endorsee of Fender, D’Angelico, Jim Dunlop, and DR Strings.
Popovic’s commitment to her craft and fearless boundary-pushing ensures she remains one of the most dynamic forces in contemporary blues and beyond.

Shine On
2026-09-25 18:00 - 22:00 | Century House, 107 S. Main Street, Acushnet, MA, 02743, United States
Shine On 2026 is Community Nurse’s signature annual fundraising event, bringing the community together for an unforgettable evening of music, laughter, and giving back. Join us on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Century House in Acushnet for live entertainment by The Flying Ivories Dueling Pianos, delicious appetizers and dessert, a wine pull, complimentary photo booth, silent auction, and an exclusive Portland Getaway Raffle, with only 100 tickets available for a chance to win a two-night stay in Portland, Maine.
General admission is $85, and VIP tickets are $125 and include one complimentary drink ticket. This event is for guests 21 and older.
Proceeds from Shine On support Community Nurse’s mission of providing compassionate home healthcare, hospice, palliative care, and community support services to individuals and families throughout the South Coast.
Tickets go on sale Friday, August 7, 2026.

Trey Hensley
2026-09-24 20:00 - 22:00 | Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, MA
Thursday, September 24, 2026
$30 Advance | $32 Day of Show
[all-in pricing, no additional fees]
Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
GRAMMY® winner and reigning two-time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Trey Hensley has been called a “musical phenom” by NPR, “a guitar-slinging superhero” by Bluegrass Today, “Nashville’s hottest young player” by Acoustic Guitar magazine, and “the Swiss Army knife of roots music” by WMOT Radio’s Craig Havighurst. Hensley’s artistry has received high praise from the likes of Merle Haggard and Marty Stuart. An Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival invitee who has collaborated with Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Taj Mahal and Tommy Emmanuel, Hensley is known for his other-worldly guitar playing, jaw-dropping musicianship and soulful storytelling. Having recently announced his signature guitar with Taylor Guitars: The Trey Hensley Gold Label 510e, Hensley is set to release a new album, Can’t Outrun The Blues, on March 6, 2026. The title cut has spent multiple weeks at #1 on the bluegrass charts.
