NB Roots and Branches Festival

07/21/2024

When I tell you this would not have happened without these two wonderful people I need you to understand there is no hyperbole. I have no brain capacity to put together a longer post detailing the ways they made Roots&Branches happen and happen in a way that was wonderful. We just need to say this Lauren Pusey and Matt Pusey are Roots&Branches family and cornerstones to everything we did. We lack any capacity to thank them enough or at a scale that would be close to appropriate for their contributions!

07/21/2024

Did you catch The Pioneer Valley Flamethrowers at yesterday’s festival ? their set was 🔥

07/21/2024

07/20/2024

It’s almost time for our culminating event at The Vault ! Head down and grab a bite , a drink , cool off and get ready for some beautiful art fused with original music

07/20/2024

The Jethros happening at the Purchase St Stage !

07/20/2024

Pebbles of Rain happening now at the Bristol Building !

07/20/2024

07/20/2024

Come on down to our merch table in Wings Court !! Past the big white tent

07/20/2024

Many thanks to Myles Romano and Hewn for coordinating ahead of time then staying late last night and coming in early today to make all things Bristol Building happen. Give them a visit and see all the wonderful things they have in store!

https://www.facebook.com/hewn.nb?mibextid=LQQJ4d

a clothing and accessories shop for everybody, curating a mix of new and secondhand items

07/20/2024

NB R&B Kick Off Contradance! Was a total blast!!! Thank you Paul Wilde for the outstanding calling. Thank you to all the enthusiastic dancers. And thank you to Julianna Bernardi, Hank Poitras, Jeff Angeley, and Tom Poitras for being our musical anchors and thanks to the whole Old Time Fiddle Session community band!

See you Saturday to pick up where we left off celebrating!

📷 Lauren Pusey

07/19/2024

Looking for a stage tomorrow ? Keep your eyes peeled for one of these signs . They will be posted outside each venue . There will be 9 total to help you find your way around !

07/19/2024

Tomorrow's schedule of Events for your viewing ! Pick up a program at any of our information booths, located conveniently at Wings Court beyond the large stage tent and 2 on Purchase St situated between venue sites. Look for the blue pop up tents!

You can also find programs at any of our venue stage areas. There is also a digital option by scanning the below QR code!

07/19/2024

Let’s have a shoutout to our generous venues who will be hosting stages and equipment for the NB Roots & Branches Festival. If you are looking for a place to grab a bite, there are several restaurants in the Downtown to choose from not to mention local shops selling locally sourced or handmade items. Show them all the love this Saturday!

AprilEvans Beauty Lounge located at 109 William St
This vintage glam beauty shop has a full menu of services and a full line of accessories to choose from. Stop in for a haircut, manicure or just to grab a coffee and chat.

Destination Soups located at 149 Union St
In the heart of downtown New Bedford and open since 2008, this local staple has a revolving menu of homemade soups and sandwiches that will keep you coming back. Summertime gazpacho is killer!

The Pour Farm Tavern & Grille located at 780 Purchase St
New Bedford’s first and favorite craft beer tavern. Pour Farm features weekly live entertainment, a full menu and rotating taps.

Cafe Arpeggio New Bedford located at 800 Purchase St
Coffee shop serving micro roasted coffee, gourmet sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, smoothies and more!

Co-Creative Center New Bedford located at 137 Union St
A creative community hub and co working / event space for people to meet and do their work. The Co-Creative hosts several local artists as a studio, art gallery and open workspace.

The Vault located at 791 Purchase St
The vault Music Hall hosts live entertainment of all genres while the restaurant side serves up traditional pub favorites.

No Problemo located at 813 Purchase St
Mexican-style restaurant serving made-to-order burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and more. All fresh ingredients! Good tip to know they are cash only but there is an ATM onsite

07/19/2024

We cannot thank each and every one of you enough. If not for all of you, this day would not be possible. Just one day away from the greatest Block Party NB has ever seen. We cannot wait to spend the day making music and memories with all of you and showcasing what New Bedford has to offer.

Sincerely,
The NB Roots & Branches Coordinating Team

07/18/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is able to offer a large and creatively bold festival to the public free of charge thanks to the contributions of grants and sponsors. We want to thank New Bedford Light - A community-news organization for their support of our Wing's Court stage and the NB Roots and Branches moving panorama culminating event in The Vault. We also rely on them for their accurate and informative news coverage and think you should too!

https://newbedfordlight.org

07/17/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is very excited to have 3 open jams and an open market available at the Southcoast Lessons area in Co-Creative Center New Bedford. The market is hosted by our good friend Kayla Conner Arts and hosts several talented makers.

In that same space from 4-6pm this year we'll have an open Bluegrass jam with Jordan Tichmond. Trained in the Wernick jam method, Jordan has been a musician and teacher on the NYC and New England bluegrass scene for over 20 years, playing dobro, guitar, and bass. He has played with Franklin Turnpike, The Worcester County Bluegrass All-stars, and The Daring Coyotes String Band.

To quote a student of his, “Jordan brings a strong sense of welcoming, belonging, and positivity." Join him at Co-Creative for what's sure to be an everybody friendly and well run jam!

See the full jam stage schedule as well as the time slots for 9 stages of performances made possible through sponsors, grant support from Mass Cultural Council & New Bedford Creative and the support of our fiscal agent Downtown New Bedford Inc. at:
www.nbrootsandbranches.com

07/17/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is very excited to have Sam Babineau performing on the Explore New Bedford stage located in the Destination Soups and also contributing music to our moving panorama culminating event sponsored by New Bedford Light and hosted at The Vault.

Sam Babineau is a songwriter and fiddler with a sound that is simultaneously truly original and deeply rooted in tradition. That wonderful sounding paradox plays out in the juxtaposition of unique strummed fiddle backing with instrumental sections of her songs that are distinctively tunes; it is present in the personal stories of her songwriting whose presentation are informed in part by her deep and abiding love for Child ballads; it shows through in the way the subtle immediacy and the quality of personal nearness in her voice holds even when her songs explore quicker traditional dance tempos.

And that is to say nothing of the inherent and subsequently thoughtfully refined quality of her music. Sam could be singing over lesser songs with lesser arrangements and her voice would still stand out as extraordinarily rich, warm, and compelling. Her arrangements constantly provide partial chords and riffs that suggest second and even third simultaneous melody lines. And the songs themselves reflect careful choices of form and an awareness of the way small lyrical details steeped in imagery outshine lengthy descriptions or handfuls of adjectives.

See her scheduled times as well as the time slots for 9 stages of performances made possible through sponsors, grant support from Mass Cultural Council & New Bedford Creative, and the support of our fiscal agent Downtown New Bedford Inc. at:
www.nbrootsandbranches.com

07/16/2024

NB Roots & Branches is a City Sponsored event thanks to the wonderful people at Explore New Bedford, the city’s department of tourism! We’ll get all formal about it in a line or two and tell you about them, but before that a personal note. It’s been a wonderful, friendly, and warm relationship and we’re grateful for not only the collaboration and sponsorship, but also the really positive working relationship and people at Explore New Bedford. Christian and I (Jeff) call this the best city in America and people sometimes laugh like it's hyperbole… but we mean it. It is the best because this is a city of possibility, a city of yes. So many of those yes possibilities start with Explore New Bedford (and their frequent collaborators New Bedford Creative). But I digress before I begin…

Explore New Bedford invites you to come fall in love with our small coastal city in Southeastern Massachusetts. Stroll historic cobblestone streets, enjoy an outdoor festival, savor local cuisine and fresh seafood, or discover that art is everywhere waiting to be explored. Start planning your journey and uncover the endless possibilities that New Bedford has to offer! And use the QR code below to find a directory of the many wonderful local restaurants and businesses in our city. Dive into the heart of New Bedford’s allure as we guide you through a curated list of captivating things to see and do. From historic landmarks to cultural gems, embark on a journey of exploration and delight in the vibrant experiences that await you in this charming coastal haven.

Their website full of exciting sites and spots to visit is worth a visit whether you're local or coming in from out of town for the festival.

https://explorenewbedford.org/

(And if you know them tell A & A thanks for us for their part in making this festival and this city a place of possibility)!

07/16/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is very excited to have Carl Simmons performing on the Fiber Optic Center stage located in the Bristol Building and contributing art and music to our moving panorama culminating event sponsored by New Bedford Light and hosted at The Vault.

Carl Simmons is a New Bedford musician and visual artist who finds inspiration in local history, folklore, & preservation. He has been making music in New Bedford for about 25 years. Incorporating numerous collage elements—and very few guitar strings—Simmons weaves in and out of song in a spacey wash of psychedelic imagery by way of nursery rhymes and fairytales. Owing influence to writers like Lewis Carroll, and filmmakers like Herzog and Lynch, as much as any musical influence, Carl’s music can have something of a cinematic feel...
maybe. One thing that's certain though with Carl's performances, which is that expecting the unexpected is the safest bet.

His visual art work has taken journeys through stop motion, curation of found objects, reenactment, historical juxtaposition, painting, sound sculptures and more. He has been a resident artist at New Bedford Art Museum and currently has an exhibit at the Narrows in Fall River.

See his scheduled times as well as the time slots for 9 stages of performances made possible through sponsors, grant support from Mass Cultural Council & New Bedford Creative, and the support of our fiscal agent Downtown New Bedford Inc. at:
www.nbrootsandbranches.com

Photo credit to the one and only John Robson

07/16/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is very excited to have a participatory Sacred Harp/Shape Note sing hosted by Jim Bean on the New Bedford Light stage located in Wing's Court

Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that originated in New Englandand was later perpetuated and carried on in the American South. The name is derived from The Sacred Harp, a ubiquitous and historically important tunebook printed in shape notes. NB Roots&Branches shape note sing is a participatory event! Pull up a seat and join group leader Jim Bean to be part of the chorus!

See the scheduled time as well as the time slots for 9 stages of performances made possible through sponsors, grant support from Mass Cultural Council & New Bedford Creative, and the support of our fiscal agent Downtown New Bedford Inc. at:
www.nbrootsandbranches.com

07/16/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is very excited to have Pebbles of Rain on the Fiber Optic Center stage located in the Bristol Building

Pebbles of Rain delivers thoughtful orchestrated arrangements, eclectic instrumentation, multiple traditional music influences, emotionally honest songwriting, unique subject matter, poetic lyrics, true polyphony, vocals that range from sweet and subtle to intense and powerful, and a synergistic collaboration of four intrepid genre defying songwriters. It would be more convenient if it were easier to put a single genre label on it… but that doesn’t detract in any way from how easy it is to be drawn in by the sounds Jeff Angeley, Steven Brum Jr., Sam Babineau, and Christian Camarao make together. Their many individual strengths and successes are numerous and the sound of the band as a whole unit brings more than just the sum of those parts.

See their scheduled time as well as the time slots for 9 stages of performances made possible through sponsors, grant support from Mass Cultural Council & New Bedford Creative, and the support of our fiscal agent Downtown New Bedford Inc. at:
www.nbrootsandbranches.com

07/15/2024

07/14/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is very excited to have Hooly J Chan on the Southcoast Technologies, LLC stage located in the Cafe Arpeggio New Bedford for this year's festival...

Hooly J Chan is a singer/songwriter living in a tiny mobile house in Westport, MA at The Heron wildlife sanctuary and education center for the human spirit. A teacher of 10+ years, currently teaching music, puppetry, theater, social emotional learning and nature exploration to 4 - 13 year olds at two different local non - profit schools (Elements Learning Collaborative and Our Sisters’ School.) J's most recent album "A Worm's Wings" came out within a month of the Roots and Branches festival and stands as a testiment to their range and skill as a songwriter, singer, and performer. Hooly is a visual artist and organizer at Wicked Q***r Puppet Theater in addition to music work. We're excited to also have their contributing art piece and performance at the NB Roots and Branches moving panorama culminating show.

See their scheduled time as well as the time slots for 9 stages of performances made possible through sponsors, grant support from Mass Cultural Council & New Bedford Creative, and the support of our fiscal agent Downtown New Bedford Inc. at:
www.nbrootsandbranches.com

07/14/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is able to offer a large and creatively bold festival to the public free of charge thanks to the contributions of grants and sponsors. We want to thank New Bedford Local Cultural Council for their generous contribution to our programming. It is essential to our Coty of New Bedford centered festival and we're extremely grateful.

The New Bedford Local Cultural Council (NBCC) funds programs that promote excellence, access, education, and diversity in the Arts, Humanities and Interpretive Sciences to improve the quality of life for New Bedford city residents.

Find them here on Facebook or at their page in the MCC system at:

New Bedford Cultural Council (NBCC) funds programs that promote excellence, access, education, and diversity in the Arts, Humanities and Interpretive Sciences to improve the quality of life for New Bedford city residents.

07/14/2024

NB Roots & Branches is very grateful we get to work with Michelle and The Vault on July 20th for our moving panorama culminating event!

Meet 31-year-old Michelle Pimentel. She just bought The Vault Performing Arts Center and Pub in New Bedford.

07/12/2024

NB Roots & Branches 2024 is very excited to have Pioneer Valley Flamethrowers on the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra stage located at AprilEvans Beauty Lounge!

The Pioneer Valley Flamethrowers are a collective of New England acoustic musicians. Their styles range from traditional, to not-so-traditional, to completely-not-traditional bluegrass, new-acoustic genres, and acoustic blues. Led by Jordan Worldpeace, these pickers have been members of high-profile regional acts - such as The Worcester County Bluegrass Allstars, The Daring Coyotes, and Franklin Turnpike. Guitarist and singer Sam Brown is making a New Bedford homecoming as a member of the band and there's never any shortage of us excited to get a chance to hear him play... or to jam with him. Catch these guys for their stage set and pick with them a bit later at the jam they're running at the Southcoast Lessons Co-Creative stage and Kayla Conner Arts pop up too!

See their scheduled time as well as the time slots for 9 stages of performances made possible through sponsors, grant support from Mass Cultural Council & New Bedford Creative, and the support of our fiscal agent Downtown New Bedford Inc. at:
www.nbrootsandbranches.com