One of pianist, accompanist, impresario Joe Holt's major talents is how he shifts the spotlight onto the many different musical guests he typically invites to share his First Friday stage shows at The Mainstay. And for those paying close attention, it's easy to recognize that Joe is having more fun than anybody during that process. It's no wonder that this neo-Dave Mckenna jazz guy has said on occasion that "The piano is my playground."

Join us for our May "First Friday" program featuring a night of solo Joe Holt that highlights this man's broad musical tastes and touches. This Joe Holt "Unsupervised" program will include piano jazz, ragtime, tin pan alley tunes, classic pop songs and his signature improvisational lightheartedness. Let's celebrate Joe Holt by giving him his own spotlight.

The folk-rock duo of Aztec Two-Step left their indelible mark on the music of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s and filled concert stadiums. They took their name from a poem by beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and were critically acclaimed worldwide in major newspapers, reviewed in Rolling Stone magazine, and were featured guests on national TV and radio programs. Original member Rex Fowler, with his new band (Aztec Two-Step 2.0) has remained committed to the fans of their music with the blessing of his retired former partner Neil Shuman. Come enjoy the original sounds that placed them on stage alongside The Band, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Donovan, Judy Collins, Jackson Browne, Seals and Crofts, Carly Simon, Heart, Orleans, and The Beach Boys.

We're excited to welcome back the excellent blues harp sounds of Mikey Junior and his very fine band. Mikey and the guys played for a full house last summer under the stars in our backyard performance space and had the crowd pumped. They hit all the blues bases about heartache and hard-asses. You know the stories – your best friend stole your partner; you used the rent money to buy a bottle of Southern Comfort; you got a hip full of buckshot as you escaped through the shooter’s wife’s bedroom window onto the fire escape. And yet the magic of the blues, in the right hands, somehow transforms these chronicles into a groove in which you can smoothly sail through such difficult waters, and maybe shake your booty along the way. Mikey Junior will show us the way. His stage manner, muscular vocals, and absolute command of both the diatonic and chromatic harmonicas are exactly what Blues music needs today — a front man who is talented, engaging -- and young. In doing so he convinces new generations of music lovers to love something old-school.

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Join us for the return of Josh Christina and his 6-piece band when Josh Christina and the Revivals present “The Ultimate Piano Rock Show”. A high energy tribute to the musical journey of piano rock and roll, covering everything from Jerry Lee Lewis to Elton John, Ray Charles to Billy Joel and more.

Christina, the last of a dying breed, is carrying the torch passed down by the genre’s founding fathers -- pioneers such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley. Christina pays homage to the ones who made him the artist he is today. And his catalog has no shortage of up-tempo, rhythm and blues tracks.

Famed pianist and band leader Daryl Davis, whose credits include Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and BB King proclaimed, “in 20th century 1955, it took several young men to create and define Rock ‘n’ Roll. 65 years later and it only takes one young man who embodies all the pioneers to introduce it to the 21st century– that man is Josh Christina.”

The sassy pop, rock, and soul duo SIRSY have been called “the little band with the big sound” by the Boston Globe. The South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Blog says “SIRSY is not simply a two piece, the sound they make is a head scratching WOW!” 

SIRSY’s charismatic vocalist/ drummer Melanie Krahmer (who plays the drum kit standing up) has “one of the most powerful and flexible voices you’ll ever hear.” (Times Union).  Guitarist, and Mel’s husband, Rich Libutti plays a road-worn Rickenbacker guitar. Somehow these two multi-instrumentalists manage to sound like a full band. Their energetic show can vary from acoustic to electric, and might even include planned comic bits.

SIRSY is a working band in the traditional sense, performing more than 250 touring shows per year.  They've opened for Maroon 5, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Third Eye Blind, Collective Soul, Blues Traveler, Cheap Trick, and many more.

On stage they radiate pure joy

Take the format of a traditional chamber ensemble (combining sounds from each of the four instrument groups -- brass, woodwinds, percussion, and strings). Add a fifth (the human voice). Then take a left turn towards Brubeck, the blues, and other surprise visits along the way. That’s the platform for the Five Families Ensemble led by NY jazz pianist, sax player Monk Rowe. This is a feel-good band!

The Mainstay is thrilled to welcome back John Jorgenson for his third appearance over the years. Jorgenson is often cited as one of the greatest guitarists on the world stage today. He has achieved international acclaim for each of the different musical styles he has performed; country rock, gypsy jazz, and his other passion – bluegrass. This Mainstay appearance features the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band (a.k.a. J2B2).

Jorgenson first came to national attention in the mid ‘80s as co-founder of the successful country-rock act The Desert Rose Band (with Chris Hillman, an original member of The Byrds). While with the Desert Rose Band, he won the Academy of Country Music’s “Guitarist of the Year” award three consecutive years. In the 1990s, John formed The Hellcasters along with Jerry Donahue, former member of Fairport Convention. In 1994 Elton John invited Jorgenson to join his band for an 18-month tour that lasted six years. Jorgenson has also recorded or toured with Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr., Roy Orbison, Patty Loveless, Michael Nesmith, John Prine, Sting, Billy Joel, and Bonnie Raitt.

Joining Jorgenson at The Mainstay will be Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals, Mark Fain on bass, and Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals.

As one music critic stated, “Expect fireworks and amazing playing from some of the best string players in the world.”