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Bluegrass Tuesdays

UPDATE as of July 11th, 2025:

We had a great time jamming at one of Lily P's sister restaurants, The Smoot Standard in Central Square in Cambridge. And thanks to Chris Parsons (chef/owner of Lily R.I.P's), we are expanding our Bluegrass Tuesdays jams to include both The Smoot Standard and the patio at Naco Taco two doors down. Naco Taco is owned by the same folks as Smoots and is another sister restaurant of Lily P's.

The very generous folks at Naco Taco are setting aside part of their patio for us to jam every Tuesday night. That is in addition to the multiple jam locations also available to us at Smoots. That means that when the weather is nice, we'll be able to jam at both restaurants, and when it's raining, we can all pile inside Smoots like we've already done.

Food and drinks will be available at both locations, but I cannot stress this highly enough: DO NOT carry alcohol between the two restaurants. You can purchase alcoholic drinks at either location, but you must finish your drinks there - you CANNOT carry them down the sidewalk between the restaurants. I'm asking everyone to please remind each other of this very important rule - thanks!

The Smoot Standard is located at 313 Mass. Ave. in Cambridge, MA 02139, while Naco Taco is at 297 Mass. Ave. Smoot's kitchen will be open until 9 pm, and drinks will again be available late from JamBassador Jack. One of the closest parking lots is named Lot 6 and it's located on Bishop Allen Drive between Douglass St. and Columbia St.

As a reminder, we are still looking for the next home for Bluegrass Tuesdays, and we need your help! Please see below for a complete description of the kinds of places we're looking for. Suggestions have been coming in, but we still need more!

Bluegrass Tuesdays regularly scheduled jams will still be meeting on the same schedule:

6:45 pm – Beg-to-Int Bluegrass Jam (email tonywatt@gmail.com to join)
8:00 pm – Kelley's Intermediate Bluegrass Jam
8:15 pm – Ed's Slow-to-Medium Instrumental Jam
8:30 pm – Wayne's Intermediate-to-Advanced Bluegrass Jam

Both listeners and jammers are invited to the jams at The Smoot Standard and Naco Taco, and I hope you can join us there sometime soon!

UPDATE as of June 6th, 2025:

After nearly three unforgettable years, Bluegrass Tuesdays have grown beyond anything I could’ve imagined – thanks in large part to our incredible home at Lily P’s. Sadly, Lily P’s will be going on hiatus in the middle of next week, so please join us this Tuesday, June 10th, for our final night in this amazing space!

We’ll celebrate chef/owner Chris Parsons for his incredible generosity, the wonderful staff, and everything we’ve built together as a community. The originally scheduled bands have kindly stepped aside so we can have an Open Stage all night. Whether you bring a song, a story, or just yourself, I hope you'll join us in honoring this beautiful chapter.

While this goodbye will be heartbreaking for so many people (and I’m right there with you), I’m feeling deeply optimistic. The Bluegrass Tuesdays community is stronger than ever in its 30+ year history, and Lily P’s played a huge part in that. As we turn the page, I’m asking for your help with two things:

(1) Keep the music going – starting Tuesday, June 17th!

Please see the July 11th update above.

(2) Please help us find our next home for Bluegrass Tuesdays!

Lily P’s will be a tough act to follow, so I’m asking everyone to help join in the search. Please keep an open mind – it doesn't have to be a bar or restaurant, nor does it have to be in Cambridge or even within 128. It could be a church or community center, or maybe a school or hotel (with or without a bar/restaurant). Our top two criteria are:

1. We’re looking for at least five separate indoor jamming areas available year-round (this is our absolute top priority, and more would be even better)

2. And it must have some amount of parking nearby (so not in Harvard Square, the Theater District, Newbury Street, etc.)

If we can meet those two criteria, the next two most important are:

3. Ideally, we’d love to present a show each week (but it's not as important as our top two criteria)

4. It would be great if it were available every Tuesday night (but it's not a deal breaker)

And our final two most important criteria are:

5. Having food and/or drinks available would be a bonus

6. Subway access would also be a plus

If you can think of a potential venue, please let me know! No need to reach out to them yourself – in fact, it’s probably better if I do. But the more ideas we gather, the better our chances.

One more thing: I could really use some last-minute help next week. I'm looking for a place to store the stage, and somebody with a vehicle big enough to transport it. Even if you can only do one or the other, please let me know!

Finally, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been involved with Lily P's in so many different ways: jammers and jam hosts, performers, audience members, Chris and his family and staff, various kinds of helpers, and on and on. As amazing a space for Bluegrass Tuesdays as Lily P's has been, it was brought to life by all of you. Thank you all so much for helping create such an amazing community!

With deep gratitude,

Tony Watt

IBMA Momentum Mentor of the Year | Linktr.ee/TonyWatt
Associate Professor | Berklee.edu/Faculty/Tony-Watt
Accurate Lyrics, Chords & More | PickersGuide.com
NE Flatpicking Camp | TonyWattBluegrass.com/Camp
BG2s & Old-Time Almost Fridays | BluegrassTuesdays.com
JamVember, Boston's Non-Festival | JamVember.com
BBU Education Co-Director & Vice President | BBU.org


About Bluegrass Tuesdays

Bluegrass Tuesdays began in Central Square in Cambridge in September of 1993 and has since grown to host regional and national artists on stage and serve as a weekly gathering place for the local bluegrass community. For 27 years, Tuesday Night Bluegrass at The Cantab Lounge was hosted by Geoff Bartley, about whom reviewer Nate Dow wrote, “If Massachusetts were ever to appoint a Folk Laureate, the honor would have to go to the one and only Geoff Bartley." Geoff welcomed nationally-known artists to the stage such as Dale Ann Bradley, Tony Trischka, Darol Anger, David Grier, Missy Raines, Jim Hurst, Chris Jones, Molly Tuttle, the late James King, and later The Kevin Prater Band. Bluegrass Tuesdays have also been a place where many bluegrass musicians have met and “cut their teeth”, including members of The Infamous Stringdusters, Crooked Still, Della Mae, The Gibson Brothers, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Twisted Pine, The Lonely Heartstrings Band, Mile Twelve, Joy Kills Sorrow, and many more.

Bluegrass Tuesdays are now hosted by Tony Watt and from October 2022 until June 2025 were held at chef Chris Parsons' restaurant Lily P's Fried Chicken & Oysters in Kendall Square in Cambridge. While at Lily P's, Bluegrass Tuesdays welcomed additional nationally-known artists including Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, Special Consensus, East Nash Grass, Missy Raines & Allegheny, Mark Shatz & Bryan McDowell, Rick Faris, Joe K. Walsh, Compton & Newberry, Sami Braman's SamiBand, The Foreign Landers, The Tray Wellington Band, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, and more.


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