Passim is an institution. I think if you are reading this publication you probably already know and agree with its importance as a haven for songwriter’s and music lovers in the New England folk and roots music community beyond. The bi-annual festival has been ongoing for years and years. What started as a difficult to book weekend due to the holiday soon turned into a reason to stick around the Square to catch an insane amount of local talent over the course of a weekend for a few bucks. 

You can come and go, check out a few bands, grab a bite elsewhere (or at Passim…support the kitchen too) or a coffee or ice cream. Then head back for another favorite bands set and make some room for other folks to make their way in to soothe their ears with sweet tunes.

While it can be daunting, we have a few suggestions of our favorites to make your choices a bit easier. Or, you know, you could also just park yourself front and center and see some old favorites and discover some incredible new talent.

Friday Night: campfire is renowned for its “in the round sets” with heavy hitters swapping songs and singing along with folks on stage. This year seems to be particularly heavy with those sets and we aren’t complaining about that. Good friend and community juggernaut Hailey Magee is embedded in the first set of the Memorial Day weekend with another gent we have been digging for years now and may be a new name and face for some folks around the campfire stage, Matt Wheeler. Just two sets later a handful of excellent songwriters, Julia Mark, Caroline Cotter and Jeff Butcher are rounded out with a new to me name, Ro Colegrove. Another reason to get out and stay out: see some folks you know alongside some you are bound to love.

Saturday: Earlier in the day Lindsay Straw and Jordan Santiago are bound to leave you breathless with leaps of instrumental prowess and beautiful songs. Its the 5 PM and beyond subset that is really sure to wow as well. Starting with the Royer Family Band. Eric Royer is a Boston music treasure and teaming up with the next generation and keeping it in the family is sure to be a special set. Hawthorn follows and well you probably already know how we feel about their ethereal harmonies and gorgeously interwoven arrangements. Plus immediately following is Reverend Freakchild. The name along should intrigue you to keep that butt firmly planted in your set and stick around to see what its all about.

Sunday: A solid day all around, but one that also urges you to stick it out to the bitter end of the evening. The final in the round set with Rob Flax, Aurora Birch and Zak Trojano is sure to be a doozy. So get there early and stay there late…like all the way late.

Monday: Gentle Temper hit me like a hurricane when I was first sent their songs. Becoming one of my new absolute favorite newer groups coming out of Boston. They are a “do not miss” for the entire weekend. Occasionally when band members strike out on their own to do a solo thing it doesn’t always measure up to what they were doing before. So is not the case with Isa Burke and her recent move to tackle more solo performances is a thing of beauty. Be sure to catch her at 8:15. Then stay firmly put for the follow on in the round set with two incredible badass songwriters Taylor Holland and Rachel Sumner alongside Lloyd Thayer and Conor Hennessy and the closing set for the evening, Dietrich Strause…who inevitably will have some special guests along for the ride.

Tickets are $25 bucks for the entire weekend. Seriously, I have seen shows at Passim to see one performer for that cost. You truly cannot go wrong getting out to this weekend with an incredible selection of huge talent from start to finish.