North Atlantic Arts Alliance, South Hiram, Maine
7/24/25 to 7/29/25
Ossipee is a lovely little 4-day music festival in Hiram, Maine, 2 ½ hours from Boston. It used to have the name ‘Bluegrass’ in the title up until a few years ago, and there’s still a heavy bluegrass bent, along with an effort to diversify the offerings. There’s a string camp the week prior to the festival that sells out in a matter of minutes. I’ve attended the festival the last 5 years, and I have to say, aside from the lack of sleep, it’s a slice of heaven on Earth. On the big days, Friday and Saturday, music starts at 10 AM and goes until the headliner ends at 11 PM, followed by a few bands in the beer tent until 1 AM, and then there are countless campground jams you can play in or just listen to, so you see the reason for the lack of sleep. There’s the Maine Stage (get it?), a Stage Too for more local and up-and-coming acts, a Barn Stage that hosts a few dances and many music workshops, and a new River Stage set in the pristine woods right next to, you guessed it, the Ossipee River. To beat the heat, you can take the short walk to swim, and a bonus of the festival is tubing from one end of the festival to the other. With ample food trucks and vendors, you can relax and enjoy. Since kids under 17 are free, there’s a family atmosphere, and with the small size of the festival (around 7000 for the 4 days), it’s not overwhelming. Most of the time, you can get as close to the music as you’d like. The three headlining acts this year were AJ Lee & Blue Summit Thursday, Sierra Hull on Friday, and the California Honeydrops on Saturday. Sit in a lawn chair and listen or get right up to the stage and dance, it’s all there for the taking at the price of $220 for the 4 days with camping, much cheaper than many festivals. There’s a host of other one-day options, such as $80 for Saturday only.
TWISTED PINE:
Okay, on to some of the New England acts I was able to catch this time around. I’ll begin with my favorite, Boston’s Twisted Pine, a newgrass quartet of fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, and flute, which adds the guitar licks of Ethan Robbins for the festival. With excellent songwriting and some psychedelic jams, this group of talented musicians had its origins at Berklee and has been a staple at this festival for 11 years now. With 3 sets that filled each venue they played, they’re past due for a headlining slot next year! Kathleen Parks, the fiddler/main singer of the band, has a side project now, and I was able to catch her act on Stage Too. Dan Bui, also from Twisted Pine, slides over from mandolin to bass, and they’re rounded out with guitar and pedal-steel, for a more folk/country ensemble. It’s hard to say which is stronger, Kathleen’s singing or fiddle playing, but it’s a contest we all benefit from, and throw in great songwriting and voila, a set of music that takes you to another place, a quite comforting space to spend 50 minutes.
COLD CHOCOLATE:
Spinning off Twisted Pine, Ethan Robbins’ band, Cold Chocolate, a duo with Ariel Bernstein, had a great set on the Maine Stage. This Boston act (technically Plymouth and Western MA) has played the fest many times and it’s amazing how much music and rhythm two people can output. Ethan is a stellar guitar player, and he can go on a two-minute guitar solo, and it doesn’t get boring at all. Ariel mainly plays drums and sings tight harmonies, but they also slipped in a few songs playing mandolin and banjo. Originally a 4-piece bluegrass act, they now run the gamut song-wise, moving from covers such as “Everybody Plays the Fool” to a neat rendition of “Pink Moon” along with plenty of originals that move from lullabies to instrumentals to songs that could be straight out of a Wood Brothers setlist. They run the range of Americana, and you should definitely check them out, especially their live set.
THE NEW GROWN-UPS
Transitioning to another Boston act I heard for the first time (but not the last), The New Grown-Ups are an 8-piece, energetic bluegrass group with 7 singers. Using mainly just 3 mics, the fun they have playing is infectious. 7/8 of the band sang and traded off being the lead. They can all pick and solo, so it’s a bit like watching a pinball game in action in a good way, and they genuinely seem to have fun playing together. If it’s an act, they’re good actors too.
HALLEY NEAL
Another new act for me was Connecticut-born Halley Neal, who traveled the Berklee/Nashville/Boston route. I really enjoyed her set with talented fiddle and stand-up bass accompaniment, as her songwriting was authentic and accessible, and her voice gave me the feels! Combined with a high-energy stage presence, I’m a new fan.
FOREST STATION
Jumping up to Vermont, I saw two Burlington area bands that floated my festival boat. The first was Forest Station, a group of hard-core bluegrass aficionados. All talented pickers, the lead guitarist, Eli, has Maine Stage flatpicking talent. Though the vocals aren’t standout, they really craft complex arrangements that tickle the ear in the way great bluegrass does. Their second song was a good ten minutes long full of evocative solos ripe with chord changes and other musical gifts that took me in hook, line, and sinker!
THE TENDERBELLIES
The other hard-charging, hard-pickin’ Vermont act I recommend is called The Tenderbellies. Bluegrass is alive and well in Burlington! They throw some harmonica and flute into the mix to vary the jam, and I wasn’t the only one dancing in my seat for their set.
HOLLOW TURTLE
Sliding down to Rhode Island, I was impressed with the three-piece Hollow Turtle (guitar, banjo, bass). Original songwriting, smooth harmonies, and some funky solos, especially on banjo, made for a really enjoyable set. Add in a relaxed and funny stage presence, throw in some jumpin’ slap bass, and this crew does the Ocean State proud!
CLAY PIDGEONS
I have to add that along with Boston-area Clay Pigeons, who also put on a great Stage Too set, have to be top contenders for Best Late-Night Jam Hosts. I don’t know if they made it all the way to sunrise like Twisted Pine, but they went to the wee hours three nights with a late-night hootenanny that makes me wish I was younger.
Overall, I’m sure I missed many great New England Americana acts, but hey, just more incentive to return to Ossipee next year and get out of the house this year to see all the great local music out there for the picking (or for the pickin’). (A.J. Crowe)