49 stories by "Noah Schaffer"
Most of the can't-miss acts on this year's Lowell Folk Fest roster are artists who make preserving musical traditions a family business.
"Every year is a new adventure, but the goal has always been to have this as an annual event."
Bishop Harold Branch's decades of supporting the gospel scene have not been ignored..
While Freda Payne still sings "Band of Gold" on soul package revues, she has recently rekindled the jazz side of her career.
The Outside the Box Festival going to need much more substance to justify its new 3-figure price tag.
"Nah Nah Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" lead singer Gary DeCarlo finally lands the spotlight.
An October 2016 opening that could fill some of the gaps created by the shuttering of Johnny D's next month.
The magazine's Roots and World Music critic looks back at a year of live performances: here are the winners and a few losers.
Rod Argent of the Zombies on the second incarnation of psychedelia.
This year's fiasco at Rototom Sunsplash proved that political energies can drive great art but have no place when it comes to programming and curation.
Boston Caribbean Carnival, an explosion of color and sound, shouldn't be missed.
A country maverick talks about becoming a bluegrass traditionalist.
Better Late Than Never: Fuse Music Critic Noah Schaffer's favorite live music moments from the past year.
A beloved figure to both the local gospel community and deep southern soul collectors, Bishop Lee Mitchell has passed following a long illness.
Legendary gospel performer Spencer Taylor Jr. and the Highway QC's will be part of the biggest traditional gospel program of the year in Boston.
Sugar Bear and his legendary go-go band are coming to the Lowell Folk Festival.
Once again the Festival Puertorriqueño de Massachusetts will be a downtown affair.
Mavericks drummer Paul Deakin on his band's resurrection and 25th anniversary
A former Medford resident, singer Shirley Stewart will be returning for a career retrospective, part of the Caribbean Connection Mother's Day Affair tomorrow in Boston.
Scott Bomar's multi-generational band The Bo-Keys has almost single-handedly kept the soul traditional of the Stax and Hi labels alive.
"We pushed the pause button a while ago.....now we have pushed the play button. The big difference is that we have 220 years of combined professional experience between us this time out."
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Tarrus Riley and his Dean Fraser-led Black Soil Band are touring, and the group is coming to Revere's Wonderland Ballroom tomorrow.
"Yeah, Mavis Staples is everything you see onstage and more. She gives and gives and gives."
Fuse Music Critic Noah Schaffer's favorite live music moments from the past year.
