L. Shankar brings a lifetime of Carnatic mastery and boundary-crossing collaboration to the Freight. Trained in voice, violin and mridangam from childhood, he became a major figure in Indian classical music before helping form Shakti with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain and T. H. “Vikku” Vinayakram—an ensemble that reshaped the possibilities of global fusion. In performance, […]

Jon McLaughlin brings his piano-driven songwriting to the Freight on the Scenarios Tour. Since his 2007 debut, the Indiana-born, Nashville-based artist has paired hook-rich melodies with an expressive voice and a style that makes the piano feel both intimate and cinematic. The program features songs from Scenarios, a 2025 album that opens a new chapter […]

Sister Sadie brings fearless musicianship and close vocal harmony to a contemporary bluegrass sound grounded in tradition. What began as a one-night jam at Nashville’s Station Inn became a full-time ensemble whose onstage chemistry, precision and energy quickly established the group as a leading voice in the genre. The band’s music pairs driving instrumental work […]

Guitarist and singer Christine Tassan leads Les Imposteures through the buoyant swing, quicksilver lines and rhythmic lift of gypsy jazz. For more than two decades, the ensemble has built an international following by pairing strong instrumental conversation with French-language song and an infectious stage presence. Tassan is one of the rare women recognized as both […]

Altan celebrates 40 years at the forefront of traditional Irish music with a concert rooted in the songs and fiddle style of Donegal. From its beginnings in the duets of Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy, the band has carried regional music to the world stage while preserving its melodic character and emotional directness. The […]

Bedouine, the project of singer-songwriter Azniv Korkejian, brings the vivid family memories of Neon Summer Skin into a fuller, more playful musical world. Inspired by a final visit to her parents in Saudi Arabia, the album mourns the end of childhood through gentle folk-pop expanded with piano, brass, flute, strings, organ and touches of psychedelia, […]

Tommy Castro and the Painkillers bring a high-voltage mix of electric blues, gritty rock, horn-driven R&B and hard-swinging soul. The San Jose-born guitarist and vocalist has spent more than four decades turning those influences into an uplifting live sound powered by searing guitar, commanding vocals and a band built for the road. The concert draws […]

Los Vega brings two decades of dedication to son jarocho, the vibrant music and dance tradition of Veracruz. The family-rooted ensemble balances cultural inheritance with seasoned stagecraft, centering the interlocking strings, percussion, singing and rhythmic propulsion that give the form its communal energy. Their performance treats son jarocho as a living practice—music carried through gatherings, […]

John Gorka brings a soulful baritone and finely observed songwriting to an evening of contemporary folk. Emerging from the community around Pennsylvania’s Godfrey Daniels and New York’s Fast Folk circle, he developed songs known for emotional depth, precise detail and an ability to make private experience feel widely shared. Across a career spanning decades, Gorka […]

Ukrainian singer and bandura player Maryna Krut brings the sound and story of her homeland to the Freight. The bandura—a many-stringed instrument with qualities of both lute and zither—anchors her music, carrying traditional melodies into arrangements shaped by jazz and her powerful, expressive voice. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Krut’s role has expanded from performer […]

CelloGayageum brings the Western cello into conversation with the gayageum, Korea’s traditional plucked zither. Founded by Austrian cellist Sol Daniel Kim and Korean gayageum virtuoso Dayoung Yoon, the duo creates original music that joins the cello’s depth and sustain with the gayageum’s bright, resonant attack. Rooted in Korean folk melody and Western classical practice, their […]

Wake the Dead returns for its annual Day of the Dead Bash with a collision of Celtic tradition and the music of the Summer of Love. The Bay Area ensemble threads Irish jigs and reels through songs by the Grateful Dead, then widens the circle to include Jefferson Airplane, the Youngbloods, Buffalo Springfield and the […]

Dirk and Amelia Powell bring the intertwined musical histories of Louisiana and Appalachia to the stage as a father-daughter duo. Amelia grew up inside the Cajun tradition of her grandfather, fiddler and cultural ambassador Dewey Balfa, while learning old-time Appalachian music with Dirk, whose own banjo, fiddle and guitar playing traces back to family roots […]

Solas celebrates 30 years of transforming Irish-American music with a milestone concert of driving tunes, soaring melody and emotionally charged song. Formed in New York in 1995, the band helped redefine the Celtic sound by weaving traditional Irish music with folk, bluegrass, Americana and contemporary songwriting. Founding members return alongside longtime collaborators for a performance […]

Jeffrey Foucault brings stark, finely wrought songs and a weathered American voice to the Freight. Over two decades of touring, he has developed a spare blend of folk, blues and rock in which every lyric and guitar line carries emotional weight, leaving open space around stories of work, place, love and loss. The performance draws […]

Tuba Skinny brings the streets of New Orleans to the Freight through traditional jazz, country blues, jug-band music, spirituals, ragtime and early R&B. The ensemble approaches the broad genealogy of American roots music with deep historical knowledge and an exuberance that makes songs from the 1920s and ’30s feel fully present. After years interpreting overlooked […]

Chris Smither distills more than 50 years of folk and blues into a sound unmistakably his own: intricate acoustic guitar, a gravel-worn voice and songs informed by American roots music, poetry and philosophical reflection. His writing finds depth in mortality, desire and the long road between, while his performances remain direct and rhythmically alive. Peter […]

The California Bluegrass Reunion celebrates the state’s rich bluegrass tradition through musicians whose playing has helped shape it. Banjo, guitar, fiddle, dobro, bass and close vocal harmony come together in a program that highlights original compositions while paying tribute to California songwriters and tunesmiths. The artists have performed in many combinations over decades, giving the […]

Las Migas brings a contemporary, all-women vision of flamenco shaped by more than 20 years of touring and musical exchange. The Spanish ensemble honors the form’s emotional directness and rhythmic fire while opening its sound to modern arrangements, strong visual identity and influences gathered across performances in more than 50 countries. The program draws from […]

Lucy Kaplansky brings one of contemporary folk music’s most expressive voices to songs shaped by New York’s vibrant singer-songwriter community. Known first as a gifted harmony singer and collaborator, she built a solo career around emotionally precise storytelling that moves through folk, country, pop and roots music with warmth and clarity. Her recent collection The […]

Tito Puente Jr. carries the high-voltage joy of his father’s music into a celebration of mambo, salsa and Latin jazz. Rather than preserving that legacy at a distance, he renews it onstage through driving percussion, dance-floor energy and a repertoire that joins beloved Puente classics with music of his own. Puerto Rican flutist Nestor Torres […]

Percussionist, singer and bandleader Edgardo Cambón celebrates 40 years of music-making in the Bay Area with a grateful, rhythm-filled homecoming. Since arriving from Uruguay in 1986, he has become a vital presence in local salsa and Latin jazz, bringing together Afro-Cuban percussion, expressive vocals and the welcoming energy of a seasoned dance-band leader. The concert […]

Choir! Choir! Choir! turns the audience into the show for Un-Silent Night, a fully interactive holiday sing-along. Directors Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman teach the parts, the room supplies the voices and familiar seasonal songs grow into the sound of hundreds of people singing together. The program mixes holiday classics with pop favorites in a […]