Braintree Bluegrass Brunch

Join us at the Braintree Hill Meetinghouse (2756 Braintree Hill Rd, Braintree, VT 05060) on the last Sunday of June, July, and August for live music, bike rides, food, and family fun!
2026 Music Lineup:
June 28 – Hot Pickin’ Party / Kathleen Parks Band
July 26 – Ben Kogan Band / Red Skies
August 30 – Ida Mae Specker & Friends (feat. square dances called by Sarah Gibson)
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June 28 – Hot Pickin’ Party / Kathleen Parks Band
Hot Pickin’ Party is a bluegrass trio featuring guitarist Doug Perkins, bassist Mike Santosusso, and dobro player Adam Frehm. The group includes the core members of the acclaimed newgrass jam band Smokin’ Grass, known for two critically acclaimed full-length albums and national touring across more than 30 states. Their music blends bluegrass and Americana with heartfelt harmonies, dynamic interplay, original songs, traditional tunes, covers, and exploratory jams.
Kathleen Parks is a fiddler, singer, and songwriter whose music blends Pop, Folk, Jazz, Celtic, and American roots influences with virtuosic fiddle playing and an improvisational spirit. A member of Twisted Pine, Kathleen released her debut solo Americana album, Rolling Down the Line, in 2024 and has shared the stage with artists including Paula Cole and Jerry Douglas.
Dan Bui is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based mandolinist and Berklee College of Music graduate who studied with acclaimed acoustic musicians including Darol Anger and Joe Walsh.
Alex Formento is a Boston-based guitarist, vocalist, and pedal steel player whose style blends rock, jazz, and bluegrass influences. A member of Pretty Saro, he has performed at Ossipee Valley Music Festival, Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival, and Club Passim.
July 26 – Ben Kogan Band / Red Skies
The Ben Kogan Band blends “Jammy Roots Rock” with heartfelt songwriting, rich harmonies, and high-energy performances inspired by Vermont’s storytelling tradition. Led by Ben Kogan, the group has been performing original music across Vermont since 2015. A graduate of the University of Miami in Jazz Bass, Ben has performed with artists connected to Rubblebucket, Lake Street Dive, and David Wax Museum, and studied bluegrass guitar with Michael Daves. This special trio performance features Ben Kogan on vocals, upright bass, and guitar, alongside Marc Edwards on guitar and vocals, and Jen Friese on fiddle and vocals.
Red Skies brings together four acclaimed New England bluegrass musicians: Joe K. Walsh, BB Bowness, Alex Rubin, and Steve Roy. Collectively, the group has toured and recorded with artists including Molly Tuttle, Tony Trischka, Darol Anger, and Laurie Lewis. Joe K. Walsh is an associate professor at Berklee College of Music and a founding member of Mr. Sun, while BB Bowness is a recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize and co-founder of the IBMA award-winning band Mile Twelve.