Castle Hill’s outdoor show series is one of many hosted at similar sites maintained by the Trustees, a nonprofit that maintains more than 120 historically and ecologically significant locations throughout Massachusetts. Upcoming shows at these properties include The Concord Band at the Fruitlands Museum on Wednesday, July 9, Entrain at Castle Hill on Thursday, July 10, and Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum on Friday, July 11.
Each property’s concert series offers a unique setting for guests in search of fresh air, family-friendly entertainment, or a break from cramped club shows (perhaps all of the above). For the same reasons, the performances are just as refreshing for the artists.
Entrain, from Martha’s Vineyard, has been performing at Castle Hill for 20 years, and the summer tradition has since become “a favorite of the band and our fans,” says drummer and founder Tom Major.
“When we started [performing there], it was only a few hundred people, and now it’s exploded into a couple of thousand people,” Major says. “Entrain has always been a family-friendly band and it’s great for us to see so many kids enjoying the music.”
Similarly, this summer marks the fifth consecutive year that Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band has participated in the deCordova performance series, which takes place in the Lincoln museum’s sprawling sculpture park. Clarinetist Nat Seelen considers performing while “surrounded by world-class art” to be a privilege, as well as a unique opportunity to reach concertgoers outside of their usual fan base.
“We appreciate that people come out to these concerts because of the museum and the concert series, not just for the specific artists,” he says. “We get to share our music and culture with folks who might not have heard of klezmer music, let alone bought tickets to a klezmer concert, and show them how much fun it is.”
At both the Entrain and Ezekiel Wheel’s Klezmer Band shows, guests are encouraged to sprawl under the sunset with their chairs and blankets. Although attendees might be wise to also bring Seelen’s two must-have items for these unique experiences: bug spray and sunglasses.
“Midsummer mosquitos are utterly ruthless,” he says.
See the full list of summer shows at Trustees properties here
GIG GUIDE
Blues acts bookend the week at The Fallout Shelter in Norwood, where singer/guitarist JJ Appleton and harmonica player Jason Ricci will team up on Saturday, while the Kenny Neal Band stirs up some swampy tunes from Neal’s native Louisiana on Thursday.
On Sunday, Passim’s Summer BCM Fest — the warm weather counterpart to January’s Boston Celtic Music Festival — spotlights a sundry blend of musical styles with roots in Ireland, Scotland, and Cape Breton. The Clare Fraser Trio and Forsyth start the festivities with free, outdoor performances on Palmer Street, followed by a ticketed component inside Passim that features Matt and Shannon Heaton, the Adam Hendey Band, and Katie McNally with Neil Pearlman.
Hip-hop fans will have trouble choosing between simultaneous performances from two of the genre’s heavy hitters on Tuesday. Wiz Khalifa’s co-headlining “Good Vibes Only” tour with dancehall star Sean Paul comes to the Xfinity Center that evening, while Tyler, The Creator performs the first of two back-to-back shows at TD Garden. Tyler’s two Boston performances build upon his pop-up appearance at the Converse Lovejoy Wharf last October, where he performed a mini set of songs from his latest record, “CHROMAKOPIA.”
Australian group The Cat Empire braid elements of jazz, funk, and Latin music at The Sinclair on Tuesday, just days before they release a deluxe edition of their March record, “Bird in Paradise”; San Diego’s Wavves also coast into the Harvard Square venue on Thursday with jumpy garage rock from their new LP, “Spun.”
A variety of contemporary jazz musicians will serenade guests at the Rose Kennedy Greenway this summer, courtesy of the “Jazz in the Park” series from The North End Music & Performing Arts Center. These free shows, which return to the park every Thursday through early August, kick off with a performance from Boston vocalist and composer Farayi Malek. Head to the corner of Cross and Hanover streets on Thursday to catch the series’ 2025 debut.
NOW SPINNING
Dropkick Murphys, “For The People.” Did you expect Boston’s premiere punks to stay quiet on Independence Day? Dropkick Murphys turn the theme of their “Summer of Discontent” tour into a soundtrack for toppling pervasive lies and nepotism (among other issues) with “For The People,” their 13th album. The follow-up to 2023’s “Okemah Rising” includes guest appearances from folk-punk standouts like The Mary Wallopers and Billy Bragg, and concludes with a tribute to The Pogues’s late frontman, Shane MacGowan.
Kesha, “.” Kesha’s sixth record — which is simply titled the symbol for a period, a real copy-editing nightmare — is a lawless party-starter. Kesha’s first album under her own record label finds the singer using her freedom to craft bizarro pop that’s a dead ringer for her earliest releases — such as the polka-speckled “JOYRIDE” — and singles that have been calibrated to meet modern listeners’ hunger for country (“YIPPEE-KI-YAY”) and sleek dance gems (“BOY CRAZY”).
Gulp, “Hope Shines Through The Haar.” Here’s some low-key psychedelia to play during Boston’s next weekend bout of rain. “Hope Shines Through The Haar” is the latest song from UK-based group Gulp, who are currently preparing their first record in seven years. The lead single from their August LP, “Beneath Strawberry Moons,” is a sleepy (but never stagnant) waltz that evokes the song’s titular “haar” — the Scottish word for sea mist.
BONUS TRACK
“Which Side: A Protest Music Teach Out,” a new performance and discussion series centered around protest music, launches on Wednesday at the Lizard Lounge. The first edition of the event will feature a short panel discussion, original music, and covers from Boston music veterans like Joe Gittleman and Jen Trynin, and commentary from journalist (and frequent Globe contributor) James Sullivan, whose book “Which Side Are You On? 20th Century American History in 100 Protest Songs” serves as a springboard for the series.
Victoria Wasylak can be reached at vmwasylak@gmail.com. Follow her on Bluesky @VickiWasylak.bsky.social.
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