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But it’s not the only time of year you can see top-notch live acoustic music in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.

On Miracle Mile, the folks at Monterey Court book acts from around the country who love the intimacy of the outdoor venue.

House of Bards on East Speedway sprinkles acoustic shows into its lineup of mixed-genre concerts.

Hotel Congress’ outdoor plaza stage has become the go-to venue for the long-running Rhythm & Roots series, run by Susan Holden, while Berger Performing Arts Center on the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Schools for the Deaf and Blind campus on West Speedway has become nearly synonymous with Celtic and folk music presented by Don Gest’s long-running In Concert.

The newest entrant to the acoustic scene, WoodSongs Coffeehouse ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in the 17th Street Market, finally opened in March after COVID-19 delays forced the non-profit entity to hit pause last fall.

All of these venues specialize in bringing in artists of all genres from folk to rock to bluegrass who play unplugged before intimate audiences.

“Everything we do we sell out because we are a very small venue,â€� said Doug Bowers, the founder of the WoodSongs ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ at 830 E. 17th St.

The venue seats no more than 50 and admission to the shows, held every other Tuesday, is free.

Holden’s and Gest’s shows aren’t quite as small, usually attracting audiences in the couple hundreds, not the thousands that you can expect from artists who play the Rialto Theatre or ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Music Hall. Guitarist Leo Kottke, a regular to In Concert, is an exception, Gest said, noting that in pre-COVID-19 times, as many as 1,200 people have loosely filled the Berger to see Kottke. At his show in February, as the county was riding the omicron COVID-19 wave, only 500 attended, Gest said.

“There are certain artists that will pull some people, but mostly, it’s not easy,� Gest admitted.

So why do it?

“I still have a passion for this music,� he said.

Gest’s love of acoustic music was actually sparked after seeing the biggest rock band in history — the Beatles.

He was 13 and was in London, where his father, an Indiana University biology professor, was on sabbatical when he and his older brother saw the legendary band in a 2,000-seat hall.

“Twelve songs in, the Beatles left the stage except for Paul McCartney and he sang ‘Yesterday’ for the second time he ever performed it and every single girl and guy shut up and listened to every note,� said Gest, a longtime Pima Community College geology teacher. “That one thing made me interested in acoustic music. ... Folk and acoustic are music forms you can actually hear and get a message from oftentimes, or just hear played well with the audience really listening.�

Holden does it to keep alive her late husband’s legacy.

Jonathan Holden launched Rhythm & Roots in 1998 and brought in hundreds of Americana and roots acts to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ who would otherwise have skipped us. Holden ran the series until his death in 2012 and his widow picked up the mantle a few months later, vowing early on to make good on the shows her husband booked for that season.

One season has turned into 10 and counting.

“So many of these guys … will never fill an arena or the Rialto or the Fox, but they are worth being heard,� she said.

The series has hosted some pretty big names in the acoustic world including Peter Rowan, Slaid Cleaves, Tom Russell, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and James McMurtry. At a show with folksinger David Wilcox in February, a guy came from North Carolina and another from Colorado just to see the show, Holden said.

“It’s not loud. You have to listen and pay attention to the songs and hear the words, and they are always so touching,� she said, recalling how Wilcox joked with the audience of 80 that February night and then made them cry when he sang his sobering lament “Eye of a Hurricane.�

“Acoustic music is just nice,� Holden said. “I’m seeing more women and more diversity. We had Ruthie Foster play a show with us — a gay Black woman doing acoustic music and doing it well.�

Here are some upcoming acoustic shows heading our way this spring.

Rhythm & Roots

Shows at Hotel Congress outdoor plaza stage, 311 E. Congress St. Tickets and details at

Alt-country husband and wife duo The Mastersons with the Whitmore Sisters, April 19.

Honky-tonk country singer Rosie Flores, April 22.

Rockabilly punk-rockers The Blasters, May 13.

Americana singer and two-time Grammy-winning songwriter Jim Lauderdale and his band, May 14.

In Concert ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Shows are at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway, on the campus of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Schools for the Deaf and Blind. For tickets and details, visit

Singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff with Nina Gerber, May 13.

Monterey Court

505 W. Miracle Mile,

Bluegrass with Nick McBlaine & Log Train, April 6

House of Bards

4915 E. Speedway;

Weekly acoustic night on Thursdays, with various artists

WoodSongs Coffeehouse ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

830 E. 17th St., reservations required by visiting or calling 520-314-1034

Shows every other Tuesday including performances by the house band Hamilton Beech. Upcoming dates: April 12, April 26 and May 17 and May 31.

Also coming soon:

Grammy winning Americana singer Keb’ Mo’, April 29, , 17 W. Congress St.

April 16, 191 E. Toole Ave.