9 musical residencies to see in 2024

The residencies that find artists taking the same stage every month, or even every week, are the heartbeat of the local music scene. It can be easy to take them for granted — after all, there’s always next time. But 2023 saw the closing of Atwood’s Tavern and the temporary shuttering of Toad, two Cambridge venues that had hosted residencies. So here’s a reminder of just some of the many great residencies that Greater Boston music fans should enjoy in 2024.

Medford barbecue spot The Porch has a rotating cast of top-tier talent from the worlds of blues, traditional country and beyond. One of their many residencies is held by Cheryl Arena, whose astonishing harmonica prowess has long made her one of Boston’s top blues talents. Arena knows a thing or two about residencies, having started her career with an early ‘90s jam at Wally’s, followed by six years hosting a weekly night at the Marketplace Cafe in Faneuil Hall, which was a gathering spot for the local blues community. She keeps the spirit of those nights alive with her monthly 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. matinee (which in March will be the third Saturday — she’ll also be at The Porch with her full band on March 9).

Many of the Sunday brunch patrons of this restaurant and sports bar near TD Garden may be totally unaware that a legend is in their midst: Conscious Band lead singer Errol Strength was one of the first people to cut a reggae record in Boston. He’s apt to dip into one of his own classics but the sets still have plenty of familiar classics by Bob Marley and Gregory Isaacs. Strength and his bandmates recently celebrated the reggae brunch’s 15th anniversary. What was once a twice-a-month affair now happens weekly, with brunch going from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Eric Martin has long been one of Boston’s most reliably engaging rockers, first with the 1970s band The Neats and in more recent years with his own Illyrians. These days he’s mostly heard in this trio with two other Boston garage and power pop vets: early Del Fuegos drummer Steve Morell, and Titanics and Upper Crust member David Fredette. With those resumes, the trio has a deep well of both originals and ultra-obscure covers. And just like with many of The Rat’s most memorable shows, it’s a matinee starting at 3 p.m.

This is surely the longest running residency in Boston: The Fringe is celebrating 51 years of glorious free improvisation, and they’ve been playing every week somewhere in Boston for almost all of that time. They can play as outside as anyone, but the melody and the swing will pop back when you least expect it. Longtime drummer Bob Gullotti died in 2020. Now, Francisco Mela provides the percussion for saxophonist George Garzone and bassist John Lockwood. And you never know what you’ll get. On some Mondays, major jazz names like Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner and Kris Davis join the band. Just don’t expect to capture it on your phone: The band plays in near total darkness. If you show up early you’ll find another Boston jazz legend, saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, who plays every Monday at 8:30 p.m.

Over a decade ago, Boston Globe scribe Steve Morse called Fred Griffeth the king of Cambridge/Somerville residencies. He hasn’t yielded the throne. In the 1960s, Griffeth was in key Boston groups Bagatelle (with Willie “Loco” Alexander) and Charles Austin and the Mandrell Singers. These days he and Gail Nickse, his partner in music and life, front a joyful band called The Natural Wonders that mixes R&B, reggae, folk and whatever else they feel like singing that delight the group’s community of longtime fans who gather every Sunday at 4 p.m. A few years back, some of Griffeth’s pals gave him a band for his birthday. That country/soul unit, Fandango, were regulars at Toad, and just started a new bi-weekly gig Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Sally O’s (which also hosts one of the best blues bands around, the White Owls, on Mondays).

Jazz pianist Yoko Miwa has an international following for her dazzling, melodic touch. She was such a favorite of the iconic Ahmad Jamal that she recently performed at his Lincoln Center memorial concert. Miwa and her trio can be found every Friday night at this Central Square Asian eatery that has an ambitious music schedule programmed by Miwa’s husband and drummer Scott Goulding. The trio takes the stage for two shows, one at 6:30 p.m. and another at 8:30 p.m.

It can be notoriously hard for a hip-hop night to find a regular home in Greater Boston. So Hero the Emcee has more than earned his moniker by hosting multiple hip-hop community events month after month in nearly every corner of New England. On the first Sunday of the month at 9 p.m., take in an expertly curated showcase of a wide range of hip-hop talent. Just a few of the scores of acts that have passed through are Battlemode, Qualitty and YK.TJ.

Wally’s is a living piece of Boston history. It’s the oldest jazz club in the region, and probably the oldest Black-owned jazz club anywhere. And it remains an incubator for new talent just like it’s been for its entire history. Since it reopened post-pandemic, Wally’s has featured an especially strong weekend house band, co-led (when they’re in town) by the expansive pianist Kevin Harris and the burning saxophonist Noah Preminger, two players whose formidable technique never stops them from making an emotional connection with their audience. While the musicians may vary as tour schedules dictate, there’s always top-flight jazz at Wally’s every Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m.

In most of the world, there are few opportunities to hear a live band playing dub, the always trippy and often instrumental reverb-drenched drum and bass-oriented side of reggae. So Greater Boston is more than lucky to have this tremendously creative and exciting dub band playing every Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. at Sally’s. Dub Apocalypse long held down Sunday nights at the late and lamented Bull McCabe’s before moving across Somerville Avenue.