Where to Hear Bluegrass in New York City

Bluegrass musicians perform during weekly jam session at crowded bat lit with red lights — Vinny Kyne, Brett Ladin, Matt Quinones, Christina Poletto and Urs-Rainer von Arx perform during a weekly Bluegrass jam session at Sunny’s Bar in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn.

“I was standing by my window on a cold and cloudy day,” begins a singer onstage in the backroom of Sunny’s Bar, a century-old drinking den in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Soon, 20 other musicians gather around him and, with the audience, sing the chorus of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

Scenes like this unfold most Saturday nights at Sunny’s, where bar owner Tone Johansen has led a bluegrass jam for more than two decades. Musicians—from amateurs to seasoned pros—bring guitars, fiddles, banjos, and mandolins to play Hank Williams and Carter Family standards, Woody Guthrie anthems, and Johnny Cash hits. Such performances have become central to the experience of visiting Sunny’s, but it’s not limited to this bar. In fact, Brooklyn and New York City in general have become arguably the best places in the United States to hear (and play) bluegrass and country music.

The jam at Sunny’s started humbly, when two friends of Johansen’s, Kate and Lou Giampetruzzi, asked to sit in the front of the bar and sing a few songs. “When I first heard the music they were playing, it was just like the music from my childhood,” remembers Johansen, who grew up singing gospel songs in a Pentecostal family in Norway. As more musicians gravitated to the venue, the jam moved to the backroom (except in summer, when it’s held outside on Sunday afternoons).

A few people outside Sunny's Bar at night (L); view of players through wood framed window (R) — Sunny’s Bar has long been a top place to hear live bluegrass music in Brooklyn.

Musician clapping hands in red light of bar (L); Tone Johansen, owner of Sunny’s Bar, seated next to high-top table (R) — Left: Christina Poletto at the weekly bluegrass jam session at Sunny’s Bar; right: Sunny’s Bar owner Tone Johansen.

Folk music has a long history in New York, but in the early 2000s, bluegrass was rarely heard in the city. By the time I moved to Brooklyn in 2010, the genre was experiencing a resurgence. A novice guitarist, I became a regular in Red Hook and also sought out jams across the city. I found beginner-friendly gatherings at places like Paddy Reilly’s in Murray Hill, the Prospect Bar and Grill in Park Slope, Delia’s Lounge in Bay Ridge, and Forever Brewing and the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse (a canoe club that hosts a welcoming outdoor jam) in Gowanus.

Then there were jams for hot pickers, where serious chops were mandatory—Mona’s in the East Village, run by guitarist extraordinaire Rick Snell and frequented by visiting pros like Sarah Jarosz, and Mathilde in South Slope, where Grammy-nominated guitarist Michael Daves has sometimes dropped in.

Framed artwork and a model ship on wall inside Sunny’s Bar — The decor is as eclectic as the musicians at Sunny’s Bar.

There were the performance venues, too: Jalopy Theatre, not far from Sunny’s, which hosts shows in a room outfitted with church pews; Skinny Dennis, a honky-tonk named for outlaw country bassist Dennis Sanchez that serves as an oasis of gritty soul in post-gentrification Williamsburg; and, recently, Lucinda’s in the East Village, co-owned by namesake Americana superstar Lucinda Williams.

What drew me and other players and listeners into these places is the way these jams function as communal exclamations of joy.

“How many people do you know that say, ‘Oh yeah, we get together and sing’?” Johansen says. “That’s not a totally normal thing to do anymore. I feel like the camaraderie and the care and support that we have for each other is at the center for it.”

Rick Snell with guitar, Zoe Guigueno with bass, and rearview of two other bluegrass musicians — You can hear Rick Snell, Zoe Guigueno, and other bluegrass musicians during weekly jam sessions at Mona’s Bar in the East Village.

That caring environment has helped foster artistic achievement. West Virginia native and Brooklyn resident Olivia Ellen Lloyd honed her confidence, guitar skills, and powerhouse voice at Sunny’s; she’s now a touring artist with two albums who has been compared to John Prine by Rolling Stone Country.

“Nashville is the center of the music business, and especially country and bluegrass music,” says Lloyd, who moved to Music City at one point to further her career, before deciding she preferred Brooklyn. In New York, she says, professional musicians and hobbyists share the stage, creating a scene driven both by community and ambition. “I think my art is best informed, and I am most inspired, when I’m around people who are doing things that are different from me. And because New Yorkers are intense, many of them are hobbyists who perform and execute the music at a really high level.”

Signage at Mona's bar (L); close-up of mandolin player (R) — David Tiller plays the mandolin with other bluegrass musicians at Mona’s Bar.

The pool of talent is only getting deeper as the scene expands, thanks in part to the work of its dedicated apostles. Theo Boguszewski produces Porch Stomp, a free acoustic music festival held each June on Governors Island. Last year, around 250 artists performed, many from the Brooklyn hobbyist scene.

“It has grown, but in a really natural way,” Boguszewski says of the festival. “I have people approach me all the time, and they’re like, ‘Hey, you should really figure out how to monetize this thing. You could bring in some big acts and have it be ticketed,’ and that just feels like not what it is.”

This community aspect ties the scene together. “The heart of the music isn’t really how many correct notes you can play,” Johansen says. “It’s the spiritual connection.”

5 places to listen to bluegrass in New York City

Patrons sit at dark bar with TV screen above it — Bars and music are a natural combination that’s realized at places like Mona’s.

Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and listen for the banjo—these five venues are where New York’s bluegrass community gathers to play.

Mona’s

Location: 542 E. 14th St., Manhattan | Find on Google Maps

This self-styled “jazzy dive bar” in the East Village hosts the hottest jam session in New York, with pro-level musicians shredding uptempo bluegrass every Monday night.

Mathilde

Location: 676 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn | Find on Google Maps

Mathilde has a jam every Wednesday evening that draws some of the best pickers in Brooklyn. Fiddle virtuoso Melody Allegra Berger runs it, and she sometimes brings pizza or home-baked treats.

Prospect Bar and Grill

Location: 545 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn | Find on Google Maps

Veteran musician Sean Kershaw runs this beginner-friendly jam in South Slope on Sunday afternoons. Prospect Bar and Grill serves good food and pours a proper Guinness.

Jalopy Theatre

Location: 315 Columbia St., Brooklyn | Find on Google Maps

A tentpole of New York’s folk music community, Jalopy hosts a variety of events in its small theater, including performances by touring pros, square dances (with lessons), open mics, and jams.

Lucinda’s

Location: 169 Ave. A, Manhattan | Find on Google Maps

Opened in the summer of 2025, this East Village honky-tonk has live music from local and touring bands most nights; Grammy Award–winning co-owner Lucinda Williams has even taken the stage. If it’s bluegrass you seek, come on Tuesday, when Americana artist Allison Kelly hosts a popular jam.

Justin Goldman

Justin Goldman is a Bay Area–based writer who covers travel, culture, food, and wine. A former editor at Hemispheres, he has contributed to publications including Condé Nast Traveler, Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Afar, and the Los Angeles Times.