On Sept. 19, the Pennsylvania-based Irish and Celtic group House of Hamil will be playing at 6 on the Square in Oxford. Find out more and purchase tickets at 6onthesquare.org (Submitted photo)

OXFORD - 6 On The Square, a nonprofit acoustic listening room, will opens its 20th year this fall with concerts featuring favorite artists and a few new faces.

Sept. 19: The Pennsylvania-based Irish and Celtic group House of Hamill is a fixture on festival stages across the U.S. and have shared their music and stories on the country’s premier folk stages. Rose Baldino and Brian Buchanan first found themselves onstage together at the 2014 Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City. Four years and hundreds of shows later, the duo hired bass player Caroline Browning to fill out their sound.

Sept. 26: The Clements Brothers are George and Charles Clements, identical twins from New England who have been playing and writing music together for as long as they can remember. They previously played together in the internationally touring grassroots band The Lonely Heartstring Band, with whom they put out two albums on Rounder Records. With roots, rock, bluegrass, jazz, and classical influences, George (on guitar) and Charles (on bass) aim to capture their singer-songwriter sensibilities in a unique blended voice.

Oct. 3: Binghamton-based Simmerin' Stew will share their eclectic fusion of bluegrass, folk, jazz and American roots music. Their latest release, “Boiled Down,” is inspired by classic and contemporary old-time fiddle tunes, while their previous album, "Salt the Earth," has original compositions that explore a wide range of themes, from the complexities of love, happiness, deceit and murder to the existential struggles of the human condition.

Oct. 10: The trio Low Lily — Liz Simmons (guitar, banjo and vocals), Flynn Cohen (guitar, mandolin and vocals) and Lily Sexton (fiddle and vocals) — has performed for audiences throughout the U.S., U.K. and Canada. They blend energetic fiddle music, introspective folk, bluegrass and Americana with deep roots in the fiddle tune and singing traditions of North America and the Anglo-Celtic diaspora.

Oct. 24: Ceili Rain blends pop-rock music with a dash of Celtic/Irish flavor and a subtle but sincere joyful message. The band is led by frontman Bob Halligan Jr., who has had more than 140 songs recorded by artists such as Cher, Michael Bolton, Judas Priest, KISS, Kathy Mattea, Bob Carlisle, Rebecca St. James, Jump 5 and Maire Brennan. Ceili Rain has released seven albums to critical acclaim.

Oct. 31: 6OTS goes jazzy with the david bixler trio incognito. New York City-based saxophonist, composer and educator David Bixler’s work occupies the fertile ground where jazz meets diverse global traditions. For their trio, Bixler, bassist Dan Loomis and drummer/percussionist Fabio Rojas meld intricate rhythmic ideas with moments of stillness for a sound as rooted in downtown NYC improvisation as it is in South American traditions or the post-bop lineage.

Nov. 7: The Honey Badgers (Erin Magnin and Michael Natrin) combine radical vulnerability, humor in just the right moments and a vocal blend honed over the past decade to build a space where listeners can reconnect with themselves, their feelings and the truest parts of being a human in a complicated time. They are known for their thoughtful lyrics, fun fiddle solos and sparkling harmonies.

Nov. 21: Abbie Gardner found acclaim as part of the female folk trio Red Molly, which formed around a campfire at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in 2004. That same year, Gardner found her instrument of choice: the dobro, otherwise known as a resonator guitar, which is favored by many bluegrass and Americana musicians. Since then, she has made a name for herself as a slide player on a variety of different guitars. She returned to touring as a solo artist in 2016.

Dec. 6: Celebrate the holidays with two shows at 6OTS! First up is On a Midwinter’s Eve with Joe Jencks, which will include original tunes as well as favorites for the season. Jencks is a 25-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and celebrated vocalist based in Chicago who merges conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing.

Dec. 20: Christine Lavin started her professional life as a waitress/bread baker at the Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs in 1975, where Dave Van Ronk encouraged her to study guitar with him in New York City. She’s been a singer/songwriter/guitarist/recording artist/author/videographer there ever since. In 2023, she released "The Seasons Project," an 80-song seasonal compilation that features the work of 63 American, Canadian, British and Irish singer/songwriters.

Patrons can see these shows in person or streaming online. Find out more and purchase tickets at 6onthesquare.org.

Performances are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul; NBT Bank Oxford; and our 6OTS members. Thanks also to the Sherwood Hotel in Greene for housing performers.

6 On The Square Inc. is an intimate, not-for-profit, volunteer-based acoustic music listening room and arts venue located at 6 Lafayette Park in downtown Oxford.

- Information from 6 On The Square