BLUEGRASS BREAKDOWN
A Monthly Jam held on the first Sunday of the month from 4-6PM
Location: Judson Moore Distillery, 3057 N Rockwell St Building 5, Chicago, IL 60618
Host: Aaron Smith
Features: bluegrass, old-time, performance
Description: Judson & Moore presents Chicago’s premiere bluegrass jam. Host Aaron Smith (Mulefoot, Paulina Hollers, Hackensaw Boys) gathers a top-notch rotating house band each month and then the floor opens up to attendees. All levels are welcome but the mics will be hot, and the band will be calling bluegrass standards, country songs, old time fiddle tunes, and more. Event is 21+, younger players are invited to join so long as they are accompanied by a parent.
Travel & Accessibility: Accessible by CTA (Belmont Bus #77, Western Ave Bus #49, Belmont Blue Line Stop). Free street parking on Rockwell. Bike Parking Rack. Wheelchair accessible, no stairs.
For More Information: Judson & Moore Webpage
Q&A with Aaron Smith, host of the Bluegrass Breakdown
Cassie Wright, Bluegrass Chicago: Give us some background on the Bluegrass Breakdown, when did you start it and what made you want to start a jam?
Aaron Smith: We started this jam in December 2023. Sully (the talent buyer at Judson & Moore) and I had had several conversations about doing a monthly bluegrass session, and as soon as it made sense we gave it a shot. In the pre-Covid days I hosted a regular jam with John Huber and Colby Maddox at The Grafton (RIP) and I always loved doing it. Jams are a focal point for community in the bluegrass scene. They’re the place where you go to hang out with all the nerds who like and study the music with you, and they’re often the best place to meet new musicians.
BC: Tell us a bit about the jam and what folks can expect when they attend.
Aaron: The Bluegrass Breakdown is a little different from what folks often expect at a bluegrass session. Instead of having everyone circle up at the beginning (we do that later), the first couple hours are an amplified, audience-facing jam with a revolving band. I always get a few different people in the community to act as host musicians with me, and we invite people up to call tunes with the band until everyone has gotten a chance to play. Afterwards, we’ll welcome every musician in the room up simultaneously for a big finale, and then turn off the mics and make space for folks to circle up.
BC: What is it about jams that you enjoy?
Aaron: There’s a couple things. First, I really love the community aspect of the jam. I get to see a lot of friends, I almost always meet someone new, and I’m always genuinely excited to see new people coming onto the scene and getting interested in the music. I also really love getting to play tunes with all the unique, fleeting combinations of players that happen at a jam. I think a good jam session pushes people who have regular bands slightly out of their comfort zone, and it’s fun to see how musicians who don’t regularly play together interact on stage.
BC: What are some tunes being called right now?
Aaron: So many! “How Mountain Girls Can Love,” “Rain & Snow,” “Big Spike Hammer,” and “Blackberry Blossom,” to name a few. Honestly it’s hard to remember all the names of tunes out of context, and there’s always a couple tunes I don’t know (yet) that get called each week.
BC: How did you get into bluegrass, old-time, folk music?
Aaron: I started playing old time music when I was in college in Athens, Ohio. Ohio, especially the Columbus, Cincinnati, and Athens areas, has a really strong scene for traditional music and I picked up the upright bass (I studied electric bass as a kid) and started learning tunes because a lot of my friends were into it. These days I lean more toward a bluegrass and country approach, but I still hear musicians across all string band styles that surprise and inspire me.
BC: You stay incredibly busy as a performer with many bands, tell us more about who you’re playing with and what’s on the horizon for you?
Aaron: The most likely places for people to catch me these days are on the road with Hackensaw Boys or at one of the bluegrass brunches at Beat Kitchen (I play with John Huber there every other Saturday). I also do a lot of shows locally with the incredible Andrew Sa and as part of a couple of projects with my pal Jess Baldissero. Most recently, I’ve been doing a ton of studio work for songwriter Elijah Berlow and there’s a bunch of new music coming down the pipeline from him this year.
My touring schedule picks up again this spring/summer. Hackensaw Boys will be finishing up our Love What You Do 20th Anniversary Tour with a bunch of dates down south, on the east coast, and in Europe (!) , and I’m also super excited to be going down to South by Southwest with my friend Paisley Fields this March. As long as Instagram is a viable outlet for this kind of thing, I post about everything that I have going on there (@thisisaaronsmith).
BC: What are some tips or advice that you would give to someone who might be hesitant to try going to a jam?
Aaron: You gotta go to the jams! Practicing and listening are essential, but jamming is the only way you really learn how to play bluegrass and other kinds of shared music. If you’re not comfortable playing in front of others yet, it’s totally cool to just show up and hang out. Folks in the bluegrass community are generally really open to meeting new people, and once you have some friends in the room it’s a little less scary to pick up your instrument.
(Musicians and music lovers alike fill Judson & Moore during the Bluegrass Breakdown)