Donations welcome. Your contribution helps ensure we can book future shows. Thank you for the continued support!
Ryan and Brennish Thomson, as father and son, have performed over 20 years together as the “Fiddling Thomsons.” In addition to working widely in New England, they have performed across the US, in England, and on several tours to China.
They are recipients of the New Hampshire Governor’s Arts Award for Folk Heritage. As multi-instrumentalists, they have won numerous awards and play instruments including fiddles, banjo, guitar, accordion, pennywhistle, bass, jaw harp, bones, piano, and more.
Their day to day work involves performances, educational presentations, private and group teaching, audio and video production, and publications of music instructional materials through Captain Fiddle Music. Ryan is a member of the music department faculty at Phillips Exeter Academy. Brennish designs microphone amplification systems for acoustic instruments.
The Open Road Coffeehouse is supported through a grant from the Mass Cultural Council. Please thank your elected officials for supporting the arts!
If you are a singer, musician, poet, comedian, or just have a good story to share, sign up for our open mic set when you come in. We have a mic and amp available, but musicians must be able to carry their own instruments on and off the stage. Open mic participants may not use the band's equipment. We will invite participants to come up in order of signup and perform one piece. If time allows, we may invite everyone to come up for a second.
Bring your appetite! Our volunteers work hard to provide a variety of refreshments available for purchase during the show. We serve:
Assorted sodas and bottled water
Equal Exchange fair-trade coffee and tea
A signature mocktail, custom-made for each show
Assorted baked goods and snack plates
Award-winning, vegan chili