Peter Mulvey's Lamplighter Sessions Returns to Club Passim for 15th Year

Six shows over five nights, Oct. 29–Nov. 2 — from a Christmas-themed Halloween night to the annual live performance of Tom Waits' "Rain Dogs"

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey brings his Lamplighter Sessions back to Club Passim for the 15th year, running Thursday, October 29 through Monday, November 2. The veteran performer will curate and play across six distinct shows over the five-night series, joined by an eclectic mix of regional talent including Mark Erelli, Vance Gilbert, Tim Gearan, Dinty Child, and more.

What began fifteen years ago has grown into an annual multi-night, single-room festival of improvisational art, music, spoken word, visual art, theater, and Halloween revelry. Founded by Mulvey, the series is co-organized alongside Barry Rothman in tandem with Passim's Matt Smith, Abby Altman, and the venue staff. Over the years the Sessions have featured luthier expositions, string music extravaganzas, costume parties, "In-the-Round" swaps between veteran and emerging musicians, readings of Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros, and tributes to artists including Greg Brown, The Rolling Stones, and Los Lobos.

This year's highlights include All Hallows' Xmas Eve, a Christmas-themed Halloween show on October 31, and Rain Dogs, the annual live performance of Tom Waits' seminal 1985 album, on November 1 — a Lamplighter tradition running all fifteen years.

"I've been holding my guitar in front of me like a security blanket for decades. Tonight, I'm gonna do something that scares me: stand up and sing into a microphone, completely alone, while James Rohr plays piano," Mulvey said of the opening night performance. "Jenna Nicholls will do the same (though I bet she's more used to it) and also the one and only Vance Gilbert, who appears to be scared of nothing. Also, at some point in the evening, we'll make James do the same thing, only I'll be playing guitar."

The 2026 Lamplighter Sessions schedule:
Thursday, October 29 at 8:00 p.m. — STAND UP AND SING: Peter Mulvey, Mark Erelli, Jenna Nicholls, and Vance Gilbert, accompanied by James Rohr.
Friday, October 30 at 8:00 p.m. — FUTURE ENEMIES & FRIENDS: Future Enemies features James Rohr (Blue Ribbons, Mark Erelli) on keyboards and clarinet, Jess Fox (Highland Drifters) on baritone saxophone, and Barry Rothman (Thank God For Science, Radi0Swan) on phonographs and effects, alongside Rose Polenzani, Peter Mulvey, and surprise guests.
Saturday, October 31 at 8:00 p.m. — ALL HALLOWS' XMAS EVE: A Christmas-themed Halloween featuring Peter Mulvey, Laurie Sargent (Face to Face, Twinemen, Orchestra Morphine), and Tim Gearan (Reckoners, White Owls). Songs, stories, and special guests.
Sunday, November 1 at 2:00 p.m. — FLOYD MERCANTILE: Three musicians in a room playing songs allowed to breathe in the quiet of a Virginia afternoon. Debut album out now on Righteous Babe Records.
Sunday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m. — RAIN DOGS: Tom Waits' 1985 album performed by Peter Mulvey & The Crumbling Beauties — an enduring Lamplighter tradition for the past 15 years.
Monday, November 2 at 8:00 p.m. — INTO THE WILD WITH DINTY CHILD: Longtime Lamplighter Dinty Child (Session Americana, Chandler Travis Philharmonic) curates the final night alongside Peter Mulvey, Elizabeth & The Catapult, and Radi0Swan.

Tickets are on sale now at passim.org/peter-mulvey-presents-the-lamplighter-sessions. Club Passim is located in Harvard Square at 47 Palmer St., Cambridge, MA 02138.

Media contact: Eric Chubinsky, CK Communications Group, 617.686.3452, echubinsky@ckcommgroup.com.