Old Time Jam
Spruce Coffee
952 State St.
New Haven
Sept. 14, 2025
Old timey Appalachian music caught the ears of some new fans on Sunday afternoon, as a small group of musicians gathered for three hours in the corner of Spruce Coffee to play their fiddles, banjos, guitars, and mandolins during the Old Time Jam.
The Old Time Jam is a monthly event that offers those interested in that type of music a chance to participate, or just simply listen and enjoy. According to cohost and musician Sarah Prown, it all began in a “classic” way: someone posted on a CT music Facebook page about jamming at the State Street coffee shop. She and a few others were going to get together to play anyway, so they decided to go there and meet up.
“Uncle Randy put it out into the universe,” Prown said about the poster, referring to the uncle of one of the coffee shop’s owners, Katie Levitt. And thus, a regular jam session at Spruce was formed. They have already had about 3 or 4 sessions, and starting in October they will have a monthly time slot fpr every first Sunday from 1 – 4 p.m.
You might be asking, what is Appalachian music, anyway?
The core instruments are fiddles and banjos, while guitar and bass are also commonly played (Please note, other instruments are also welcomed at the jam!).Prown explained that it is more instrumental and dance music with occasional singing, and no solos are performed. She also cited the music from the Coen Brothers film O Brother Where Art Thou as an example.
“The jam is very informal,” she added. “We put it out there and see who comes. It’s an open and welcoming jam.”
Nearly every chair in Spruce was filled when the jam was scheduled to begin, so the musicians who had already arrived reconfigured the small empty space next to the front door. This led to everyone who walked in or even walked by to notice the music and react. Some hesitated, but then seemed to be taken in by it. Some even stopped and did a little dance. There was a lot of head bopping, toe tapping, and loads of smiles inside and outside of Spruce for the next three hours. Many even stopped and took a video of the group with their phone. Some stopped before they left and said to the musicians words like “beautiful” and “so great” as they rested between songs.
By the way, those songs were definitely the type to inspire dancing, and if there had been more room this reporter may have thrown her notebook and camera to the side and cut a rug all by herself. They began with Prown on banjo, Independent arts reviewer Brian Slattery on fiddle, cohost Hannah Purdy on fiddle, Lilah Bausher on fiddle, Ben Bausher on guitar, and Rob Partridge on octave mandolin. Lilah is one of Slattery’s current students. Partridge, who lives fairly close to the coffee shop, also considers himself a student, saying that he has learned a lot since he started coming to these jams.
“I’ve got no excuse not to show up and play poorly,” he joked.
Prown added that a lot of people will walk into the coffee shop, see that they are playing, and rush home to get their instruments so they can join in.
“It has a nice neighborhood feel,” she said with a smile.
The neighborhood was busy, with people coming in and out of the shop and passing by, and after the first song was over, a few claps and woos were heard. Another fiddle player, Gretchen, joined the group as they rearranged themselves in a different formation, and about an hour later an additional fiddle player also joined the group for a short time. There was much discussion in between songs of chords to play and songs to try, all done in a quite playful way, like when Slattery explained that a certain song was “a G and some other chord and a G and some other chord,” which resulted in quite a few laughs.
Songs ranged from century-old standards such as “Ways of the World” and “Sal’s Got Mud Between Her Toes” to more contemporary songs, such as “Swannanoa Waltz” by Rayna Gellert and “Appalachian Sunshine” by Esther Morgan-Ellis. Everything was delivered and received between the musicians with much joy and camaraderie, which translated over to the music itself. The way the strings melded together while each musician still sounded uniquely themselves, each piece carried over the air like a wave that took the listener with them.
Time flew by in the most melodious of ways. The idea of sitting there and working on my writing while listening to these musicians instead of the usual coffee shop playlist seemed like a fabulous idea, and for a moment I was jealous of everyone working on their laptops. But the urge to dance, that was there throughout as well. The infectious joy that came not just from the music but from the musicians also added to the vibe, as did the general comforting and welcoming nature of Spruce. It was one of those perfect combinations, not unlike the iced herbal teas and toasty bagels being served, or the startling sunshine and the crispy almost-fall air streaming through the open door. I could have stayed three more hours.
Future Old Time Jam dates (the first Sunday of every month beginning in October from 1 – 4 p.m.) will be published on the Spruce Coffee website.
