BASH ’25

BASH! The Bay State Hot Jazz Festival ’25: Descending Upon Medford!

This is the Bay State Hot Jazz Festival, or as it has been more affectionately—and perhaps more accurately—rebranded: BASH Festival. This goes beyond jazz festival; it’s a defiant, free-of-charge declaration of war against the mundane. One need only show up with a blanket and a thirst for fermented liquids to partake. This beautiful beast was born from the feverish, and clearly fearless, imagination of Annie Linders. A bona fide force of nature—a great singer, a trumpet player  with a penchant for deliciously suggestive double entendres—Annie founded her band, Annie and the Fur Trappers, in St. Louis before becoming an undeniable fixture in Boston. Her vision was simple yet profound: gather the great local bands and forge something new. From the very beginning, this festival has been a grassroots, community-driven affair, with bands from Maine, New Hampshire, and the Boston area clamoring to participate for the sheer, intoxicating joy of it all.

The lineup is a veritable menagerie of sonic delights, guaranteed to confound and enchant in equal measure. You’ll find Annie & The Fur Trappers and the all-female big band Shebop, as well as the Busted Jug Band, which adheres to the brilliant credo –  rubber chickens punctuate tunes. The festival has also reeled in some truly legendary figures like Rasan Cruz, whose intriguing pedigree includes a possible lineage from the legendary Mills Brothers family. Then, in a truly momentous, almost unbelievable occasion, the Berlin Hall Saturday Night Revue, featuring the one and only Jim Kweskin, will perform. This is a rare gift, and one must strike while the iron is hot.

Now, for the truly mind-bending revelation, the kind of exquisite detail that could only emerge from the fevered swamps of financial administration. The festival’s funding source includes a truly bizarre, almost unbelievable anecdote that screams of a Gonzo journalist’s fever dream. It’s a legacy from a man—a Romanian doctor and Nazi party member—whose culture deemed swing “decadent and corrupting.” Through a truly karmic turn of events, is now being funneled through the Labyrinth Choir as the festival’s fiscal sponsor. What was once the very essence of forbidden jazz now propels it into the future.

We had the privilege of speaking with one of the organizers, Matthew Berlin on an upcoming episode of Sit Down by the Fireside.

The festival is designed to be the antithesis of exclusive traditional jazz societies. Families are encouraged to sprawl on blankets, and the Medford Brewing Company will be on hand to dispense those aforementioned fermented liquors. So, mark your calendars. The Bay State Hot Jazz Festival is not just a collection of performances; it’s an inclusive spirit of traditional jazz. It’s an opportunity to revel in high-quality music, and support local musicians. It is free, there is abundant parking, and while a hat may be passed, your presence is the most cherished contribution. Let the rhythms wash over you. It’s Aug 23rd and 24th ‘25 in Medford. Be there, or be tragically, woefully, inexcusably square.

To learn more, visit: baystatehotjazzfestival.com