Strings were plucked and chords were strung. Bluegrass and folk music emanated from the Nathaniel Thomas
Mill in Hanson.
The Rocky Run band was performing as part of the Rocky Run jam session.
Rocky Run jam sessions have been a tradition for six years now. Every Thursday night, from 7 p.m. until
at least 10 p.m., the band rents the Nathaniel Thomas Mill and performs. The jam session is just that - there is no set play
list or schedule, just musicians performing. Songs are chosen on the fly, and the open mic allows anyone to contribute.
The event is free, although donations are accepted to help cover the cost of renting the mill.
“This is an open jam,” Rocky Run member Carl McPhee said. “People are welcome to come
in and listen.”
McPhee is one of the five founding members of Rocky Run, which was created about 20 years ago. The Whitman
resident plays the banjo and provides vocals.
Guitarists for the band are Jack Meserve of Pembroke and Hal Marshman of Hanson. Sam Wentzell of Abington
is the group’s bassist, and Steve Folino of Rockland plays the mandolin.
Thanks to the jam sessions, the group has grown larger. Linda Hannigan of Whitman and Karen Woodhall of
Plymouth provide vocals for the group, while Bev Gori of Carver accompanies them on the fiddle. They joined the group about
a year and a half ago.
Rocky Run previously held its jam sessions at local restaurants, but moved to the Nathaniel Thomas Mill
in the spring.
“It seemed like a good place, and it has worked out real good,” McPhee said.
The Thursday night crowd indicates that. About 45 people showed up at a recent jam session, filling up the
Mill’s parking lot and causing late attendees to park at the town hall across the street. The following week, about
25 people – from young children to adults – attended.
“I think they’re a lot of fun,” attendee Dana Barunas said. “I like live music and
this is real. It’s a jam session, and it’s great.”
While this was Barunas’s first time attending a jam session at the Nathaniel Thomas Mill, she has
been a fan of the band for three years after she first saw them perform at the Elm Street Grill.
Songs at a recent session ranged from a cover of the Beach Boy’s “Little Deuce Coop” to
Richard Thompson’s “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” a favorite of McPhee’s.
Also played was a cover of “Living on Love” by Alan Jackson.
“We might as well ruin something you don’t know,” Marshman said before performing “Living
on Love.”
One person who took advantage of the open mic - after some convincing by Rocky Run band members - was singer/songwriter
Bill Motte. He performed four of his songs for the crowd, including “Running Crazy” and “I Ain’t Sad.”
In addition to the music, band member Linda Hannigan displays her locally made crafts. These include chokers,
anklets, beads and rings. They are for sale, but Hannigan acknowledges that the display “is mostly for show. Everybody’s
already got everything they want from me.”
Even if just for show, the display adds to the experience.
“It adds a bit of country flair,” McPhee said.
In addition to weekly jam sessions, Rocky Run has performed at weddings and functions. It will play at the
Town Landing in Pembroke July 26 as part of the Pembroke Watershed Association’s Monument Island Paddlers and Rowers
Race on Oldham Pond.
