photo by Geoff Wilbur

Dennis Brennan Trio (Dennis Brennan, Jim Haggerty & Andrew Stern)

Sanctuary (Barside), Maynard, MA

May 25, 2025

The Backstory

Sanctuary Arts Center, in a cool, repurposed church in Maynard, Massachusetts, was launched in 2019… just in time for the pandemic. I think I recall hearing about it at the time, but it really came into my consciousness earlier this year when I learned Blog favorite Danielle Miraglia had a regular monthly gig there the first Thursday of each month. I haven’t made it out to one of Danielle’s shows yet, but I did finally have an opportunity to get to a Sanctuary gig yesterday.

Often, there are afternoon shows in the bar (“barside”) and evening performance or events in the main concert room, which I walked through as the evening’s band was setting up. Very impressive space! I can’t wait to get to a concert in the big room. However, this late afternoon/early evening gig was in the cozy bar, which was pretty full because, well, let’s face it, it was a Dennis Brennan show.

That’s the other thing I’ve noticed about Sanctuary. A lot of the artists who perform there, notably two or three of the early “barside” events most weeks, are artists you’d usually have to drive in to Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville to see. They don’t play the outer suburbs very often, so it’s a great opportunity for outer western suburbanites (like me) to catch the Boston area’s best artists without having to drive into (and park in) the city.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The Review

That brings us to tonight’s gig. Dennis Brennan is a well-known, veteran talent in the Boston area. On this particular night, he showed off his range, from Americana to ’50s-influenced rock to blues. It’s a package of musical styles likely to appeal to a broad range of fans, and the crowd at Sanctuary, spanning a few decades in age, represented the breadth of Dennis’ appeal.

During the first set, Dennis was without his guitar, so he manned the harmonica, and the band focused primarily on the blues. It was an excellent showcase of this part of his repertoire. Dennis’ gravelly vocals are versatile, and he showcased his ability to hit the full range of styles – pained, thoughtful, lively – surprising no one who has heard him before, of course.

By the time I settled in, it was time for song number two, a rendition of Walter Jacbos’ “Blues with a Feeling” that featured thumping bass, a sweet guitar groove with the occasional blues wail, and some fancy-ass harmonica work. The band followed that with Mose Allison’s “Foolkiller,” which called for a little livelier and funkier delivery.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Dennis manned the tambourine on Sanford Clark’s “Still as the Night,” which featured some nifty southwestern style blues guitar driving this slow song with a feeling like wide open spaces. Dennis was back on the harmonica for a funky, bluesy version of Chuck Berry’s “Don’t You Lie to Me,” providing earnest and heartfelt vox, as well. And the band closed the first set with a Charles Brown song, “Fool’s Paradise,” one of those slow, talkin through it slow blues songs that feels particularly like it’s telling it like it is.

Now, my notes for the second set are a little sparse, as I realized an old friend, the organizer of the Backyard concert series, had made it out to the suburbs for this gig. However, it’s worth noting that Dennis had his guitar for the second set, so the second set differed a little in style. There was plenty of blues, which sported a little more of a guitar-driven blues groove, in part, I’m sure, due to the absence of harmonica. But some Americana, as well as some ’50s-’60s style rock ‘n roll were also represented in the set. Featured were a rollicking performance of “Oh, Lonesome Me,” a cool rendition of the Hollies’ “You Better Move,” and an old-style swinging rock song I must admit I didn’t recognize.

In the end, it was a great evening of music from one of the area’s undeniable talents, Dennis Brennan, in trio format with a pair of Boston’s in-demand bandmates. And out in the outer suburbs, which is lucky to have a venue like the Sanctuary bringing top Boston talent close to an intimate venue an hour outside the city.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Looking Ahead

For future Sanctuary concerts, check out the “Concerts” page on the venue’s website. If you’re like me and like to let Facebook remind you of upcoming shows, you can find many of the upcoming Sanctuary shows on the venue’s “events” tab. Go ahead and click “interested” on the shows that interest you, as I do, so you’ll be reminded as the dates approach.