FAQ
What is the Trash Moon Collective?
We’re musicians and music fans who love, play, and listen to bluegrass, old-time, and folk music – and want to welcome other people to share it, too. Sound like fun? Join us! Every week you’ll find inexpensive (often free) grassroots concerts, dances, workshops, and jams. Since 2023, we’ve been creating spaces where people can come in and feel welcome to dance, sing, listen, promote their art, and hang. Learn more about our story, and check out our event calendar.
'Join' as in...play, too?
Yup.
What if I'm a beginner?
We want people to feel part of something. So instead of offering only shows (and we have a crop of amazing bands who put on some great shows) we invite people to participate, too. Do you already play an instrument? Pick up your fiddle/guitar/banjo and come to one of our jams. Want to learn an instrument? Come to the slow jam, one of our workshops, or reach out to Trash Moon Collective Members in our Teacher Directory. You have never seen a more welcoming group of people who will help you get started. So much more fun that doing it alone.
What kind of events?
Favorites include the Wednesday Jam at the Woodbine Food Hall (all skill levels), the weekly Bluegrass Night at Gracie’s, the monthly honky tonk dance at Fisher Brewing, our seasonal house concert series at Lois Lane, and our annual Hootenanny at the Commonwealth Room. That’s just a small, small sampling. Check out our event calendar or pages with upcoming jams or concerts.
Why bluegrass, old time, and folk music?
Well, first -- it’s fun! We love this music. It sounds like the mountains we love to adventure in. It’s joyful. Bluegrass, old time, and folk music are languages; and they have a long history of bringing people together in real life. And doesn’t that sound great right about now? We want to keep this music alive and make it something everyone can be a part of. The response from Salt Lake City tells us we’ve found a need. Even people outside the city are joining in. More and more visiting artists with bigger names in our niche genre are stopping by. And it’s growing so fast. We started with a couple of events, now we’ve got dozens.
Is it just for musicians?
Nope. Some people come to dance. Some come just to listen. Some come just to be part of a community. Some people get really involved and even host house shows (those are so fun).
Is there a fee to join the Trash Moon Collective?
We’re a very small organization with grass roots support and a goal to make this music affordable. Some our events are sponsored, so they cost nothing. But to support the mission, we do ask our regular attendees, musicians, and jammers to become members and pay a small fee to keep the events happening. We offer some bennies (read about them, here) and our perks are always growing. Memberships will be live again in 2026! Thanks so much for all the support already.
What if I'm a musician?
Many of us behind the ‘Moon are musicians who make our living through music. We know the challenges of bringing up a music career, and we know how much community means. So part of our mission is to support our fellow musicians. In addition to our events, we also offer limited bookings for paid gigs and a shared advertising platform. We almost exclusively book bands that play the traditional bluegrass, old time, or country genres. If you're an artist interested what we have to offer, send us a message. If you want to use our platform to promote your show, check out our community ad services.
There's a Trash Moon Band?
Yes! The Trash Moon Collective band welcomes professional local musicians to gig outside of their usual band format. If you’re a bluegrass, old time, and/or honky tonk musician, you know there’s a large ‘shared repertoire’ of music that allows them to play with a variety of musicians. Professionals who come to events may be organically asked to play in the band. It’s the classic, old school way to gain street cred with musicians. Right now our band has artists from SLC born-and-bred bands like Pompe ‘N Honey, The Elderblossoms, the Pickpockets, Pixie and the Party Grass Boys, Theoretical Blonde, Josie O and the Big Six, and more. It's booked for our monthly Honky Tonk, Square Dance, Gracie's Bluegrass Night, or for public or private events. Band members need to be confident they can play a gig with minimal prep and setlists, and ready to play solos in bluegrass, old time, and/or honky tonk styles of music.
Can I book the Trash Moon Collective for an event?
Yes! The Trash Moon Collective can be booked to play at your event. If you're looking for bluegrass, old time, or honky tonk music, fill out our booking inquiry. You can book the Trash Moon Collective Band or be connected with an awesome Collective Member's band.
What's the dream?
So many dreams – all attainable and in progress. We want Salt Lake City to be a place known for it's lively, passionate, and nourishing folk music scene. So bluegrass, old-time, and honky tonk music fans come here and know where to be part of great music after they've shredded on the slopes or done some crazy FA in the canyons. We want artists from outside the city to know it too; we want them to stop by to play with us not just because they’re in town, but because they want to come for the hang. Locally, we’re looking to offer more to our folk musician friends – accessible and affordable ways to help connect artists with a greater audience on a shared platform.