9-16-2026 5:47am

The Takoma Oldtime Jam at Busboys and Poets - Takoma

Eme Awa Editor

It's a Wednesday night at Busboys and Poets in Takoma. Outside, the DMV is doing its usual thing—traffic crawling, phones buzzing, everyone in a hurry to get somewhere. Inside, something entirely different is happening. The steady drone of a fiddle cuts through the room. A banjo picks up the thread. A guitar falls in behind. The music isn't polished, and it isn't supposed to be. It's a conversation.

This is the Takoma Park Oldtime Jam, held every third Wednesday of the month from 7:00 PM to 9:45 PM. It's free. It's open to all skill levels and instruments. And it's one of the most quietly radical things happening in the DMV music scene.

The Leader in the Circle

The jam is led by Jonathan Vocke, a multi-instrumentalist, educator, and performer who's been an active member of the Takoma Park music community for over 15 years. He teaches at the School of Musical Traditions and runs the Oldtime Repertoire Class, where he helps students deepen their knowledge of classic old-time fiddle tunes.

But his role at the jam is less "instructor" and more "host." He keeps time. He calls tunes. He makes sure the beginners get a chance to play and the veterans don't steamroll them. The structure is simple: a slow jam from 7:30 to 8:00 PM, where newer players can find their footing, followed by a fast jam until 9:45 PM, where the tempo picks up and the tunes get rowdier.

What Exactly Is Oldtime Music?

If you're fuzzy on the distinction, here's the short version. Oldtime music is the acoustic string band tradition that predates bluegrass—Appalachian folk rooted in fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin. It's heavily rhythm-focused, often played in cross-tunings, and built for community rather than performance. Bluegrass, which came later, is a more modern, solo-driven genre with flashy virtuosic breaks. Oldtime is a group conversation. Bluegrass is a spotlight.

That difference matters. At an oldtime jam, there's no frontman. Everyone plays the melody together, in unison, over and over, until the tune settles into something that feels less like a song and more like a room breathing.

Why Busboys and Poets Fits

Busboys and Poets has always been more than a restaurant. It's a bookstore, a bar, an art gallery, and a community gathering place dedicated to art, culture, and social change. The Takoma location sits at 235 Carroll St NW, right on the DC-Maryland line, and its mission—racial and cultural connections consciously uplifted, art and politics intentionally colliding—aligns perfectly with oldtime music's egalitarian spirit.

You'll see it in the room: diners at tables, casual listeners at the bar, musicians in a loose circle, the line between performer and audience dissolving with every tune. It's the kind of space where you can grab a drink, listen for an hour, and leave feeling like you were part of something.

The Anatomy of a Jam

The setup is simple. Musicians sit in a circle. No stage, no microphones, no separation. The repertoire is traditional—breakdown tunes, square dance melodies, songs passed down through generations of Appalachian players. The etiquette is inclusive by design: seasoned professionals anchor the rhythm while beginners quietly strum along in the outer circle, learning by ear and by osmosis.

This is not a performance. It's a practice of collective listening. And it's happening every month, free, in a space that welcomes anyone who walks through the door.

If you play, bring your instrument. If you don't, bring yourself. Grab a drink, find a seat, and listen as a room full of strangers turns into something that sounds like it's been playing together for years. The Takoma Park Oldtime Jam is free, open to all, and happening the third Wednesday of every month at Busboys and Poets. You can contact Jonathan Vocke at oldtimejam@fsgw.org with questions, but honestly? Just show up.

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