Stephanie Marshall, Katie Clarke and Jenny Goodspeed formed the Boxcar Lilies back in 2009, drawn together by their shared love of three-part harmony and roots music. Accompanying themselves on guitar, claw hammer banjo, electric bass, and washboard, the Franklin County-based trio gained a following with their vibrant Americana music and engaging stage presence.

The Boxcar Lilies will celebrate their 15th anniversary at the Iron Horse in Northampton on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. This show is more than an anniversary — it is also a reunion as Clarke, who retired from the band in 2015, will join her Lilies sisters for this one-night-only show. They will be backed by a trio of great Valley players: J.J. O’Connell on drums, Dave Chalfant on bass and guitar, and Jim Henry on dobro, guitar and mandolin.

When they met through the Franklin County Musician’s Cooperative, the three women were each following different musical paths. Clarke, who is from Conway, was immersed in bluegrass and old-time country. Goodspeed, from Ashfield, was a songwriter in the tradition of Joni Mitchell, and Marshall, of Greenfield, was fronting a rock band.

Despite their divergent musical tastes, Marshall and Clarke did some singing together and once they heard Goodspeed performing at a Coop concert they knew they had to sing with her. Once they got together, they discovered their voices blended beautifully and that they could create the kind of harmonies all three loved. Add to that great chemistry and the varied talents and influences each brought to the table, and soon the Boxcar Lilies were born.

Of course, they had no idea what lay ahead.

“It all happened so fast in the beginning,” said Clarke in a Zoom conversation that also included Marshall. “We got so much support and were so embraced by the music community. We went to NERFA (Northeast Regional Folk Alliance), and all these things happened really quickly. We got all these invitations to play and it was like ‘hold on, fasten your seat belts because here we go.’”

After NERFA the gigs started coming in, and the Lilies did, indeed, take off.

“Remember, we were in our 40s when we started this band,” said Clarke, noting that they didn’t plan to become a touring band at that stage.

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Marshall was hesitant about taking to the road as her daughter was only 18 months old when the band formed. “Jenny and Katie took me to see Lori McKenna, who has five children. If she can do it with five, I can do it with one,” she laughed.

The next five years were a whirlwind, with the trio performing sometimes every weekend throughout the Northeast, and even going as far as Chicago and Memphis.

Yet there is no place like home and their favorite gig is always the Iron Horse where they have played annual shows since the beginning. “The Iron Horse is really special to us,” said Marshall. “We have so many friends and family that come out to support us.”

Over the course of their musical journey, the Boxcar Lilies released three albums: “Heartwood” in 2011, “Sugar Shack” in 2013, and “Knockout Rose” in 2015. The latter two albums debuted in the top five on the International Folk DJ charts, a testament to the band’s growing success.

The Lilies had some great times during these years, but touring is challenging and even more so when you have a day job and family commitments. In 2015 Clarke made the difficult decision to leave the band and focus on her therapy practice.

“I loved what we were doing, but as we were launching the Lilies I was launching my business, the Couples Center of the Pioneer Valley,” Clarke explained, adding that she simply could not travel so much. Despite her departure the three remained close friends, and this will be the third reunion show that she has played with Goodspeed and Marshall.

Marshall and Goodspeed continued to perform with a new singer, Susan Cattaneo, who ultimately left to focus on her solo career. Multi-instrumentalist Jim Henry stepped in to handle the third harmony parts and to add an extra flavor to their sound.

But the fast track the Boxcar Lilies were once on has slowed as their priorities shifted. They have played only a couple of gigs since COVID, making them all the more excited to share the stage with Clarke again and return to their favorite venue.

This show will mix old favorites, covers, and even some new songs.

“When we got together to do this show and were wondering what to do, I knew I wanted to do some new material,” said Clarke, adding that she has been doing some songwriting with singer-songwriter Erin McKeown and reworked an old song of hers for this show. Marshall chose a Kate Wolf song, and Goodspeed, who her bandmates say is a superpower when it comes to vocal arrangements, will debut a new composition they say is gorgeous.

This is the only Boxcar Lilies show scheduled at this time and they currently have no recording plans.

“We are still very involved in music — we just aren’t out pounding the pavement,” said Clarke, who performs locally with musician Larry LeBlanc. The other Lilies are also involved in musical activities — Marshall works with hospice music and Goodspeed is writing backing music for television and film productions.

If you want to see the Boxcar Lilies, I recommend you get your tickets now as they are going quickly and a low ticket alert was issued earlier this week.

“We are excited to do this show and see our friends who have supported us,” said Marshall. “It means a lot to us to play on our home turf and feel the love. It’s mutual, and there is so much appreciation. We are really grateful.” Tickets ar $20 in advance and $30 day of show at ironhorse.org.

Matthew King sure knows how to throw a party! On Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. the TapRootsfrontman will host an “ecstatic dance party” at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield to celebrate Halloween and his birthday, which happens to be on the same day.

In addition to TapRoots, the uplifting genre-melding band that recently released the funky single “Get Free,” King has invited reggae band Rebelle and the Ron Smith Soulful Trio to participate in the night’s festivities.

“I am always looking for ways to bring together this beautiful and diverse community of ours to celebrate each other, the cultures we embody, our arts, this area, the land, and life itself,” King wrote in a recent e-mail. “I can think of no better people to do that with than my good friends in ReBelle and the amazing Ron Smith and his Soulful Trio.” So grab your dancing shoes, and don’t forget to wish Matthew a happy birthday!

Tickets are $15 in advance at hawksandreed.com, $20 at the door. All ages are welcome.

Mind Left Body will celebrate the Grateful Dead’s 1974 Winterland shows on Saturday, Oct. 26 at CitySpace in the Old Town Hall in Easthampton.

If you’ve caught one of their recent shows at Tree House Brewing Co., then you know that Mind Left Body is one of the best Grateful Dead tribute bands around. Since they have so many Franklin County fans, I wanted to let you know they are playing a special show where they will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s historic run of shows at Winterland in San Francisco in 1974. These shows were touted as the Dead’s final shows and were featured in “The Grateful Dead Movie.” Mind Left Body will play selections from these performances and funds from this show will benefit the restoration of the Old Town Hall in Easthampton.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance at cityspaceeasthampton.org or $30 at the door.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.