Welcome to this post on everything we know about music in Providence. Obviously it is a broad subject, but we will do our best to share as much as possible.
Jumping straight into the best musical instrument stores in Providence seems like a logical place to start. There will be separate lists for where to buy guitars in your area as well as the top drum shops in town.
Some may quibble about what store should go in which list, but we will try to differentiate them as well as we can. We aren’t sure if you are trying to buy keyboards, synthesizers, pedals, amps, or popular guitar brands like Gibson, Keisel, or Fender but a store on this page should have whatever you need.
Contents
Where to get a broken instrument repaired will follow that up. There are many repair companies that can tune a piano, repair a guitar, or work on all kinds of band instruments.
Once all the instrument talk is out of the way we will pivot to music classes and lessons for kids or adults before diving into local stores for music lovers with vintage CD’s and records. You can find numerous places to enjoy live entertainment at the best concert halls and music venues here.
Bars and restaurants with live music near you will get a shout out as well. A discussion about the Providence music calendar wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some great festivals either.
At the end we will share a map to help you find these stores or venues. Click here to read more about the scene in some other towns around the Northeast.
Providence Musical Instrument Stores
Some of the best Providence musical instrument stores would be:
- McCarten Violins at 1005 Main St #2201
- Luca Music at 1530 Mineral Spring Ave
- Ross Music Sales & Service at 1800 Post Rd 9 A
McCarten Violins has been manufacturing and repairing instruments near you for nearly two decades. Instruments like pianos and keyboards as well as lessons and more are offered at Luca Music from Monday to Saturday. Musikhaus excels at providing a great selection of wood and brass instruments as well as professional repair services.
You can have your instruments repaired at Ross Music Sales & Service where they also sell brass, woodwind, string, percussion, electronics, amplifiers, PA equipment, accessories, and many more from Monday to Saturday. There are also instruments sold at Bedrossian Music and Music Complex from our lessons list.
Where To Buy Guitars
If all you care about is guitars or guitar accessories check out:
- Empire Guitars at 1271 N Main St
- Guitar Center at 1245 Bald Hill Rd
- Noll Guitars at 173 Macklin St
Empire Guitars has been buying, selling, and trading fine instruments for over 40 years. Guitar Center is home to one of the largest selections of popular guitars, basses, amplifiers, keyboards, workstations, drums, percussion, microphones, PA systems, DJ equipment, stage lighting, recording software, studio gear, and more.
Noll Guitars provides quality instrument repair, maintenance, restoration, upgrades and demo services and even sells pickups, strings, tuners, instructional books, cables, amplifiers, bongos, t shirts, straps, CD’s, piccolos, and a whole lot more.
Drum Shops Near You
Village Drum & Music at 17 Silk Lane sells new, used, and vintage local instruments, cymbals, percussion, and components and even provides complete restoration services such as rewrapping, bearing edge leveling, and cutting.
Instrument Repair
Instrument repairs are available at:
- Music Service at 55 Townsend St
- Holcomb Guitars
Music Service caters to both pro and amateur musicians and provides simple and complex repairs for instruments in Providence. You can get at home guitar repairs from Holocomb.
Don’t forget about the instrument stores that offer repair services from some different lists like McCarten Violins, Musikhaus, Ross Music Sales & Service, Noll Guitars, and Music Complex.
Music Lessons
Level up by taking lessons at a music school in your area:
- Musician’s Corner & Music Learning Center at 1530 Mineral Spring Ave
- Bedrossian Music at 78 Post Rd
- Music Complex at 66 Montgomery St
- Guitar Academy at 150 Waterman St
Musician’s Corner & Music Learning Center’s lessons are open for all intermediate and advanced guitarists. Bedrossian Music is where you can buy high quality sets of instruments, accessories, and rentals at incredibly low prices as well as take music classes for beginners and pros.
Everything a modern musician needs are offered at Music Complex including rehearsal rooms, lessons, sales, repairs, and a recording studio that is open from Monday to Thursday. Learn from professional and experienced music tutors at Guitar Academy.
Luca Music from our instruments list has lessons for you too.
CD & Record Stores
There will be a variety of vintage CD’s and records at these local stores for music lovers:
- Analog Underground at 504 Broadway
- Armageddon Shop at 436 Broadway
- Olympic Records at 580 Wickenden St
Find the music you love at Analog Underground’s array of vinyl and CD records that are also available online. Or have your vinyl and CD records shipped by Armageddon Shop no matter what part of the world you’re in.
You can also purchase high quality new and used vinyl albums in your area at Olympic Records.
Providence Live Music Venues
Seeing a concert at Providence live music venues is always a good time:
- Fete Music Hall at 103 Dike St
- Alchemy at 71 Richmond St 2nd fl
- Columbus Theatre at 270 Broadway
- Music Mansion at 88 Meeting St
Fête provides one of the best entertainments and service on weekdays. Alchemy 71 is a nightclub and local live music venue with a 300 capacity that features two full bars, VIP seats, parking, lounges, food, free WiFi, and other amenities. The Music Mansion is an ideal place for young musicians to enhance their skills.
Fun Restaurants With Entertainment
You can take a date or a group of friends to these restaurants with live music in your area:
- The Dorrance at 60 Dorrance St
- Troop at 60 Valley St
- McBride’s Pub at 161 Wayland Ave
- Nara Lounge & Restaurant at 248 Atwells Ave
Experience timeless grandeur with handcrafted cocktails and globally inspired recipes featuring a backdrop of high ornate ceilings at The Dorrance. McBride’s is an elegant bar and restaurant that serves delectable food and cold drinks in a lively and family friendly setting.
Bars With Live Music
There are also some bars that play live music:
- Black Duck Tavern at 31 Warren Ave
- T & T’s 133 Club at 29 Warren Ave #5019
- Dusk at 301 Harris Ave
- Nick-A-Nees at 75 South St
- G Pub at 61 Orange St
- Murphy’s at 100 Fountain St
Black Duck Tavern serves really good craft beverages and meals in a speakeasy setting from Tuesday to Saturday. T & T’s 133 Club is a solid option for superb food and local live music.
Listen to live bluegrass music performed by different bands every week at Nick-A-Nees along with good food and beverages. GPub is also a good spot to buy food and drinks with modern amenities including shuffleboard, billiards tables, and 17 LED TV’s for your viewing pleasure.
Murphy’s Irish Pub has been providing traditional Irish food that is all made from scratch along with live musical entertainment since 2003.
Music Festivals In Your Area
Have as much fun as you can at these music festivals near you:
- PVDFest in June
- Rhode Island Folk Festival in June
PVDFest is Providence’s free outdoor signature arts festival. The three days of PVDFest programming culminate in June with live music, dance, food, and visual art installations that will transform the downtown area.
Folk is an annual American folk-oriented music festival but some other genres will also be playing.
We have also written about:
- Where To Buy CD’s & Records In Boston
- Where To Buy CD’s & Records In Portland, ME
- Where To Buy CD’s & Records In Springfield
- Where To Buy CD’s & Records In New Haven
Enjoy The Providence Local Music Scene
We tried to cover the scene as well as possible on this page. You learned about the best musical instrument stores, drum and guitar shops, instrument repair services, where to go for lessons, vintage CD and record stores, concert halls and other live music venues near you like bars and restaurants, plus the best festivals in the region.
You might just know a little bit about the local music scene yourself if you made it this far. If so tell us what we got wrong in the comments or share your own thoughts on the scene.
No matter if you are trying to buy a new instrument, wanted some live entertainment, needed a vintage CD and record, or just wanted to learn more about music in Providence we hope you enjoy yourself.
