Take It To The Bridge (Trio) at the Charlestown Rathskeller Turns an Eight-Piece Party Band Into a Sunday Afternoon Groove
Take It To The Bridge (Trio) at the Charlestown Rathskeller takes a band normally built for packed dance floors and pares it down to three musicians for a free Sunday afternoon show in Charlestown.
The trio plays Sunday, September 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Charlestown Rathskeller, bringing acoustic arrangements of songs drawn from the funk, soul, pop and rock repertoire of the full Take It To The Bridge.
Admission is free, although the Rathskeller is asking guests to RSVP in advance.
It’s also an interesting change of scale. The full Take It To The Bridge is an eight-piece Rhode Island event band designed to make a lot of sound.
The trio has to accomplish the same basic mission with considerably less machinery.
Take It To The Bridge Usually Arrives With Eight Musicians
Take It To The Bridge has been performing around Rhode Island and southern New England since 2014.
The full band works primarily in the event and wedding circuit, where versatility matters. Its repertoire moves across decades and genres rather than attempting to establish one narrowly defined sound.
Funk can lead into soul. Pop can give way to rock & roll. Older songs can sit beside contemporary material.
The band’s full configuration uses eight musicians, giving it the personnel to create the kind of layered arrangements, vocal harmonies and rhythmic punch expected from a large event band.
That’s the version that played the Rathskeller just nine days before this trio appearance.
On September 11, Take It To The Bridge brought the full eight-piece band to the venue for a Friday-night concert.
Sunday’s show is deliberately different.
Three Musicians Changes More Than the Volume
The Rathskeller describes the trio as three members of the main band performing “stripped-down” versions of familiar songs.
That’s more significant than simply turning down the amplifiers.
Songs arranged for a large band have places for multiple instruments, vocals and rhythm parts. Reduce that to three musicians and someone has to decide which pieces of the original arrangement are essential.
A horn line might disappear.
A guitar or keyboard can suddenly have considerably more room.
Backing vocals become more exposed.
And the rhythm has to work without all the layers that normally help propel a large dance band.
The result can reveal something about a familiar song that gets lost in a bigger arrangement: whether the melody and groove still work when most of the decoration is gone.
Take It To The Bridge calls its trio performances soulful interpretations of familiar hits rather than simply miniature versions of its full-band show.
The Groove Is Still the Point
Don’t mistake “acoustic” or “stripped down” for background music.
Take It To The Bridge built its reputation as a dance-oriented band.
The full group’s repertoire is rooted heavily in music where rhythm matters, particularly funk and soul, while stretching into pop and rock & roll.
The trio format preserves that emphasis.
Instead of trying to reproduce every element of the eight-piece arrangements, the smaller lineup can lean harder on the groove underneath them.
That makes the Sunday-afternoon format a natural fit.
The goal isn’t necessarily the all-out energy of a Friday-night dance floor. It’s familiar music played closely enough that you can pay attention to what the musicians are doing while still having enough rhythmic life to keep the afternoon moving.
This Is One of Several Trio Dates on the Band’s Calendar
The Rathskeller show isn’t a one-time experiment.
Take It To The Bridge has been using the trio as a distinct version of the band, with additional 2026 trio performances appearing on its schedule.
The group returns to the smaller format at Sakonnet Vineyard in Little Compton on October 4, while the larger band continues handling weddings, private events and public performances.
The schedule illustrates the difference between the two configurations.
One weekend can find the full group working a large wedding or gala. Another afternoon can put three members outdoors at a vineyard or tavern.
It’s the same musical catalog adapted to a very different room and audience.
The Rathskeller Has Already Become Familiar Territory
Take It To The Bridge has been a recurring presence at the Charlestown Rathskeller.
The full band appeared there on September 11, while the trio also played the venue earlier this summer on July 26.
That makes Sunday’s show less of an introduction than another variation on an established relationship between the band and the venue.
And the Rathskeller’s outdoor setup is particularly well suited to the trio version.
The property sits back from Old Coach Road in a wooded setting, with its seasonal Down Back entertainment area providing space for live music, outdoor seating, lawn games and the venue’s large fire pit.
A Sunday afternoon there doesn’t have to function like a conventional concert.
You can arrive for food, find a place outside, have a drink and let the music become part of the afternoon.
Make Dinner the Second Half of the Show
The timing works particularly well for anyone who wants to combine the concert with a meal.
The Rathskeller opens at noon on Sunday, four hours before the music begins, and remains open until 10 p.m. The kitchen is also scheduled until 10.
That gives you several options.
Come early for a late lunch and stay for the band.
Arrive around showtime and eat while the trio plays.
Or treat the 4-to-7 concert as the first half of the evening and move inside for dinner afterward.
The Rathskeller’s menu leans into hearty tavern food with burgers, seafood and pub standards, along with dishes including New England clam chowder, calamari, mussels, fish and chips, steak frites and other substantial plates.
The venue is also known for its fries, which can be considerably more elaborate than the phrase “side of fries” suggests.
Sunday Is Free
There’s another substantial difference between Sunday’s trio performance and the full band’s September 11 Rathskeller concert.
The earlier eight-piece show was ticketed at $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
The trio show is free.
The Rathskeller and Eventbrite both list free admission for September 20.
The venue is nevertheless accepting advance RSVPs through Eventbrite. That doesn’t turn the afternoon into a paid ticketed event, but registering gives the venue an idea of attendance.
With outdoor seating generally operating on a first-come basis, arriving early remains sensible if you care where you sit.
It’s the Quieter Cousin of a Saturday Night at the Rathskeller
The Rathskeller has a particularly busy live-music weekend planned.
Friday brings ’80s tribute band Aquanett.
Saturday belongs to Blizzard of Ozz and the music of Ozzy Osbourne.
Then Sunday afternoon changes the temperature completely.
Instead of big hair, metal riffs and a full-scale nighttime concert, Take It To The Bridge arrives with three musicians and a collection of songs rearranged for a smaller setting.
That’s one of the advantages of a venue programming music across an entire weekend.
Not every show needs to operate at maximum volume.
Sometimes a few musicians, a good song and a Sunday afternoon in the woods are enough.
Details
Event: Take It To The Bridge (Trio) at the Charlestown Rathskeller
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026
Time: 4–7 p.m.
Location: The Charlestown Rathskeller
Address: 489A Old Coach Road, Charlestown, RI 02813
Admission: Free
RSVP: Advance RSVP requested through Eventbrite
Music: Acoustic and stripped-down interpretations of funk, soul, pop and rock hits
Band: Three members of the eight-piece Take It To The Bridge
Venue Opens: Noon
Sunday Closing: 10 p.m.
Kitchen: Noon–10 p.m.
Phone: 401-792-1000
General Contact: info@rathskellertavern.com
Music Contact: music@rathskellertavern.com
Setting: Outdoor seasonal live-music area; seating is generally first come
Weather: Check the venue’s current event information if weather could affect the outdoor performance.
More information is available at the Event Website link below.
To reserve your spot, click the Event Registration link below.
Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.