Boxcar Lilies, Beggar's Ride Open Folk Music Series Tonight

Jenny Goodspeed says the first time that she, Stephanie Marshall and Katie Clarke performed together, the folk musicians "improvised harmonies on each other's songs."

"We really liked doing it," Goodspeed recalls.

Tonight, the Western Mass.-based trio, as The Boxcar Lilies, will help launch a new folk series in Westborough, about three years after their session at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist showcase.

The Community Folk Series debuts at 7:30 p.m. at the Boroughs JCC. Tickets are $12.50 in advance, $15 at the door and $10 for seniors and students. The doors will open at 6:45 p.m. Baltimore-based folk duo Beggar's Ride will be the opening act.

The Community Folk Series is the latest partnership between local music promoter Sally Johnson Presents and the JCC, Johnson says. The series will include concerts, workshops, open mic nights and kids programs, she says.

Part of the proceeds will support expanding community programs, and preschool scholarships for families in need at the JCC, she says.

Goodspeed says the Lilies often play local concert series, although this is the group's first Westborough show.

Such shows usually have "a real sense of community," Goodspeed says.

"Everybody's doing it as a labor of love. It just comes across as a nice experience," she says.