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A New Song Coffeehouse in Bedford has been running since 1985, and is known for its friendly audiences and first-rate concert environs. Average attendance is 150, with shows held one Saturday a month from September to May, except for December. Dress is casual, and free parking is available in two church parking lots, one in front of the church, and a larger one behind it. On-street parking in front of the coffeehouse is also free.

Concerts are held in a spacious fellowship hall with excellent acoustics and lighting, padded chairs and tables. As with nearly all BACHA coffeehouses, the shows are secular, and presented as a community project by a volunteer committee of church and non-church members. Though it is generally true of all BACHA coffeehouses, A New Song is particularly known as a comfortable, welcoming places for singles of all ages.

"The hall is designed for social and secular activities”, says coffeehouse director Jerry Christen. "There aren't any religious symbols on the walls. That's why we use it; it's a very comfortable public space. We want it to be somewhere people can come alone and spread their wings a little bit, or have another contact point in their life. We want to ensure that people feel comfortable coming by themselves or with groups, and to be as social or as private as they like."

"I think it's nice for people to be able to have a community life in their own town,” Christen says. “That's nothing against going to Boston, but it's nice to have an activity you can rely on right in your own community. It builds your connections with your neighbors, and with people you might not otherwise get to know."

The music leans toward contemporary songwriters, harmony groups and rootsier folk acts. The food consists of homemade desserts, coffee and tea, and - the specialty of the house - all-natural Squeeze soft drinks.

Christen is proud of the fact that A New Song is not only an audience favorite; it's a performers favorite as well.  "We've always believed that performers need to express their creativity just as much as audiences need to come and hear them," he says, "so we try to make this a good place for performers, too, treating them as guests when they play here. There's a warmth in that room that people often refer to, both performers and audience."

"I think A New Song is kind of a middle-of-the-road type of coffeehouse.   It's not necessarily a radical place to come and get your social consciousness raised; it's a place to come have a safe, comfortable social evening that's entertaining, but also with some food for the mind in there."