There is a new era of live music dawning in downtown Amherst.

While many establishments have been offering live music for decades, it has been in a quiet, unobtrusive, almost secret way that fit with the small-town character of Amherst. People could check out jazz for brunch or acoustic with their afternoon coffee or the occasional rock and roll late night in an underground location.

These are all still happening, but the Amherst Business Improvement District last month brought live music out into the light, front and center for a jamming local three-day event. Jamherst brought over 15 acoustic and electric acts to several venues around downtown March 23 to 25.

Performers and customers alike had a ball. One member of the audience on March 25 commented that the featured act was truly “on fire.”

One of the many things that was significant about Jamherst was the crazy amount of talent that was drawn to perform. There were fabulous solo acts, long-standing bands and lots of signature “jamming.” It was fun to see one of the acts from Friday night get up with his fiddle to nail it with another band on Saturday night. This was happening all weekend and was a joy to see and hear.

Alongside some of the top talent in the Valley we had new, young, local acts looking to get into the scene. That has always been one of our top missions when booking all of our concerts and events. We love local.

With Jamherst, we hope to put downtown Amherst on the proverbial music map of the Valley. We don’t pretend to compete with Northampton for nationally recognized acts or 200-plus seating at performance venues, but it seems pretty sweet to be able to offer the same caliber on this side of river with Valley-grown talent at small local venues.

The BID has been offering live music to the community at the Block Party for six years and our summer concert series for four years. We always book the best and brightest local talent, including the Amherst Community Band which will be joining us again this summer. But, with Jamherst we were happy to amp it up.

It was also helpful to have indoor venues so that we weren’t dependent on the weather. Lightning and live, outdoor music don’t mix and we have had to pack it up in a hurry a couple of times during the summer music season.

Thankfully, we have been lucky every summer when we book Grammy-winner Mister G to entertain the little ones that it has been sunny and beautiful as toddlers tromp across the stage as alligators and squirrels. He will be back again this summer, as well!

What bringing live music to downtown Amherst also means is that we are getting customers into venues and establishments at times that they may otherwise be low-key. We enjoy being able to organize and promote events like Jamherst that literally put feet in the street and bodies into businesses.

That is especially true on a weekend in March that can occupy the students in a healthy and safe way while they mingle with a multi-generational crowd. It was refreshing to watch students flow into downtown venues to listen to live music in a truly cooperative spirit.

Ultimately, whether it’s another Jamherst (which we hope to bring back for an encore in the fall) or other musical performance events such as our concerts in the parks, street buskers and Block Party, making downtown Amherst a live, local music destination is a priority at the BID. That is not only because everyone enjoys live music, but because it contributes to the downtown economy.

We see this as a critical component of the cultural fabric and a way to enhance and monetize cultural activities in downtown.

The BID and the Amherst Center Cultural District look forward to continuing to bring people together to sing, dance, fiddle, rock and roll and jam in Amherst.

Sarah la Cour, of Amherst, is executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District.