Live · Studio · Solo · Lessons

Troy Caruana

Photo Credit: Capture Core Photography

About

Troy Caruana is a Boston-based multi-instrumentalist and performer with well over a decade of live and studio experience across clubs, theaters, and festivals throughout New England. He plays guitar, pedal steel, lap steel, and dobro, working most often in the American roots tradition: country, folk, blues, bluegrass, and Americana.

He performs live with touring and regional acts, records in the studio and remotely, and fronts his own solo sets. His solo material is grounded in classic country, folk, and Americana but ranges into rock, blues, and beyond. He has performed and recorded with artists including Ward Hayden & the Outliers, Lenny Lashley, and Nick Bosse & the Northern Roots, with session credits collected on Spotify.

Live Performance

Touring, residencies & fill-ins

Troy performs well over 100 shows a year on pedal steel, guitar, lap steel, and dobro, covering everything from honky-tonk and classic country to folk, Americana, blues, reggae, and rock. He’ll cover the steel parts, switch to guitar for a set, or bring dobro and lap steel to fill out the sound, whatever the set calls for.

He’s a reliable hire when you need a player ready to go: he reads charts fluently (including Nashville Number System), learns setlists fast, locks in with the band, and steps into a date on short notice without missing a beat. Whether it’s a full set learned in advance or a last-minute sub, Troy comes prepared.

Available across New England for touring, regular dates, and subs. Get in touch below for availability.

Solo PERFORMANCE

Country, Folk & Americana

As a solo act, Troy builds his shows around classic country, folk, and Americana, reaching into rock, blues, and beyond. The selection suits a wide range of rooms and audiences, with a repertoire that covers a full night of music. Each performance is shaped to the room, whether that’s a laid-back set or a featured spot.

He’s played solo across New England for years, in listening rooms, restaurants, breweries, clubs, and private events, reading each room and adjusting to the crowd and the occasion. His solo take on John Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” is on Spotify.

Available for solo dates across Greater Boston and New England. Get in touch below to check availability and book a date.

Studio & Tracking

Remote & in-studio sessions on pedal steel, guitar, lap steel & dobro

Troy offers remote pedal steel, guitar, lap steel, and dobro for artists, producers, and songwriters, recorded from his own rig or tracked in the studio with you. Remote parts come two ways: the amped, finished tone shaped to the track, plus the raw DI for reamping or further editing. When it helps, he’ll send multiple passes or alternate takes, so you have options to choose from in the mix.

Several instruments, one player. Pedal steel, lap steel, dobro, and guitar from a single session means an arrangement can move between textures without coordinating multiple players. The approach is restraint over flash: the part that serves the song, dropped in without fighting for space.

His playing appears on releases for several New-England artists and beyond, many of which are available on Spotify & other major streaming platforms. In addition to studio sessions, Troy regularly tracks from his home studio. Standard turnaround is about a week, with rush work available. Just send a rough mix and a note on what you’re after.

Lessons

In-person & Virtual

Troy teaches guitar, pedal steel, lap steel, and dobro to students of all ages and experience levels, from first-timers to experienced players sharpening specific skills. Lessons are available online and in person around the Greater Boston area. Curriculum is tailored to each student’s goals, interests, and the music they want to play.

His approach emphasizes strong fundamentals, musical understanding, improvisation, and the practical skills that build steady progress and the confidence to play with others. Pedal steel instruction covers E9 fundamentals: blocking, bar control, volume pedal technique, and copedent basics.

Troy also teaches Certano and Duesenberg-style hand-bender setups on guitar and lap steel, a practical path to pedal-steel-style playing without a full pedal steel rig, and a natural next step for guitarists curious about steel.

A patient teacher and an active live and studio musician throughout New England, Troy connects every lesson to real playing, whether the goal is the stage, the studio, or simply enjoying the instrument more. One-on-one instruction, structured around the music you want to play.

Get in touch below for rates and availability.

Upcoming Shows

Catch Troy playing with a variety of great New England artists

Date	Time	Group	Venue	Location
Jul 31	5 PM	Kylie Harris	Lilac Hedge Farm	Rutland, MA
Aug 01	1 PM	Lenny Lashley	The Yellow Room	Kingston, MA
Aug 03	6:30 PM	Matt York	Levitate Backyard	Marshfield, MA
Aug 04	2 PM	Troy Caruana	Private Event	Brookline, MA
Aug 08	1:30 PM	Kylie Harris	Lilac Hedge Farm	Rutland, MA
Aug 10	6:30 PM	Troy Caruana & Kylie Harris	Levitate Backyard	Marshfield, MA
Aug 11	9 PM	Jesse Desorcy & Co.	Captain Nick's	Block Island, RI
Aug 14	7:30 PM	Kylie Harris	Lost Cowboy Brewing Co.	Nashua, NH
Aug 15	7 PM	Lenny Lashley	The Shaskeen Pub	Manchester, NH	With Tim Barry and Matt Charette
Aug 16	1 PM	Troy Caruana	Jamaica Plain Porchfest	Jamaica Plain, MA
Aug 16	5 PM	Ben Durand Band	Jamaica Plain Porchfest	Jamaica Plain, MA
Aug 18	5 PM	Jesse Desorcy & Co.	Newport Vineyards	Middletown, RI
Aug 19	2:30 PM	Troy Caruana	Private Event	Quincy, MA
Aug 19	8 PM	Ben Wetherbee Honky Tonk Band	Remnant - Satellite	Cambridge, MA
Aug 20	2 PM	Troy Caruana	Private Event	Lexington, MA
Aug 28	7 PM	Troy Caruana	Cisco Brewers	New Bedford, MA
Aug 29	2 PM	Ben Durand Band	Tyngsborough Block Party	Tyngsborough, MA
Sep 01	2 PM	Troy Caruana	Private Event	Brookline, MA