Laurel Brauns, host of the Hush Hush Sweet Harlot series, casually made her way onto the Red Door’s stage with dimmed houselights fluttering to get the crowd’s attention. Framed by bouncing shadows cast by the tea-light candles aboard every wooden sill in the cozy venue, Brauns played a single tune and then dutifully MC’d the rest of the evening. Mondays here have become a staple for many looking to catch some good live music on a weeknight.

Matt Bauer then took the stage, banjo in hand. He’s a particularly tall fellow, with a shaved head and a big, bushy beard. The ceilings at the Portsmouth venue are quite low, and Bauer knew he was in for a challenge as soon as he began to tune his instrument and banged it on the beam overhead.

“My fingers are a bit slow, and my mood, a bit mellow,” Bauer said after two songs. “But not to worry, they’ll become more nimble soon.”

Bauer began weaving beautiful, intricate melodies with his banjo, much like the work that Sufjan Stevens is known for, all the while singing about life on the farm and other down-home, country experiences.

His playing did become more easygoing, though he had a deep, intense stare that rarely made its way out into the audience. Perhaps this was due to the presence of Robert Fisher (Willard Grant Conspiracy), who sat right up front with hands crossed and just stared at Bauer without blinking for the entire set, only to get up and personally praise his songs while Bauer began to pack up.

Fisher himself took the stage next, accompanied by viola player David Michael Curry, the latest member of the oft-rotating cast known as the Willard Grant Conspiracy. Fisher is the mastermind of the group and a force in the indie world, due not only to his accomplishments as a songwriter and composer but also his powerful stage presence. Like Bauer, Fisher is one big dude. He’s an intense fellow, too, but in a different way than Bauer. If Fisher is staring at you, you want to take cover. He controls the room.

“Alright, let’s pretend we’re at a business meeting, and we just had a nice break,” Fisher said, trying to get the crowd’s attention back. “Now we’re back from break, and its time to continue with the business matter at hand.” At which point he started in on his blend of acoustic music with dark, sermon-esque vocals in the vein of Johnny Cash, singing of lost love and death, stopping only to introduce the next tune. Fisher was a preacher of sorts, but he didn’t practice the kind of preaching that got you out of your seat and swinging your hands around in joy.

The evening was rounded out with a homecoming. The crowd really started to rustle about as the luminous Chris Merenda (of Mammals and Chewy fame) began to tune his banjo, preparing to bust out some of his own acoustic folk songs. He played tunes off of his two solo albums, “The Regimen” and “Hello Freedom,” bobbing his head in a circular motion and letting his curly afro sway about while he sang quite loudly to such cuts as “Antique Queens,” “You’re a Critter” and “Shut Up.” Also on the set list were a few tunes from the late Durham ska band, Skarotum, and the show-ending “Oops, I Did It Again,” a cover of the Brittany Spears song with a chorus boasting expletives that made it very easy for Merenda to get the crowd singing along.