In its early years, the Freight was a magnet for bluegrass fans and musicians but also presented an eclectic mix of folk, acoustic, Scottish and Irish, jugbands, mimes, spoken word and open mics.

[3] The $12 million project, built to LEED standards, has a green roof and features reclaimed wood from the original building on the site throughout, as well as classrooms to fulfill the organization's educational mission.

Notable musicians who have performed at the Freight in more recent years include Dave Alvin, Greg Brown, Dan Bern, Theodore Bikel, David Bromberg, Johnny Clegg, Judy Collins, Ry Cooder, Tommy Emmanuel, David Grisman, Dan Hicks, Tom Paxton, Utah Phillips, Ricky Skaggs, Rosalie Sorrels, Marty Stuart, Richard Thompson, Cheryl Wheeler, Dar Williams, Cris Williamson and Odetta, among many others.

[4] Several artists have released live recordings of Freight performances, including Nickel Creek, Hot Buttered Rum, Graham Parker, John Wesley Harding, Kelly Joe Phelps, Fishtank Ensemble, Marley's Ghost, and the Berkeley-based band Rebecca Riots.

In 2016 Peter Williams was hired as Artistic Director, and under his vision The Freight has branched out to include a more diverse blend of performers and has featured John Santos, DakhaBrakha, Eddie Palmieri, Meshell Ndegeocello, Bill Frisell, Fatoumata Diawara, Kenny Garrett, Dom Flemons, Juan de Marcos González, Oumou Sangare, Bobby McFerrin, Kurt Elling, and a host of jazz, Latin, Americana, and world music performers.