Soundbites Extra: Polka Edition
Some weeks, there are simply too many nifty music tidbits to fit in our li'l weekly music column, Soundbites. And sometimes, said nifty tidbits just come in way past deadline. (Friday, people. Friday.)
In any event, to fill the void and keep you up to date on all the news that didn't fit for print — or came in late … FRIDAY, DAMMIT!— here's a quickie extra edition of Soundbites.
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PUMP UP THE VOLUME
The July 3 party at Speaking Volumes has become something of an Independence Day-ish tradition in Burlington. And with good reason. Now entering its sixth year, the annual bash behind the eclectic secondhand shop on Pine Street is a great off-the-beaten-path alternative to the madddening throngs along Waterfront Park and other locales around the Queen City, and a cool spot to catch the imitation bombs bursting in air.
Also, the party routinely features some great local musical talent, with this year no exception. Rocking for freedom this time around are danceable Afro-pop outfit the Move It Move It, vowel-challenged EDM duo Principal Dean & Snakefoot Are FRNDS, spacey apparitional popsters Parmaga and — always a crowd pleaser — "special guests."
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BEFORE YOU GO GO
This just in: Grace Potter is a rock star. And she's fairly easy on the eyes, as the folks at Esquire recently acknowledged by including the VT-born singer in its "Wake Up Next to a Beautiful Woman" series. In the steamy pictorial and interview, Potter dishes on, well, sex, drugs and rock and roll. And sex. Other beautiful women whom you can imagine waking up next to in the series include supermodel Erin Wasson and actress Brittany Ishibashi. That's, ahem, good company.
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BUCKET LIST
Speaking of rising rockers with Vermont ties, art-rock-don't-call-us-Afro-funk-anymore-you-dick ensemble Rubblebucket have scored their first late-night-TV gig and will appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live"on Wednesday, July 18. Set your DVRs accordingly.
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UHF (Uh, holy f@#*!)
Last but not least, if you need a pick-me-up following Morrissey's impending mopefest — and we mean that in a good way — at the Flynn MainStage in October, fret not. Earlier this week, Higher Ground Presents announced that pop satirist and global nerd icon Weird Al Yankovic will mop up the tears left on the Flynn stage on Friday, October 20.
This next sentence may forever impugn what precious rock-scribe credibility I have, but I don't care. I saw Weird Al at the State Theater in Portland, Maine, about 10 years ago. And it was, no joke, the most entertaining show I have ever seen. Yes, really. Tickets for the Flynn show go on sale this Friday, June 29, and are available at flynntix.org or in person at the Flynn box office.
