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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Northern Lights

You gotta hand it to Grace Potter and her merry band of Nocturnals, this is pretty friggin' cool.

Yesterday morning, Higher Ground announced the lineup for this summer's Lake Champlain Maritime Festival, the annual nautically themed bash on Burlington's waterfront that GPN have traditionally played as a homecoming gig after a summer of touring the country. But this year, rather than blow into town, play a set or two and skeedaddle, they've curated an entire weekend-long festival-within-a-festival, dubbed "Grand Point North" — GPN, get it? And while the band is pulling in some serious marquee talent, the bulk of weekend will have a distinctly local flavor. Check the lineup:

Taj Mahal Trio, Deva Mahal, Fitz & the Tantrums, the Wood Brothers, Anaïs Mitchell & the Hadestown Orchestra (VT), Jessica Lea Mayfield, Hoots & HellmouthChamberlin (VT), Barbacoa (VT), Parmaga (VT), the Eames Brothers Band (VT), Lendway (VT), Maryse Smith & the Rosesmiths (VT) and Split Tongue Crow (VT)

Color me impressed. 

The fest runs August 13 and 14, with GPN headlining both nights. I'm told they'll split the two evenings roughly along genre lines, with the rootsier acts dominating one night and the louder, more indie flavored bands the other. Tickets go on sale this Friday.   

 

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Bonerama! (Or, What to do With Those Antsy Jazz Hands)

Top o' the afternoon, Solid State.

The fine folks from the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival held their annual press conference this afternoon to thank their long list of sponsors, ply the media with ice cream and give Bob Kiss something to talk about that doesn't involve Burlington Telecom. Oh, and also to announce the bulk of this year's lineup, which, while maybe not as top-heavy with monster marquee acts as in recent years, appears solid from top to bottom, including some undercard acts that could well steal the fest.

The big names likely need little introduction: Herbie Hancock, Bela Fleck and the Orginal Flecktones, Poncho Sanchez, aaaaaaaand … muthaflippin' viperHouse, who will follow Belizbeha's lead from last year's fest and get the band back together to relive some Queen City glory days. Rad. Trombone rockers Bonerama (pictured) and the Joshua Panda Band open that show at the Waterfront Groove Tent on Thursday, June 9.

Bonerama Also at the top of the docket, Bitches Brew Revisited, an all-star tribute to Miles Davis' groundbreaking 1970 record, Bitches Brew. The band features Vernon Reid, Graham Haynes, Marco Benevento and DJ Logic, among some other choice heavy hitters. Local improv jazz outfit — and a personal favorite — YoUSAy Placate open the Flynn MainStage show, which opens the entire fest on Friday June 3. The BDJF is also launching a contest inviting local artists to reimagine the cover art from Davis' landmark album. For more details on that, visit the BDJF site.

The BDJF always does well giving women in jazz their due. But, intentional or not, it seems there is an increased focus on lady songbirds this year, highlighted by a double bill at the FlynnSpace featuring vocalists Jay Clayton and Sheila Jordan on Tuesday, June 7. Other choice acts include vocalist Catherine Russell (6/8, FlynnSpace), ecelectic electro-acoustic outfit the Myra Melford Be Bread Sextet (6/9, FlynnSpace) and a MainStage double bill that will see renowned vocalist Roberta Gambarini share the stage with the Roy Hargrove Quintet on Saturday, June 11.

There's obviously much more to talk about, and in the coming weeks, we surely will. Most of the lineup and schedule info is up on the BDJF site. But there are still a few shows that have yet to be announced and should be made public within the next week or so. Stay tuned. 

 

 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

WWJZD?

And here's the latest vid from VT's Cartoon Laureate/Superstar James Kochalka, "Beyonce," from his album Digital Elf. Here's hoping Jay-Z doesn't find out.

 

 

 

Friday, April 08, 2011

2-Hour Contest: Starfucker

Wanna see Starfucker? I've got two tickets to give away to tonight's show at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge. To win, just tell me why you think you deserve to go in the comments section. Best answer, as judged by a panel of … well, me, wins. Be sure to leave your real name and email addy so I can contact you/have the band's management put you on the list. Contest closes at 2 p.m. Aaaaaand go!

 

 

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Zoning Out

On the heels of Son of Salami/Joey Pizza Slice's bizarre "Fresh Baguettes" vid from earlier this week, Toby Aronson of NNA Tapes renown espoused the singular songwriter's trash-pop virtues in a guest post on Pitchfork sister site Altered Zones. Here's a snippet:

When I first heard about Joey, he was described to me as "that weirdo who just moved to town and has a cardboard robot and an imaginary vampire in his band." Over the years, Burlington, VT has grown to love Joey and all of his endeavors. I've seen Joey singing to frat boys, the homeless, and even the elderly. And it's not every day that "lo-fi pop" can connect with those sorts of folks.

Indeed. Check out the rest of the post here.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

The Best Thing Since Sliced Pizza

Heya, folks.

Here's the latest from local trash-pop auteur Joey Pizza Slice, a bizarre little video for his song "Fresh Baguettes." Because nothing says "I love you" like the gift of crusty bread, especially when aided by a sign language interpreter — y'know, for those who can't read gigantic lips. Take it away, Joey. 

 

 

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