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Confetti Dreams is the alter-ego of Burlington-based electro-folk songstress Lady Lioness, which itself is the pseudonym of regular gal, Erin Cavellier. Confused? Don't be. Just hit play on this track, "Tablespoon," from Confetti Dreams' forthcoming debut for Angioplasty Records — which, incidentally, is being produced by Parmaga's Bryan Parmelee, who sent this cut along. Then close your eyes and drift away in a wash of sweet, dreamy bedroom-pop. Enjoy …
In today's column, I mentioned Justin Levinson would be taking to the stage at Nectar's this Friday, celebrating the release of a new single he recently recorded with Nashville's Madi Diaz. Here's that very single, in clever video form.
It's hardly news in Burlington that the Vacant Lots are blowin' up. The garage-psych duo have had quite a run of late, touring the country with the likes of Spectrum, dropping by showcases such as SXSW and the Austin Psych Festival, and signing to hip indie label Indian Summer. For TVL, it has been a very good year indeed.
But it seems in the midst of his wandering, TVL founder and front man Jared Artaud may be souring on the scene in which his band cut its teeth. In a recent interview with music website Rock Edition, Artaud offers some provocative words on the Queen City and its music scene. Here's an excerpt:
Rock Edition: What’s the music scene like in Burlington, VT?
Jared Artaud: It’s a small city with a big scene: a lot going on, but not a lot happening. In the 4 years I have been in Burlington, I have always tried to get the most out of this city, but I am continually disappointed. There is a lot of activity locally, but not a whole lot that is drawing me out to experience it. There is a lot of mediocrity in Burlington. I think there is a great amount of comfortability and conformity here that I don’t correspond with. Honestly, I feel pretty detached with the scene here. [There are] not a lot of people making music that I like seeing live either. I spent my first year here going to everything, every show, every night. It took me a year to find a drummer to play with!
It’s equally difficult to invite other bands to come and play here, with a low attendance rate and excitement surrounding live shows. I think the greater disappointment with the Burlington music scene is this unspoken notion of, “Well, they’re playing this Friday night, but I’ll catch them next time they play.” How does a local musician make a living with that kind of attitude? That really doesn’t work for me. There are also only a few cool venues to play. Consequently, the scene gets old pretty quick, if you know what I mean. It’s a city that has great potential but continually disappoints, because there is so little really happening here, [and so few] bands that are really saying something. Do you know what I mean? That’s the kinda sad truth of the small city.
We play so few shows here, mostly just incorporating the shows into our future tours and not doing a lot of one-offs. Maybe one to two shows a year, tops. The funny thing, too, is people are always asking, “When are you playing here next?” You tell them you are playing next week and they don’t show up! So why bother at all? I’d [prefer to] just concentrate on writing, recording and developing my ideas, rather than worry too much about when or if we should play here soon. There is also a continual trend with bands leaving Burlington for bigger cities. We’ll see what happens.
Curious sentiment from a guy who said this in a 2009 interview with Seven Days:
“There’s just something about Burlington,” he says. “I really believe that a revolution is necessary and that we need to redefine our values and explore new roads. I believe that art can pave that road. And I really believe that is happening here.”
Artaud points to the wealth of artists and musicians, new and old, currently combating what he calls “the decay around us.” When asked to be more specific, his eyes light up. “There are some really great bands doing things here that weren’t happening a year, two years ago,” he says. “There’s a revitalization of spirit. Rough Francis, Blowtorch, Nose Bleed Island . . . these are all people who are expressing in this new light for our generation.”
In his RE interview, Artaud didn't air any grievances we haven't heard before. Disillusioned local musicians have been grumbling about the perceived limitations of the Burlington scene for decades — often blaming fans, as if a packed house is a birthright in BTV. We're not Brooklyn or Austin or Portland. And, for better or worse, we probably never will be. Still, Artaud's apparent change of heart is interesting. Maybe the scene really has diminished in the last two years — at the least, it is always in flux, and ebbs and flows constantly. Maybe for Artaud, Burlington has simply lost its lustre. It happens. Or maybe tasting the riches of higher profile scenes has just made ours seem provincial and plain by comparison. Or maybe Artaud is dead on and Burlington needs a kick its artistic ass. Still, one can't help but wonder how TVL would have fared without the support from bands such as Rough Francis and Blowtorch, and the Burlington scene at large that embraced them in their early days and helped put them on the map. Whether he's right or wrong, as TVL continues its ascent, here's hoping Artaud remembers that.
It seems things at Parima are devolving faster than anyone expected. As Joe Adler, now-formally the talent buyer at the doomed Thai restaurant/music joint, writes today, the upcoming music calendar has been pretty much wiped clean, from now until the Pearl St. haunt closes in mid-September. All but a few shows have been canceled — including Burgundy Thursday tonight and the entirety of this weekend's slate. The full list of canceled shows is below. In other news, fuck.
Canceled Shows
Thurs, 8/4 - Burgundy Thursdays with Joe Adler featuring The Beerworth Sisters / Dusty Jewels / Don & Jenn
(Singer/Songwriter / Main Stage) 8:30pm, $3
Fri, 8/5 - Kelly Ravin with Lisa Marie Fischer opening
(Blues Rock / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Fri, 8/5 - Second Agenda
(Rock Hop Rebel Folk / Main Stage) 10pm, $3
Sat, 8/6 - Modern Grass Quintet
(Bluegrass / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Sat, 8/6 - Squid City / Project Organ Trio
(Jazz / Rock / Main Stage) 9:30pm, $5
Sun, 8/7 - Queen City Bossa
(Bossa Nova / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Thurs, 8/11 - Eric and Matthias
(Singer/Songwriter / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Thurs, 8/11 - Burgundy Thursdays with Joe Adler featuring Carrie Ferguson / Bill Buyer / Chris Lewis / Tim Berry
(Singer/Songwriter / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Fri, 8/12 - Last October
(Acoustic/Folk / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Fri, 8/12 - Charley Orlando with Steve Hartmann opening
(Jam/Soul/Rock / Main Stage) 9:30pm, $5
Fri, 8/12 - African Party
(Acoustic Lounge) 11:30pm, $5, 60/40 (doors at 11)
Sun, 8/14 - Sarah Louise Pieplow / The Wendigos
(Punky Folk/Garage Rock / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Wed, 8/17 - Too Tight Trio with Kip Meaker
(Blues Rock / Main Stage) 7pm, $5
Thurs, 8/18 - Burgundy Thursdays with Joe Adler featuring Phil Yates & The Affiliates / Jimmy Ruin / Chris Jenkins / UMMA / TBA / TBA
(Singer/Songwriter / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Sat, 8/20 - Matt Graham Quartet
(Jazz / Main Stage)7pm, $3
Wed, 8/24 - Too Tight Trio with Kip Meaker
(Blues Rock / Main Stage) 7pm, $5
Thurs, 8/25 - Burgundy Thursdays with Joe Adler featuring Robin Reid / James McSheffrey / Clara Berry / Kevin Greenblott / TBA / TBA
(Singer/Songwriter / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Fri, 8/26 - Ragged Glory
(Neil Young Tribute / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Fri, 8/26 - Funkwagon with Dr Ruckus opening
(Funk/Soul / Main Stage) 10pm, $5
Sat, 8/27 - Clara Engel
(Blues/Experimental / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Sat, 8/27 - Bobby Messano Band with Midnight Jones opening
(Blues / Main Stage) 10pm, $5
Fri, 9/2 - Black Mountain Symphony
(Progressive Folk / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Fri, 9/2 - Roots Center Benefit featuring TBA
(Main Stage) 10pm, donation
Sun, 9/4 - Zack duPont's "Let's Make A Record" Sessions featuring The Bob Wagner & Brett Lanier Duo and Maryse Smith
(Singer/Songwriter / Acoustic Lounge) 7pm, $3
Wed, 9/7 - Too Tight Trio with Kip Meaker
(Blues Rock / Main Stage) 7pm, $5
Thurs, 9/8 - Burgundy Thursdays with Joe Adler featuring Robby Hecht / Raph Worrick / Hillary Reynolds Band / Voices2
(Singer/Songwriter / Main Stage) 8:30pm, $3
Fri, 9/9 - Small Change
(Tom Waits Tribute / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Sat, 9/10 - Jen Berger (Acoustic Lounge) 7:30pm, doors at 7pm
Sun, 9/11 - Zack duPont's "Let's Make A Record" Sessions featuring Nuda Veritas and Paper Castles
(Singer/Songwriter / Acoustic Lounge) 7pm, $3
Mon, 9/12 - Mildred Moody's Full Moon Masquerade featuring TBA
(Main Stage) 10pm, $5
Wed, 9/14 - Too Tight Trio with Kip Meaker
(Blues Rock / Main Stage) 7pm, $5
Fri, 9/16 - Triage
(Jazz / Main Stage) 7pm, $3
Fri, 9/16 - Red Hot Juba
(Hot Countrified Jazz and Blues / Main Stage) 9pm, $5
I ran into Matt Hagen of Lendway/Nefarius Frenzy a week or two back, and he was positively raving about a surprise act at a recent Metal Monday, the metal series at Nectar's he's been curating/hosting with Metal Matt Longo from WRUV/mindovermetal.org. I mean, like, wouldn't-shut-about-it raving. The performer's name is Vika, and she plays instrumental versions of metal songs on her piano. And she rawks. Here's a clip from her last appearance at Metal Monday, playing Slayer's "Reign in Blood." FYI, I'm told she'll be back at Nectar's tonight …
Well folks, another one bites the dust. And this one stings.
I've just gotten off the phone with Parima talent buyer, Joe Adler, who informed me that the venerable Thai restaurant/increasingly killer music venue will close its doors for good in September. The building was recently sold to another local business, which, for now, will remain anonymous until it has had a chance to inform its employees and make a formal announcement. Adler did note, however, that the plans for the new venture do not include entertainment. What a waste.
Adler said a blowout farewell party is planned for Saturday, September 17 featuring Jen Hartswick, Nick Cassarino and host of other local favorites. "It will be the craziest party you can imagine," he promised.
I don't know, Joe, I can imagine some pretty crazy parties. Although, I've been to several wild shindigs at Parima in recent months. Over the last year-plus, the juke joint has gone from being a fairly awkward place to see a show to one of the more consistently entertaining venues in town. From his weekly Burgundy Thursday series and the monthly Full Moon Masquerade party to puling in big ticket acts such as the Barr Brothers and Marco Benevento and lining up great local artists week in and week out, Adler and company have created a welcome addition to our cozy little music scene. Parima's impending closure will mean a big, honkin' void for local music fans this fall.
"It's been a great ride," he said. Indeed, Joe.
Parima will close its doors in September, but there is still a full calendar on tap in the meantime, including two shows this evening: an early gig with Rusty Belle, Flightless Buttress and Tommy Alexander, and then a late night throwdown with Bonjour-Hi!, Lazerdisk Party Sex, Craig Mitchell, DJ A-Dog, Mushpost, Bass Culture and DJ Disco Phantom.
Unfortunately, news of this show came in too late for me to make mention of or list in the paper this week. But local indie pop outfit Hello Shark are playing Muddy Waters in Burlington this very evening at 10 p.m. Here's hoping the heat has receded to not-life-threatening levels by then and/or that the AC at Muddy's is cranking.
Anyway, to help keep you cool in the meantime, here's a vid of Hello Shark from a recent performance at Foodbar in Portsmouth, NH. Enjoy.
This just in from the folks at Ye Olde North End Ramble (July 30), the deadline to sign up to be involved, whether as a performer, host venue, volunteer or sugar daddy financier, has been extended to this Friday, July 15. You can pick up forms at variety of Burlington locations, including Radio Bean, Jamba's Junktiques and Viva Espresso.
There is also now a Ramble Kickstarter page, which features the promotional video below. A nine-minute-long promotional video. Nine minutes. Seriously. Anyway, they need to hit a grand in the next 16 days. I'm betting they get there.
Yeah, yeah. I know. It's been a while. I could make excuses for the dearth of posts this past month. I could offer sincere regrets, guarantees it will never happen again, solemn vows to be a more vigilant blurbsmith. But we both know such promises would, while well-intentioned, ring hollow, much like Hank Moody apologizing to his eternally wounded and increasingly jaded daughter, Becca, for the thousandth time: sincerely remorseful, yet fully aware — as she is — that he will inevitably fuck up again, most likely in boozy and spectacular fashion. (Yes, I've been on a "Californication" kick lately.)
Anyway, in the interest of playing catchup/stopping the bleeding/not doing other work, I thought we'd bust out an old fashioned smattering of randomness to get us relatively up to date. Here goes.
- This just in from Higher Ground: LoCash Cowboys have cancelled their appearance at the club scheduled for this Sunday. Figures, the one time I throw airbrushed pop-country a rhinestone-studded bone, I jinx the show. My bad.
- Wanna see some naked musicians? Local videographer Matt Day, on the heels of a successful opening at the BCA Center last month, finally has an online home for his Naked Musicians video project, nakedmusicians.com. It's an interesting project, showcasing (mostly) local tunesmiths playing (clothed) in casual surroundings. It's also very well done. Plus, bonus points to Day for the lurid website title, which will undoubtedly draw a bazilion extra hits from pervy Googlers. Well played! Anyway, here's a vid from the project featuring Paper Castles.
naked musicians - Paper Castles from Matt Day on Vimeo.
- Any Amerpunkgrassrockjazzicana fans in the house? Go see the Defibulators at Nectar's on Thursday. Trust me.
- Remember back in February of 2010, when Rapper Big Pooh and his crew nearly died on I-89 when their van flipped en route to a show at Club Metronome? No? Well, they did. Not only that, they still played the gig. Anyway, it seems Pooh's group, Little Brother, recently broke up under some unfortunate and convoluted circumstances, as detailed in this excellent article in North Carolina's Independent Weekly by Grayson Currin, which leads with a description of the accident outside Randolph. (Full disclosure: this story is up for an AAN award this year, which is sort of like the Oscars for alt-weekly journalism. A story I wrote is actually nominated in the same category. But were I a betting man, my money would be on Currin. This is a prime example of arts-related alt-journalism at its best.)
- I was on vacation when this was announced, but I couldn't be happier about Gillian Welch coming to the Flynn in October. As an aside, Welch's Time (the Revelator) remains the only album my dad has ever borrowed from me and never returned. I don't blame him. Tix go on sale Friday.
- Conan O'Brien gave James Kochalka some love recently.
- Burlington's e-sk (Slanted Black Records) was recently featured on Beatport.
- And last but not least, BURNTmd's track "Smuggler's Notch," featuring Keith Murray was just named a "Banger" by noted hip-hop rag XXL Magazine. I believe that's a good thing … (Seriously though, congrats, B)
Hey ho, Solid State.
It's time once again for your friendly neighborhood alt-weekly to compile the ballot for this year's Seven Daysies Awards. And, as we do most years, we're looking for ways to mix up some of the categories. This being a music-ish blog, I'm specifically looking for ways we can better represent the scene as a whole, and maybe introduce a few new faces into the winner's circle along side the perennial favorites — Higher Ground, Grace Potter, etc.
So, if you could, what categories would you add to our existing awards? Which existing ones would you eliminate altogether, or perhaps alter? Inquiring minds want to know.
The countdown on Langdon Street Café closing stands at t-minus three days and change, which … well, absolutely sucks. The quirky java joint is closing for financial reasons, and even after Boston-based circus punks Cirkestra draw the curtain for the last time on Saturday night, the cash-strapped café will long be dealing with the financial fallout of a rocky final few months.
To help out, the fine folks from the Golden Dome Musician's Collective in Montpelier and State and Main Records have put together a stellar new compilation, State and Main Records: Volume 1.5 — A Benefit for the Langdon Street Café. The download-only comp is a followup to the label's debut offering, State and Main Records: Volume 1, released in February to rave reviews — at least from me. After a few cursory listens, I'm finding Volume 1.5 just as entertaining.
You can grab the comp here, for a measly $10, proceeds of which go directly to LSC. To wet your whistle, here's a snippet, "Sticks and Stones," by Simple Heart.
State and Main Records - LSC-GDMC Benefit - 08 Sticks and Stones
This just in from the fine lads at Angioplasty Media, the new video for "Plenty Hands" by Parmaga, from their excellent debut EP, Ghost Pops. Dig it.
Parmaga - Plenty Hands from Geoffrey Klane on Vimeo.
I'm usually not much for reality TV unless it involves Padma Lakshmi, but this is kinda cool. Or horrifying, depending on how you feel about Radiohead.
It seems a UVM pre-med student, Devon Barley — who is also the music director of UVM a cappella group the TopCats, of which I was a member, many years ago — is doing quite well on NBC's latest Star Search ripoff, the Voice. For the unfamiliar, the show, hosted by Carson Daly, is a reimagining of a Dutch TV show of the same name, in which aspiring pop singers compete for the right to be on American Idol. Or maybe to win a ton of money and a record deal. I can never remember.
The contestants are judged by a panel of pop stars, including Cee-Lo Green, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Maroon 5's Adam Levine. In tonight's episode (NBC, 10 p.m.), Barley squares off against another hopeful — on a stage that vaguely resembles a boxing ring, no less — to move on to the next round. This particular contest seems loosely based on the rap battle concept, with contestants alternating verses of a song. Except that instead of freeestyling, they tackle a poppy karaoke rendition of the radio edit version of Radiohead's "Creep." (video below) Thom Yorke must be rolling in his grave.
All kidding aside, congrats on your success so far, Devon. And best of luck tonight.
Today's missive comes by way of local indie-folk outfit Osage Orange. It's a nifty little video for their song, "Alchemy," that fairly screams Burlington bohemia. You've got yer ragtag dancin' fools clad in vagabond chic garmenture, lots of pointy facial hair, a healthy dose of rambling accordion and, of course, Phinneus Sonin juggling. It's like a night at Radio Bean delivered straight to your computer screen. Enjoy.
This just in from 4-Word Presents: An open letter to the Prez, hip-hop style.
Signed, Nastee
There is no possible way I could write with any sort of objectivity about the Lazy Songwriter, or the fact that today marks the tenth anniversary of the band's first show.
For starters, both of my siblings were in the band. I've known front man Arthur Adams since he was in, like, fourth grade. LS lead guitarist David Stockhausen would later be my partner in crime in my last serious musical endeavor, the Middle Eight — as was occasional LS contribtor Mike Duplessis. In fact, I basically just stole Art's band when he left for San Francisco and I moved back to town. And to be honest, were it not for the Lazy Songwriter, I may not have decided to return to Burlington at all.
During their heyday, I was living in Boston under the auspices of making my way as a songwriter. In reality, I was a bartender who spent far too much time on both sides of the wood — usually babbling about how I was totally gonna make it in music, man. Then promptly ordering another round. Or eight. Ah, Boston.
I came home to visit Burlington fairly often in those days. And when I did, I found myself incredibly envious both of Art's band and how much more of a community Burlington's music scene — and, specifically, the burgeoning little scene orbiting the then-new Radio Bean — seemed to be compared to what I had found in Beantown. Maybe I had just been looking in the wrong places. But the Lazy Songwriter and Radio Bean, generally, epitomized what I had hoped to find by moving away. So I came home.
Aaaaanyway, as I mentioned, today is the tenth aniversary of the Lazy Songwriter's first ever show at (where else?) Radio Bean. In celebration, Adams has posted the entire LS canon on his website, Blammos.com. And, personal biases utterly intact, it's pretty great, especially if you loved that band back in the day. And really, for a supposedly laggard tunesmith, dude was pretty prolific. Enjoy.
And thanks, Art.
Man, I hate being the bearer of bad news. And this is seriously bad news indeed. The following is an email that went out to various press outlets this morning from Meg Hammond and Ben T. Matchstick at the Langdon Street Café.
To all the friends, family, community, and performers of the Langdon Street Café,
After doing business in downtown Montpelier for six and a half years, the Café has faced a difficult decision. Due to increasing financial difficulties and circumstances, the Langdon Street Café will permanently close its doors on May 28th. This decision has not been an easy one for us.
We would like to thank everyone who has participated in the Langdon Street Café over the years—especially the Café’s founders and all of the employees past and present who have worked so hard and volunteered extra efforts to keep it going. We would also like to thank our families, tenants, and volunteer crews who have helped reinvent the space numerous times. A big thanks goes out to all the Café’s customers for feeling right at home, keeping us afloat, and for recharging our spirit. Finally, thank you to the downtown business community and to the City of Montpelier for making this town the most brilliant little star on the map.
We will greatly miss hosting you at the Café. Please come in and enjoy the Café throughout the month of May. Visit our website and Facebook pages where you can share your photos and stories. langdonstreetcafe.com
Sincerely,
Meg Hammond, Owner/Manager
Ben t. Matchstick, Booking & Events
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 & Hellmouth, Chamberlin (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.
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.
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.
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