From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. I’ve got lots of great new music to play tonight but let’s begin with one of Vermont’s absolute treasures.
That’s the next song from Kat’s album By My Side that I’m playing all the way through, song after song, week after week. That’s a brand new song from Swale from their upcoming album There’s No One Here. Wow, what a beautiful song, and what about those horns? The Jeremy song was from the interview and recording we did a few weeks back at Robot Dog Studio. Great song by Aaron, who is a great guy, a great singer, a great songwriter and a fantastic guitar player. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful person in our community. Speaking of wonderful people in our community, this next band have been playing around for a while but don’t have anything recorded. We met up last night with Ryan Cohen at Robot Dog Studio and recorded this interview and they played these four songs.
5.) Sky – The Nancy Druids
6.) Just Another Day – The Nancy Druids
7.) By Design – The Nancy Druids
8.) The Space Between – The Nancy Druids
I love the songs and the over the top guitar playing and can’t thank Ryan and the Druids enough for playing that. Also, I brought my brother Ken along and he had a great time watching it all happen. OK, let’s play some more rock and roll.
Great new song from Clever. I love the huge sound of cascade. Kiki come out now and then to rock us hard, and it was cool to see Andriana play that song the other night. Great political rocker from Admiral. OK, let’s keep rocking.
13.) Give Love – 1881
14.) My Fear Of Losing You – Milton Busker
15.) Sorrow Of The Space Inside – Secret Heliotropes
16.) Every Last One Of Us – Swale
That song is so quiet and so loud and so gentle and so powerful and always blows me away when then play it live. I’m so happy I finally get to play it for you. That’s another cool song from Heliotropes album A Well Lit Room. Great song from Milton and same for 1881. OK, let’s keep rocking.
I was listening to Pigs the other day and the imagery of burn and summer of love made me want to play those three together. Great song from Senders. OK, It’s my job to play local music but I just have to cheat now and then. There’s this french prog rock band called Children In Paradise who have been captivating me lately. The singer is about to release her solo album and is starting a crowdfunding campaign on April 1st. Since I play her music before and after my show all the time I thought I’d toss in one of her new songs.
David sometimes lives in Vermont and sometimes lives in France so I thought that would be a fun way to bookend that set. Great song from Elephants. It sounds like they have new cool music coming for us soon. If you are near Jeffersonfille on Saturday, go check out Mountain!! Also, feel free to be like Ryan. Great song from Kat. Bonne Chance. OK let’s keep rocking.
25.) Jackbooted Thugs (Get All The Best Drugs) – Anders Parker
26.) Vicarious – Alice Austin
27.) Teenage Mother Earth – The Red Telephone
28.) Time To Get Out – Aaron Flinn
Another great song from Aaron. Sean Toohey sings and plays guitar for The Nancy Druids and played in Telephone and played with Alice on that song. He and Ann Mindell used to play in Envy. Great song from Anders. I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?
Songs afte
3-D – Fish
Alone – Children In Paradise
The Revenge Of Vera Gemini – The Contrarian
Flood Of Sunshine – The Posies
The Funny Bird – Mercury Rev
Wake The Raven – Kimberly White Project
Bomb – Envy
King Of The Mountain (live) – Kate Bush
Alone In The Night – Andriana Chobot
Symmetry – jane siberry
Dying Stars – Slingshot Dakota
The Stars (Are Out Tonight) – David Bowie
When You Were Mine – The Church Band
What’s In California? – Joshua Glass Music
regular programming.
Tonight’s local music radio show on WBKM will run from 9-11pm US Eastern time and can be streamed from the Facebook page link above. It will go as follows.
Song before: The End Of The World – Skeeter Davis
intro
From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. Tonight is the 200th show that I’ve done on WBKM and it’s been a joy bringing you some of Burlington’s best music over the past 4 years. Tonight, I will pull out a whole bunch of classic songs. Let’s begin with one of my favorite songs from 2007.
Lowell and Kelly play in a band called The Welterweights and they play at Higher Ground on Saturday. Thanks for sponsoring our station Higher Ground! Andriana is amazing and I loved seeing her play that song last Friday. Hmmm, Siberians. OK, it’s time to play the next song on By My Side.
Great gentle and powerful song from Peg. Anders is just amazing. Bridget are playing some enchanting shows these days. Yet another great song from Kat. This next band released this song last year and it quickly became a favorite. They are playing at The Monkey House on Saturday.
9.) The Bad Year – Carraway
10.) Paper Train – Dave Jarvis Band (Daffy Mal Yinkleyank)
11.) Tastes Like Nothing – Zola Turn
12.) Popular Crowd – SWALE
Swale are playing great shows and are about to drop a new album on us. They have a Kickstarter going if you want to help out. Zola and Dave put on great shows in the ’90’s and Dave is now in Agent 802. Great song from Carraway. This band played around in the early 2010’s.
Broccoli played in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s. Same for Ninja. I want to send Sun to anyone going through a rough time. It’s always been a source of strength for me. Doubtfire are out playing great shows and have a new EP coming soon. Hmmm, Claws. OK, here is another of my favorite songs.
Francis are a tremendous band and have a new album coming soon. Envy played great shows in the ’90’s and one last year. Doll Fight rocked us in the 2000’s and Rabbit are rocking us now. This next song is one of the most intense songs that got played in town many times over the years.
Such a great song from Matt Hutton and Sean Toohey as they moved from Envy to RT. Casey Merlin Rae is the Contrarian and is amazing. Great song from Mountain’s first album and an absolute classic from The Cush. This next band are playing around as The High Breaks but did an album of Sabbath.
25.) Children Of The Grave – Surf Sabbath
26.) Can’t Feel It – Vetica
27.) Grey Goo – Villanelles
28.) Break – Slingshot Dakota
SD come to town so often they are honorary Vermonters. Villanelles are playing around and that song always makes me happy. Great song from Vetica from the 2010’s and a rearranged classic from the Breaks from the last year or so. I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?
29.) Sayonara – Black Rabbit
outro
Songs after:
Where In The World – Fish
Brothers And Sisters – Joe Adler
Breathing In – The Hero Cycle
The Awful Ache – The Church Band
The Old And The Young – MIDLAKE BAND
On And On – Michael Schenker Group
In Trance – Uli Jon Roth
TFAY – Elephants of Scotland
Two Weeks (’til The End Of the World) – Grand
Fear Of The Dark – Iron Maiden
Afraid Of Sunlight – Marillion
New York My Lovely – Joshua Glass Music
regular programming
I had a great time seeing music last night at The Monkey House. The show was set to go from 6:30-10 and I had to work until 7. It was a benefit for Planned Parenthood and is part of a series of shows to benefit worthy organizations put on by The Monkey House and Sean Hood.
I got out of work at 7 on the dot and ran over to the Monkey. I assumed I would miss one of the four bands but would be happy to catch what I could. Cricket Blue were on stage and playing as I got settled in and said hi to Jeremy Gilchrist. I wasn’t listening with full attention but still liked the sound of the new song they were playing. I got into focus mode and loved the guitar and vocal interplay on Quiet pt 2. They followed with Ode To Billy Joe and wrapped up the set. I missed a few songs but was happy with what I caught.
Cricket Blue pic by Tim Lewis
The emcee of the night, Annie Russell, got up and plugged Planned Parenthood and encouraged people to vote in the silent auction with poise and humor. I think she began the night with a stand up set, which was what let me catch a couple of Cricket songs.
Up next Silver Bridget took the stage. Matt Saraca rocked the electric guitar while John Townsend formed the rhythms with acoustic guitar and kick drums and Johnnie Day Durand‘s musical saw soared over the top. They opened with Heart Of Gold then brought us to The End Of The World. And I Love Her was sweet then we went out to the Blue Bayou. They capped the set with Nowhere Man and the quiet and appreciative crowd was well pleased.
Silver Bridget pic by Tim Lewis
Annie came up for more announcements then made way for Danny LeFrancois and The Parts. Danny sang and played electric guitar and was joined by Steve Sharon on drums and Jason Pappas on bass. They opened with a heavy rocker that showcased Danny’s deep guitar sound. Driving All Alone was second and rocked hard too. The third song was a rocker about drinking and the fourth was a fast Irish ditty about a liquor store. The mellowed out for It’s A Shame and were joined by a fiddle player. I think his name was Jake. They brought Sean up to sing the next one and a distant memory made me cringe. It proved to be unfounded as Sean sang the heck out of a gorgeous song about Berlin after the wall or Oklahoma at dawn, or something like that. He stayed on stage for a cover of Achy Breaky Heart and that was the one I was worried about. It was fun and the audience liked it, so that was cool. After that, they called it a night.
The Parts pic by Tim Lewis
Annie came back and announced the auction winners then Phil Yates & The Affiliates hit the stage hard and loud. They played a blistering Co-Pilot and kept rocking with My Favorite Bag. They eased up for the gorgeous If Only I Was Lonely then went back to full on rock for my new favorite song Send Him The Bill. They kept rocking with Burn It Down Bernadette and played one of the most intense versions of Little French Earthquakes that I’ve heard. They capped the night with Ninjas Vs Zombies and I was in a happy place.
I headed out pretty quickly and took the long happy bunny chasing walk home
I had a great time seeing music last night at Nectar’s. It was a long work day but I think I did a good job and got the numbers to fall in line. I had enough time to go home and eat some food and settle a bit then took the sunny walk downtown for the early show.
I arrived a couple of minutes late for the 7pm show but the band were still setting up so I hung out and chatted with Charlie Messing. When the band were ready we grabbed seats at the table at the front. Silver Bridget were soon on stage and ready to go, but something looked odd. John Townsend plays acoustic guitar and sometimes has a kick drum. He not only had the drum, but also set a snare on it’s side so he could use pedals on that too. To make things really fun, he had an electric baritone guitar which changed up the sound a little. With a bit more of a rocking sound the band opened with Radiohead’s Creep and followed with All Apologies. I love the band’s ethereal take on classic pop songs and this was a nice addition to the sound. Matt Saraca added a little extra muscle to his electric guitar and Johnnie Day Durand‘s musical saw soared over the top. John switched to acoustic for lovely takes on The End Of The World and You Got It then went electric for Nothing Compares 2 U. From there John switched back to acoustic and the band settled into the set. They took us on a journey that had us searching for a Heart Of Gold. The told the tale of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. They encouraged us to Follow The Sun as we drifted past the Blue Bayou. They pulled out the Dolly version of I Will always Love You then warned us that if we were not careful we were Going To Lose That Girl. They lit up the room with Paint It Black then played a sweet version of Love Me Tender. Old Man had the super cool Johnnie saw riffs then they encouraged us to Stand By Your Man. For some reason I was sure I knew what was next and was correct as they played Girl, You’ll Be A Woman soon. Matt led the take off section as the band took us on a Space Oddity. And I Love Her sounded sweet then they rocked out Hey Hey My My, or was it My My Hey Hey? Either way, it was great. They said Goodbye Yellow Brook Road then took us to the beach to hang 10 with the Surfer Girl. They told us that Only Love Can Break Your Heart. John left the stage as Matt and Johnnie took us Somewhere Over The Rainbow. John returned and picked up the electric and they closed the 24 song set with a stirring Nights In White Satin.
I said a couple of quick goodbyes then took the dark, icy, and happy walk home.
Here’s a video I shot of Only Love Can Break Your Heart – Tim
I had a great time seeing music last night at Light Club Lamp Shop. The show was set to go from 7-8:45. I worked until 7, raced home, did a real quick turn around and walked to the club, arriving just before 7:30. Andriana Chobot was on stage singing and playing keys as I settled in. She was joined by Julian Chobot on bass and Cody Sargent on drums so they had a nice full sound. Julian is super steady on bass with some cool running around the fretboard. Cody plays with subtlety and grace and is always where he needs to be to enhance the song. Andriana has a strong voice that is equally as powerful when she is whispering or belting it out. Her keyboard has an almost orchestral piano sound. They played a bunch of her songs, some that I knew, some that I did not and a couple that I am getting to know. I only caught a bit of the song they were playing as I got settled then they went into a bass and drum groove as she sang Come Together. She added some keys to the instrumental section, late in the song, then went back to just singing to close out the classic Beatles song. I joyfully let the next four songs wash over me and fill me, then they pulled out the magnificent Cascade. It’s from her first EP and is just wonderful. They ended the first set with a powerful cover of Ain’t No Sunshine and her singing was epic.
Joe Adler with Chris and Tucker pic by Tim Lewis
I took advantage of the break to head over to Radio Bean to see a few songs by Joe Adler and Tucker Hansen. Joe sang and played the card deck guitar while tucker played the violin. They were joined by Chris on trumpet and he played a nice solo just after I arrived. They pulled out the Nathan Moore song about wondering how you would know if you are an asshole. The catchy chorus is fun and easy to song. They followed with Dylan’s One More Cup Of Coffee then I hit the road back to the lamp shop The band was not on yet so I made the reverse trip and listened to the song on bended knee before heading out for good.
When I arrived back at the Lamp Shop they were playing a gorgeous version of Alone In The Night, another epic song from her first EP. I wish I had arrived sooner but caught most of it. From there, Andriana and the band played a bunch of fantastic songs that made me just want to listen and hear them and to barely think of anything and just exist in the moment. They played eight wonderful songs and wrapped the night with one of the songs that I’m getting to know. It’s called Neon and is really cool.
I hung out for a little bit, chatted about how nice the sound is at the Lamp Shop, and said a quick goodbye. The walk home through the winter wonderland was lovely and quick.
From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. There is a new series at The Monkey House called The Show Up Shows where they have bands play and donate money to a worthy cause. Sunday will be the second installment and will support Planned Parenthood. It will feature these next four bands.
Those are four cool songs and all of the bands will be at the Monkey House on Sunday. I think it’s an early show and starts at 6:30. OK, let’s play the next song on By My Side.
I love Whisper’s songs. I think they are making a new album. I had to play Spring and Summer Falls since we got 30″ of snow on Tuesday and Wednesday and it’s a bright shining winter wonderland outside. Great song by the super strong Kat Wright band. Madaila, and these next four bands, are playing at Higher Ground (thanks for sponsoring us HG) on Saturday at 12:30 in the afternoon. They will be rocking out some kids songs.
If I was not working, I’d love to be there for that show. They’ve done it for a few years now. So, I just got in this new album by a new band who feature Greg and Casey from Rocketsled. They are called Senders.
13.) Too Late To Learn – Senders
14.) ETI (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) – The Contrarian
15.) Go Ahead And Fear The Reaper – Senders
16.) Purpose And Object – The Contrarian
Casey Merlin Rae creates music as the Contrarian and is now in a new band too. Perhaps he is in others too. OK, I just got this new song in and it’s really cool.
17.) Laughing Jim – The Edd
18.) Lines and Spaces (live) – The Cancer Conspiracy
19.) Random Earth – Elephants of Scotland
Cool song from Elephants. Per John M Whyte they have a new album coming and a really cool sound. I can’t wait. CC were a classic ’90’s band. I love the Floyd feel of Edd. OK, this next artist just released this EP last week and it’s getting a lot of notice.
20.) 45 – Clever Girls
21.) Small Town Movie (live) – The Cush
22.) This Machine – Invisible Homes
23.) This Machine Still Kills Fascists – Senders.
I just had to play the Senders and Homes songs back to back. Great song by The Cush. Same for Clever. OK, let’s go way back in time.
24.) Wally Rides The Ferry – Zoot Wilson
25.) It’s Real Again – Zola Turn
26.) Decide – Dave Jarvis Band
27.) Silver And Gold – Waylon Speed!
I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?
Songs After:
The Lost Plot – Fish
In Trance – Uli Jon Roth
The Road – Anders Parker
Fly To The Rainbow – Uli Jon Roth
Emerald – Ace Frehley
Catch Your Train – Uli Jon Roth
Hand Of Doom – Black Sabbath
The Sails Of Charon – Uli Jon Roth
Sealine – The Church Band
All along The Watchtower – Uli Jon Roth
What’s In California? – Joshua Glass Music
regular programming.
I had a great time seeing music Sunday night at the Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry New Hampshire. I picked up my brother Ken in Shelburne VT and made the long 3 hour drive to the show. We arrived a little early and spent some time wandering around then headed to the venue at 6pm for the 7pm show. The hall is an old mansion and has a food counter called the Purple Puffin Cafe. We got some food and found a table in one of the dining rooms. It was my second visit and I liked the feel of the place as much as last time. We checked out the merch table then headed in to the show.
Our seats were in the second row on the left. We chatted with a couple of music fans around us and a little after 7 the lights went down and Uli Jon Roth took the stage with his band. He began by speaking to the audience and dedicating the show to the Tupelo Music Hall since this was the last show ever in this venue and they are moving the hall a few miles away to Derry NH. The band had a singer/bass player, a guitar player, keyboard player, drummer and Uli sang a bit and was stunning on guitar. He announced that the show would be the Scorpions revisited show and the band launched into All Night Long. I grew up as a metal fan and loved the early Scorpions hard rock psychedelic blend of music and was in heaven as the band pulled out all of the old heavy riffing songs. The rhythm section steamrolled through the songs as the keys filled in the spaces and the guitarist alternated rhythm and lead. Uli charged through heavy riffs and let shine magnificent lead work. They played classics like Longing For Fire and The Sails Of Charon, which featured a killer solo. We’ll Burn The Sky was epic and then they played the song I most wanted to hear. In Trance had me in a state of bliss. All night long it was great to see every detail of Uli’s guitar playing. His playing was fast and articulate and he bent the strings to work every nuance out of every note. It was a true metal guitar god show. They slowed things down a little as Uli put down his 8 string guitar and picked up the double neck with who knows how many strings. He played a really cool solo on the upper neck and was joined by the drummer and eventually the singer/bass player who had picked up a guitar for the song. Rainbow Dream Prelude was great then the rest of the band came back for Fly To The Rainbow. The song rocked hard and Uli had an intense whammy bar workout that pulled sounds from the guitar that I’ve never heard before. It was stunning. From there he picked up the single neck guitar and they kept the metal at full blast for Hell Cat, Dark Lady and Yellow Raven and called it a night. They all took a bow but instead of leaving just picked up the instruments and kept playing. Pictured Life and Catch Your Train were wonderful then they capped the night with an over the top version of Little Wing. The second half of the song had Uli soloing into the universe and it was magical.
After that they really did leave the stage. The lights came on and the room emptied. Since the show started so early and there was no opening band it was close to 9pm as we hopped into the car and let the moon chase us home for the three hour ride. It was a lot of driving but so worth it
I had a great time seeing music last night at The Monkey House. It was a long work day that I made a bit trickier than ideal, but the numbers feel into line at the end, so that was cool. I went home, ate dinner and contemplated the cold temperature and lovely wind. i knew the show was going to be hot so I bundled up and took the long walk to Winooski.
I got in and settled and chatted with Miller about music for a while then the Dirty Blondes hit the stage. From the opening strains of Burn, Chris Clark and Ornan McLean were completely locked in and drove the heavy rhythm while Jesse Azarian ripped out some sweet guitar leads. Becky Rogers and Diane Sullivan sang well and engaged the attentive crowd with joy. They had us do the Kung Pao then screamed out the story of the Scorned Woman. They turned us on with their love on Oh Dirty Blondes then made sure we were all Drunk. They were pretty emphatic about that new guy not being James Bond and the band played a killer extended outro for the song. This made us shower praise on them and we all sang Hallelujah. They pulled out a new song that was really good. I’m not sure if it is Bernie Sanders has our back or Bernie Sanders is a lot like you, but either way, the message was clear. They got a little extra dirty for Slut and Jackin’ Off then praised one of the greatest drummers ever in Ornan. They were going to wrap the night with a ferocious Yayo but in the late middle Eros finally arrived so they played the Kung Pao for her to close the night. She’s a huge fan of the band so it was very appropriate.
The set break was not long and Swillbillie hit the stage. The guitar/singer, bass, drums band rocked hard with a swampy country edge. They played songs about the Devil, whiskey and chickens and were lots of fun. They ran the first three songs together before settling in and chatting with the audience a bit. Richard Bailey is a good singer and a fun front man. They sang songs about the devil coming after me and whiskey high and rolling on. They rocked hard and loud for about an hour and played 14 super fun songs. They ended with a bluesy song about a milk cow followed by the tale of a rooster in the morning when you’re trying to sleep. It was my first time seeing them and hopefully, I’ll get back to see them again soon.
Swillbillie pic by Tim Lewis
I chatted with Miller and some of his friends during the set break but when I heard the opening strains of Demon Moon I headed back to the band. Crazyhearse rocked the hell out of the song and the crowd was happy. With a guitar/singer, guitar, bass, drums lineup they had a country tinged gypsy rock feel. The band are tight and talented and a pleasure to listen to. They kept us rocking for a bit then David Kloepfer traded his guitar for the electric banjo. The next two songs had an epic feel and I was elated. He switched back to electric guitar and rocked the next one nicely. They brought up a singer who’s name I missed and his bluesy gravelly voice sounded great. The song was something about being asleep when I’m dead. A cover of John Fogerty’s Old Man Down The Road was fun but the next song had a jam in the middle that got the whole front of the room dancing hard. They brought the power up to full blast for Windigo and kept it there for the closing Oklahoma Road Rage.
I was tired and knew the next day would be long, so I headed out quickly and took the long cold happy walk home.
Adrian Belew Power Trio pic by Luke Awtry Photography
I had a great time seeing music last week at ArtsRiot. An artist that I have loved for years finally came back to town and I spent the entire work day bouncing off the walls, yet still put the service level in the place it needed to be for the day. I had scheduled myself to leave at 5 and was racing out the door at 5:02. The show was to start at 8 but I knew of a cool stop I could make on the way.
I did a quick turn around at home and ferociously walked downtown. I arrived at Red Square around 5:40 and listened to some lovely music as I settled in. I got the seat at the end of the bar right by the band and let my heart soar as Andriana Chobot played some magical music. She sings and plays keys and has songs that soar and was joined by Cody Sargent on drums. I let the music wash over me and fill me with joy. She gets a huge piano sound and all of the songs have lovely twists and turns and fills and are so gorgeous. I was hoping she would play until almost 7 but her time slot was 5-6 so I only caught four songs. Three of them were new to me and the one I knew, Cascade, was completely over the top. I’m so glad I finally made it out to see her again.
Andriana Chobot pic by Tim Lewis
I was running earlier than expected so thought I would head to ArtsRiot and get some food before the doors at 7 show at 8 performance. Apparently, many others thought the same thing and the wait was very long and I just gave up. I hung out for a bit then friends started to show up. I hung out with Chris and Robin Chesebro Rielly and Joe Adler and my old boss at the New Dyemensions, Robert Fuller. It was fun catching up and being kind of social. As 8pm passed there was not much sound coming from the other room so I just hung out. After a bit I walked into the performance space and Saul Zonana was just finishing his set. I only caught a couple of songs and really liked them. It was just him solo but he had a nice sound with an Adrian vibe.
Saul Zonana pic by Tim Lewis
It wasn’t too long of a wait until the Adrian Belew power trio hit the stage. He sang and played guitar and was joined by Julie Slick on bass and Tobias Ralph on drums. Both were amazing musicians and had to be to keep up with Adrian and the intense set of music. I was a bit surprised that it was a little less song focused and more of a dive into a rhythmic jam that went through lots of pieces. They started with the instrumental jam A then let it flow into Men In Helicopters for a while before it fell into Young Lions, which has that great drum riff. The played a bit of Pretty Pink Rose then let it flow into Big Electric Cat then they went into the instrumental improv of d2 and settled into One Time. They rocked Dinosaur for a bit and let it fall into Heartbeat which slid into Writing On The Wall then settled into Frame By Frame. They wrapped set 1 with Beat Box Guitar and everyone was happy.
The set break was short then they returned for a stunning set 2. For the whole show Adrian had the hugest smile on his face and at one point even got his guitar go laugh. The band launched into an instrumental jam for Venture and B. Three Of A Perfect Pair lit up the room. It flowed into a jam called B3 then fell into Neurotica. I was in heaven. They let that flow into the delicate Walking On Air then rocked hard with Ampersand. Futurevision was super cool then they rocked the place with Bowie’s Boys Keep Swinging. It flowed into Of Bow And Drum which slid into Elephant Talk. They followed with an over the top Thela Hun Gingeet and called it a night. Well, OK, what really happened was Adrian asked if they could not actually leave the stage and come back and just stay and play one more. We were fine with that. A long instrumental jam called E wrapped the night.
I said a couple of quick goodbyes then took the long but elated walk home
The following pictures are courtesy of Luke Awtry Photography
I had a great time seeing music a couple of weeks ago at SideBar. It was a Thursday night but I had my radio show prerecorded and with two of my favorite bands playing, I could not miss it, even though I’d seen both less than a week before.
It was an easy walk downtown and I got in and settled just before the 10pm start time. The bar, and all of downtown, were oddly quiet for a Thursday night, but by 10:15 The Mountain Says No hit the stage and started playing anyway. They began rocking hard with Macu Picchu and we were off. They followed with You Say You’re Alive then rocked out Nothing In This. They went back to the first album for a funky Ricky The Rider then played the poppy Game Of Thrones. Eggshell brought the energy up and Be Like Ryan took it in an eerie direction. Ben Maddox totally endorsed the lyrics to Blanket’s Fine then the band started mysterious and ended rocking with Gazerbeam. They went back to the first album for a couple of blistering rockers and hearing Restaurant and Long Term Sermon made my heart full. A small crowd had begun to fill the room a bit as they eased back for the smoldering 3,000 Incubators. They kicked it back into blistering rock mode and ended the night with I Know Right. What a great show.
Time had already slipped a little and I had to work in the morning. I was feeling a bit tired but was determined to see as much of Invisible Homes as I could. They opened with The Clown and it seemed like they were just on the edge of holding it together when Margaux Higgins joined them on stage for a staggering slide whistle solo. Apparently, she is THE most important slide whistle virtuoso in the Western Hempishere! She studied with the Crimean slide whistle master, üte and meditated for three years to learn the craft. The two or three notes she dropped into the song changed it from a potential disaster to one of the great musical performances in Burlington history. I wish you were there to see it. Lamentably, she left the stage after that song but the band were fully charged up and played a staggering rest of the show. They didn’t play any of the big hit songs, though Song For My Double was easy to spot. I only made it for eight songs before the exhaustion took me away but they played some new songs and some eerie and wonderful instrumentals and filled my heart.
It was just before one when the body said go and I walked out the door. I’m assuming they played Above The Frequency and Pale Rage and This Machine, all of which belong on a list of the best music created in this town. I was sad to miss the end but loved what I caught and needed a few hours of sleep before working the next day.
Invisible Homes with Margaux Higgins pic by Tim Lewis
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