Photo by Brianna Christenson.

“Catherine was born and raised in the Portland Maine area. Now, she is currently a freshman at The University of Vermont enrolled in the College of arts and sciences as a biological science major. She came across Big Heavy World while looking for volunteering in the Burlington area while at school. She thought it would be a good fit because music as always been a large interest of hers. She enjoys any genre of music from classic rock, to dubstep, to hiphop and rap. While working with Big Heavy World she has found there are many extremely talented artists in the state of Vermont. While she is not in school or listening to music, she will probably be found on the ski slopes.”

Photo by Brianna Christenson.

“My name’s Ian Savage, I’m a 21 year old senior graphic design major at Champlain college and I’m looking forward to staying in the Burlington design scene after I graduate. My dream job is to be a freelance designer doing things on my own time, being my own boss. When I’m not at the design grindstone, I enjoy playing video games, going for walks in the woods, playing guitar, and writing short stories. I love listening to music while doing all of these things, particularly the Black Keys, Broken Bells, and Guster to name a few favorites. And I’m looking forward to working with Big Heavy World to do some killer design work.”

This exhibit of black and white photography celebrates the work of Matthew Thorsen, the go-to photographer for Burlington-area bands during the 1990s. Thorsen took hundreds of portrait, newspaper and magazine photos, effectively chronicling the local music scene of the era. The Governor’s Gallery is the final venue for this show as it concludes a state-wide tour.  The public is invited to attend a reception for the show on Thursday, February 2, from 3 to 5 PM.  Normal gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  A photo ID is required for admittance.

The photographs in this exhibit were taken at a time when Thorsen was still working with film. He has since moved to a digital format and these chemical prints have become an artful reminder of a receding era and a valuable contribution to the historic record of Vermont’s musical heritage.

Wide Wail

The core exhibit is comprised of black and white photographs with corresponding audio. The interpretive audio features Thorsen describing the subject and context of images, in most cases followed with a song by the band or musician of the photo.

Troy Pudvah

Audio is accessed via cell phone, fee-free, provided by Guide By Cell and supported in part by a 2010 Champlain Quadricentennial Legacy Grant from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership with support also from the Vermont Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. Access the audio by dialing (802) 881-0980 and enter the code found on each photo label. For the introduction audio, use code 29. Sound Proof is produced by Big Heavy World with Matthew Thorsen and presented by Seven Days, with generous support from Creative Habitat.

Photo by Brianna Christenson.

Justin Keskin was born and raised in the sunny tropic of Syracuse, New York. There he learned how to draw and finger paint and his skill set did not move on much further than that. Now he is a senior Graphic Design student at Champlain College. Justin pursues a unique style in his designs following constructivist techniques. In his spare time he enjoys snowboarding, skateboarding, and playing Magic: the Gathering. His musical interests fly all over the spectrum ranging from Project Pat to Iron Maiden. He is excited to be working with Big Heavy World and use his skills to help local talent gain recognition.

Photo by Brianna Christenson.

Dave Pinkham grew up in Scituate, MA and has always been big into music. However, after a devastating blow to his music career in the 5th grade elementary school band (a noise retarding pad was placed on his drum at the schools winter concert to silence his drum) he didn’t know how he could be involved in the world of music. When Dave learned he had some artistic talent in high school, he decided to go to Champlain College for graphic design in the hopes of designing concert posters, album art, etc. for musicians. He has since done so over the past couple of years, helping over a dozen different local groups get a little extra attention for their shows. Now on board with Big Heavy, Dave plans on pushing his abilities as far as they will take him.

Photo by Brianna Christenson.

“I am currently a senior Business Administration major at Champlain College. I was born and raised for eleven years in England, but then moved with my family to Massachusetts. I currently live in Burlington. My music tastes are ever changing, but currently I am in an electronic dance music phase, which consists of a lot of house, drum and bass, and dubstep. I have a huge passion for music and can find stuff that I like in any genre. In my free time I like to skateboard, go to live performances, and travel. In the future I want to work in the music industry, whether its marketing for a record company or being an artist manager. I look forward to interning at Big Heavy World and providing them with as much help as possible and to meeting a variety of different interesting people.”

Words by Nick Kramer. Photo by James Lockridge.

Ken Murphy and Pat Carroll —two thirds of indie-prog-pop outfit Les Racquet — dropped in on the Radiator for the second half of Rocket Shop. The pair introduced tunes from their latest EP ‘Be Water My Friend,’ which just dropped on New Year’s Day. Les Racquet (pronounced less racket as in “less racket more music”) took the title for the new six-song set from a Bruce Lee interview quotation. The nod to the kung fu film legend seems a fittingly irreverent overlay to a collection filled with hook-laden harmonies, power-pop bounce, and proggy riffing. ‘Be Water My Friend’ took one weekend to record down at Drift Design Studios in Somerville, MA working with lead engineer Mike Conway. According to Pat, the recording was, “really super smooth since the guys at Drift Design are all close friends of ours.” While putting together the EP, the boys filmed the entire recording process and look forward to releasing some video of the sessions in the near future.

Among the tracks from ‘Be Water My Friend’ that Ken and Pat chose to play on air was lead single “Oh Yeah”, a tune that Ken assures, “is the pop hit,” while Pat boasts, “this is going to be stuck in your head for weeks to come.” The song begins with Pat’s croon and a simple up-strum that builds to a bold and brash sing-along chorus, criss-crossed with soaring ’70s guitar. Songs such as “Oh Yeah” exemplify how, as Pat maintains, “we span genre and age-group.” The tune is a pitch-perfect mixture of punk swagger, power-pop ear-candy, and ‘70s anthem prog that will appeal to anyone who likes rock and roll. As proof, Ken adds that, “My mom really likes one.”

Name-checking prog-rock standard-bearers such as King Crimson and Yes, Les Racquet are not afraid to admit their ‘70s-leaning influences. The band has a knack for catchy riffs and pop hooks, and seeks to bring, “big dynamics,” and, “songs with lots of movements,” to their art. Currently on tour in their purple Chrysler Town and Country (”we do not have the Disney package so there’s no DVD player,” laughs Ken) Les Racquet are living Pat’s assessment that, “with grass-roots bands, it’s just about sweat equity.”

Following their free show at Nectar’s on Wednesday the 18th, the band heads down to their current home base in Brooklyn for a big time showcase at the Knitting Factory. The following night they will be playing a launch party celebrating their spread in the first issue of Brooklyn culture mag Relapse Magazine, edited by friend of the band Ian Frisch. From there, Les Racquet will embark on, “one more loop of the northeast,” before heading down south for another run of shows. Despite the ordered appearance of their tour schedule, Pat notes that, “It’s all do it yourself. We’re going through other bands to get gigs.”

For tour dates, videos, and all things Les Racquet, check out www.lesracquet.com. ‘Be Water My Friend’ is available for download at http://lesracquet.bandcamp.com.

Rocket Shop Playlist:
Les Racquet, “I’m Not Trying”
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, “A Child’s Reliquary”
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, “Final Movement of the Ludwig Concerto”
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, “Con Moto (With Motion)”
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, “Masquerade”
Les Racquet, “Chimney Pete”
Les Racquet, “Oh Yeah!”
Les Racquet, “Bruce Li”

Words by Nick Kramer. Photo by James Lockridge.

Alan Jordan, Executive Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, joined Sam in the Radiator studios for Rocket Shop this week. On the show, Mr. Jordan previewed and described a selection of pieces taken from the orchestra’s most recent recorded album, ‘Triple Doubles.’ The title ‘Triple Doubles’ refers to the works that appear on the CD — a trio of double concertos composed especially for violinist and VSO Music Director Jaime Laredo and his wife, cellist Sharon Robinson.

Among the pieces Mr. Jordan chose to play on the air were selected movements from a concerto composed by David Ludwig, the VSO’s current New Music Advisor and, as Mr. Jordan notes, the grandson of pianist Rudolf Serkin. According to Mr. Jordan, the process of picking the music for ‘Triple Doubles’ began with Ludwig. When the VSO first set out to put together a new recording, Mr. Jordan explains, “the big problem for us was what repertoire to choose.” While the process of an orchestra choosing when to record and release music can be difficult, since, as Mr. Jordan points out, “you have got to be pretty confident in the quality of the musicians,” the larger choice for an ensemble with as much collected talent as the VSO was what exactly to record. Mr. Jordan explains that, “It started with David Ludwig. He’s got an ongoing relationship with us.” From there, the orchestra leadership realized that it was important to them to record music that had a special connection to the orchestra. It was then that the idea, “let’s do three concertos that were written for Jaime and Sharon,” emerged. The actual recording of ‘Triple Doubles’ was also an impressive effort. Mr. Jordan recounted that, “it’s a pretty grueling process. Each of the concertos took six hours of recording time.” Now, all the efforts have paid off, and ‘Triple Doubles’ has proved quite a worthwhile project.

In addition to releasing the album, the VSO’s performance schedule is in full swing. Among the upcoming chances to see the orchestra in concert that Mr. Jordan mentioned, “Next weekend [1/28] is our next masterworks concert at the Flynn.” The show will feature the whole VSO and the VSO chorus performing Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ and Gabriel Fauré’s ‘Requiem.’ Earlier that same week, on the 25th, the orchestra will return to the Vermont State House for another addition of their free Farmer’s Night Concert Series.

Tickets for these and other VSO events are available online at www.vso.org, and ‘Triple Doubles’ is available for sale through the site as well.

Rocket Shop Playlist:
Les Racquet, “I’m Not Trying”
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, “A Child’s Reliquary”
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, “Final Movement of the Ludwig Concerto”
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, “Con Moto (With Motion)”
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, “Masquerade”
Les Racquet, “Chimney Pete”
Les Racquet, “Oh Yeah!”
Les Racquet, “Bruce Li”

Thank you to everyone who participated (as panelists and artists!) and everyone who came out to Higher Ground this weekend for the first annual Vermont Musicians’ Summit! By all accounts, we saw firsthand how warm, supportive, and powerful Vermont musicians are as a community. Stay tuned for more VT Music get-togethers this year and next!

Words by Janet Van Fleet

“I borrowed the van on Tuesday morning, January 17 to transport a van-full of sculpture to the Christine Price Gallery at Castleton State College. My friend and colleague Ann Young helped me pack the work into the van, which involved bringing it up from basement storage in a freight elevator, rustling out one of the seats that was frozen into the van’s floor (enthusiastic mopping by a previous borrower had pooled water in the attachment points of the seats, and they were frozen in place), and packing it full of my sculpture and Ann’s paintings. It was hard to get the camera back far enough to get a real sense of how much stuff was packed into every available inch.

It was pretty nasty weather, with freezing rain (seems like freezing water was a theme here…), and we were late for our delivery due to the seat-melting activity. But Bill Ramage and Castleton student Victoria helped us unload and get the work into the gallery, where the other five artists in the exhibit had finished arranging their work.

Ann helped load the few boxes that had to make the return journey, and we made it back to Burlington in time for rush hour. Thanks so much to Big Heavy World and to James Lockridge for letting us borrow this cool vehicle!”

Words by Nick Kramer Photo by Yeshua Hill.

This week on Rocket Shop, the boys from Bangdust dropped into the Radiator to share some folk-rocking tunes. A great time was had by all. In fact, Bangdust hit it off so well with Sam and the Big Heavy crew, that lead vocalist Johnny Azer raved, “we insist that we would play for free for you guys to help your cause any time.” Stronger endorsement of Big Heavy’s aims for the Vermont music community would be hard to come by.

Over the course of the hour Azer, guitarist Adam Wright, and bass player Sean Thompson played a wide selection of Bangdust tracks as well as some covers. All of their songs showcase their close connection, and the electricity at work between these three long-time friends. Explains Azer, “Adam and I were best friends since 2002 when we lived in Rutland,” while, “Sean Thompson who was my best friend in Rutland in the ‘80s taught me major and minor chords on the piano.” Clearly, the bonds between these three veteran musicians are strong, and it comes through in their playing.

According to Azer, that same closeness is most alive in their song-writing, which, he claims, “is totally democratic. We operate as a team, and all input is suggested.” For Bangdust, making music means teaching each other, and feeding off each member’s creative force. Not only are they able to write songs through true collaboration, but, as Azer points out, the band seems to somehow always end up on the same wavelength. Azer tells Big Heavy, “Believe it or not, when Sean picks a cover or Adam such as the Beatles’ “Rain”, or Traffic’s “Empty Pages” it turns out to be my favorite song by that band too.”

While Bangdust do not have a permanent home on the web as yet, Azer assures Big Heavy that a Facebook page is in the works, as well as a band page on Taxi.com. As far as gigs go, Bangdust have a whole slew of plans in motion. Although Azer pledges that he would first and foremost like to do a show benefiting Big Heavy World, he also submits that the band, “would like to play the fine clubs in Burlington,” and that, “We hope get at least one gig at UVM before the spring semester is out.” With soaring vocals, veteran song-craft, and a deep appreciation for music, Bangdust have a lot to recommend them, and fans can look to their local listings for shows soon to be scheduled.

The Rocket Shop playlist:
Spirit Animal, “ubercannonan”
Rough Francis, “Blind Pig”
Bangdust, “Disbanded” (Live)
Bangdust, “Heart Could Hear Me” (Live)
Bangdust, “Drifted” (Live)
Bangdust, “Could You Love Me” (Live)
Bangdust, “Go To Work” (Live)
Bangdust, “Six Inch Heels” (Live)
Bangdust, “Brother Sun” (Live)
Bangdust, “Ziggy Stardust” (Live)
Bangdust, “Sand Box” (Live)
Bangdust. “Strange Fascination” (Live)

Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band

Words by Nick Kramer.

On Saturday, January 14  “The 1st Annual Vermont Musicians Summit” comes to Higher Ground. The event will bring together musicians and professionals from all facets of the Vermont music industry to take part in an array of music-related activities. From 5:30-7pm artists and industry pros alike are invited to come network, share stories, take part in panels and in all ways bring the Vermont music community closer together.

The panels:

Booking 101, from 6pm-6:45
Moderated by Zack DuPont
Panelists:
Kris Gruen
Danny Coane
Meg Hammond
Nick Mavodones
Paddy Reagan
Rebecca Kopycinski
Ryan Krushenick
Face-One
Trevor Jewett
Scott Mangan

The Past, Present & Future of Vermont Music, from 6:45pm-7:30
Moderated by Jim Lockridge, Justin Hoy, & Joe Adler
Panelists:
Kevin Statesir
Jason Liggett a.k.a. Liggy
Dan Bolles
Nick Vaden
Danny Coane
Matt Bushlow
Kris Gruen
Meg Hammond
Harrison Shulman
Face-One
Zach Rhodes
Kyle Rose

Afterwards, doors open to the public at 8pm for a concert beginning at 8:30 and featuring performances from Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band, Something With Strings, The Human Canvas, The Wind Woods w/ Brett Hughes, and more to be announced, including an all-star jam session with some very special guests. Tickets for the concert are available now through the Higher Ground box office, highergroundmusic.com.

The Post-Summit Music:
8:30-9:05         The Smittens
9:10-9:25         Anna Pardenik
9:30-9:55         The Wee Folkestra
10:10-10:55     Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band
11:00-11:15          Second Agenda
11:20-11:45     The Wind Woods w/ Brett Hughes & Russ Lawton)
11:55-12:30     Something with Strings
12:35-12:50     The Human Canvas
12:55-1:40       Soule Monde (Ray & Russ)
1:40-2:00              All-Star Jam

In the eyes of the three men behind the summit, the evening has been a long time coming. Musician, song-writer and Radio Bean stalwart Joe Adler admits that he has seen for a while the “need to get everybody together.” According to Adler, there is a collaborative attitude already at work in the Vermont music scene, “[Adler’s band] Wee Folkestra came out of this attitude, this is how [Adler’s weekly parties at Half Lounge] Burgundy Thursdays developed… everybody needs to meet.” Despite this need for collaboration, Adler still sees a fair amount of disconnect amongst various Vermont music camps and looks to the summit to provide an open field for collaboration and education. He muses, “If we could bring everybody up to at least understanding the basics of everything…it would raise the bar.” To that end, he, “want[s] to make it big, make it memorable, and hopefully get the word out to some of the more national musicians who live in Vermont.” For Adler, “The summit is the meat and potatoes. The music after it is just the dessert.”

Justin Hoy, the President/CEO and founder of Halogen Media Works was the one who had the initial vision for the summit. It occurred to Justin that, “We’ve been doing music for the local community for a long time, and I thought we should do something to bring the whole industry together.” As the idea for the summit began to take shape Hoy reached out to Adler for help in attracting talent and putting together a program and to Jim Lockridge of Big Heavy World since, “I think Big Heavy is important as a building block for the Vermont music industry.”

With the pieces coming into place, Hoy next turned his attention to finding an appropriate venue and quickly settled upon Higher Ground. Says Hoy, “I thought about all that Higher Ground does for local music and realized that it would be the place to have it. Also at Higher Ground we can have it be an all ages event.” That the summit open to all ages is crucial to Hoy’s vision of an annual gathering, which he hopes will become a banner event for the entire Vermont music community. Hoy posits, “It’s important to have the summit as a yearly event to be able to have different headliners, showcase different headliners. The two things we’re going for here are having fans engage with the music and having industry people meet each other.” To that end, Hoy sees the summit as a way to, “expand a dialogue between musicians and industry folks.” This means that, “The summit will help musicians to see the back end behind when they book a gig. Lots of times when musicians book and play a gig they don’t necessarily see everything that goes on back behind the scenes.” By uniting musicians with industry professionals of every stripe, Hoy hopes to ensure that everyone in the rapidly growing Vermont music scene understands every part of the industry, and knows the people responsible for making the industry work.

Jim Lockridge, the man behind volunteer-run music advocacy organization Big Heavy World, sees the event as a natural extension of the work that the non-profit has been doing since its birth in 1996. According to Lockridge, “Big Heavy has always sought to bring the music in Vermont closer together and help individual musicians recognize the larger community… this summit is a social application of that.” He believes that, “Ultimately what happens at the summit will give a charge to the musicians that come, and help them to recognize that there are other friends out there that are experiencing the same challenges.” For Lockridge, the summit also provides a chance for “musicians that come to be introduced to the resources that Big Heavy World offers for free to the Vermont music community.” These resources include promotion, event production, airplay on radio station 105.9 the Radiator, and even use of the brightly-painted Big Heavy World van for touring.

Musicians and industry professionals of every kind are welcome to attend the free early evening summit and for those with ideas about activities or interest in putting together a panel, programming director Joe Adler is open to communication. Tickets for the concert are currently available to the public and are being sold for $8 in advance or $10 on the day of the show. With a talented and diverse line-up of musicians, and a wide cross-section of the Vermont music community already looking forward to the event, The 1st Annual Vermont Musician’s Summit should prove to be a unique gathering of every side of Vermont music, as well as a night filled with songs and fun for those young and old. Visit bigheavyworld.com or email info@bigheavyworld.com for more information.

Thank you Dan Bolles and Seven Days for helping get the word out! http://www.7dvt.com/2012summit

Big Heavy World sends a big THANKS! to Bob Amos and the crew of Bob’s Auto in Colchester for replacing a belt and idler pulley on the Big Heavy World van the day they broke, making sure that Lynguistic Civilians could get to Bellows Falls today. Bob rocks - tell him “Big Heavy” sent you! (802) 879-4008.

Workingman's Army

Photos by James Lockridge.

Workingman’s Army and Gang of Thieves filled the Radiator studio at Big Heavy World last night, playing great live sets and bringing friendly energy to the Taz Michaels Show.

Gang of Thieves

Words and photo by Ground Zero.

“November 19th, we took the BHW van all the way to Allenstown, New Hampshire. We packed 14 people in it and had a great time. The van really helped us out because we needed to sell 20 tickets to be able to play the show at GroundZero. So when we sold tickets to our friends, we wanted them to be able to actually go, and figured “hey, we should take the BHW van there!” If it wasn’t for this van our amazing show in NH wouldn’t have been possible. We really enjoyed using the van and we’re looking forward to hearing other band’s stories about taking the van on the road. My band wants to put on a benefit show for the van. I think when we do, each band that plays has to tell a story on stage about the van! Thanks again Jim and Big Heavy World for loaning it to us!”

Photo by James Lockridge.

Aram Bedrosian and Aaron Flinn joined Taz and Shannon in the studio tonight on the Taz Michaels Show.

Words by John Powell. Photo by James Lockridge.

MC Risi and I were stoked to fill in for Sam on Rocket Shop to promote the Essex CHIPS Worlds End FUNdriaser happening Friday, January 6th from 7-10pm at the Essex Teen Center, 2 Lincoln St., Essex Jct. The event will pair youth musicians with adult musicians and will raise money for CHIPS. Phil Yates and Patrick Fitzsimmons will be performing with openers and high schooler Garrett Brown and Luke Young. More info at www.essexchips.org.

We also promoted our free online music magazine, www.angelica-music.com, with news, reviews, and interviews about independent and unsigned artists. We’ve been around two years and have helped promote local and touring music. We also talked about our springtime fundraiser happening in the spring to raise money for the Solar Sister Project.

The Worlds End FUNdraiser is the jump off of monthly open mics, the first Friday of every month, 7-10pm, held at the Essex Teen Center. Thanks to Big Heavy World for letting us host and thanks to all you listeners.

Photo by James Lockridge.

Jesse French joined Taz and Shannon on the Taz Michaels Show tonight.

Gene's Soul (Waylon Speed playing metal)

Photos by James Lockridge.

To everyone who came out to the bash last night - THANK Y OU The bands OWNED it! Special thanks to Alex, Ryan and Emily at Metonrome/Nectar’s, too, and their awesome staff!

Shannon, Aleah, Sarah, and Taz.

Photo by James Lockridge.

Sarah Stickle and Aleah Black from The Matchsticks joined Shannon Doty and Taz Michaels in The Radiator studio tonight on the Taz Michaels Show to promote their new EP, coming soon. Sarah is one of two writers in The Matchsticks, which features her on vocals and guitar, Aleah Black on vocals and cello, and Dan Maurice on percussion and vocals. Check the trio out at www.facebook.com/thematchsticks