“Hi everyone! My name is Julie Seger and I’ve recently joined the BHW crew as a writer. Music has always been a major part of my life, and I’m excited to meet lots of new bands and help spread the word about local artists. Born and raised near Cleveland, Ohio, I’m now up north attending the University of Vermont. I’ve lived in Burlington for three years now and am very impressed with Vermont’s music scene. I’m happy to be a bigger part of it through Big Heavy World. My favorite genres are reggae, hip-hop, classic rock, folk… but I like just about anything. I’ve always been a singer and have dabbled in guitar, but more recently my passion has become writing. I’m excited to mix ‘em all together with Big Heavy World this summer!”

With your host Kelsey Hanrahan and special guests: Guides for the Future, Cats Under the Stars and Freight to promote their totally awesome night show called Vermont Roots Rock Revival happening tomorrow (May 20th) and once a month thereafter (June, July and August).

Freight, “Still Life”

Guides for the Future, “Chaos Kids”

Freight, “Fire Hazard”

Cats Under the Stars, “Gamora”

Guides for the Future, “Magic is Norm (Dry Your Eyes)”

Magma Blood, “Valley of Venus”

Freight, “Rocking with you (Front Porch Song)”

SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!

Big Heavy World got the great news this spring that Shelburne Museum hoped to bring the music of our ‘Thrufters & Throughstones: The Music of Vermont’s First 400 Years‘ project to the museum’s Meeting House exhibit, to be heard all through the 2010 season. With permission from all the artists (the two-CD collection has 40 tracks!), it’s happening! Visit Shelburne Museum online, and read about everything to be seen and heard there this season, below.

An exhibit of the photography of Ansel Adams is among new exhibits opening at Shelburne Museum for the 2010 season.  Ansel Adams and Edward Burtynsky: Constructed Landscapes features over 60 extraordinary photographs by Ansel Adams, the legendary photographer of the American wilderness. His works are contrasted with those of contemporary Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, who focuses on human impact on the natural world through large color images of quarries, mines, shipbreaking and other industry. Burtynsky’s work has taken him to the marble and granite quarries of Vermont, and the exhibit includes a photograph from a quarry in Barre, Vermont.

“Constructed Landscapes offers visitors two powerful artistic perspectives on the landscape. Ansel Adams iconic 20th-century work presents seemingly undisturbed nature in black and white. Edward Burtynsky’s  photographs capture the industrialized world in striking color. Both are beautiful and provocative  — in dramatically different ways, ” said Stephan Jost, Shelburne Museum director.

Ansel Adams and Edward Burtynsky: Constructed Landscapes opens on June 19.

Shelburne Museum opens for the season on May 16 with eleven new exhibits ranging from the circus to Vermont music to contemporary ceramic arts.

Highlights include: 

Circus Day in America is a captivating and lively look at the art and experience of the American circus circa 1870-1950. Using art, artifacts, photographs and film, the exhibit evokes the sights and sounds of the circus coming to town. Circus Day in America explores the development of posters and other advertising including rare posters of freaks, sideshows and other offbeat subjects from the museum’s collection.

Alzheimer’s: Forgetting Piece by Piece is a powerful tribute to victims of Alzheimer’s expressed through textile art. The exhibit features 52 quilts, many of them made by quilters who have lost a loved one to the disease, which today afflicts approximately 5.3 million Americans.  Listening stations are included with recorded memories of local elders produced by Vermont Public Radio and National Public Radio affiliated StoryCorps.

Jay Hall Connaway: A Restless Nature is a retrospective of an exceptional 20th century New England landscape painter whose work bridges the gap between the American realists of the 19th century and the modernists of the 20th century. Connaway’s scenes of the Maine coast and the Vermont countryside in particular earned critical acclaim. He is considered, with Ogden Pleissner and Luigi Lucioni, among the most distinguished regional landscape artists of the 1930s-50s.

All Fired Up:  Six Ceramic Artists from Vermont showcases unique artist-designed installations displaying a diversity of work and providing a window into contemporary ceramics. Featuring the work of Ray Bub of Pownal, Aysha Peltz and Todd Wahlstrom of Town Hill Pottery in Whitingham, Laura Zindel of Guilford,  Stephen Procter of Brattleboro and John Brickels of Essex Junction.

Embellishments: The Art of the Crazy Quilt exhibits fine and whimsical examples from the museum’s renowned collection. Fanciful materials and needlework are showcased in these creative and cacophonous quilts from political ribbons to sequins, velvets to lavish embroidery. The exhibit includes several recently acquired quilts that will be on exhibit for the first time.

Green Mountain Medley: 200 Years of Music Made in Vermont is an audio tour of Vermont’s musical heritage from French Canadian folk music to country to the rock phenomenon Phish.  The exhibition is installed in the Meeting House, an 1840 structure relocated to the Museum from Charlotte, Vermont that housed  religious services, community gatherings, and musical performances for over 100 years.

Other new exhibitions opening on May 16 include:

• Warren Kimble’s America featuring works from the country’s best known contemporary folk artist.
• Upon a Painted Ocean: American Marine Paintings from the Collection of Shelburne Museum including Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904) and Fitz Henry Lane (1804-1865.)
• Tally-Ho! The Art and Culture of the Fox Hunt with paintings, prints, film footage, trophies, riding apparel and other artifacts that evoke the heyday of the sport in America.
• The Art of Ogden Pleissner: A Retrospective from the Collection of Shelburne Museum with over 30 rarely seen oils, watercolors and drypoints from all aspects of Pleissner’s oeuvre.
• Good Fences: Vermont Stone Walls features fine examples of a New England tradition.

Shelburne Museum is one of the finest, most diverse and unconventional museums of art, design and Americana. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in a remarkable setting of 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the museum grounds.  The museum’s collection includes works by the great Impressionists Claude Monet, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas as well as a prized collection of folk art including trade signs, weathervanes and quilts. The museum is open daily from May 16 through October 24.

Writer and magazine founder Ryan O’Connor interviews Big Heavy World founder Jim Lockridge in the April issue of nthWORD.

Words by Sarah Ward

Photo by Jessica Lynne McDermott

I had the pleasure of sitting down to some tea a week ago with Tyler Daniel Bean and Matthew Magnuson of Ghosting, a scream-o/hardcore band based out of Burlington, VT. We chatted a bit about their revolving door of guitarists, what it means to “ghost”, and their upcoming benefit show.

Do you guys want to introduce yourselves?

M: I’m Matthew and I do vocals.
T: And I’m Tyler and I play the bass and do vocals as well.

…and are there other members?

M: Jared Cryan, and we have older members Ty Tonkin shortly, Tony Murphy, Justin Campbell, Tim Adams… P.J. Bonds.

T: Well, PJ bonds was a stand in guitarist for us

The name of the band is ghosting?
T: The name of the band is Ghosting.

What does that mean?

M: we had someone rip apart our entire 7’’ and was like, “Oh ghosting is about this and that…” and we were like, “No. Not at all.”

T: The original meaning of ghosting is supposed to be this existential view of living and you know — you’re living with no hopes, no faith, no… anything. Just kind of going through life as this figure that doesn’t interact or care.

Then the other meanings that we’ve heard over the course of the year and a half are… ghosting is a drug-related activity. We came across this game show online and their idea of ghosting is running or walking behind someone for as long as possible without being notice, and being as close as you can be to them. And then, [there’s] ghost riding the whip.

How would you describe the kind of music that you play?

T: It’s been described as mid-west screamo. It’s kind of late 90’s/early 2000 influenced scream-o. with a lot of really downtempo influence.

M: …with stoner parts.

List some bands that have influenced you:

T: Jerome’s Dream, Old Man Gloom, Takaru, Funeral Diner, Celeste, City of Caterpillar, Daitro.

Anyone you’re trying to sound like?
T: No we kind of lost that a long time ago.

How long have you guys been together?

T: A year and a half now?

M: I mean, ghosting goes further back than that.

T: Ghosting goes for a year and a half. Before that was Follow Machines with Joe Brostine. Follow Machines was a metal-core outfit, really artsy kind of craft-core.

M: Tyler went away to school and it all kind of fell apart and the remaining members wanted to do something that wasn’t metal-core driven.

How did you guys meet?

T: Through Joe Beaulieu, I was friends with Joe and hung out with him. So sometimes we would do Joe’s radio show together and just hang out. We got really close when we went to go see Owen together in Boston.

M: …and that was pretty much when you were talking about needing a new vocalist.

So it’s kind of a long and complicated history…

T - Haha, yeah, and it’s been interesting since then too. We quickly put together 6 songs, recorded them over in Maine at Andrew’s Lane studio (which is now moved to Mass) got those back and put out a 10” record and went on tour for that. After the tour we started our revolving door of guitarists. We haven’t been overly active since last July.

M - We’ve just given up on finding a guitarist. We’re just happy with that because it’s not going to continue on much longer… cause I’m moving.

Who play guitar in your band?

M: Well Tyler mainly writes the guitar riffs and I’ll sit down with him and give him my input.

T: …but it’s pretty much a revolving door of guitarists um, we’ve had five guitarists, a touring guitarist, and we’ve played a couple shows with just bass drums and vocals.

Would you say that’s it’s really worked out?

M: No, super sloppy.

T: But we have these double, full stack bass equipment, every time, and it’s loud as balls.

You guys have a show coming up on the 13th of May with Ruiner and Unrestained at 242 Maine, are you guys facing the same sort of questions about your guitarist?

M: We have one person who’s said that he definitely would play. Tony, the original guitar player who was in Ghosting when it was Follow the Machines. He can definitely pick up the music easily, he’s a good guitar player.

Do you guys still want to carry on Ghosting into whatever it’s next reincarnation is after Matt moves?

M: Well we talked about being on hiatus and just writing music while I’m down in Asheville and then when I visit we can record and play a few shows. But it’s all kind of up in the air.

Any big projects in the works?

M: Right now we have 3 songs fully recorded that are being mastered for splits that we’re supposed to be putting out. The band has a split 7-inch coming out with PJ Bonds by the end of the summer.

T: We also have another split that’s supposed to be coming out with a band from Florida called, “Great Friend of Mine” and that was supposed to come out on a local record label called “I’m not your dentist.”

M: We’ve got three or 4 other songs that we’re gonna record before we’re on hiatus. And that will happen before I move in October.

So, would it be safe to say that this May 13th show is the last definite thing Ghosting has going on?

T - It’s the last definite thing ghosting has going on, but if we’re gonna play a last show, it’s going to be in August.
——-
So… you haven’t heard the last of Ghosting just yet. Go check them out at 242 Main this Thursday, May 13th. 7pm. 250 Main St, Burlington, VT. 10 Dollar cover. It’s the kick-off to Unrestrained’s Bicycle tour across New England and it’s sure to be a good time. All proceeds go to benefit relief efforts in Haiti, so come out and support local music and a great charity. See you there!

To find out more about Ghosting and see upcoming tour dates, check out their MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/ghostinghc

With your host Kelsey Hanrahan and special guests, The Haps! These are a group of kids from Hinesburg high school  that have worked hard not only on their music but also have gained respect for being a professional band, seeking gigs and playing for pleasure.

The Haps, “HDH” (Live)

The Haps, “Lemonade Stand” (Live)

The Haps, “Kings Corrider”

The Haps, “2 of 2″

After the Haps left we played a couple songs from the VT library:

Rough Francis, “Don’t Look Back”

Electro Rock, “Easily Gone”

ViperHouse, “Blue Pepper”

SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!

“Hey all, I’m Tony Reidel and I’ve just recently joined the Big Heavy World crew. I heard about Big Heavy World through school as a good place to get community service hours. But, I have a feeling it will become something much interesting more with the music elements involved. I’ve been listening to music from day one (appreciate all genres) and have been playing the guitar for about 9 to 10 years now, so music has been a huge part in my life. I can’t wait to jump in and see what is in store for the future!”

“Hi, I’m Alison Livengood. I’ve just joined the Big Heavy World Crew for the Summer as a Digital Muscle person. I’m going to be helping with the networking of new website files and new computer locations at places around Burlington. I’m going to be working with file uploading, networking and general xhtml and CSS knowledge. I’ve been going to school at Champlain College as a Broadcasting Major for the last two years. I fell in love with Burlington and the whole music scene as soon as I got off exit 14. I’ve always been really involved in music from singing in my dad’s band when I was little to playing a variety of instruments once I got old enough to hold them. I’m really excited to have a place to be involved in the Burlington Music scene and have it count as something constructive to do for my summer. “