TONIGHT: Vedora, Jen Crowell Perform Live & for TV/Radio Simulcast 12/12, Plus Musicians Panel on International Touring
Citizens Bank presents Rocket Shop Live at Main Street Landing.
Family concerts, live broadcasts, musician panel, networking & cash mob on the Waterfront this winter!
Vermont is a state that excels at creative endeavor and the shore of Lake Champlain is an idyllic venue for showcasing it. A group of local organizations, each with intense respect for Vermont's vibrant music community, have united to present a monthly music series on Burlington's beautiful Waterfront.
On Wednesdays once each month through April 2013, a Vermont-based singer songwriter, followed by a band, will perform in the family-friendly Black Box Theater at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center on the corner of College Street and Lake Street. With support from presenting sponsor Citizens Bank. Main Street Landing, Big Heavy World and Seven Days have collaborated to make this concert series possible. Thanks also to sponsors RETN, Advance Music Center, Moreau Theatrical Services, Stowe Mountain Resort, the Vermont Arts Council, WZXP 97.9, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Concert dates are December 12, January 23, February 13, March 13, and April 17. Concerts begin at 8pm sharp, admission is all-ages and suggested $5 donation. Proceeds support the concert series and Big Heavy World. After the music, join the cash mob heading to a downtown venue that supports live VT music, for more friend-making & networking!
'Rocket Shop' is Big Heavy World's local music radio hour, every Wednesday night at 8pm on 105.9FM The Radiator. Rocket Shop has hosted hundreds of Vermont musician guests in its five years on-air and this live concert series is a natural direction for the radio program to go. Host Matt Gadouas will MC Rocket Shop Live, and Big Heavy World's volunteer crew will engineer videography and live streaming of the performances.
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THE MUSIC OF DECEMBER 12: JEN CROWELL AND VEDORA, 8pm sharp!
JEN CROWELL: Developing her skills originally as a Jazz vocalist Jen Crowell graduated into performing original work several years ago, including performances around the area, though her original jazz roots can still be heard in her vocal style. Her most recent release, Cold Front, showcases her broad musical range and has been compared stylistically to work by Natalie Merchant and The Cowboy Junkies. Her repertoire includes influences from Chris Whitley, Richard Thompson, Red Bird and more, with the same, soulful pull. Her songs leave a haunting sense of emotion sure to move even the most jaded of souls. Combining acoustic guitar with her broad vocal range creates an ethereal experience, while her lyrics and music mix roots of bluegrass and folk with haunting phrasing and modern melodies to create more than the sum of the parts.
VEDORA: Sultry vocals, jangly guitars, driving drums, melodic bass lines and gritty lyrics take you out of your self and into a dark forest of moody rock. Vedora's captivating live performance showcases stormy arrangements, poetic songwriting, and lush harmonies. Coming off the recent release of their debut album, Vedora is ready to play their hearts out for you. Vedora is: Matt Hastings (guitar, vocals), Caroline O'Connor (bass, vocals), and Jeff LaBossiere (drums).
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FREE MUSICIANS PANEL, 7pm
Preceding these concerts, artists of every genre and experience level are invited to a music industry social hour in the theater, featuring presentations and workshops fostering success of independent, "do it yourself" music careers that so many Vermont artists experience. The workshops, presented by musician peers and supportive organizations like the Vermont Arts Council, are free and begin at 6pm. Topics include Earning Revenue through Live Performances in Rural Locations; Musician Social Networks - Real & Virtual; Creating, Managing, and Seamlessly Coordinating a Multi-Part Web Presence; How to Build a Fan Following in Vermont; How to Apply for Vermont Arts Council Funding for Performances, Tours, and Album Production; and Getting Sponsored and Raising Funds to Tour and Record.
Panel program DEC. 12, 7pm: MUSICIANS FOR MUSICIANS: TOURING INTERNATIONALLY.
About the panel moderator: STEVE HARTMANN. Where it takes some musicians numerous types of tricks, bells and whistles in order to create their musical message, singer/songwriter Steve Hartmann needs nothing more than his voice and a guitar. After years as the front man for Acoustic/Rock group SIMON, he has since ventured forth as a solo artist with the long awaited release of his full-length debut solo album, “Waking Up the Echoes” on December 31st 2012 at First Night Burlington. Drawing upon the influences of his favorite performers (U2, The Dave Matthews Band, The Counting Crows, Radiohead, Peter Gabriel and others), he crafts acoustic songs about life, relationships, and the courage to dream. Whether a soft ballad or a harsh melody, his dynamic songs follow the high and low points of his life. “I like toying with the quiet that creeps up just before the storm,” he admits. “I like playing with that part of a song (or themselves) that only the heart can feel and the ears can hear and when it comes, everything falls into place just right... and you can breathe.” http://www.reverbnation.com/stevehartmann
About panelist RIK PALIERI: Rik Palieri- Folk-singer, Songwriter & Storyteller Rik is a talented singer, song writer, multi instrumentalist, storyteller and member of "The Mythical Order of The Rose Tattoo", who lives the musical life to the fullest. He is a very energetic performer who captivates audiences of all ages with his stories and songs. In a typical performance Rik will sing an old ballad with a fret less banjo, stomp out a Leadbelly style blues on the 12 string guitar, squeeze an exotic instrumental on the Polish bagpipes, spin out a wild and wooly story of his travels, pluck out a tune on the Ozark mouth bow, blow a mournful melody on the Native American flute and end the evening with an original Yodel-sing-a-long Rik has performed at concert halls, schools and festivals throughout the lower 48 states, toured Alaska by float plane, rode camelback in Australia and sung on trains throughout Europe... He has appeared on countless TV programs including recent spots on ABC's 20/20. He also has his own Public Access TV show "Song Writers Notebook" ( Now archived by the Library of Congress), that has featured interviews with artists like Pete Seeger and U. Utah Phillips. Rik has recorded six albums. His newest CD is called "Hobos & Heroes". He is also an occasional writer for Sing Out!, Banjo Newsletter and author of a new book "The Road Is My Mistress, Tales Of A Roustabout Songster"
About panelist RYAN KRUSHENICK: Ryan Krushenick of Unrestrained and the legendary My Revenge, two of our region's most-traveled hardcore punk rock bands, has brought an original Vermont sound to 49 states and the countries of Mexico, Canada, Iceland, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Russia, and Ireland and others. Touring economically, surviving (and thriving) in foreign cultures, finding support in the underground music communities across the world, and growing personally from these travels are topics Ryan looks forward to sharing.
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LARGE-SCALE INDEPENDENT MEDIA SIMULCAST ON RADIO, TELEVISION, & THE WEB
Concerts will be broadcast live on the radio by community media partners WZXP 97.9 'The Album Station' and 105.9FM 'The Radiator;' televised live by RETN on three local cable networks, viewable from Essex to Vergennes, and streamed online with video at www.bigheavyworld.com. RETN is found on channel 16 on cable TV in the cities and towns of Burlington, Essex, Essex Junction, St. George, South Burlington, Williston, Winooski, Charlotte, Ferrisburgh, Hinesburg, Shelburne, and Vergennes (two Comcast cable systems and Burlington Telecom).
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The Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Black Box Theater is located at the corner of College Street and Lake Street in Burlington, VT. For more information about the concert series, visit mainstreetlanding.com or bigheavyworld.com, or contact Mariah Riggs, mariah@mainstreetlanding.com. Performers and workshop topics are subject to change without notice.
About Main Street Landing: Main Street Landing is an environmentally and socially conscious redevelopment company in Burlington, Vermont that has created over 250,000 square feet of built environment on the Burlington Waterfront.
About Big Heavy World: Big Heavy World is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Vermont-made music. Based in Burlington, "Big Heavy'" operates a record label, public listening library, online music shop, community radio station, and special projects that help Vermont music find a wider audience. Bringing Vermont's music community together since 1996, Big Heavy World is a high-spirited, independent regional music office and advocate for the arts. For more info: jim@bigheavyworld.com; www.bigheavyworld.com.