TONIGHT!: Rocket Shop Live at Main Street Landing Jan. 23: STEVE HARTMANN and KATIE TRAUTZ & ALEC ELLSWORTH: TWIN FIDDLE & COUNTRY SONGS, Plus Free Musicians Panel: Vermont Arts Council Grants
Citizens Bank presents Rocket Shop Live at Main Street Landing! 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, Seven Days and RETN have collaborated to make this concert series and broadcast possible. Concert dates are 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.
'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.
THE MUSIC OF JANUARY 23: STEVE HARTMANN and KATIE TRAUTZ & ALEC ELLSWORTH: TWIN FIDDLE & COUNTRY SONGS, 8pm sharp!
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 is now ready to venture forth as a solo artist with the release of his full-length debut album, “Waking Up the Echoes”. 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 and friendship in a variety of tones. Whether a soft ballad or a harsh melody, his songs tell of the high and low points in his life and the lives of his friends, with a comforting conviction and haunting honesty. Almost ten years since his departure from Simon, he has played as much as time and finances would allow and has now released his debut solo album (Dec. 2012) that has been generously 100% fan funded. He says he couldn’t have done it without the love and support of his wife, son, family, friends, and fans. When asked how the last ten years have treated him, he answers, “The last few years have been huge! The birth of my son, a fully fan funded debut solo album… the support has been overwhelming. It’s hard making it work – family, work, playing, repeat. But I have a great support system in my wife, and my son makes every effort worth it. Ten years without playing on a regular basis is a long time, but I haven’t given up. I have grown a lot as a person and a musician over the years. I’m ready to take the chance on myself that we, as musicians at least, sometimes wait for others to take on us. The reasons I play have changed, I’ve changed. I’m excited to be back and am having the time of my life! Life has a way of bringing you home. And that’s where I think I’m headed – home.” http://www.reverbnation.com/stevehartmann
KATIE TRAUTZ & ALEC ELLSWORTH: TWIN FIDDLE & COUNTRY SONGS. Katie and Alec are fiddlers in the Montpelier area who play mainly old-time and cajun music. Vermont-based multi-instrumentalist Katie Trautz is one of the state’s busiest and most creative young folk musicians. She is a fiddler, songwriter, music instructor and director of the Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture in Montpelier, a training ground for aspiring acoustic musicians that features a top-notch teaching staff including some of Vermont’s best acoustic musicians. Trautz has released three albums, and joined ensembles for numerous recording projects over past few years. She tours and performs solo, and with Katie Trautz and the Tall Boys, Mayfly and Wooden Dinosaur. http://www.katietrautz.com/
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 JAN. 23, 7pm: THE VERMONT ARTS COUNCIL PRESENTS: GETTING GRANTS AS A MUSICIAN
The Vermont Arts Council makes funding available to Vermont's artists, to help them create and present their work. Sonia Rae of the VAC explains how to apply for this support, and the details you'll want to know before stepping into the application process. Grant applications are reviewed by peers from Vermont's arts community in a very fair model for determining successful applicants - musicians will have a leg-up with the understanding, hints and tips of this presentation.
Panel Facilitator: SONIA RAE. Sonia Rae is the Artist and Community Services Manager at the Vermont Arts Council. In addition to overseeing artist grants and professional development programs for the Council, she supports arts and non-arts organizations around the state in their efforts build a strong foundation for the arts their communities. Prior to moving to Vermont in 2002 Sonia ran a studio jewelry and design business, exhibiting and selling work in fine art galleries throughout England and Scotland. http://www.vermontartscouncil.org/
Panelist JANE BOXALL. Award-winning marimba artist Jane Boxall is "in a genre of one," according to Vermont's Seven Days. Jane plays contemporary-classical marimba repertoire with 0 to 8 mallets. Chamber-music collaborations range from Ricochet Duo's fresh piano-marimba repertoire to Snap-Drag’s double-drumkit experimentation. In the jazz realm, Jane recreates the ragtime sounds of the 1920s on vintage instruments. In January 2013, Jane is celebrating the release of her solo marimba album, 'Zero to Eight Mallets'. Born in the UK, Jane completed two degrees in music at the University of York before relocating to the United States in 2004. She studied with renowned percussionist William Moersch at the University of Illinois, earning a doctorate in percussion performance. Jane has performed in concert halls, art galleries, cafes, kindergartens, universities and festivals from London to Chicago, and Manhattan to Seattle. She has appeared with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, Prairie Ensemble and the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble. In 2012, Jane premiered Garry Jones’s Concerto for Park Bench and Orchestra with the Event In A Tent Festival Orchestra. In 2013-2014, Jane is touring throughout the United States as a concert artist and clinician. Jane’s music has received radio airplay across the United States, on the BBC and on the Dutch radio stations Concertzender and Radio Mona Lisa. Her recordings of Nancy Van de Vate’s marimba compositions are released on the Naxos label. Jane has shared concerts and bills with Vernon Reid, Bradford Reed, Sheesham&Lotus, The Life and Times, Les de Merle and Danny Seraphine. Audience members have compared Jane to Cozy Powell, Evelyn Glennie, Zappa marimbist Ruth Underwood, Sheila E., Carl Palmer and (when wielding 8 mallets) an octopus. Jane plays and endorses Coe Percussion marimbas, District Drum Company snare drums and Vic Firth sticks and mallets. janeboxall.com
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).
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.