Hopapalooza Fri. 9/6: Funkwagon; Serotheft; Blowtorch at the South End Art Hop!

The Board of Directors of the South End Arts and Business Association and Big Heavy World are pleased to present the 2nd Annual Hopapalooza Concert event on Friday, September 6, 2013 as part of the South End Art Hop. Hopapalooza will take place from 7pm–10pm in the SEABA Tent behind the Maltex Building.

Local bands such as Serotheft, Funkwagon, Blowtorch and others will be performing for attendees of the South End Art Hop. The event is free and open to the public, and will have a beer garden aspect provided by Higher Ground and Magic Hat Brewery. “The South End Art Hop is a huge community event celebrating the art scene in the City of Burlington,” says Adam Brooks, SEABA Executive Director. “Hopapalooza is another great way to entertain our visitors, and provide a showcase for local musicians to gain exposure through the Art Hop.” The event is sponsored by Burlington College.

Funkwagon http://www.funkwagon.com/ Funkwagon is a gospel-infused funk band based in Burlington, VT. The band was formed in 2005 by Aaron Burroughs. “I like to think of it as church with a smoker’s section…and a bar,” says Burroughs. Funkwagon is not a typical funk band, as the name might suggest. “Well, for one thing, it's very vocal oriented," said Burroughs. “We pay attention to our lyrics. It’s popular, it’s pop music in a way that it’s hook oriented and bass driven, but we have five and sometimes six-part harmonies stacked on top of it all, so it really does feel kind of like a choir. Everything I do kind of has that church choir feel to it. But its kind of raw, but not in a way that’s imposing and won’t be on the radio, you know what I mean?”

Serotheft http://www.serotheft.com/ Hailing from Burlington, Vermont, Serotheft is a quartet bringing unique live-tronica and dance based jam music to the area. Serotheft has quickly made a name for themselves in the local music scene, steadily gathering fans at every show. These four musicians are able to seamlessly blend genres, styles and samples to create a set of music comparable to that of a DJ. Serotheft maintains musical integrity by giving each song a heavy dose of their danceable drum-driven beats. Easily blending into the live-tronica, jam and funk genres, Serotheft sets themselves apart by keeping the masses dancing. Rage music.

Blowtorch https://myspace.com/blowtorchvt Blowtorch, all original punk music written by Bill Mullins, lyrics by Clark Russell. Mullins, from Pittsburgh, Russell, from St. Louis, Blowtorch's sound covers the heartland from the Ozarks to the Appalachians. Mullins, an accomplished musician, Russell, a dedicated artist, have collaborated on original music dating back to the early punk scene in Burlington. As members of No Fun, they played with the Wards and others at the first all ages punk show in Vermont, at the Knights of Columbus, and were there to witness a near punk rock riot. Blowtorch is fierce, melodic, friendly, hard — a searing guitar and two part harmonies. The songs are flavored with a load of sincerity and a dash of sarcasm. Blowtorch is coming from the heart and going for your head, and features sound effect samples between songs. Blowtorch was formed in ancient Egypt 1986 BC "No love songs, no swear words" Blowtorch played CBGB's in New York, everywhere in Burlington, and the Valley of the Dead in Egypt; keep coming back. Bill Mullins, guitar/vocals; Clark Russell, vocals; Kirk Flanagan, bass; Jeremy Frederick, drums.

Burlington College is a small, private, nontraditional liberal arts institution located in Burlington, Vermont, that honors each student as an individual. The College offers courses, majors and degree programs suited to those individual characteristics.

Big Heavy World, founded in 1996, is a volunteer-staffed nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting music by Vermont artists and accomplishes its mission with a crew of teen and college-aged volunteers. It was established to preserve the historical record of music originating in Vermont; to create economic opportunity for Vermont's musicians and the industries vital to them; to develop community among Vermont musicians and their patrons; and to accomplish this mission in a substance-free environment that empowers and educates youth. Contact info@bigheavyworld.com, (802) 865-1140.

SEABA (South End Arts & Business Association) is a member based organization located at 404 Pine Street, which supports the arts and businesses of the South End of Burlington. Its signature event, the South End Art Hop, underwritten by Ben & Jerry’s, is entering its 21st year in 2013 on September 6-8th. SEABA is involved in the curatorial needs of local businesses, marketing their artist & business members, community outreach and advocacy, and operation of the SEABA Gallery as a showcase for artists and information center for visitors.

For more information, please visit www.seaba.com or contact Adam Brooks at 802.859.9222