Tim's Triangle Tribune - August, 2016

The Red Summer Sun, Suburban Samurai, and Better Things at 242 Main August 27, 2016

I had a great time seeing music Saturday night at 242 Main. I had plenty of time after work to get downtown and into the super hot sweaty club by the 7:30 start time. The Red Summer Sun hit the stage fast and loud. With a singer/electric guitar player, and electric guitar player, bass, and drums they had a ’90’s alt rock sound played at punk speed. The bass player and guitar player were constantly bouncing and spinning as they threw their bodies at the notes. The singer had a nice voice and the drummer was rock solid. Their set was short but energetic. They played their whole EP and a couple of newer songs and were lots of fun.

During the set break we all moved outside into the cooler evening air. I ended up chatting with Ryan Cohen about the music scene from past to present until it sounded like the next band were set.

Everyone moved inside as Suburban Samurai began to play. They are a trio with singer/electric guitar, bass and drums and had more of a classic punk sound. They mixed in some pop elements but mostly just rocked hard. As the intensity of the music built a few members of the audience began to mosh and everyone was having fun. Their set was short as well, but very powerful. I will have to check into them more.

Again, during the set break everyone moved out of the club to get some air and cool down. It was not long until a loud noise from inside signaled that it was time for the headliners. Better Things were there to release their new album Getting Worse. They are a four-piece with a singer/electric guitar player, electric guitar player/singer, bass, and drums. Their sound also has roots in the ’90’s, nice harmonies, and heavy rock. Their set was a bit longer and consisted mostly of songs from the excellent new album. There is something earnest and insistent about their music that intrigues me. I’ve seen them play a few times and they keep making me want to come back. After 45 minutes of blisteringly intense music they called it a night but the audience demanded an encore. They set the instruments and microphones aside, the guitarist picked up an acoustic and they had the audience huddle to the stage. They sang a beautiful song about the struggles of life every day. The effect was a beautiful mix of simplicity and magic.

As the last notes faded out I returned to the cool night air and took a happy and bouncy walk home.

The night I met Stevie Ray Vaughan

I still remember the night clearly. Stevie and the band played a killer show then Mike and I and several others went backstage. I had met a couple of rock stars by then so I wasn’t worried about getting an autograph but when I saw him signing other peoples backstage passes I though it would be good to have him sign mine, since I intended to keep it for life. I was all super-confident when standing in line but when it was my turn I turned to mush and meekly asked him if he would sign it. He asked my name then signed it to Tim. He shook my hand and I’ve never felt a handshake that strong since. I meekly said that I really enjoyed the show and the last time I saw him was when he opened for Robert Pant at the Montreal Forum. He asked if I had ever met Robert and said he was a wonderful person and I really should meet him if I ever got the chance. He kept talking with me for several minutes and really cared. He was a great human being and one of the most tremendous guitar players I have ever seen.

I believe that was in 1989.

Hana Zara at Light Club Lamp Shop August 25, 2016

I had a great time seeing music last night at Light Club Lamp Shop. I’m usually doing my local music radio show on Thursday nights but with Hana Zara in town I made a point of recording it earlier so I could go to the show.

I wanted to arrive before the 9pm start time so at quarter after 8 I took the lovely walk downtown. The club was packed when I arrived and a large band of string players were on the stage. I think they were called Stringdeck and the half a song that I caught was pretty cool. I settled in, said a quick hello to an enchanting human being, then she took the stage.

Hana Zara opened with Lithuania, and as the song unfolded and took us on its journey, the full room hung on every note and word. There is something about the way she uses words that paints pictures in your mind. Every song is a voyage made sunny by her compelling voice and strong guitar playing and shaded with her revelations of humanity. The fourth song in the set was the magical Science Fiction which stunned the room and caused a few album sales. The sixth song was a beautiful dichotomy called Symmetry that she played a few times before moving back to Nebraska. I’ve always loved that song and last night’s version was gorgeous. All of the rest of the songs she played were very new. They were all fascinating. One song was about remembering her true and was both vast and small. The third song in the set may have been called The Toil and had images of of oil as the blood that runs through the Earth’s body. The firth song in the set had images of seeing God in the green garden. For the seventh song she sang about friend who had a stroke and lost the ability to use language to communicate. The song was powerful and called As The World Got Completely Undressed. Zion Boat followed and was as great as all the others. She told a story of planting a garden in a suburban lawn and the local community putting up a sign that said no useless vegetation. This led nicely into the song called The Sower. She was going to end the night with her prayer for everyone for all that we are going through called Grandmama Moon but since we were such a friendly and supportive audience she wanted to play her newest song again. It was as vast and small as the first time, though maybe a little quieter and more pointed.

As soon as she wrapped up I headed out the door. Even though I had left my radio show in the good hands of Tony Gallucci I still wanted to get home and make sure the end played out correctly and do the show write up. The walk home was as lovely as the walk down only this time I had a lot of great new music in my head

Radio Show 173 Thursday August 25, 2016 9-11pm Eastern US Time 107.1 FM and WBKM.ORG

Tonight’s local music radio show on WBKM 107.1FM went as follows:

recording begins Song before: Alone – Children in Paradise

Intro

From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. I want to begin by thanking Higher Ground for sponsoring us here at the station. They have Smooth Antics playing tomorrow if you want to check that show out. There has been a lot of music about lately so let’s begin with a guy who played a solo show last Sunday at Radio Bean.

1.) Grass Is Always Greener – Phil Yates & The Affiliates 2.) Make Me See Stars – The Lonestar Chain 3.) Black 17 – The New Siberians 4.) The Last Of The Unplucked Gems (live) – The Tragically Hip

I saw music Saturday night and Sunday night so it was not until Monday that I watched the full last concert from The Hip. It was powerful and poignant. The have played in town many times and have played all over Vermont. All of their shows were great and they put a ton of beautiful music into our world. I cannot thank them enough. That new song from the Siberians has been stuck in my head since the album came out. I see no signs of it stopping soon. Great song from the Burette Douglas solo band. I love that Phil song and it was cool to see the stripped down show on Sunday. OK, here is the next and last song from Giant Places. It’s been so warm and sunny and everyone is driving around with the windows down.

5.) Windows Down – Lendway 6.) My Fear Of Losing You – Milton Busker 7.) This Machine – Invisible Homes 8.) Love, Like Language – Happy Abandon

Happy played a stunningly great show at Foam Brewers last Friday. Homes followed and put on a great show too. Milton has a brilliant new album and is playing next Thursday at the Fairgrounds (???). OK, let’s rock. Better Things just released a new album called Getting Worse. This is the fist song.

9.) Getting Laid In New Hampshire – Better Things 10.) Carnage – Black Rabbit 11.) Lunacy – Cave Bees 12.) Ex-Files – Better Things

I’m psyched to check out Better Things on Saturday at 242 Main. I just checked out their new album and it’s really cool!! Bees played a stinging show at The Monkey House last Saturday. They were joined by Black Rabbit and Zeus Springsteen. Rabbit closed with that rocking song. Hmmm, Better Things. This next band are playing Saturday at the Enosburg Opera House.

13.) StatistiK – The Mountain Says No 14.) Blind Pigs – ROUGH FRANCIS 15.) U Thought U Ne Funk (intro) – DJ A-Dog 16.) Unveiled – Pours

I wanted to play the Pours song song for two reasons. One: It’s quite good and I like it. The second is that their drummer Chris Shar has had physical issues for years, and drummed his heart out for us for years anyway. He just started a Go Fund Me campaign to get a mobility device so he can get out and about more easily. He’s given a lot to us. It’s time for us to give back, if we can. DJ A-Dog passed away a few years ago but put a stamp on this town, and now there is a giant party every year for him. This happens all around town on Saturday. Tons of DJ’s and MC’s will play but a few bands, like Rough Francis, will play too. Forest Gray will play and this next band will play too.

17.) Colorful Girls – Dwight & Nicole 18.) Paint With The Sun – Arc Iris 19.) Scared – The Tragically Hip 20.) Science Fiction – Hana Zara

Hana move to Nebraska a while ago but is back in town tonight to enchant us with her beautiful music. I love that Hip song and and they did a great version of it at the last show on Saturday. Arc just released a new album full of songs they keep playing in Burlington. OK, let’s celebrate the return of Hana with a set of her songs.

21.) Santa Anna – Hana Zara 22.) Lithuania – Hana Zara 23.) Meghan’s Song – Hana Zara.

I love her music and her imagery and the way she lets her songs unfold around us. OK, time for a couple more. Let’s go out in style.

24.) Grace Too (live) – The Tragically Hip 25.) New Orleans is Sinking (live) The Tragically Hip

I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?

Outro

Songs after: Where In The World – Fish Flamenco – The Tragically Hip Putting Down – The Tragically Hip Machine – The Tragically Hip

recording ends

regular programming song after O’er The Green Mountains – Jon Anderson

Phil Yates at Radio Bean August 21, 2016

I had a great time seeing music last night at Radio Bean. Usually, when I see Phil Yates it’s with his rocking band The Affiliates, but every once in a while he plays a solo show and it’s nice to hear the stripped down versions of his songs. The show was set to start at 9 and around 7 my friend Christopher Larrow texted to see if anything was happening. I let him know about the show and he stopped by around 8 and drove us down around 8:30. I meant to leave a little bit later but it worked out well that we did not. There was a show time snafu with the band after Phil set to go on at 9:30. We arrived at 8:40 and he took the stage at 8:43 and rocked for 45 minutes or so. With an acoustic guitar and his charming voice he began the night with She Has Your Name. He followed with I’m Thrilled then played a cool version of Grass Is Always Greener. He played a great version of Co-Pilot then followed with a brand new song that I think was called Fixin’ To Die. Ninjas Vs Zombies followed and still rocked hard in the acoustic format. I missed the name of the next song, something about good night or good morning, but it was a really nice song. Burn Burn Burn was fun, then he pulled out another newish song that I’ve seen the full band do a couple of times called My Favorite Bag. It worked quite well in the acoustic setting. The obligatory Replacements cover followed and this time it was Can’t Hardly Wait. He capped the night with Burn It Down Bernadette and ended just before 9:30. Even though I had seen a ton of music in the last few days, it was so worth the effort to see Phil play his lovely songs.

Zeus Springsteen, Cave Bees and Black Rabbit at The Monkey House August 20, 2016

I had a great time seeing music last night at The Monkey House. I met up with Nathan Curtis around quarter of 9 and we drove to Winooski. We were in and settled about 9, chatted briefly with Chris Farnsworth about how his band was going to play Yes covers a half time off and call themselves Maybe, and shortly after that Zeus Springsteen hit the stage. Chris played electric guitar and sang mostly backing vocals, and was joined by Josh Shedaker on bass and backing vocals and David Evans on lead vocals and drums. The music began with some heavy rocking riffs and I felt like I knew the song. As soon as the lyrics kicked I realized it was the Lobot song Lights Of Montreal. I made the connection of seeing Dave play in the band Somah so many years ago and Lobet more recently and realized how great the show was going to be. It did not disappoint. Dave is a great songwriter and has a charming and unique voice and all of the songs sounded great and rocked hard. I did not know most of the songs so I just listened and let them move me. The fourth song was short and fast and might have been called Turnaround. Chris had made a few Yes jokes from the stage at the beginning so before the fifth song when he said the next would be an Elton John cover I assumed he was kidding. They played a blisteringly intense over the top version of Madman Across The Water that made me happy that I was wrong. The next song was a fun ditty about how Jody is A Robot. It was slow and searing for most of the song but rocked hard for some of it. They played a few more, including My Funeral and closed the set with an unrelenting rocker that just kept driving and driving with no let up until it crashed into the ending. This was my first time seeing this new band but will not be my last.

Up next was a band that only exists in Austin Texas or Winooski Vermont. Cave Bees hit the stage with their buzz saw punk rock. The songs have nice melodies but have a steady grind to them and sound great. With Steve Tremblay on electric guitar and vocals, Rebekah Whitehurst on bass, Frank Zee on drums and Creston Lea on electric guitar they rocked hard. They opened with I Need A Raise then kept rocking with Round Sum. Mine All Mine followed then they played a newer one called Juliet. They went back to their album with Sweet Pussy and an incredible version of The Lunacy. The next song was Kick The Can then they played a couple that I did not know, but really liked. Muskrat Love was a little heavier than usual then they played another one that I missed the title of but totally loved. 22R followed and rocked hard then they played a blistering version of Golden Goose. They closed with another newer song and I was blissfully happy.

It between sets it was nice to chat with Luke Awtry, Eric Olsen, and Linda Bassick, but soon enough, it was time to rock again. Black Rabbit hit the stage with their punk/garage rock music. With Trevor Jewett on drums, Darlene Scarano on bass and backing vocals and Marc Scarano on electric guitar and lead vocals they kept the night at the same hard rocking level set by the bands before. They opened with Mark My Words and followed with The Original Original. They went back to the first EP for Neutrino then rocked out Sayonara. They played a couple that I don’t know well enough yet, but really like, then welcomed us to their Neighborhood. Black Cat crept in next and was followed by the classic Tibbar Tibbar. Nicky Says rocked hard then Marc picked up the flying V for a song I did not recognize. Blue Sky followed with it’s cheery chorus then BS Passes was played a little extra hard. Rotten Egg has some cool hooks then they wrapped the night intensely with Carnage. They were as brilliant as always and I was so happy to be there for it.

What an incredible night of music.

Happy Abandon and Invisible Homes at Foam Brewers August 19, 2016

I had a great time seeing music last night at Foam Brewers. It was a lovely evening to walk down to Burlington’s waterfront and I had not been to the brewery bar yet. The sun was almost ready to set as I made my way past the outdoor seating and walked in the door. The stage was directly to the left and I immediately ran into Sean Witters and Shawn Connolly and chatted a little about their performance on my radio show on WBKM the night before. I got a beer from the bar, said a quick hello to Justin Ellis and soon enough it was time for his band to play.

Happy Abandon are a four-piece from Chapel Hill North Carolina and are about a third of the way into their current tour. With a singer/whistler/electric guitar player, a keyboard player/backup singer, Justin playing bass and singing backup and a drummer, they played an hour full of beautiful hard rocking songs. As they were tuning up something about the sound reminded me of Nous Sommes Du Soleil. The sound turned a little shoegaze as the song began then it added in some jangle guitar then it just rocked hard. I was in heaven from the first note. The second song started a little jazzy but rocked hard in the middle. This set the pace for the night. Each song used a various style of music then was placed into a pop context and rocked hard. The bar was mostly full of beer aficionados but the band caught the attention of several people. The third song had a little jazz feel, and with very little guitar leads, the electric piano sounding keys lead the song. After a bit it turned into an epic rock jam too. I couldn’t tell if the fourth song was really long or it was just played into the fifth, but it started by sounding like a lullaby, went into a nice hard rocking section, then went back to the lullaby. It drifted for a moment then ascended into a huge over the top epic. I think that was the point where I wished I had pushed all of my friends to see the show. So many of them would have loved it. They played a few more songs, all of them good and ended the night with Heavy Lines, the title song of their EP. I am so thrilled that I was able to hear them play.

It took a little time for Invisible Homes to get set up on the small stage but soon enough they began with the gorgeous Little Song. Sean sang and played electric guitar and keys, Shawn played electric guitar and sang, Patrick Ormiston played bass and some keys and effects, Simon Plumpton masterfully played the drums and Deva Racusin filled out the sound with bongos, various other percussion instruments, sax, and his strong voice. The sound is art rock and pop and whatever else they can weave into the mix. Early in the set they played a song I’m beginning to love called Pale Rage and followed it by the soaring Above The Frequency. They jammed out the title song from their first album, Song For My Double then turned a little Crimson for All Your Basis. Shawn’s guitar work had a lot of discipline. The next song was a Floydy prog song and they followed it with a Caroline Rose song. The newly recorded Company She Keeps followed and had a smooth rock sound and ended with a wicked Sean guitar solo. The next song was a new one about turning into animals and serving our robot overlords who have come to destroy. It ended with an instrumental breakdown that flowed into a rocking version of This Machine. They closed the night with Sean singing a great Tom Waits impression on Tango Till They’re Sore.

After they wrapped up I said a couple of quick goodbyes then took the long walk home, blissfully happy with all that I got to hear.

Francesca Blanchard at Summervale August 18, 2016

I had a great time seeing music yesterday afternoon at Summervale. I ran a little late and arrived at 6:05 and Francesca Blanchard was on stage singing and playing electric guitar. She was joined Matthew Kloss on bass and Charles Smyrk on drums. She sang many of the songs in French and a couple in English and they all sounded great. I did not know most of the songs so I just sat and listened as Mark Haworth Harlan snapped lots of photos. She played a couple of covers such as You Belong to Me and a Carla Bruni song with lyrics that flowed so fast I was amazed at how she kept up. Throughout the show the music had a lovely sound but it was her voice that shaped all of the songs. Her guitar playing has a cool sound like she’s plucking a banjo but her voice brings the songs their melodies. She played a few songs on her own then was rejoined by the band. I had to leave early to do my radio show later, but got to hear a large number of songs in the 70 minutes I was there. It was tough to leave and I will have to make it a point to see her play whenever I can.

Silver Bridget at The Daily Planet August 17, 2016

I had a great time seeing music last night at The Daily Planet. The show was set to go from 8-10 so I arrived just before 8 and got a seat at the bar. Mike McGonegal was the perfect bartender and got me all set up before Silver Bridget took the stage. The band are a trio with Matt Saraca on electric guitar, John Townsend on acoustic guitar and Johnnie Day Durand on musical saw. They play instrumental versions of classic rock and pop songs and the saw gives the songs an other worldly quality. John usually adds in a bit of kick drum work but the stage was so small they skipped it for the night. They opened with Old Man and played songs such as Surfer Girl, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Crazy. Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon was very cool as was Falling In Love With You. They broke out some Bowie with Space Oddity and Starman then took a Beatles turn with She’s Leaving Home. They ended the first set where they began with a great version of Hey Hey, My My.

The set break was short and they returned with Somewhere Over The Rainbow and followed it with Creep. Set two featured songs like Follow The Sun, Blue Bayou, Nothing Compares To You and Only Love Can Break Your Heart. They played a few more songs, including Love Me Tender and ended with You Got It. An encore was requested and they ended the night with Nights In White Satin. They sounded great all night long and I’m so happy I went to see them.

Radio Show 172 Thursday August 18, 2016 9-11pm Eastern US Time 107.1 FM and WBKM.ORG

I just got back from my local music radio show on WBKM 107.1FM and it went as follows:

lined up before:

Flypaper – Persian Claws I’m Falling – Children Of Paradise Sisters – The Church Band

recording begins

Song before – Break – Slingshot Dakota

promo Intro

From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. Let’s begin tonight with some new music from a Rutland band.

1.) Spy Vs Spy – Split Tongue Crow 2.) If You Teach A Bird To Sing – Rorie Kelly 3.) Great Escape – Jeremy Gilchrist – Singer-Songwriter 4.) Rame – Francesca Blanchard

I just heard Francesca play a bunch of songs at the Summervale festival that happens every Thursday in the late summer. She sounded great and her singing is so amazing. I saw Jeremy Gilchrist and Rorie last week at Radio Bean and both were wonderful. I’m so glad to have some new Crow songs to play. OK, I’ve got Sean Witters and Shawn Connolly from Invisible Homes here in the studio and they are going to play some songs for us.

chat 5.) Pale Rage – Invisible Homes chat about their show at Foam Brewery tomorrow 6.) Brazil – Invisible Homes chat about the song from their upcoming album that they brought along.

7.) Company She Keeps – Invisible Homes 8.) So They Say – The New Siberians 9.) Day Of The Dead – Hana Zara 10.) Who’s Fault Was That? – The Snaz

Great song from the Snaz. I love Hana’s music so much. Another great new song from the Siberians. Same for Homes. OK, let’s play the next song on Giant Places.

11.) Why I Wait – Lendway 12.) Sparks – The Color Exchange 13.) What If – REDadmiral 14.) Throw Me Away – Spill

Great song from the ’90’s band. That’s a song from Admiral’s new album. Justin Ellis from Color Exchange will be in town tomorrow opening for Invisible Homes at Foam. His new band is called Happy Abandon. Great song from Lendway. This next band will be at The Monkey House on Saturday.

15.) Nicky Says – Black Rabbit 16.) Mine All Mine – Cave Bees 17.) Weapons Factory – The Wards 18.) Mad Mary Jones – THE VACANT LOTS

Great song from the Lots. Classic from the Wards. Cave Bees will play with Rabbit at the Monkey and will be joined by Chris Farnsworth and Zeus Springsteen. This next band are playing in Europe and recording songs on the Isle Of Man.

19.) Orange Like Water – The Cush 20.) Basalt Anchor – Vedora 21.) Piano In Every Room – gneiss 22.) Old Man – Silver Bridget

I saw Bridget play at The Daily Planet last night and am happy that I have some of their music to play on my show. I love that Gneiss song. Hmm, Vedora. Hmm, The Cush. If you have not read Eric Olsen‘s blog post about this next song you owe it to yourself to check it out.

23.) Black Boys On Mopeds – SWALE 24.) Jan Michael Vincent – Chin Ho 25.) Sunflower Street – David Jarvis

It’s the time of year where every street in Burlington might be Sunflower Street. Classic from Chin. I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we? Ta ta.

26.) Sayonara – Black Rabbit Outro promo

Song after: Favorite Stranger (1995 mix) – Fish

recording ends lined up after:

Against The Rain – TILT Child In Time – Deep Purple Musical Box (live) – Genesis Matte Kudasai – King Crimson Singing – Arc Iris She’s Leaving Home – Silver Bridget Overcoat – Swale Not I – Andriana Chobot The Man With The Child In His Eyes – Kate Bush Intro I Will Follow You – Children in Paradise Part I Morrigan – Children In Paradise Part II Cu Chulainn is mine – Children In Paradise Part III The Nightmare – Children In Paradise New Americana – Halsey Harvest Moon – Silver Bridget In A World Passed By The Human Mind – The Tragically Hip Two Weeks (Until The End Of The World) – Grand Bring It On Home – Ace Frehley Rebel Girl – Bikini Kill Kill The King – Rainbow Ninjas Vs Zombies – Phil Yates Above The Frequency – Invisible Homes Upstream – The New Siberians Downstream – Supertramp Fugazi (live) – Marillion Glow Worm – The Church All About You – Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band What’s In California? – Joshua Glass Music

Jeremy Gilchrist and Rorie Kelly at Radio Bean August 12, 2016

I had a great time seeing music Friday night at Radio Bean. I worked 10-6:30, stopped quickly at home then headed downtown. I arrived about 5 minutes late for the 7pm start time, but it ended up being perfect as Jeremy Gilchrist – Singer-Songwriter took the stage a minute later. He sang and played acoustic guitar and opened with the gorgeous Letter From The 21st. It was the first song I ever heard him play and love it every time I get to hear it. He mostly stuck to his first album and played songs like Great Filter, Return From The Dream and The Time Traveler. He tossed in a new song called Babylon By The Sea. His cover of Round Here was nicely done then he played a couple of new songs. He closed with the nicely descriptive Thunder From Mansfield To The Lake and Great Escape. I really enjoy his songs, his deep lyrics and lovely voice and was happy to be able to see his show.

Up next, a friend of his from New York City took the stage. Rorie Kelly also played acoustic guitar and sang. Her songs were cool and her between song banter was really fun. She played 12 songs over an hour and a most of them were about self-empowerment with a New York attitude. I think the message of the nigh was something to the effect of “love yourself goddammit!!” She played songs like Search Lights, Leaving At The Hardest Moment, Don’t Give In, and Road Trip. The song Vulture stood out and the closer, If You Teach A Bird To Sing, was really good. I’m richer for having heard her music.

After the set ended at 9, I was thinking of heading to the Lamp Shop to see Anna Pardenik at 10, but a wave of exhaustion struck, so I took the short walk home. It took a bit of effort to get out the door, but I’m glad I did.

Radio Show 171 Thursday August 11, 2016 9-11pm Eastern US Time 107.1 FM and WBKM.ORG

For tonight’s local music radio show on 107.1 FM WBKM I took the many styles of music on the new album by The New Siberians and matched them up in sets from new and old Burlington bands. It went as follows:

Lined up before: The Great Forgetter – The New Siberians Calendar Girl – Stars Sparks – The Color Exchange Delirious – The Church Band Monocacy – Slingshot Dakota

recording begins Song before: Rebel Girl – Bikini Kill

promo

Into

From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. It hit 96 degrees today and it’s a scorching night in the Queen City. Music is all around. Last night I got to see Swale play a great set in a classic Vermont setting. They played a bunch of great songs at Shelburne Farms including this one. They just made a devastatingly beautiful and horrible video for this cover song. This is a song to help remind us that the color of your skin and the shape of your face and body mean nothing. You are what you say and what you do and what you tolerate and what you don’t.

1.) Black Boys On Mopeds – SWALE 2.) If Time Was A River – Anna Pardenik 3.) Letter From The 21st – Jeremy Gilchrist – Singer-Songwriter 4.) Bird On The Sea – The New Siberians

What a great new song from the Siberians. I’ve got a couple more songs from it lined up later. Jeremy Gilchrist is playing Radio Bean tomorrow at 7 so I may catch a song or two at the end of his set if I’m out of work on time. Anna is playing at Light Club Lamp Shop tomorrow too which is cool. Swale were amazing and played an amazing version of that song yesterday. As always, I want to thank Higher Ground for sponsoring the station. They have Upmhrey’s McGee in town tonight and Strangefolk in Jay this weekend. The Girls Rock VT August Showcase is happening Saturday if you want a glimpse of the future rock scene. OK, here is he next song from Giant Places.

5.) Take Your Gold Away – Lendway 6.) The Interrogator (Enhanced) – Milton Busker 7.) New Atlantis – Aaron Flinn 8.) Make It Work – The New Siberians

Another great new song from Siberians new album Black, Blue and White. Aaron writes and sings such great songs. I love the new Milton album and that song has some intense energy. Hmmm, Lendway. It’s hot and there is no breeze and it’s summer in Vermont. Let’s celebrate it.

9.) Summertime – Peg Tassey MUSIC 10.) Beach Song – Mr. Ray Fork 11.) Give Me All Your Love – Madaila 12.) Breaking Camp – The New Siberians

Yup, the Siberians have a dancey pop song on the new album too. Such a fun song from Madaila who are going to take over downtown for a day sometime soon. It is summer and beach weather!!!! Even at night!! OK, let’s go back to the late ;80;s or early ’90’s for a classic song about a girl.

13.) Mary – Plan B 14.) Counting On A Ghost – Elephants of Scotland 15.) Summer Of Andy – The Cancer Conspiracy 16.) Lead Me To Your Love – The New Siberians

Yup, the Siberians have a psychedelic/prog rock song on the new album. Great instrumental from the ’90’s prog rock band. That is a song from Elephants new album. I love Plan B. OK, let’s head to the indie zone.

17.) Life Of The Party – My first Days On Junk 18.) Hindsight 20/20 – Better Things 19.) Screwball – Screaming Broccoli 20.) Tenderness – The New Siberians

That one almost has a bit of a Ninja vibe. The New Siberians are made of Simon Plumpton on drums, who also plays with Invisible Homes, Ted Pappadopoulos on bass and vocals and assorted instruments, and Brendan Devitt on guitar and vocals. There are so many good songs on this new album of theirs. Broccoli played in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s and rocked hard. Better are about to release a new album and 20/20 will be one of the songs. Junk are a band with Urian Hackney and played Waking Windows last spring. OK, let’s play another song from that late ’80’s early ’90’s period.

21.) New Age Woman – Pinhead 22.) MSP2 – ROUGH FRANCIS 23.) Silver And Gold – Waylon Speed! 24.) Black, Blue And White – The New Siberians

That one from the Siberians has more of a classic rock sound so I thought it would sound good with the Speed song. Francis should have a new album out soon and I can’t wait. Great rocker from Pinhead. I got to see Caroline Marie play songs from her upcoming solo album last week, so let’s play one from her last album.

25.) The Feeling – Vedora 26.) Sweet Dreams – Bethany Conner Music 27.) Black 17 – The New Siberians

Great rocker from the Siberians. I love that beautiful song from Bethany. Hmmm, Vedora. I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?

Outro

promo

Song after: A Gentleman’s Excuse Me – Fish

recording ends Lined up after: Strontium Burning (acoustic) – TILT Catskills – Alpenglow One By Sea – Elephants of Scotland Supper’s Ready – Steve Hackett Images – Saga The Funny Bird – Mercury Rev I Am Sunday – The Red Telephone Downstream – Supertramp Upstream – The New Siberians Above The Frequency – Invisible Homes On The Air – Peter Gabriel Lily – Kate Bush Symmetry – jane siberry Stumble – Andriana Chobot If You Get lost – SWALE New Americana – Halsey Better Half – Abbie Morin Empire Of The Clouds – Iron Maiden Fractured Mirrow – Ace Frehley So They Say – The New Siberians Freaks – Marillion By My Side – Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band Megaphone – Josh Glass regular programming

Swale at Shelburne Farms August 10, 2016

I had a great time seeing music yesterday evening at Shelburne Farms. After a very long six day work week, it was nice to have Wednesday off, and it was even nicer that Swale were playing from 6:30-8. I got going around 5:30 and took the short drive to Shelburne. I got in and settled around 6 and bought a burger for dinner. I finished up, said hi to Daniel Bolles, saw the new born calfs and goats then headed back to the stage. They were set up in one of the corners of the Farm Barn courtyard and half a moon hung in a baby blue sky, occasionally eclipsed by white puffy clouds. At 6:35 they opened with the new song about having skin in the game and cause and effect and it being a matter of time. They played it on the mellow side as the mostly full lawn was filled with people on picnic blankets and kids running around. They followed with a mellow version of Cancer then had the kids come up and get Hear More Swale stickers. By the end of the night almost all of the kids, and several of the parents were covered with the stickers. Swale are such excellent marketers. They amped it up a little with a solid You Are Not The Photograph. A gorgeous version of Soul Piggy Bank followed then they showed us how to do it Old School. Up next they pulled out a cover that I’ve been dying to hear them do again, ever since they played it at the Pants show. They dedicated Both Eyes Closed to Tom Lawson and the lyrics nearly broke my heart. It was just as tremendous as the first time I saw them play it. They cheered things up with the bouncy Waiting For You, then played the super catchy new song that may or may not be called Loser. A beautiful version of If You Get Lost followed then they closed the first set with a couple of new ones, the latter of which was Release Your Records. They said they were going to take a quick break, then play until 8:30. Woo hoo, the stickers were coming true. I would get to hear more Swale. They returned to the stage at 7:50 to play the rocking set. Joyless started a little slow but rocked hard by the end. They kept the energy high with Popular Crowd and Edible and the kids responded the the higher energy by dancing wildly in front of the stage and running fast around the courtyard. Eric Olsen modified the lyrics to Everyone Likes To, you know, cut the shark and too many jackals trying to get in, and things like that, but the song energy was as high as always. Amanda Gustafson left the keys and went into the audience to sing Rebel Girl and was running around the group of kids at the front of the stage. It was a sight to behold and she always made it back to the microphone to sing her lines. Amanda stayed with the kids to rock out to Jack Sharp then returned to the keys as they slowed things down with Beaten Down. All night long Tyler Bolles kept the songs moving nicely with his bass and lovely backing vocals. He has added a dynamic edge to the band both in the mellower songs and the rocking ones. They followed with a mellow and charming version of Middlesex. Good Medicine was next and it started super mellow but ended with a towering Eric Olsen guitar solo. A cover of Black Boys On Mopeds was riveting then they began the slow build of We Can All Bet That Way. All night long Jeremy Frederick‘s singing and drumming had been spectacular but he really went off as the song builds and builds and builds and the mantra title line repeats over and over. It’s always magic when they play that song. It was getting dark as they played and when it was done, so was the show. It was 8:37 so I walked back to the car and took the short drive home. What a perfect evening, I’m glad I spent it with Swale.

Caroline O’Connor at Light Club Lamp Shop and The Snaz at Radio Bean August 5, 2016

I had a great time seeing music Friday night at Light Club Lamp Shop. I got out of work at 7:30 and had plenty of time to make it down to Radio Bean by 8:30. I’ve appreciated Caroline Marie‘s music for ages and was happy to get a second listen of some of the songs on her upcoming solo album. All of the songs had that drifty ethereal sound most recently heard on the second Vedora album. For the show Caroline created lots of loops to get a nice full sound and sang and played electric guitar over them. Two of the five songs that she played saw her creating a full song out of the loops and she put everything down, picked up the sax and just wailed away. New songs like True and Forward were pretty cool, the latter of which had intense lyrics about moving on after relationships end. The reworking of Ritual was pretty cool as was the closing song Fly. The set was short, but the songs were pretty sweet and I was in a happy place.

I originally thought The Snaz would play at Radio Bean, then saw they were scheduled to go on after Caroline at the lamp shop but they ended up playing at 10pm at Radio Bean. Fortunately, it’s just a few steps away. I did not have to wait long until they hit the stage with their swinging rock sound. All of the songs have a nice bounce to them and plenty of lyrical and musical hooks. They played classics like Try And Try And Try and Running Away From Home, but the real stars of the show were the new songs. They played a few, including one that will have a video coming soon. It was fun to try and figure out where they were going. I really enjoyed the 14 song hour long set and am excited about the possibility of a new album soon. After the last note rang out, I took the short happy walk home with their music giving me a little extra bounce with each step.

Mal Maiz at Summervale Thursday August 4, 2016

I had a good few minutes of seeing music last Thursday at the Intervale. Usually, I have Thursday’s off but it was busy at work that week, so I had to work until 7pm. Fortunately, the Summervale festival is a few dozen steps from my workplace at Gardener’s Supply so I was able to get in and seated around 7:05. I had a radio show to do that night at 9pm, so I had to leave at 7:30 but I was able to hang out and enjoy a few songs. Mal Maiz play Latin music that swings and sways and compels you to dance. The band is pretty huge and mostly fit on the stage. The accordion player wandered around the dancing green in front of the stage but everyone else fit on the stage. With a drummer, a bongo player, a bass player, an electric guitar player, a keyboard player, a trumpet player, a trombone player, a singer who played a hand percussion instrument, and Maiz Vargas Sandoval on acoustic guitar and vocals, the band have a lush full sound. The rhythms were tight and compelling and a couple of the songs had a nice dramatic edge. With the area in front of the stage filled with small children I found a seat on the ground but the music still kept me swaying back and forth. I was only able to catch four or five songs, but they all sounded nice. As the clock changed to 7:30 I took the long walk up the hill, stopped briefly at home, then headed downtown to get set for my show.

Radio Show 170 Thursday August 4, 2016 9-11pm Eastern US Time 107.1 FM and WBKM.ORG

It’s a busy week at work so I put in 8 hours, caught a couple of songs by Mal Maiz next door at Summervale, did a quick stop at home and was downtown by 9 to do the following local music radio show on WBKM 107.1FM on both sides of the Champlain Valley.

Songs before: This Is The Sound – Folksongs For The Afterlife New Americana – Halsey Swimming – Arc Iris Paycheck – Slingshot Dakota Don’t Be Late – Saga The Awful Ache – The Church Band Soft Revolution – Stars

recording begins Song before – Lost In The Supermarket – The Clash

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Intro

From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. I want to thank Higher Ground for sponsoring the station. It’s a bit of a slow week but tomorrow at noon tickets go on sale for The English Beat, if that is of interest. That show is coming up in September. It was so great to hear and see the dynamic songwriting duo of Sean Toohey and Matt Hutton last week at The Monkey House when they were joined by Julia Austin and Ann Mindell when they played as Envy. Let’s begin tonight with a song from Sean and Matt’s last album.

1.) Gold In California – The Red Telephone 2.) Always Monica/Down At The Duck – Chin Ho 3.) Chester Allen – The World Famous Hanglows.

I love the line about what you throw away, to me, is solid gold. That sums up many of the similarities and differences between us all. Nice London Calling reference too. Great couple of songs from Chin. I love that Telephone song. OK, let’s play the next song on the Giant Places album.

4.) The Words Will Show – Lendway 5.) Bloodboy – Barbacoa 6.) Into The Void – Surf Sabbath (The High Breaks)

The Breaks played as Sabbath last night at Nectar’s. Barbacoa opened for Envy last week and played the instrumental surf version of Bloodboy. Envy played it properly when they opened their set. Nice instrumental from Lendway. OK, let’s play some rock and roll with some words.

7.) Tastes Like Nothing – Zola Turn 8.) The Blackout – The Static Age 9.) Running Away From Home – The Snaz 10.) Blue Light Shines – Gabrielle Douglas and The Dwellers

I’ve always thought that was one of the great songs played in Burlington. The Snaz are coming to town for a show at Radio Bean tomorrow and one at The Monkey House on Saturday. I love that song by Static. When I saw them so many years ago it was the first time I saw Bobby Hackney Jr. play drums. He just played with Barbacoa last week at the Envy show and was totally amazing. Great song by Zola. Many years ago The Cush came to Burlington and enchanted us for a few years. They are just about to begin a European tour so let’s celebrate with some of their wonderful music.

11.) Hollow – The Cush 12.) Roll Me – The Cush 13.) Telepathic Headdress – The Cush 14.) Heavy Psych – The Cush

I hope they have a great tour!! One of the cool things about the Envy show last week was catching up with old friends like this guy.

15.) Decide – David Jarvis 16.) Comin’ Home – The Hippnotix 17.) Two Weeks (’til The End Of The World) – Grand 18.) Shy Spiders – Villanelles

Villanelles were just as great a week ago Wednesday as they were the previous three. That night Grand opened for them and were pretty amazing too. Hipp Notix are from New York and, if I’m not mistaken, are from Dave’s neck of the woods. So, this is the week that the Seven Days Daisy awards came out. Daniel Bolles also awarded some special not quite awards called Dandelions. He rightly awarded Villanelles for best rock band and somehow me for local music champion, though fellow nominees such as Luke Awtry, James Lockridge, and Girls Rock Vermont deserved it as much or more. Thanks Dan and 7 Days. Oh, and this next singer and band rightly swept the local popular Daisy votes in a few categories.

19.) By My Side – Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band 20.) Bad Oasis – farm 21.) Star – The New Siberians

That is such a great song. I love that Farm song. OK, this next singer is 17 years old but is on her way to become a star.

22.) The Worst Part – Bethany Conner Music 23.) Bury Me – Forest Gray 24.) Our Lady Of The Underground – Anais Mitchell 25.) Time to Get Out – Aaron Flinn and Salad Days

I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?

Outro

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Song after: Solo – Fish

recording ends songs lined up after: No Superman – TILT (I Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman – The Kinks Do What You Like – Blind Faith Telegraph Road (live) – Dire Straits Legend Of A Mind – Moody Blues Xanadu – Rush Empire Of The Clouds – Iron Maiden Yours Is No Disgrace – Yes (official) Ball Of Confusion – Love And Rockets Breathing In – The Hero Cycle Until The End Of The Day – Ace Frehley Fugazi (live) – Marillion Is This Where You Live – The Church Amber Waves – Tori Amos Cascade – Andriana Chobot Wow – Kate Bush My Fear Of Losing You – Milton Busker Dear God – Kat Wright and The Indomitable Soul Band New York My Lovely – Josh Glass regular programming