Jesse Taylor at Radio Bean January 29, 2019

I had a great time seeing music January 29th at Radio Bean…

There is something gently catchy about her music and her lyrics take you right into the heart of the human condition. She played a song about hoping you enjoyed it and one about brighter days. She sang about getting caught up in other people’s lives then warmed us up with 80 Degrees In October. Like What You See and Waste Of Time are both really cool songs and it was a delight to listen to them. My Brain Is A Liar rang true then she sang about six days time. My noes are bad about the next three songs but I was enchanted for each one. She closed with a rocking Hey You and left us in a happy place.

Jesse Taylor at Radio Bean January 15, 2019

I had a great time seeing music January 15th at Radio Bean…

I zipped out the door at the last minute and walked in almost exactly at 8:30 and Jesse Taylor was on stage playing. She sounded great as I got settled, but I missed what song it was. Note to self, always be early for her shows. She played a cool new song called Adore You then delighted the fairly full room with 80 Degrees In October. She played a song about being a ghost to you and one about never changing. Her stage demeanor was relaxed and friendly and it really helped bring the audience into her lovely songs. She played Like What You See and Waste Of Time from her album, then played a new song about getting caught up in other people’s drama. She played a nice song about brighter days and one about self-doubt called My Brain Is A Liar. She played a quiet and gorgeous song about feeling lost forever then played one about six days time. She played a big bluesy rocker about questioning fears, the rocked out Hey You, which is also from her album. She closed with Someone Get Me A Brown Paper Bag and you could see the lyric connecting with the audience. Everyone was quite impressed.

Strangled Darlings at Nectar’s, Jesse Taylor, Nick Awad, Nick Losito, Eva Rawlings & Casey Little at Drink, and White Elephant & Father Figuer at Radio Bean January 12, 2019

I had a great time seeing music at Nectar’s and Drink Bar on January 12th. There was a cool rock show happening with two of my favorite bands, but it sold out before I got a ticket. Plan B turned out to be quite lovely.

I got going early and stopped in at Nectar’s for dinner. I hung in the back but couldn’t help notice how much fun Strangled Darlings were. They had an indie folk sound with a kick drum for punctuation. They had fun stage banter in a married couple not really getting along sort of way. A song about when you stand up had a bit of a Talking Heads vibe. A song about buckets of sand had a Dead vibe. The whole show was lots of fun. They played a song about being homeless and living in a van in Walmart parking lots, but then I was done with dinner and the clock said it was time to move on. I’m so glad I spotted in.

I headed over to Drink and got settled in the bar/performance space they have downstairs. I had seen Jesse Taylor once and… I bought her album and listened to it a few dozen times and really began to love her songs. She was on first and I was really psyched. She opened with 80 Degrees in October and I was hooked, along with the rest of the crowd. She followed with Like What You see then played a newer one about adoring you. She followed with my personal favorite, at the moment, Somebody Get Me A Brown Paper Bag. It seemed to hook everyone in the room. She played a fun song about taking a road trip and followed with one about how her brain is a liar. I’m not sure what she closed with, but it was a wonderful set of music.

Nick Awad took the stage next and mixed up playing banjo and guitar. His songs had a quiet strength and connected nicely with the audience. My notes are pretty terrible but I think he sang songs bout being 30 degrees south of freezing and Anita please. He closed with a song called Vodka Sprite that was really fun. I should go see him again sooner than later.

Up next, Nick Losito took the stage and fired off the eggshell blues on slide guitar. He’s very talented and threw in a few fun time changes on the young buck blues. A song about shaking them all down had a bit of a train running through sound. He played a few more blues songs then was joined by Sarah Cutler. They sang a couple of fun songs and closed with one about bad relationships called Lonesome Town. They were great.

Up next a woman named Eva Rawlings played a set of sultry electro pop soul. Her voice drew me in and I really enjoyed her songs. She sang about being a fool for you and about being all mine. She sang about Pepsi and leaving me alone. She sang about a pretty face and closed with a dance with the devil. I definitely need to get some of her music soon.

The whole event was organized by Casey Little and he took the stage next. You could hear the heavy rock influence in the sound of the songs and they remained strong despite the acoustic setting. He started off nice and bluesy with a song about cigarettes then sang about what you deserve. All of his songs were good and I really enjoyed his set. At the end he brought up a friend to sing a couple of songs.

There were more bands on the bill but I still wanted to make one more stop. I headed over to Radio Bean and a band called White Elephant were on and rocking. I just caught a couple of songs and they were cool.

I hung out for a bit then Father Figuer hit the stage. Their songs range from a whisper to a scream and have a lot of tension and release. I basked in the gentle joy and smiled as they brought the music to tremendous heights then let it ease off. I’m not even sure how many songs they played but I was blissfully happy for every note.

When the last note faded, I took the lovely walk home. I missed a lot of great music but caught a lot of great music. That’s how it goes in Burlington.

Andric Severance Art Ensemble at Light Club Lamp Shop January 8, 2019

I had a great time seeing music January 8th at Light Club Lamp Shop…

It was billed as Andric Severance Art Ensemble and featured Sofia Hirsch ib violin, Matt Larocca on viola, Jacob Deva Racusin on percussion and tenor sax, Andric Severance on stand up bass, and a mystery cellist. They opened with a slow bluesy psychedelic rock jam. I’m not quite sure what kind of magic they pulled out to make those acoustic instruments so trippy, but I happily lost myself in the sound. Most of the songs were instrumental but the second one had Andric sing about what’s inside my house at the end. They mixed up bowing and plucking the stings but still produced sparkly dreamy music. One song later in the set had a Set The Controls For the Heart Of The Sun vibe. They played one that began as a broke down jam then solidified around the drums before drifting into space for a while. They played a song in G Minor and closed the set with a funky rocker.

It’s hard to really describe how cool of a show it was. I’m so glad I took a chance.

Danny & The Parts at Hotel Vermont January 5, 2019

I had a great time seeing music on January 5th at Hotel Vermont…

I was in the mood for some mellow happy music and Danny & The Parts fit the bill. They played some countryish pop in an endearing way. They sang about having a feeling that you’re wanted back home and how maybe there’s a war. They tossed in covers like Tougher Than The Rest and From Hank To Hendrix. Danny LeFrancois sang most of the songs but Jackie Buttolph graced us with a couple of lead vocals. They asked why you puttin’ down that phone and sang of driving all alone. They though it was a shame living without you then learned to fly. Jackie, Brennan and Eric left for a bit and Danny jammed out a rocking instrumental and followed it with a sly version of Don’t Do Me Like That. The band returned and played a few more happy songs, such as a cover of Tom T Hall’s song Memphis. Eric moved from bass to acoustic guitar and Jackie played bass on a song about walking arm in arm. They moved back to their regular instruments for Big Daddy and followed with a cool version of I’m On Fire. They tossed in a few more lovely songs and called it a night.

The Dead Shakers and Sun Parade at Nectar’s January 4, 2019

I had a great time seeing music January 4th at Nectar’s.

The Dead Shakers are a tremendous band who will take you into a jam, trip you out for a while, then return you happily to normalcy. They opened with Accidental Graveyard and followed with a song about how there’s no such thing as touch down there. They sang of ghosts on video with a long intense jam then rocked out Taung Child. They asked which one is the next one then encouraged us to use out super powers. They closed the set with another huge jam while asking can you take me back. I was in heaven for every note of the show.

There were two cool bands coming up but I had to be at work in the morning, so I could only catch one. I hung out and Sun Parade took the stage with a furious burst of rock and roll. While their sound was rocking, they had elements of the Dead, psychedelic, indie, and soul. They sang about being cool when the end was near and wondered where do we go from here. They played a heavy rocker about not wanting to talk about the consequences then played one about thinking about it and talking about it. They played a song with a late night soul sound then played one about hanging around in outer space. They played a funky indie song then followed with a rocker about how all you see is black and white. They closed with a fun song about needing someone to help me. I really enjoyed their set... It was another great night of music in our town.

January 2019