Burlington’s diverse music scene was showcased at Nectar’s and Club Metronome to an eclectic array of students and purveyors of the local arts. Nine bands played between the two floors of the connected club on Thursday, Sept. 18 to join the combined efforts of Seven Days, Sugarbush and local music promoters Big Heavy World in fundraising for Burlington’s local radio station, The Radiator.
The house is a rockin'
Seven Days music editor Dan Bolles worked with Nectar’s to create the event lineup.
“Burlington has such a wide array of music going on,” he says. “We tried to feature something to please any palette.”
From the airy jam of St. Michael’s alumni Japhy Ryder, to the pounding indie-rock of In Memory of Pluto, the night offered an expansive array of sound from start to finish.
“It was great to see so many bands playing on the bill between upstairs and downstairs,” says Tyson Valyou, keyboardist from the punk outfit Husbands AKA. “The music on each floor was a completely different thing.”
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In Memory of Pluto in mid-rock during the showcase.
(Photo by John O'Brien)
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An admission of $5 served as a donation to the local non profit radio station, 105.9 WOMM-LP The Radiator. The event was co-sponsored in order to allow all proceeds from admission to go directly to the radio station. The Radiator did its part by advertising heavily for the event, Bolles says.
“We were excited to help them out, and also to get the word out for the event,” he says.
The location of Nectar’s and Club Metronome was imperative to attract students who wouldn’t be willing to drive to other venues outside the downtown area, Bolles says.
“It’s sort of the perfect space,” he says. “It’s got the iconic, name recognition aspect, and people were able to bounce around between the floors.”
Getting to know your local bands… really well
Cannon Fodder, a band self-classified as “alt-whatever,” opened the night upstairs in Club Metronome to a substantial crowd.
“I honestly thought playing at 9 p.m… I thought it was going to be dead,” says Padraic Reagan, who plays guitar in the band. “They must have done a really great job promoting because there were a lot of kids there.”
In addition to playing in Cannon Fodder, Reagan works on promotion, booking and sound at the Monkey House, which is a bar and venue in Winooski. Many members ofthe crowd wouldn't typically be in attendence at a concert like the showcase, because of their age, he says.
Bands of Burlington
Club Metronome:
Nectar's:
Click the names to view
each band's MySpace page
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“You tend to see a lot of the same faces when you go out often enough to see live music in and around Burlington,” Bolles says. “We had a lot of people who I felt were relatively new to the scene.”
Valyou also tends to recognize consistent audience members at Husbands AKA shows, but says the showcase really drew “a lot of new faces."
During the band’s performance, the bass player offered friendly advice for the "18 year olds in the audience."
“Don’t sleep with the Vanderpolls,” he says. “You’ll get herpes!”
Just downstairs from Husbands AKA, one of Burlington’s few hip-hop acts, The Aztext, entertained the Nectar’s crowd with a tight half-hour set that was “awesome,” Reagan says.
Bolles says the number of those in attendance is a sign of youth interest in the local music scene. The opportunity for students under 21 to witness the entertainment in both Nectar’s and Metronome will serve as incentive for students to see shows when they’re of age to drink, Reagan says.
What's Good in Burlington?
This fall, Seven Days produced its brand new college guide, What’s Good, including a blog featuring students from area schools. The idea to have an accessible concert featuring local music to pair with the guide release became more apparent as it neared completion, Bolles says.
“We wanted to give people a sampling of what there is here,” he says.
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Gummy worms were provided to
accompany beverages at Club Metronome.
(Photo by John O'Brien) |
What’s Good features information on restaurants, events and sights around this densely college-populated town. The guide prominently advertises the Bands of Burlington showcase.
“There was a conscious effort on behalf of Seven Days, Big Heavy World and Nectar’s to reach out to the college demographic,” Bolles says. “If we could have had a bigger night with more bands, we would.”
What’s Good is scheduled to become an annual production, and Bolles hopes to continue the showcase on a regular basis throughout the year, but any planning for
future Bands of Burlington events is preliminary, he says.
"What we saw was an interest in this kind of event," says Bolles. "If you plan it, they will come. It's like a field of dreams kind of thing."
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