Vermont artists are releasing a slew of new music, and it’s a shame the timing didn’t work out better — if this many songs had dropped near Valentine’s Day, I could have made so many amazing “singles” puns. As it stands, I’ll just have to push ahead, punless but no less excited.
First up, we have not one but two brand-spanking-new singles from Burlington singer-songwriter Lily Seabird. “How far away” and “It was like you were coming to wake us back up” continue Seabird’s rollout of her forthcoming album Trash Mountain, which hits streaming services on April 4.
With these songs, the musician pushes into a more stripped-down sound than her earlier indie-rock material. “How far away” really delivers on that less-is-more approach, with Seabird’s almost ethereal voice backed only by Vermont musician Sam Atallah‘s piano track. And the hair on the back of my neck stood up when I listened to “It was like you were coming to wake us back up,” which is about Seabird thinking she saw a deceased loved one outside her window one morning. In an email, Seabird revealed that both songs are “about the same thing, so it’s nice to have them paired together.”
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for an interview with Seabird ahead of Trash Mountain‘s release. Speaking of slow-dripping album releases, Burlington singer-songwriter Ian Steinberg continues teasing his soon-to-drop LP, The Bleeding Days, with a new single and video out on March 7.
Steinberg released the first single, the languid and trippy “Onions,” in early February. Now, on “Wake Me Up,” he further evolves his sound by leaning into psych-folk. A chiming mandolin anchors the track, which the musician said “explores the themes of loss, isolation, being stuck — real cheerful stuff, I know.” The full album is due out on April 4.
And, finally, Portland, Ore., rapper and singer Claud Six and Hardwick producer Wool See join forces to bring you the Greenlit Series. In the weekly installment of hip-hop adventures, the duo ponders everything from the microplastics in our bodies to the nature of surveillance in modern society. The series kicked off in the first week of February with the excellently titled “Episode 01: Geese.”
The latest track/chapter is “Episode 04: Always Accessible,” in which the two protagonists fight off the urge to succumb to mountains of notifications, emails and false promises from CEOs. Claud Six raps over an industrial-leaning beat from Wool, spitting lyrics such as “We can’t make any promises or a sign-on dotted line, / But we need your contribution, write a number by the dollar sign.”
Follow along at greenlitseries.bandcamp.com.
Lock up your desks, people — unless you want wandering folk singers breaking into your office. That’s right, NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest is back, and thousands upon thousands of submissions have rolled in for the annual competition, which launched in 2011. The winner will not only play a coveted Tiny Desk concert at NPR but also be interviewed on “All Things Considered,” gain a music industry mentor and go on tour with NPR Music.
Vermont musicians are well represented in this year’s contest. Among the many Green Mountain artists going for glory are folk rocker Devon McGarry, bluegrass outfit the Wormdogs, indie-pop act Fawn, Americana-comedy band the Hokum Brothers, folk rockers the Chad Hollister Band, and singer-songwriters Jesse Taylor and Ryan Montbleau. Head over to tinydeskcontest.npr.org to watch all the entries.
Eye on the Scene
Last week’s live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry
“Story Tellers,” Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, Thursday, February 27: My hometown didn’t get cable until 1994. When it did, 14-year-old me snuck some MTV time as often as possible. The “MTV Unplugged” series was my favorite, and that format became ubiquitous as an intimate performance setting for getting to know an artist. Fast-forward 31 years, and local DJs Craig Mitchell and Kyle “Fattie B” Thompson hosted a very “Unplugged” early-evening event at Vermont Comedy Club with “Story Tellers.” Lighting designer Jason Liggett and scenic designer Sara Verdery transformed the venue, while the DJs filled it with Vermont musicians — all to benefit Spectrum Youth & Family Services. The emotions onstage ranged from crying to full-belly laughter, and the crowd responded with the same and more. I learned a thing or two about both DJs, but I gotta ask: When are we getting the late-night version?