Any regular readers of this section know that the Burlington area is dealing with a bit of a venue problem at the moment. Nectar’s, ArtsRiot and Despacito have all closed in recent months, and venues such the Monkey House in Winooski have reduced their live music offerings due to a variety of factors, including soaring insurance rates.
A silver lining to the story is that so many other spots are stepping up to help fill the void. Whether it’s Einstein’s Tap House and the Skinny Pancake launching live music nights for the Grateful Dead heads or efforts such as Roost.World‘s pop-up raves, there are plenty of people in the Queen City fighting the good fight.
The latest example are the fine folks over at Burlington Odd Fellows. The social order in the New North End has stepped up and starting booking more concerts at its Queen City Lodge — particularly of the heavier variety, as many punk and metal bands have found it especially difficult to find gigs of late. Like 242 Main before it, Odd Fellows is all ages and substance-free. Entry is by donation, and the venue employs the “no one turned away for lack of funds” model — because life’s too short not to let people mosh.
The next show is on Friday, August 1, featuring local punk and indie acts Dog Water, the War Turtles, the Leatherbound Books and Frank Erickson. Later in the month, catch locals We’re Here! to Kill, Violet Crimes and the Burly Girlies. Odd Fellows is even hosting touring acts — don’t sleep on Rick McGuire of PILE playing on Thursday, August 7. Pop over to burlingtonoddfellows.com for more info. Or better yet, turn to Adelle MacDowell’s Connections Issue story about Odd Fellows on page 48.
Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester has launched a brand-new summer concert series. Titled SOUNDS GOOD: Friday Nights Live at SVAC, the weekly event is free, family-friendly, and located in a gorgeous and scenic location at the Arkell Pavilion.
“We created SOUNDS GOOD to bring people together through music in a setting that’s already so inspiring,” SVAC executive director Amelia Wiggins wrote in a press release. “This series is a celebration of community, creativity, and summer in Vermont.”
Things kick off this Friday, July 25, with a performance from Brattleboro indie-rock band THUS LOVE. Future highlights include Howard Fishman and the Biting Fish Brass Band on August 1, jazz musician Jonathan Whitney with Taconic Music on August 8, and Americana act Saints and Liars with Ida Mae Specker on August 29.
Visit svac.org/performances for the full schedule.