You know the saying…yeah yeah yeah.

Sometimes I go to shows. A lot of those times I make images of those shows. Here are my 7 favorites from my 7 favorite concerts/festivals or general music centric times in space of 2017…in black and white, of course.

If there was one act this year that truly blew up my brain, it was Billy Strings and his band. Before this show I had the pleasure to sit and talk with Billy for a bit and film an Old Spruce Session. What came after that fairly relaxing conversation and solo tune was pure fiery magic.

Green River Fest was hot…both on stage with fierce performances and in the inescapable heat from the sun beating down. But, an opportunity to see Mandolin Orange is not to be missed. Festivals typically have me bumping around from set to set. 3 songs here, 5 songs there, but with this band I am there, the whole time. Wholly engaged – no matter who else is playing on whichever stage. The best.

When one of your favorite present singers and songwriters announces one reunion show from one of the most influential and pivotal bands for bluegrass and folk music today, you plant your ass in front of the stage, sing every song and love every minute. Freshgrass brought us all a little bit of happiness with this Crooked Still reunion and the band didn’t miss a step. 

Any chance I can hear Ben Cosgrove, I do it. Radio Bean is one of the two most frequent spots I catch a show (the other one is right next door) and while Ben’s songs don’t contain any words, the stories they tell are beautiful and brilliant landscapes of sound that transport you somewhere totally different.

One word: hero. See Hayes like this in an intimate (even though it was a festival, you could hear a pin drop) setting was really a beautiful thing. I’d say that every songwriter has their “3 or 4”. The ones that make you want to write songs. For me, this gent is top of that list.

That other place we take in a lot of shows up here in VT is the Light Club Lamp Shop. Our pal Anthony da Costa brought his duo project with Adam Levy up and even though it was a less than stellar audience, the show was absolutely phenomenal. My only hope is next time he is back the place is completely packed as this performance deserved.

Two friends playing two guitars that your friend made. The Meadows Brothers were kind enough to come up to our tiny little town and play the local coffeehouse series, but before that we took a little spin around town and made some videos. Including an intimate performance in a local luthier’s shop. This was a special one and while not necessarily a concert a day that was really excellent.