A Case For The Smaller Music Festival Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 4, 2022August 4, 20220 I'll start this article off by saying that I am extremely biased when it comes to one of the festivals I am going to reference a bunch in this piece. I am lucky to film and engineer the artist sessions for Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots and have had the honor of doing so since the festival's first year. I've also had the pleasure of becoming dear friends with the founders and have my hands in the party mix of some of the other aspects of the fest as well. That aside, fests like GMBR, Ossipee Valley, Freshgrass (in its earlier years), Otis Mountain and Tweed River (RIP) (or even 1 day events like Seagrass Music Fest in Maine) always
GMBR Announces Lamplighter Stage Artists Music Features by Brian Carroll - July 25, 2022July 25, 20220 2022 is a big year. In the case of this article's content, it represents the triumphant return of Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots to Manchester, VT. One of the highlights from even the very first year was Lamplighter... You know like, the afterparty that only the cool people get invited to? The VIP, the place where all the enviable stories come from? Lamplighter Stage at Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots is kind of like that. Except, everyone is invited and it's all the more special because of that. Its in those moments that are often times completely unplanned that the most magic happens, late in the early morning. I could go on and tell stories and stories, but its more special
A New Shine: Maya de Vitry’s “Violet Light” (podcast) Music Features Podcast by Brian Carroll - March 1, 20220 For episode 5 of season 2 we catch up with Maya de Vitry. I first came across Maya in her time with The Stray Birds. They were playing a midday concert series put on by Berklee and I strolled over to eat my lunch and catch a tune or two. I ended up sticking around for the entire set. The band was excellent, but there was something that just stuck with me about Maya's voice. She has a tone and timbre that is purely her. No one else sounds like Maya. Its undeniably unique and intriguing. Maya recently released a brand new record titled "Violet Light". Its a beautifully collaborative collection of songs recorded during the pandemic. Two things that usually
Billsville House Concerts at The Coffee Bar (Bennington, VT) Music Features by Brian Carroll - February 7, 20220 Living in a place like Vermont, we are lucky to have 'pockets' that have a soil rich with creativity and people wanting to capture the essence of it. The Shire Towns of Southwestern VT is an area ripe with riches in that realm. My favorite summer music festival. A beautiful backdrop with multiple ski mountains within a stones throw of one another. And an ol' friend's incredibly special home concert series. A few weeks back, Doug Hacker (aforementioned ol' friend) announced a new partnership for his home concert series, Billsville House Concerts. From their newsletter: We've been missing live music so much. Given COVID issues and the size of our house, we have held off on hosting any indoor shows again this
Forecast: Sunny Skies Ahead – John Mailander (Podcast) Music Features Podcast by Brian Carroll - January 21, 20220 I thought this audio was forever lost in the process of getting a new computer last year, but the magic of perusing old external hard drives grants us a special conversation (in audible format) with a special guest. The conversation was previously posted as a written article. You could go an entire lifetime and never come across another artist like John Mailander. His musical voice resting on the precipice where beauty meets power. His even temperament balancing the sheer virtuosity that lays beneath his finger tips, riddled with character, grace and soul. The robust palette that he paints his sonic landscapes with is vast. Deep and pulling shades of blues and greys mingling with brilliant gold and saffron, covering the full breadth
Green River Fest 2022 Announces Initial Line Up! Music Features by Brian Carroll - January 21, 2022January 21, 20220 Well, some very good news for the first month of 2022, one of our favorite New England music fests just announced it is coming back in full force after a triumphant 2021 event that made us all feel just a little bit more normal after...well, let's just forget about 2020, right? We saw some great bands on Sunday of Green River Festival last summer at their new location and based on this preliminary roll out, we are in for yet another treat with acts spanning from folk super heroes to some of our favorite local acts. More below and head to their website for update, follow them on the ole socials, all that... January 20, 2022- Northampton, MA- The Green River Festival
21 Songs for 2021…a playlist Editor Picks Music Features by Brian Carroll - December 23, 2021December 28, 20210 So, I couldn't just leave it at "7 good things". The past 2 years have been a shit show of epic proportions in so many ways. Failures and triumphs. Music has endured. Songwriters and musicians and music makers have somehow, endured. It is astounding the amount of grit and fortitude that artists have displayed. Having the livelihood of touring taken away, given back, then taken away in many capacities again. But like a group of phoenix (phoenixes?, phoenixi?...I digress) rising from the ash, beauty was created by many. So, here are 21 songs from 2021 that slayed me, made me rise up, lifted my heart or tore it apart. Thank you all. Aaron Lee Tasjan "Another Lonely Day" - I said it before
Club Passim Announces 2021 Iguana Fund Award Winners Music Features by Brian Carroll - December 22, 2021December 22, 20210 Each year Club Passim and the Iguana Music Fund give a little bit of hope to musicians and artists. Hope, sometimes comes in the form of cold, hard cash so they can release records, fix up tour vans, buy much needed gear or continue a years long tradition of going to an island to co-write and practice their craft. We are equally as excited to see some friends gracing the list; such as Jake Blount, Honeysuckle and Lisa Bastoni; as we are to see names that we have never heard of before. More info below. Great things from a great organization! Release info from Club Passim: (Cambridge, MA) Passim has awarded $40,000 to 23 musicians through its Iguana Music Fund. The Iguana Music Fund
7 Good Things: Music & Such That Kept Me Going in ’21 Music Features Reviews by Brian Carroll - December 20, 2021December 20, 20210 2021. Divided by 3. 3 sides of the pyramid. The Illuminati. 21 divided by 3, is 7. 7 is the number of good things. I don't know. Like everyone else in this day and age I am just fucking grasping at air trying to catch a hold of something and keep dangling for a bit. In reality a friend posted an article I wrote a couple years back with a similar tag and I think we all could use some "good things" right about now. So, there you go... Anyway, here we are at the end of 2021 and I feel like I am in the same place as I was way back in 2020 while writing the feature titled "Shit
Less is More: Kat Wright Trio “Sessions Vol 1” Music Features by Brian Carroll - November 24, 2021November 24, 20210 The first time I saw Kat Wright live was a festival gig where the band's horn section alone was comprised of 3 people. Wright has that special balance of power and grace in her voice that can shimmer and float to the top of a big band setting, I don't think anyone who has witnessed her perform could deny that. But the intimacy and vulnerability that she and collaborators Bob Wagner and Josh Weinstein has crafted with their newly (and COVID necessary) formed trio outfit is something truly magnificent. A few months back the three artists performed a showcase about 30 minutes from my house, beneath a large tent as rain poured from the sky, pattering against the white sheathing of