Vermont Comedy All Stars return to Next Stage Arts for a Special Holiday Stand-up Comedy Event on Friday, December 9th at 7:30pm

Gordon Clark and his Vermont Comedy All-Stars are back for a special holiday stand-up comedy event at Next Stage Arts!

“We all need reasons to laugh, and the Vermont Comedy All Stars do an outstanding job,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts.

The cast of stellar performers includes:

LEAH BONNEMA is a Los Angeles based comedian hailing from rural Maine. Her broadcast credits include The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Chris Gethard Presents, Oculus & AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, IFC’s Comedy Crib, TruTV’s Comedy Knockout and Vh1’s 100 Greatest series. Leah has had the honor of performing for our troops overseas, and has featured in numerous comedy festivals, including The New York Comedy Festival, The Lucille Ball Comedy Fest at The National Comedy Center, The Women in Comedy Festival, The International Glasgow Comedy Fest, Bumbershoot and The Kennedy Center’s District of Comedy Festival in Washington DC.


Jazz Chamber Ensemble The Global Trio Performs at Next Stage Arts on December 3rd

Next Stage Arts presents an evening with Boston-based jazz chamber ensemble The Global Trio, featuring pianist Chase Morrin, cellist Naseem Alatrash, and percussionist George Lernis, on Saturday, December 3 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts.

“Earlier this year, we hosted these musicians as part of the Berklee World Strings Ensemble,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “These three were the highlight of the show, and when we had the opportunity to bring them back, we jumped on it. They represent different cultural and faith traditions, blending elements of jazz, world music traditions, and soulful expression – we couldn’t be more proud to present this to our community.”

The Global Trio features piano, cello, and percussion, breaking boundaries in jazz, classical, and folkloric traditions from the Middle East. Seeking new sounds of inclusion and global jazz, Morrin, Alatrash, and Lernis create dynamic, energetic, and surprising compositions in order to tell stories from around the world and to bring the world of improvisation and spontaneous musical communication to the stage.


Vermont Comedy All Stars Return to Next Stage Arts For A Night Of Stand-up Comedy on Friday, September 9th at 7:30pm

Gordon Clark and his Vermont Comedy All-Stars return for a night of stand-up comedy at Next Stage Arts, following their enormously successful shows in November and March. Featured performers will include several contest-winning and touring comedians most often seen in the Burlington area. 

“We all need reasons to laugh, and the Vermont Comedy All Stars do an outstanding job,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Comedians will be coming from all around the state to perform – partnering with the All Stars allows them to reach a new audience in the southern part of the state, and build a new following.”

The cast of stellar performers includes:


HatchSpace Seeks Volunteers for a Community Woodworking Project

HatchSpace, Brattleboro’s community woodworking facility, is looking for assistance with a special service project to benefit the Putney Central School. Volunteers will work alongside skilled woodworkers to build classroom worktables. Light carpentry skills appreciated but not necessary. We’re aiming for an August 1st start date, with day and evening work sessions to last for about two weeks. This will be a fun and instructive experience! Please contact Karen at info@hatchspace.org for more information.


Next Stage’s Bandwagon Summer Series presents Slavic Soul Party! on Sunday, August 14 at 6pm at the Retreat Farm

Next Stage’s Bandwagon Summer Series presents Slavic Soul Party! on Sunday, August 14 at 6pm at the Retreat Farm: “New York’s Official #1 Band for BalkanSoulGypsyFunk”

“Easily one of the most exciting artists we’re bringing this summer, Slavic Soul Party checks all the boxes,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “They’re masters of the Roma style of music that encapsulates dancing energy, old world sounds, and they make it so fresh and new that audiences from around the world have hailed them as one of the greatest contributors to the genre. This show is going to be fun!”


Sofia Rei and JC Maillard at Next Stage on Saturday, November 16

Next Stage Arts Project is delighted to present Sofía Rei & JC Maillard on Saturday, November 16  at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door, available now online at nextstagearts.org and at Turn It Up!, Brattleboro, the Putney General Store three weeks before the show.  Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT.

After 4 years in the works, Sofía Rei & JC Maillard‘s duo album “Keter” from John Zorn Masada was released in January 2019 on Tzadik records, with Sofía Rei on vocals, loops & charango and JC Maillard on saz bass, and vocals.


The Suitcase Junket plus Kate Lorenz and The Constellations at Next Stage on Friday, November 15

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present The Suitcase Junket – Matt Lorenz’s internationally touring, throat-singing, slide guitar playing one-man band – plus rock/folk/country/blues band Kate Lorenz and The Constellations at Next Stage on Friday, November 15 at 7:30 pm.

With warmth, wildness, unkempt vitality and sharply imaginative musicality, The Suitcase Junket works the border of Americana and rock, with image-driven songwriting, idiosyncratic storytelling and effusive vocal presence.  Artist, tinkerer, swamp yankee, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Lorenz draws from a fantastically patchwork sonic palette, shaping his songs with elements of jangly folk, fuzzed-out blues, oddly textured psych-rock and dance-hall festivity. 


Putney Bridge Deck Replacement Public Meeting

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will hold a public information meeting on Thursday, November 14, 2019 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Putney Fire Station, 21 Carl Snyder Drive, Putney. The purpose is to discuss a project that will replace the deck of the US Route 5 bridge in Putney Center at the intersection of Kimball Hill Road. Construction will start in Spring 2020.

The existing structure is a single span cast-in-place deck on rolled beams constructed in 1954. The bridge is owned and maintained by the State of Vermont. VTrans bridge inspectors have observed areas of heavy saturation, cracking, and evidence of significant concrete deterioration. VTrans engineers determined that the most cost effective and viable approach to address deterioration of the aging bridge deck is to replace it.


StompBox and Pumpkintown at Next Stage on Saturday, November 2

Next Stage Arts Project presents an evening Americana music and art with StompBox Trio and Pumpkintown at Next Stage on Saturday, November 2 at 7:30 pm.

StompBoxTrio is a Western Massachusetts-based band that features Evelyn Harris (vocals, percussion), John Cabán (“Dobro” steel guitar, stompbox) and David Rodriguez (wood bass, foot tambourine). The trio reaches deep into the wellspring of vintage American blues, funk and soul to bring folks a hip-shaking, foot-stomping great time.


Ben Cosgrove and Mark Kroos at Next Stage on Friday, October 18

Next Stage Arts Project presents a double bill with pianist Ben Cosgrove and guitarist Mark Kroos at Next Stage on Friday, October 18 at 7:30 pm.

Ben Cosgrove is a traveling composer-performer whose music explores themes of landscape, place and environment in North America.  Ben has performed his “electric and exhilarating” instrumental music in every U.S. state except Delaware and Hawaii, and held artist residencies and fellowships with institutions including the National Park Service, the National Forest Service, Harvard University, Middlebury College, the Schmidt Ocean Institute and the Sitka Center for Art & Ecology.


The Akwaaba Ensemble and U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo at Next Stage on Friday, October 4

Next Stage Arts Project presents The Akwaaba Ensemble, traditional African drumming and dance, at Next Stage on Friday, October 4 at 7:30 pm.  Opening for Akwaaba Ensemble will be award-winning performance artist, singer, musician and author U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo. Tickets are $20 advance available online, at the Putney General Store and at Turn It Up! in Brattleboro, and $24 at the door. Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT, and features a recently-renovated state of the art performance space with a great dance floor, sound system, and beer and wine cash bar.


FLOW at Next Stage on Wednesday, September 25

Forty years after Windham Hill became a catalyst for a global musical phenomenon, its bountiful legacy of best-selling instrumental artists and Grammy-winning musicians extends into a new age with FLOW — a new four-piece ensemble comprised of Windham Hill Records Founder Will Ackerman and three of today’s most acclaimed independent artists.  FLOW is an anagram of the group’s names Fiona Joy Hawkins (Australian Pianist), Lawrence Blatt (acoustic guitarist), Jeff Oster (Flugelhorn master) and Grammy winning guitarist and producer Will Ackerman.


Blues & BBQ with Danny Brooks and Li’l Miss Debi plus Sunny Lowdown at Next Stage on Saturday, September 21

Next Stage Arts Project presents Blues & BBQ with Texassippi Soul Man Danny Brooks and Li’l Miss Debi and Blues Blast Music Award nominee Sunny Lowdown at the Next Stage Café, on Saturday, September 21. BBQ by Top of the Hill Grill will be for sale starting at 6 pm, with music starting at 7 pm. Admission is $10 in advance available online at nextstagearts.org or at the door. Next Stage offers a beer and wine cash bar, and there will be a dance floor.  Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT. For more information, visitinfo@nextstagearts.org.


Putney’s New Jetport for the Elite

putney planes ad

Don’t you just love ‘personalized’ ads? I came across this one today and it made me laugh. It’s for reduced-price private personal planes in [location] and that location is Putney, VT.

Just look at the gorgeous plane parked in [Putney]. It certainly looks like [Putney] to all of us who live around here, right?


Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens at Next Stage on Saturday, September 14

Next Stage Arts Project is thrilled to present Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens on Saturday, September 14 at 7:30 pm, returning to Next Stage after rocking the house for sold out crowds at their two previous appearances.

Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens are an American gospel and soul music group led by front woman Naomi Shelton. The group was formed in 1999. They have released two albums with Daptone Records, What Have You Done, My Brother? (2009) and Cold World (2014).


John McCutcheon at Next Stage on Friday, September 13

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening with folksinger, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, storyteller, activist and author John McCutcheon at Next Stage on Friday, September 13 at 7:30 pm.  “not only one of the best musicians in the USA… he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction” – Pete Seeger

Folk music’s “Rustic Renaissance Man” (Washington Post) John McCutcheon is a master of a dozen different traditional instruments, most notably the rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer.  His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe.  His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations.