Genticorum and Zoe Darrow at Next Stage on Friday, October 5

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of traditional Celtic and folk music from Quebec, Nova Scotia and New England by Quebec-based trio Genticorum and fiddler/singer Zoe Darrow at Next Stage on Friday, October 5 at 7:30 pm.

Over the past 18 years, Quebec-based Genticorum has become a fixture on the international world, trad, folk and Celtic music circuit, releasing six albums and performing over 800 concerts in Canada, the US and Europe.


Don’t miss the 3rd Annual Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival, Saturday, September 29; advance tickets on sale now

Sixteen youth rock bands and solo music artists from around New England will take the stage at 118 Elliot in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont on Saturday, September 29 for BrattRock 2018, the third annual Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival. Performances will take place on two stages, one indoor and one outdoor, between 5:00 and 10:00 PM. Gates open to the public at 4:30 PM. In addition to six continuous hours of live music, the festival will feature food vendors, arts and crafts activities, and games. All are invited to attend this fun-for-all-ages community event.


Draa Hobbs and John Stowell in Concert: A Fundraiser for WOOL-FM Black Sheep Radio and Stage 33 Live

On Sunday, September 23, Stage 33 Live in conjunction with Black Sheep Radio presents an afternoon of world-class jazz, including a workshop and concert, with guitarists Draa Hobbs and John Stowell. The event takes place at Stage 33 Live at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, and ticket sales benefit the venue and the radio station, two non-profit community arts organizations serving the greater Bellows Falls area.


Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Etienne Charles and Creole Soul

The Vermont Jazz Center is excited to lift off its 2018-19 concert season on Saturday September 15th with Trinidadian trumpeter, composer and percussionist, Etienne Charles. He will be flying in from Michigan to perform with his band Creole Soul.

Creole Soul is one the many projects that Etienne Charles uses to investigate and perform music that aligns with his Caribbean heritage. He uses this ensemble as a musical laboratory to mesh the roots music of indigenous cultures with the language and arrangements of jazz. Etienne has traveled the world, seeking connections and differences between the rhythms and forms of Caribbean folkloric music.


Local Bluegrass Band Releases New Album

Keene, NH/Brattleboro, Vt.-based bluegrass band Blackjack Crossing will unveil their new record, “Don’t Borrow Trouble”, at two special events in the region.

On Saturday, Sept. 22, the band will perform at the Mole Hill Theatre in Alstead, NH, in a co-bill with area punk/folk legends HUMANWINE. The following Friday, Sept. 28, Blackjack Crossing will appear at The Stone Church in Brattleboro, Vt., with Boston roots/country band Grain Thief.


Ukulele-in-a-Day Workshops Return to Brattleboro!

UKULELE-in-a-DAY Workshop Returns to Brattleboro

Back by popular demand, Ukulele-in-a-Day, a 1-Day Quick-Start Workshop for Total Beginners, returns to the Brattleboro Music Center for two dates: Sat. Sept. 15 and Sat. Sept 22, from 10 am – 3 pm.


Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Begins with Open Rehearsals

The fall session of the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus will begin on September 5 and 6 with open rehearsals for any women or girls over age 10 who would like to try out the chorus without obligation. Founder/director Becky Graber traveled with 18 chorus members to the Sister Singers Festival in Grand Rapids, MI in June, where they not only performed but also heard lots of wonderful music by other women’s choruses. Some of these songs will be included in the fall repertoire.


53rd Labor Day Weekend Festival: Organ Recital & Orchestra Lawn Concert

Guilford, Vt. – As it has done for over a half-century, Friends of Music at Guilford (FOMAG) opens its 53rd annual music season with a concert in a rural barn on Saturday night of Labor Day Weekend. The Organ Barn is in an idyllic setting near the state line where Guilford meets Leyden, Massachusetts. The intimate Barn seats close to a hundred concertgoers, and on Sunday afternoon, two hundred or more people flock to the lawn outside the Barn for picnicking and an orchestra concert.


Twilight on the Tavern Lawn Free Concert Series – Simba on Sunday, August 26

Twilight Music concludes its 16th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk rock, world beat, rock, country, pop, Celtic, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, August 26 with funk and world beat band Simba.  The seventh and final concert of the 2018 series begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.   The series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Green Mountain Well, Soundview Paper Company, The Putney Food Co-op, The Stockwell Brothers and many other Putney area businesses and organizations.  The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available.  For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit www.twilightmusic.org.


Black Umfolosi at Next Stage on Friday, August 24

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of traditional song and dance from southern Africa by Black Umfolosi at Next Stage on Friday, August 24 at 7:30 pm.

Black Umfolosi is a self taught A cappella (Imbube) singing and traditional dance group that was formed in 1982 by school friends in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe who wanted to develop themselves and contribute to their community. 


An Evening of Sean-Nós Songs and Traditional Music: Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde

Join Doimnic Giolla Bhríde and Frances Morton on Monday, September 3rd, at River Valley Akido for an evening of music inspired by the greatest Irish traditions! Doiminic speaks both English and Irish, and hails from a Donegal Gaeltacht. His earliest local influences include Caitlín Ní Dhomhnaill, Lillis Ó Laoire, Áine Bn. Uí Laoi, Mairead Ní Mhaonaigh and his mother Nellie Nic Giolla Bhríde.

Doiminic studied music at University, picking up pipes and accordion along the way, while remaining true to his original influences by pursuing a path as a singer. He has performed to audiences in Ireland and across the world and worked with some of the best in traditional music!


Twilight on the Tavern Lawn presents M.O.D. on Sunday, August 12

Twilight Music continues its 16th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk rock, world beat, rock, country, pop, Celtic, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, August 12 with M.O.D., Molly Steinmark’s funk, soul-jazz, hip hop and R&B band.  The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 26.  All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.


August 19: Christ Church 200th Birthday Gala

Guilford, Vt. — Guilford’s historic Christ Church, at the corner of Rt. 5 and Melendy Hill Rd., is celebrating its 200th birthday this year with a Benefit Concert and Silent Auction. Festivities begin at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 19. Proceeds will provide critical funding for the Christ Church Guilford Society to maintain and improve the building, which has not had a resident congregation since the 1890s.

Internationally renowned instrumentalists Jaime Laredo and Lucy Chapman, violin; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Merry Peckham and Sharon Robinson, cello; and James Winn, flute, will share the stage with Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, who has written a commemorative poem for the occasion.


Twilight on the Tavern Lawn Free Concert Series – Planet Zydeco on Sunday, July 29

Twilight Music continues its 16th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk rock, world beat, rock, country, pop, Celtic, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, July 29 with an evening of high energy accordion/guitar driven dance music of Louisiana by Planet Zydeco.  The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 26.  All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.


Session Americana at Next Stage on Friday, July 20

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present folk/roots-rock band Session Americana at Next Stage on Friday, July 20 at 7:30 pm. Featuring Boston-based, multi-instrumentalists and singers Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and Jefferson Hamer, plus a rotating collective of guest musicians, the band’s raucous live shows are built around the community concept of traditional Irish seisiúns.

Blending vintage American roots music styles – from country to jazz to rock – Session Americana is a rock band in a tea cup, or possibly a folk band in a whiskey bottle.  This band/collective of talented musicians craft a musical experience unlike any other.


Twilight on the Tavern Lawn Free Concert Series – The Stockwell Brothers on Sunday, July 15

Twilight Music continues its 16th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk rock, world beat, rock, country, pop, Celtic, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, July 15 with contemporary bluegrass and folk music quartet The Stockwell Brothers.  The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 26.  All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.  The series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Green Mountain Well, Soundview Paper Company, The Putney Food Co-op, The Stockwell Brothers and many other Putney area businesses and organizations.  The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available.  For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit www.twilightmusic.org.


Former Brattleboro Rocker On The Magic of Brattleboro

King Tuff

Although this story came out (in Fodor’s of all places) almost a year ago, it’s an interesting read and especially so since it’s about our very own Brattleboro, Vermont.  “The Magic of Brattleboro, Vermont, According to King Tuff,” by interviewer Rachael Roth, describes our town through the eyes of a young musician who was raised here and still maintains strong ties to the area.  is his name, and he makes good music, if you haven’t heard him already.  He’s signed to the major indie label Sub Pop Records out of Seattle.