(Self-released, digital)
Not so long ago, sister venues Nectar’s and Club Metronome were an epicenter of collaboration for Burlington musicians. The first- and second-floor clubs, which closed last year and still sit empty on Main Street, served as an unofficial clubhouse for the local jam band and Grateful Dead tribute community.
Back in 2010, bassist and then-Nectar’s general manager Alex Budney launched a weekly Monday open jam he dubbed Family Night, inviting a wide swath of local musicians to take the stage and play together. Over time, a particularly tasty combo emerged from the sessions, featuring Budney, drummer Ethan Snyder, guitarist Walker Allen and keyboardist Eric B. Maier. The four players realized they had the perfect makeup for a jazz-fusion act — with shades of funk and R&B for good measure — and called themselves EVNGwear.
After gigging in town for years, the band has finally gotten around to recording a debut LP, Family Night. While the name would have been apt based on the band’s history alone, it also signifies the kind of album the fellas have crafted. This is a record brimming with near-telepathic interplay developed through countless live sets, a faithful re-creation of EVNGwear’s expansive, down-and-gritty live sound.
The band kicks off the album with a seven minute-plus rendition of the James Brown classic “Ain’t It Funky Now.” The interaction between Walker’s funk-infused guitar and Budney’s bobbing-and-weaving bass line is slyly dynamic and utterly tasteful, moving like a conversation between old friends. When Maier wades into the jam with a cavalcade of notes from his keyboard, one can practically envision the writhing and shuffling crowd dancing at Metronome, lost in the groove.
“Break Out” kicks off with a gorgeous, sunny guitar figure, soon joined by Snyder on drums. He often functions on the record like a jazz version of Nick Mason, the Pink Floyd drummer who never played an unnecessary beat. Snyder’s refined restraint is a highlight of Family Night, which makes moments when he lets the beast out — as he does on the jam in the middle of “Break Out” and album closer “Hot Dog” — all the more powerful.
EVNGwear are at their most intriguing when getting nasty with a groove, just on the edge of full funk. But they color in many shades. The pop-jazz of “Joy,” the sole number on the album to clock in at less than seven minutes, allows Walker’s elegant, refined licks to shine. They get a little dirtier on the sprawling, nearly 10-minute-long “Red Baron,” which slips into the blues with hints of progressive rock, revealing rugged edges in the best way possible.
Family Night may be a debut, but these are musicians intimately familiar with one another, and the album reflects that bond. Give it a listen on major services and at evngwear.bandcamp.com. EVNGwear play the Top Block Stage on the Church Street Marketplace on Wednesday, June 3, 6 p.m., as part of the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.
This article appears in Animal Issue • 2026.
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