Noah Kahan at Fenway Park Credit: Courtesy of Christopher Polk

Is Boston the new City of Brotherly Love? It sounds far-fetched, but not long after Beantown’s summer fling with Scottish soccer fans, last week the unofficial capital of New England went gaga for singer-songwriter Noah Kahan.

On Saturday, the Vermonter became the first artist to headline four consecutive sold-out shows at Fenway Park. During the final performance, Kahan’s mother, Lauri Berkenkamp, surprised her son onstage to let him know he was being inducted into the Fenway Music Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Billy Joel and Paul McCartney. During the Fenway run, noted Boston sports luminaries such as New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, former Patriot Rob Gronkowski and Red Sox legend David “Big Papi” Ortiz all made on-screen cameos. (Which reminds me of that time my parents took me to see Jimmy Buffett in concert when I was 13, and he had tennis star Andre Agassi on a giant screen singing “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”)

Not to be outdone in the Kahan lovefest, the whole Commonwealth of Massachusetts said, “Hold my Sam Adams” and designated July 11, 2026, as Noah Kahan Day. Careful, Vermont. Mass is making moves on your boy. Better name a rest stop after Kahan — or is it time for a Ben & Jerry’s flavor? Considering some of his fans’ inability to control their bowel movements, it should be a dairy-free flavor. I’m just looking out for the stadium custodians of the world.

Incontinent Busyheads aside, it’s been a hell of a month for Kahan. His latest record, The Great Divide, released in April, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, making it the fastest Americana or folk record in history to achieve the feat, and only the second record of 2026 to hit the million-copies-sold mark.

Hopefully, readers heeded my recommendation a few weeks ago when I reviewed the new Dari Bay album, Surprise Wish. The second full-length LP from the Burlington indie-rock project of Zack James, who also plays with Robber Robber, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and the Dead Shakers, is already one of my favorite records of the year. Rhythmically hypnotic and delightfully scuzzy, it stands tall in a crowded field of excellent indie rock currently coming out of Burlington.

To celebrate the album’s release, Dari Bay play a hometown show on Friday, July 31, at the North Star Community Hall in Burlington. Joining the fun are Columbus, Ohio, indie project villagerrr and fellow Green Mountain musician and producer Benny Yurco. Check out daribay.com for ticket info.

Lillian Leadbetter Credit: Courtesy

Vermont-born singer-songwriter Lillian Leadbetter is gearing up for the release of her sophomore LP, The World to Come, due out in August. The folk and Americana artist recorded the new album in Nashville, where she lives when she’s not in Burlington.

Leadbetter has released a trio of singles in advance of the record: the gentle acoustic ballad “Untethered Alchemy,” the Appalachian-tinged “Move the Moon” and the slow-shuffling, Mazzy Star-esque “Fourth of July.” All three tracks are available on streaming services and at lillianleadbettermusic.com.

All-around ambient-music guru Tom Pearo is back with a new single, a cover of “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”

Recorded live at Big Lake Recording in Burlington by musician and producer Dan Rome, the tune is a highly chilled-out instrumental take on the Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic. Pearo’s usual suspects, drummer Dave DeCristo and bassist Luke Awtry, back him up, moving through the tune with a delicate kind of psychedelic sprawl. (Disclosure: Awtry is a frequent freelance photographer for Seven Days.)

The song hits streaming services on Wednesday, July 15, and you can watch a video of the trio performing it live on YouTube.

New Release Radar

Five recent or upcoming releases from Vermont artists

  1. Willverine, Surf EP, Spotify (July 10, indie, electronica)
  2. Phil Cohen, Ravine, philcohen.bandcamp.com (July 1, indie, folk)
  3. McAsh, FSTVL SZN, Tidal (July 4, ska, punk)
  4. Chris Clark, Across a Carnival, chrisclarkband.net (August 7, singer-songwriter)
  5. Grace Potter, Trespasser, gracepotter.com (August 21, roots, pop)

This article appears in July 15 • 2026.

Music editor Chris Farnsworth has written countless albums reviews and features on Vermont's best musicians, and has seen more shows than is medically advisable. He's played in multiple bands over decades in the local scene and is a recording artist in...