Jeff “Skunk” Baxter Credit: Courtesy

Do you love animals? Do you like to rock? Of course you do!* Well, good news: You can combine those interests at a night of fundraising for the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society on Saturday, October 10, at Woodstock Town Hall Theatre.

Dubbed the Fur Ball, the event benefits the West Windsor nonprofit, which provides shelter and care for homeless animals. But it isn’t just a chance to help out some fuzzy friends in need; it’s also an opportunity to catch what’s truly one of the most random bands ever assembled.

The lineup of the American Vinyl All Star Band resembles what might happen if rock worked like fantasy football and someone either very stoned or with very eclectic music tastes drafted a truly bonkers roster. Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (also a defense consultant for the U.S. government, by the way), Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau, Wailers keyboardist Leroy “LSR” Romans, and original Train drummer Scott Underwood team up with session musicians who have played with the likes of Whitney Houston and Peter Wolf. It’s a crazy collection of talent. A human Puppy Bowl, if you will.

Help support a great cause: Get tickets to the Fur Ball at lucymac.org.

(*For readers who don’t love animals and have zero desire to rock: Seriously, how are you guys doing? Just checking in. I think you’re missing out, y’know? Maybe try getting into a more obscure combo … say, King Crimson and iguanas? Good pairing; lots of aura to both. Turnstile and a pot-bellied pig?)

Phish Credit: Courtesy of Renee Huemer

Most folks in the Green Mountains are well aware of Phish’s dedication to supporting their community. Between the good work of the WaterWheel Foundation and Trey Anastasio’s Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program, the Phab Phour are no weekend warriors when it comes to lifting up their own scene.

Considering the deep bond the band shares with its legion of fans, it’s not a shocker that Phishheads would get in on the charitable action as well. The Mockingbird Foundation is a volunteer organization of phanatics, formed as a nonprofit in 1996 to raise money for kids’ music education. (For you crusty lore heads out there, the foundation is named after a character from the band’s famous song cycle Gamehendge.)

As Mockingbird has evolved over the years, its mission has broadened. Its latest effort is a new scholarship designed to help any undergraduate student in Vermont pursuing a degree in music.

“Phish has always been about community,” Mockingbird executive director Ellis Godard said in a press release. “This scholarship lets that community give something back that is bigger than all of us: support for Vermont students to pursue music education and carry that spirit forward into classrooms and communities of their own — forever.”

The foundation partnered with the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation to ensure the program is “funded in perpetuity to outlast the band, Phish fans, and even the Mockingbird Foundation itself,” according to the press release.

The scholarship is open to current college students entering their sophomore, junior or senior years. For more information, visit vsac.org.

It’s been a busy couple of months for Grace Potter. The Waitsfield singer-songwriter dropped her seventh studio album, Trespasser, in August, followed by the latest iteration of her Burlington music fest, Grand Point North, in September.

Continuing her burst of activity, Potter released a new single last Friday titled “Spacewalking Woman.” The track was inspired by Potter’s friend and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, who was part of the recent SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station.

“The beauty of having a friend who is an astronaut is that there’s a constant reminder every day that my job is extremely easy,” Potter said in a press release for the new single. “After watching Jess spacewalk, I started asking her about some of the terminology she was using … That’s when I thought: My girl needs a hype song.”

“Spacewalking Woman” kicks off with Meir’s voice seemingly coming through a distorted communication device. The song launches into a swampy funk jam with a massive pop chorus, then ends with Meir describing seeing Earth from orbit: “How fragile, how beautiful our planet is … and how we need to protect it.”

Give “Spacewalking Woman” a spin on major streaming services.

Rutland native Max Crowley has released “BlackRain,” a seriously heavy instrumental track full of thick-as-steel riffs, soaring guitar solos and icy layers of new wave-esque synths. Or as Crowley fittingly describes it: goth metal.

The song, available at maxcrowley2.bandzoogle.com, is the first single from Crowley’s debut album, Midnight Dreary: The Raven of Whitechapel.

Crowley lives in Boston these days, finishing up his degree at Berklee College of Music. But he still visits his old haunts from time to time and performed at the Rutland County Pride Festival in June.

7 Shows to Watch Out For

Katseye Credit: Courtesy
  1. Built to Spill at Live at Madrid’s in Portland, Maine, October 24
  2. Katseye at the Bell Centre in Montréal, October 30
  3. Steve Gunn at the Drake in Amherst, Mass., November 4
  4. Punch Brothers at Paramount Theatre in Rutland, November 8
  5. Adam Conover at Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington, November 12-14
  6. John Scofield’s Electrospective at Lebanon Opera House in N.H., November 14; and at the Flynn in Burlington, November 18
  7. Queensrÿche at the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, N.H., November 21

This article appears in October 7 • 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 his own right. He can often be found searching for the perfect soft pretzel or listening to a podcast about the X-Men.