Solid State

The Deli Burlington, that great arbiter of local music as spicy Capsicum, is growin' up. Or, if I may, ripening from a green pepper into the infinitely more nutritious red pepper. Or, as announced in an email sent to the press this morning by outgoing editor, Adena Harford, the Deli will now cover the entirety of New England.

So does this mean less Burlington coverage? 'Fraid so. As Harford writes in her farewell address,

". . . we will cover the entirety of New England so if there is a show out in Amherst, Mass or that killer band from Portland, Maine is coming down, hopefully writers from all over will be on that, too. Of course, Boston may dominate the content."

Harford goes on to write that she will be assisting incoming branch editor Meghan Chiampa during the transition over the next month because, "I do not want Burlington to lose this valuable outlet for sharing its music."

Let's hope that's the case, and Chiampa shares Harford's point of view. In its short run as a Burlington-centric website, the Deli has done a decent job of augmenting the pre-existing local music media. While the quality of writing on the site is sometimes spotty, they score points — or, perhaps, chili peppers — simply for the volume of coverage they produce. Or, I guess, produced.

With any luck, the Deli's soon-to-be broadened reach might have a desirable trickle down effect. If the Deli New England retains some degree of focus on the region's West Coast, the increased number of eyes and ears tuning in to the site — and by extension, B-Town music — certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. But as Harford's above statement implies, that could be a big "if."

In closing, I'd like to thank Adena and her crew for their efforts in increasing the profile of Burlington music. Here's hoping the new folks will view our cozy little scene with as much care and enthusiasm.