May 31 – Jun 6, 2017
Kamasi Washington Ignites a New Generation of Jazz Fans; Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Cure What Ails You?; Diners are Flocking to Samurai Soul Food
Cover Story
Kamasi Washington Leads a New Guard in Jazz
It seems that jazz is perpetually on the verge of being “over.” Or, to borrow a phrase often uttered by Reuben Jackson, host of “Friday Night Jazz” on Vermont Public Radio: “Jazz is the greatest music nobody ever gave a damn about.” That quote originates from Jackson’s father — and was slightly sanitized by the…
Obituary: E. Calvin Schneider, 1944-2017
E. Calvin Schneider died peacefully of an interstitial lung infection at his home on June 4, 2017, in the house that he and his wife built 35 years ago. He was a loving husband, woodworker, gourmet cook, avid birder, reader, graceful skier, tennis player and cyclist. Cal loved traveling, going to Maine, adventures, his friends…
Obituary: Gabriel Bass, 1948-2017
Gabriel Sol Bass, 68, of Hinesburg, Vermont, left this world on Friday, May 26 at 12:30pm, surrounded by music, close friends, and family who lovingly talked to him, played and sang songs, and held him until his final breath. Gabe was a lifelong artist and musician, a loving father and father figure, a spreader of…
The Parmelee Post: Massive Asteroid Abruptly Cancels Trip to Earth
A massive asteroid that appeared to be heading directly toward planet Earth has abruptly changed its course, according to members of the Vermont Astronomical Society. Several society members and NASA Asteroid Watch volunteers say the 26-mile-wide asteroid C/2017 ER61 took an inexplicable sharp turn to the right shortly after 3 p.m. EST on Thursday. “In…
Movie Review: Biting Satire ‘War Machine’ Revisits the Conflict in Afghanistan
Netflix takes its incursion into historically Hollywood-held territory to the next level with War Machine, a $60 million military satire starring Brad Pitt, written and directed by David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) and adapted from Michael Hastings’ 2012 best seller The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan. The largest-scale production…
Burlington’s S.I.N.siZZle Stakes a Claim to the Throne of Local Hip-Hop
The antiseptic set of a local TV news show is an awkward venue for hip-hop. But the bright lights didn’t seem to faze Burlington rapper S.I.N.siZZle. When WCAX-TV booked him last year, he opted to deliver his dynamic track “Rock Out,” complete with howling soul hooks from vocalist Stacy Campbell. “See, I’ve been waiting for…
Report Card: Studied to Death by the Vermont Legislature
The Vermont legislature rejected Gov. Phil Scott’s plan to merge the liquor department and lottery commission earlier this year, opting instead to study the matter. Rather than raise the minimum wage, it created a study committee. An attempt to regulate tile drains — underground irrigation pipes that can be a conduit for pollution — also turned…
Album Review: smalltalker, ‘Walk Tall’
(Self-released, digital download) Burlington-based soul band smalltalker are not as idle and awkward as their name suggests. The group’s debut EP, Walk Tall, bustles with the virtues of communication and confidence, affable skills that keep this band connected. The four-song EP credits an ambitious lineup of 10 core musicians, plus two rotating members. Although smalltalker…
Art Review: W. David Powell’s ‘Golden Era’ Collages
W. David Powell reaches into his unique reservoir of scientific, historical, literary and visual references for an exhibit at the White River Gallery @ BALE in South Royalton. Titled “The Golden Era of the New Dawn & other distractions,” the show of 32 collage and print works is on view through July 1. Powell’s fascination…
A Worcester Entrepreneur Corrals Farmers, Food Trucks and Community
On June 8, a farmers market will debut just off Route 12 in Worcester. Located on property privately owned by entrepreneur Kyle Devitt, the weekly Thursday-evening event will combine grocery shopping with food trucks and live music. During the week, the spot will serve as a drop-by farmstand, Devitt said, offering wares from a mix…
Letters to the Editor (5/31/17)
Trump = Titanic In your excellent piece “Trumpatized” [May 24], you omitted the answer given by Bruno Latour in his May Harper’s magazine article “The New Climate.” Latour suggests we imagine the first-class billionaire passengers on the Titanic spotting the iceberg looming ahead, and, rather than sounding the alarm, they stealthily climb into the lifeboats,…
On Huntington’s SHO Farm, Nearly Everything Is Edible
It’s spring, and the fragrance of lilacs fills the air. Their flowers offer a rare and delicious scent, but are they good enough to eat? Chances are, consuming the tender blossoms has never crossed your mind — unless you’re Melissa Hoffman of SHO Farm. On a recent day in the “permaculture food lab” on her…
How a Vermont Family Keeps Their Late Son’s Spirit Alive
May 28 is the start of birthday season in the Cohn family. This was the date, in 1992, when Samuel Mariano Cohn, the family’s middle son, was born. “Birthday season” is what his mother, Diane Mariano, calls this time of year. Next up is the birthday of Gabe Cohn, who will turn 22 on June…
Is Hyperbaric Oxygen a ‘Miracle Cure’?
Mary Kay Blouin felt like she was living in a state of perpetual exhaustion. After a couple of falls on pavement in the last two years left her with a traumatic brain injury — while she was recovering from Lyme disease — the Middlesex woman says she woke up every morning experiencing headaches, memory loss,…
A Performance About POTUS From Artists’ Imperative
After the election of Donald Trump last November, artists — and many others —wondered: How do I respond? The 95,369 people who voted for Trump in Vermont (according to the New York Times) likely celebrated. But, back in December, Seven Days staff wrote about responses from a few artists who were less than ecstatic with…
Dee Kalea Presents 50 Years of Jazz Photography
According to photographer Dee Kalea, her subjects routinely praise her for capturing their essence. That may be because, over nearly 50 years of shooting the biggest names in jazz and Latin music, she has developed an inimitable and empathetic style. The training Kalea received from her mentor, famed jazz photographer Herb Snitzer, certainly played a…
Shoulder Room: Route 7’s Gains Cause Some Pains
A yellow-clad road worker flagged a dozen cars to a stop last Thursday while excavators gouged out earth and shrubbery along the east side of Route 7 in Charlotte. The vehicles waited in the spring drizzle for about seven minutes. Such delays have become familiar to regular commuters as a $20 million, three-mile road reconstruction…
Ask Athena: What’s Up With Going Down? BJ 101
Dear Athena, I’ve never given head. I think it might be gross, but I want to do it to my partner. My partner has a nice dick, so I’m glad about that. Help! Is it gross or boring? Signed, Head Help Dear Head Help, Good for you for wanting to try something new. No matter…
Tiny Hardwick Breaks a Dishwashing World Record
Who needs a dishwasher when you’ve got friends like these? A soapy scrum of 346 people gathered in Hardwick last Saturday to break the Guinness World Records’ mark for the most people simultaneously washing dishes by hand. The number is unofficial, cautioned organizer Bethany Dunbar, but it surpasses the previous record of 300 set last…
Hackie: McDonald’s, 2 a.m.
“Look at you, Jernigan — you’ve grown a beard.” “Yeah, and it’s mostly white. I’ve gone full geezer, brother. You don’t like the way it looks?” “No, it’s not that. It’s just that I can’t kiss you anymore.” “Well, that settles it, then — it’s coming off.” I was sitting next to Chris Brodowski, a…
Eckankar Followers Chant ‘Hu’ in Burlington
On a Sunday morning in May, in a space decorated with flower arrangements at Burlington’s Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, some 25 people were preparing themselves to chant “hu.” “Just sit comfortably; close your eyes; take a minute to open your hearts,” cleric Michelle Josselyn. The mostly middle-aged adherents, who sat in rows of…
From Writing Tips to Naked Irishmen: Short Reads on Vermont Books
Seven Days writers can’t possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a charm of hummingbirds. So this monthly feature is our way of introducing you to five books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book just a…
Rope-a-Dope: Scott Elusive on Future of Pot Bill
It was a moment that exposed our nation’s ambivalent attitude toward marijuana. As he announced last Wednesday that he would veto a pot legalization bill, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott unintentionally revealed the hypocrisy at the heart of the debate. While rejecting the measure, Scott acknowledged that he has “a lot of friends” who smoke marijuana.…
White River Indie Film Fest Tackles Social Issues
White River Junction will serve as the hub of the Vermont film world this week, when moviegoers and local filmmakers converge in the Upper Valley for the 13th annual White River Indie Festival. The 2017 edition of WRIF comprises 20 feature films and 15 shorts, with themes of cultural identity, labor exploitation and the injustices…
Movie Review: ‘The Lovers’ Doesn’t Have Enough There There
It’s not often that I find myself struggling to find enough to say about a film. But The Lovers, the latest from writer-director Azazel Jacobs (Momma’s Man, Terri), is an oddly empty little movie. It takes a juicy premise and two fine actors — including the too-scarce, always-welcome Debra Winger — and fails to do…
Free Will Astrology (5/31/17)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “The most intense moments the universe has ever known are the next 15 seconds,” said philosopher Terence McKenna. He was naming a central principle of reality: that every new now is a harvest of everything that has ever happened; every fresh moment is a blast of novelty that arises in response…
Ghost-Town Center: The Dying Days of Burlington’s Downtown Mall
Crowds swarmed the Church Street Marketplace last Tuesday, navigating outdoor café tables, street vendors, slow-moving tourists and window shoppers. Steps away, a ghost town. Inside the so-called Burlington Town Center, the sound of jazzy Muzak filled deserted, fluorescent-lit hallways lined with empty storefronts. Unoccupied massage chairs awaited patrons who seemed unlikely to materialize. Even a…
Skinny Pancake Opens at Shelburne Museum
The Skinny Pancake, which started in the summer of 2003 as a crêpe cart on Burlington’s Church Street, will open a branch in early June at one of Vermont’s premier locations: Shelburne Museum. Benjy Adler, who owns the business with his brother, Jonny, said the crêpe restaurant and affiliated vendors will form a local food…
Album Review: Some Hollow, ‘Green’
(Self-released, digital download) Look, I like cheese. Ask anyone I go to lunch with. My music tastes are no different. I can dig some truly cheesy shit. I’ve been to a Better Than Ezra show, and not only did I genuinely like it, I still retroactively think it was cool. I don’t hate the Gin…
Soundbites: Discover (Free) Jazz; So Long, Section Sign Records
Ah, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. Much like the lilacs that precede its arrival, the fest’s sweetness and ubiquity are matched only by its ephemeralness. It’s here, it’s everywhere and then it’s gone — so you’d be wise to get out there and appreciate it while you can. Before we dive in, I’d like to…
Eat This Week, May 31 to June 6, 2017: On Island Time
Most cocktail historians trace the Scorpion Bowl’s roots to a Honolulu watering hole called the Hut, sometime in the 1930s. The original Scorpion blended rum, citrus, orgeat syrup and brandy. But Vic Bergeron — owner of the legendary Trader Vic’s bar in Oakland, Calif. — reformulated the recipe to accommodate more booze and a crowd. Then, as…
Samurai Soul Food Has Taken Fairlee by Storm
“CHICKEN AND BEER,” announces a bold blue sign on the side of the building at 176 Route 5 in Fairlee. While the label gives passersby an inkling of what they might find inside, it’s a little deceiving: Samurai Soul Food is neither a chicken joint nor a beer bar. Chef-owners Kelden Smith and John Hessler…
Vermont Sushi Factory Delivers Organic Maki
Attention, local sushi connoisseurs: There’s a new fish in the pond. Last month, Hardwick-based Vermont Sushi Factory began wholesaling all-organic, made-daily maki in area storefronts and co-ops. Chances are, it’s headed for a store near you. After Jason Lutz and his wife, Sarah, welcomed a newborn daughter earlier this year, Sarah started craving sushi, Lutz…
