It’s been grim reading lately for the Vermont music scene, as venues close and festivals come to an end. It’s not all dire news, though — there are people working hard behind the scenes to pick up the flag and press forward.
One such individual is Seth Soloway, executive director of Spruce Peak Arts in Stowe. Since moving to Vermont to helm the nonprofit organization two years ago, Soloway has been one of the biggest proponents of the local music scene. He’s introduced the Spruce Peak Unplugged series, which brings in big-time touring acts such as the Wallflowers (July 13) and Phantom Planet (August 3) but pairs them with local openers. And, along with singer-songwriter Troy Millette, he curated the Homegrown in Vermont Music Festival last year.
Soloway is doubling down on his commitment to local music as Spruce Peak hosts its second-annual Homegrown in Vermont on August 23. He announced the festival lineup this week.
When he first took the reins at Spruce Peak, Soloway noticed money in his budget that had been earmarked for “homegrown Vermont.”
“I immediately asked, ‘What’s ‘homegrown Vermont’?'” Soloway said. “No one really knew! So I had this money and said, ‘OK, let’s do a festival.'”
Soloway tapped Millette, one of the first local artists he built a relationship with, to help turn the venue into a hot spot for Vermont musicians.
Their first goal: “Get people on that stage that are fighting the good fight,” Millette said. “It’s not lost on us how many venues we’ve lost lately. Places like Higher Ground are amazing, but their model is to service touring acts. For Seth to dedicate 25 spots a year to local artists is just incredible.”
As they did for last year’s festival, Soloway and Millette welcomed a third collaborator: Ryan Miller, front person for indie-rock outfit Guster and a Vermont resident since 2010. Miller and Soloway met after the singer played a solo show last February and quickly connected over shared passions.
“I have a lot of empathy for someone who comes from outside Vermont and wants to find his people and both build and join a community,” Miller said. “So I really appreciate his big swings and his enthusiasm.”
After Soloway asked him to headline this year’s Homegrown fest, Miller wondered what that would look like. With Guster’s other members spread out across New England and New York, it didn’t work to bring in the band, nor would that have fit the theme.
Miller, who has been trying to figure out the best way to participate in the Vermont scene for a while, didn’t want to just perform solo at the festival. “I’ve played solo before,” he said, “but when Seth asked me to headline the fest, my first thought was to put together an all-star band of people I love playing with.”
And that’s exactly what Miller did. He’s recruited guitarist Bob Wagner, bassist Josh Weinstein, keyboardist Marie Claire and drummer Willoughby Morse to join him for the show. They won’t be doing a Guster impression or backing Miller’s solo tunes, however. Miller and his all-star band will be performing a one-night tribute to the legendary British rock group the Kinks.
“I absolutely love the Kinks, and I never see anybody really doing a tribute,” Miller said. “I started making a Spotify playlist for everyone to study, and I was blown away because there are just so many great Kinks tunes.”
The fest will also feature sets from Millette, Milton Busker & the Grim Work, Billy Wylder, and other Vermont acts. Following the modest success of last year’s festival, Soloway has continued to tweak the event as he learns more about the local scene and how best to support it.
“Since I came on board, my team has raised more money than any team in this organization’s history,” he said. “Homegrown Vermont is the leader in the clubhouse, and it’s not even really close. People here really want to support local artists.”
Soloway, Miller and Millette hope what they’re doing at Spruce Peak can serve as a rallying point for Vermont musicians as venues continue to struggle, federal grants are being canceled and the economics of playing live music grow more difficult.
“I’m really bummed about Nectar’s and Waking Windows,” Miller said, referencing the popular Burlington nightclub that recently announced its summer closure and the end of the long-running Winooski indie-rock festival. “Cornerstones of our culture are being lost. It’s going to take all of us that care about this place to make a concerted effort to bring everyone together again. So the timing of this is crucial and, I hope, is a call to arms to everyone.”
Soloway agreed: “Now, more than ever, it’s my duty as someone with a venue and a budget and a platform to do whatever I can to shine a light on this scene.”
Tickets for the Homegrown in Vermont Music Festival go on sale this Thursday, May 29, at sprucepeakarts.org.
Sharp-eyed denizens of Burlington’s South End might have noticed that ArtsRiot is gone. The branding, that is. The venue, which has endured all manner of upheaval and ownership changes in recent years, has finally turned the page and relaunched as its own entity: the District VT.
The club serves pizza, boasts a full-service bar and, most importantly for the purposes of this column, is functioning as a music venue once more. The District VT hosts a weekly performance by Zach Nugent’s Dead Set and has a lineup of upcoming shows booked as well, including R&B singer Ali McGuirk on Saturday, June 7.
ArtsRiot has generated plenty of controversy and headaches for local artists since the original club was purchased by local businessman Alan Newman and out-of-state investors in 2020. Two years later, Newman was gone, leaving the club in limbo. Local bands and artists reported multiple difficulties when performing at the venue, including not getting paid, understaffing and lack of security at shows.
Here’s hoping the District VT is a proper fresh start for a venue desperately needed in the local music scene. Check out what it has planned over at thedistrictvt.com.
Listening In
Playlist of Vermont jams
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2025.
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