In our Media Issue a few weeks ago, I asked readers for their thoughts on how I cover the Vermont music scene. Y’all did not disappoint. It was truly wonderful and enlightening to hear all the feedback from readers with ideas, praise, constructive criticism and, in one case, a plea to start a jam band-only newsletter.

(I’m not going to do that, of course, but I spent most of a week having a blast coming up with the name. I narrowed it down to Chris’ Noodle Factory, Wookin’ Out for You and One Small Step for Jamkind.)

Much of the feedback concerned our album reviews. As the album review has grown increasingly rare in music publications and online outlets — even Pitchfork stuck its reviews behind a paywall recently — there’s a general sense that music criticism has been defanged. While reader suggestions gave me food for thought, what I heard over and over was that, above all else, you just want to be kept in the know about a diverse and sprawling music scene, from the Northeast Kingdom to the state’s southern shires.

It’s fitting, then, that we have a stacked week of Vermont music news! Before I get into it, just a heads-up that if you want additional coverage, I collaborate with our friends at Vermont Public for a monthly appearance on “Vermont Edition” to talk all things Green Mountain music with producer and fellow musician Jon Ehrens, aka indie artist Repelican. Be sure to check out our conversation from Monday on new music from Noah Kahan and King Tuff.

Catch and Release

It’s going to be a huge season for Vermont music: Dwight + Nicole, Robber Robber, Henry Jamison, Liz Cooper and Ordh all have new releases out now or coming up this summer. But that’s not all.

Burlington guitarist and songwriter Bob Wagner’s long-awaited debut solo record, I’ve Been Down, comes out digitally on June 5 and on vinyl June 12. Long considered one of the Queen City’s finest sidemen and an ace session shredder with the likes of Kat Wright, Josh Panda and, most recently, Phish bassist Mike Gordon, Wagner is finally stepping into the spotlight. He recorded his new record in Nashville, enlisting guest musicians such as Sturgill Simpson guitarist Laur Joamets and Oliver Wood and Jano Rix of the Wood Brothers.

In anticipation of the release, Wagner put out an advance single last month titled “Sad and Lonesome.” A funk-driven country rocker with a searing solo from Joamets, the tune highlights Wagner’s Southern rock-inflected grooves and soulful voice. The track is available on major streaming services and bobwagner.bandcamp.com.

Indie singer-songwriter Lily Seabird released a new single last month titled “Demon in Me.” The Burlington musician has been busy since the release of her excellent 2025 record, Trash Mountain. That album catapulted Seabird to another level, garnering praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, NPR and Stereogum — and the designation of “an indie star in the making” from the Guardian.

“Demon in Me” is a dynamic, psychedelic folk rocker, with Seabird caught somewhere between Lucinda Williams and PJ Harvey. It’s an initially delicate song that all but explodes into a noise-rock freak-out.

In a press release, Seabird said the song is on “the dark side, probably a symptom of anxiety or depression.” Check out the song at lilyseabird.bandcamp.com or on major streaming services. An accompanying music video is streaming now on YouTube.

Rutland singer-songwriters George Nostrand and Phil Henry have joined forces for a politically themed duet titled “Make Good Trouble Again.” Inspired by words from late civil rights leader and statesman John Lewis, the folk song was written as a proper protest anthem, urging Americans of all ages to fight the rise of fascism.

“We all watched what happened in Minneapolis,” Nostrand wrote in an email to Seven Days, referring to the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good earlier this year at the hands of federal immigration officers. “When people stand up, they can make a difference … We need all people, younger and older, and all walks of life to show that affects all of us, and we can’t sit back and watch our liberties get stripped away.”

George Nostrand Credit: Courtesy of Phil Henry

Nostrand and Henry released the track just before Saturday’s nationwide “No Kings” protests; it’s available on major streaming services.

Mountain Jamz

Outdoor festival season starts early this year with a pair of upcoming events that should satisfy those readers who requested a jam band-only newsletter. First up is the inaugural Gather Outdoors, a two-day festival at Stratton Mountain Resort on April 11 and 12. Billed as a “high-energy celebration of winter culture and community,” according to a press release, the après-ski-on-steroids party features a loaded lineup of jam bands and electronic music, including EDM artist CRANKDAT, jam legends the Disco Biscuits and bassist Karina Rykman, among others. Get tickets at gatheroutdoors.com.

Next month in Ludlow, Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio’s Divided Sky Foundation throws its annual party, Music on the Mountain. Rykman pulls double duty and is joined on the bill by jam band Eggy, local funk and groove outfit LaMP, and singer-songwriter Anders Osborne. The one-day, substance-free fest goes down on Saturday, May 16, at Okemo Mountain Resort as part of Divided Sky’s BIG Weekend, which also includes a 5K fun run, campfire jams and a Sunday morning acoustic brunch. Music on the Mountain culminates with a massive jam titled BIG Weekend All-Stars After Party that features, among others, members of the Trey Anastasio Band such as Jennifer Hartswick and Ray Paczkowski. Check out bigweekend.org to learn more.

Food for Thought

Finally, Epsilon Spires in Brattleboro hosts a film screening of Peaches Goes Bananas and a Q&A with director Marie Losier this Friday, April 3. Following the feminist, experimental-pop artist Peaches, the 2024 documentary was shot over the course of 17 years, capturing the span of one of the strangest, most unconventional careers in music.

After the screening, Counter Cultures Kitchen serves a meal inspired by the film —presumably including peach cobbler, because what else can you make with peaches? Check out epsilonspires.org for more information. ➆

Hannibal Buress Credit: Courtesy

7 Shows to Watch Out For

  1. Hannibal Buress at the Egg in Albany, N.Y., April 8
  2. Robin Pecknold at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington, April 22
  3. Jame McMurtry & the Martial Law Review at the Stone Church in Brattleboro, June 23
  4. Billy Bragg at Club Soda in Montréal, July 4
  5. Djo at Thompson’s Point in Portland, Maine, July 21
  6. Thundercat at Waterfront Park in Burlington, July 30
  7. Jordan Davis at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex, August 29

Listening In

This article appears in Money & Retirement Issue • 2026.

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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...