Published December 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
| Updated December 7, 2023 at 1:16 p.m.
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Courtesy Of Cara Robbins
Caroline Rose
As you'll see from Luke Awtry's "Eye on the Scene" below, Burlington City Arts recently announced the lineup for Highlight, the city's New Year's Eve celebration. The announcement came during a launch party last Thursday afternoon at Foam Brewers featuring a solo by one of the spotlighted artists, Abbie Morin, aka Hammydown.
The sprawling lineup features too much music and art to cover in this column, so be sure to visit highlight.community. The big news for music fans is the Big Gay New Year show taking place at the waterfront's ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. (Hmm, maybe Spotify is on to something with our being a gay mecca...) Curated by Morin, the concert features former local darling Caroline Rose, Minneapolis alt-rocker Lutalo, indie-pop act tip/toe, a set by Hammydown and others.
Also on New Year's Eve, expect a Taylor Swift Eras Tour Dance Party going down at Burlington City Hall Auditorium, a performance from Greensboro's Circus Smirkus troupe, the Burlington Electronic Department bringing an army of synths and beats, indie rocker Greg Freeman and punks Greaseface, singer-songwriter Henry Jamison, chamber music with Skylark, bluegrass from the Tenderbellies, art installations everywhere, fireworks freaking out all your pets ... and that's not even scratching the surface. Highlight has a bit of everything this year.
In a press release, BCA festival and event director Zach Williamson pointed out that much of Highlight's programming originated with submissions to the Bright Ideas Project, which selects and funds creative projects for the evening.
"In six short years, Highlight has re-imagined what New Year's Eve could be in the greater Burlington area," Williamson wrote. "Over the last five years, BCA has paid over $319,700 to Vermont creators through Highlight."
I bet that's way more than Spotify, at roughly $0.001 per stream, has paid Vermont creators over the past five years.
Speaking of the holidays, Vermont's most rocking buccaneer, Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate, has dropped a new yuletide jam. "Happy Merry Jolly" features the singing pirate celebrating all the holiday traditions, from Christmas to Kwanzaa. "Some celebrate the season, returning of the light. / Some celebrate with nine candles burning bright. / Some celebrate a baby born long ago one night. / Some celebrate their culture, and that is only right," Rockin' Ron sings.
In the accompanying music video, Ron leads would-be carolers through a celebration of the diversity of the holidays. Check it out on YouTube and sing along if you're so inclined, but fair warning: Rockin' Ron doesn't mess around with Scrooges. "Whatever you may celebrate, be safe and be polite," he sings. "But if you're not one to celebrate, bah humbug and good night!"
This year's annual meeting of the Vermont Blues Society, on Thursday, December 14, at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington, will feature a screening of the documentary Bonnie Blue: James Cotton's Life in the Blues.
The doc tells the tale of Chicago bluesman James Cotton, a harmonica player who started out in Howlin' Wolf's band in the 1950s and became one of the first to blend blues and rock music. Featuring interviews with Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush and other celebrated blues figures, the film is presented in conjunction with the Reel Blues Fest and Main Street Landing.
Performances from local blues acts Dave Keller and Chad Hollister will follow. Visit vermontbluessociety.org for details.
Eye on the Scene
Last week's live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry
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Luke Awtry
Hammydown at Foam Brewers
Hammydown, Foam Brewers, Burlington, Thursday, November 30: I got word just in time last week that Burlington City Arts was hosting a special Highlight Launch Party at Foam Brewers to announce the New Year's Eve festival's full lineup — and at 3 p.m. on Thursday, no less! There are few things I love more than slinging a camera over my shoulder, rolling into a venue while the sun is still high, and seeing a room filled with happy friends, professional acquaintances and fellow musicians. Featured Highlight performer Abbie Morin, guitarist and front person of the band Hammydown, was on-site to promote their Big Gay New Year event and play a few solo acoustic tunes. Morin's NYE showcase will include ex-Burlingtonian Caroline Rose, whose return exemplifies one of the things that make our scene so great: It's not just the people who stick around but those who keep coming back, knowing they always have a home in Burlington.
Listening In
Spotify playlist of Vermont jams
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Bio:
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.
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