On the Beat: Cricket Blue Goes Over the Garden Wall, Odd Fellows Hall Rocks Again 

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• Courtesy of T.L. Cook
• Violet Crimes

Halloween gets all the October heat, but my favorite day of the month is fast approaching: the Burlington Record Fair!

Held once again at Nectar's in downtown Burlington on Sunday, October 22, the record fair boasts more than 20 different vendors selling vinyl goodness while local DJs spin throughout the event. If (like a dummy) you're on the fence about going, let me regale you with some of the finds I've scored at the fair over the years:

1. The "Moonlighting" soundtrack. Sure, there's a bunch of Bruce Willis' drunken crooning, but Al Jarreau's killer theme song makes it all worth it.

2. A collection of animal sound effects that I still spin every month or so. Whoever got that performance from an assortment of hogs on track No. 4 is the Phil Spector of animal sounds recording.

3. My treasured copy of Trans by Neil Young, an album that's tough to love, but I really, really do.

So don't miss out; you never know what gems you might score. Early birds can get in at 11 a.m. for $5, but the fair is free after noon and runs until 4 p.m.

A beloved Burlington venue returns with a new show this month! No, not ArtsRiot. The Pine Street club still sits empty and owned by shadowy cats who don't like to answer their email, so stop holding your breath on that front.

Odd Fellows Lodge on North Avenue will once again host live music, starting with a rock show on Saturday, October 21. Featuring Burlington shoegaze band S.U.S., along with punk acts Violet Crimes and Miracle Blood, the show marks the first gig held at Odd Fellows since 2009. The venue served as a hub for underground music in the early aughts and is almost as legendary in the local punk and hardcore scene as 242 Main.

Organizer T.L. Cook, an Odd Fellows member and avid fan of local hardcore music, said the decision to book shows was motivated by the need for an all-ages space for heavy music, something Burlington has lacked since the 2016 closure of 242 Main and the recent end of basement shows at the home of Big Heavy World founder Jim Lockridge.

"There hasn't been a designated substance-free, all-ages venue for younger folks to go see bands at," Cook wrote. "The scene dies when kids stop attending shows and being inspired to start their own bands or book their own shows."

Welcome back, Odd Fellows!

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• courtesy of artist
• Cricket Blue

Hey, we all did some weird shit during the quarantine. I watched YouTube footage of people walking around Tokyo at night and created a scoring system for my dog's farts. Some people took up baking. Same difference.

Local art-folk act Cricket Blue were a little more productive, however. The duo of Taylor Smith and Laura Heaberlin created a series of YouTube videos covering songs from the 2014 Cartoon Network miniseries "Over the Garden Wall." Calling on the help of friends such as Grammy-nominated musician Erin Bentlage and Burlington folk singer Eric George, the band crafted covers that have been viewed well over 20,000 times. Playing them live online has become a yearly tradition for Cricket Blue.

This year, the band will do it live and in person on Wednesday, October 25, at Radio Bean in Burlington. Heaberlin wrote in an email that she and Smith plan to play their familiar covers and other songs from the show, backed by a crew of 11 musicians. How all 11 of them will fit on Radio Bean's economy-size stage is anyone's guess, but it'll be fun to watch them try. For more information and to purchase tickets, pop over to cricketbluemusic.com.

Listening In

Spotify playlist of Vermont jams

Doomsbury.

by Farnsworth & Slayton

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