Regular readers of this column know how bullish I am on the current state of Burlington’s music scene. Just about every genre is enjoying a purple patch with great bands, solid records and singles, and artists such as Lily Seabird and Robber Robber making waves outside the Green Mountains.
Despite the vibrancy of the scene, local music venues have faced challenges. A combination of factors, from soaring insurance costs to crime concerns in downtown Burlington, have negatively impacted some area clubs. Winooski’s Monkey House, for example, has been hosting a greatly reduced lineup of shows lately, and a recent fatal shooting in front of Red Square rattled Queen City clubgoers.
It’s not all grim news, however. Two Burlington spots with long histories of supporting the local music scene have relaunched with new names and a fresh dedication to showcasing the area’s best artists.
First up is a rebrand for one of the city’s most storied venues, Club Metronome. Opened in 1992 by Anne Rothwell and Lou Natale, the club is located upstairs from its more famous sibling, Nectar’s, and has for decades hosted some of the most memorable nights of rock and roll in Burlington — think the Killers, Blind Melon, Ani DiFranco, the Wailers, Pile and so many others.
It’s not exactly a hot take, but I’m of the opinion that Metronome has always been Burlington’s best room to see a live band, especially when legendary soundman Sergei Ushakov is manning the board. As the club changed hands a few times over the years, it lost some of its vibrancy and became a spot for late-night DJ sets, while most of the live music is downstairs at Nectar’s.
General manager Tyler Nettleton decided it was time for a reset. So, he and his crew have transformed Metronome into the Lounge at Nectar’s.
“We wanted to make it a usable room, even when there aren’t shows going on,” Nettleton said during a tour of the retrofitted venue. Gone is the bar in the second room, directly adjacent to the stage and main room. In its place are a pool table, sofas and televisions, which really do make the area a proper late-night lounge.
“You’ll be able to get late-night food, as well,” Nettleton added, knowing how slim the after-hours food pickings have gotten in Burlington. “But we’re planning on some big shows up here. This is definitely going to be a great spot for that again.”
Nettleton was mum on details, as the rebranding is still a work in progress, but he said the Lounge will function differently from Metronome.
“By and large, this will be a free club — no cover charge,” he said. “When we have larger acts on the stage, those will certainly be ticketed shows. But for most nights, this is going to be a great spot to just come in for some drinks and food and local music.”
I have to admit to feeling both old and sad to see the Club Metronome name go, but, as Franny O’s begat the Old Post and Hunt’s (eventually) begat Vermont Comedy Club, it’s just the way of things. The prospect of a revitalized live room upstairs from Nectar’s is too promising for me to get hung up on nostalgia. While the folks downstairs do an incredible job booking many of the best roots, funk and jam bands in the land right now, I’m truly looking forward to the wider lens of programming that Nettleton teased for the Lounge.
“There’s such great history here,” he said of the club. “We want to continue and build on that and make this one of the best places to see a show in town again.”
Just a block away, on the corner of Main and Church, another local spot is getting a major makeover. With a new ownership team and management, Manhattan Pizza & Pub has relaunched as Rincon Pizzeria and Tapas Bar. While previous owner David Quintana remains and is managing the kitchen — read more about the food changes in “Side Dishes” — he is now part of a seven-person investor group led by Nathan MacAlpine, who owns Maple Valley Contracting in Colchester.
“I’ve been friends with Dave for a while,” MacAlpine said by phone. “We were talking one day about Manhattan and how badly it needed a restart and a rebrand. With my contracting business, I had plenty of workers ready to help do a quick remodel.”
First up was fixing the stage. Having played music at Manhattan’s plenty of times myself over the years, I can attest that the stage was really only fit for DJs and singer-songwriters. Squeezing a band onto that thing took some serious Tetris skills. So MacAlpine and his crew opened it up, expanding it from 8 to 14 feet wide. It now faces the entire bar, as opposed to just the back, which should make for better engagement between the musicians and the crowd.
“Our vision for the space is that it will be a place for all genres, but particularly for genres that don’t necessarily have a home base in the scene,” MacAlpine explained. “We have large populations of Jamaicans and Haitians — Nepalis, as well — and we really want to provide an opportunity to have space for their music and culture. We really want to bring in a lot of flavors, music-wise.”
It’s a good new look for the club and restaurant, which stirred up some controversy a few months back when staff boycotted followed the firing of two bartenders via text message — a management move that Quintana later admitted was “highly unprofessional.”
“I remain dedicated to providing a safe space [and] food for the community and will continue to work at becoming a better leader,” Quintana posted to social media after the boycott. (He also owns Burlington vegan eatery and nightclub Despacito.)
Both Rincon and the Lounge had soft openings last week. As they finish their respective remodels and reintroduce themselves to the community with shiny floors, new menus and invitations to local musicians to reach out, there’s no doubt Burlington’s music scene will welcome these stages.
Eye on the Scene
Last week’s live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry
Delicate Steve, Nectar’s, Burlington, Friday and Saturday, October 4 and 5: Touring bands successfully playing double headers at a downtown Burlington venue is not something that happens often, but Nectar’s has been pulling it off this year with bands such as RAQ, Dopapod and Everyone Orchestra. When Nectar’s hosted Delicate Steve this past Friday and Saturday, it had no problem packing the room both nights. Guitarist and front man Steve Marion is currently touring in support of his new release, the potentially misleading Delicate Steve Sings. Did Marion sing a single note on the album or during these shows? That depends on whether you agree that a guitar can sing, which it absolutely does in Marion’s delicate hands. The trio ended the two-night run with an encore mashup of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” and John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy,” even throwing in a nod to Donny Hathaway’s version. As Marion played the melodies on his cream-colored 1966 Fender Stratocaster, I heard every single lyric sung loud and clear.
Listening In
Playlist of Vermont jams
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2024.
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