Underground folk music legend Michael Hurley died on April 1 in Oregon at age 83. The idiosyncratic singer-songwriter and cartoonist, whose vast catalog of outsider folk music has been cited as an influence by modern musicians such as Cat Power, Devendra Banhart and Yo La Tengo, was part of New York City’s Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s. “Snock,” as he was sometimes known, made some of the most original music in the genre; his songs could be funny, sweet, sad, lurid and flat-out weird, sometimes all at once. He released more than 30 albums in his career, culminating in 2021 with The Time of the Foxgloves.
A Pennsylvania native, Hurley lived in Vermont for close to 20 years and formed his first band, Automatic Slim & the Fat Boys, while living near Barre. He moved to the state in 1967, when he was 25, and estimated in past interviews that he lived in 35 different Vermont towns, including Chelsea and Bradford.
The albums he recorded and released while living in Vermont are considered some of his finest work, including 1976’s critically acclaimed Have Moicy!, with the Unholy Modal Rounders and Jeffery Frederick & the Clamtones. One of several Hurley releases for Rounder Records, the album sported a cover he illustrated, depicting a scene from a gig he played in Bethel.
Burlington’s Radio Bean hosts a tribute to Hurley on Wednesday, April 9. Featuring performances from local bluegrass and folk acts including Ponyhustle, the Wormdogs, Wild Leek River and TallGrass GetDown, it looks to be a fitting send-off for a one-of-a-kind storyteller who left an indelible imprint in Vermont. The Bean has encouraged anyone with a story to share about Hurley to hop onstage and do so.
Looking for a soundtrack to get high to this 4/20? Composer and pianist Bobby Gosh has you covered. The former Paul Anka sideman, who has written songs for Dr. Hook and had music grace films such as the Tom Hanks smash Big, recorded his latest single with producer Vincent Freeman at the Underground studio in Randolph.
Titled “Eat the Weed (Don’t Smoke it),” the tune is a playful electro-pop ditty about, you guessed it, eating your marijuana instead of puffing down. It’s something of a passion project for Gosh, who also wrote a book in 2016 titled Confessions of a Marijuana Eater: A Songwriter’s Memoir. The song is now available on major streaming services. Pair it with a nice brownie, if that’s your thing.
Paddy Reagan‘s indie-rock outfit Paper Castles dropped an advance single from their forthcoming album, I’m Sad as Hell and I’m Not Going to Fake It Anymore, out May 9 on cassette and May 13 digitally on Sipsman.
“Content Creator” is a quirky, alt-country-leaning piece of folk rock that finds Reagan pondering the nature of his work. The Jericho singer-songwriter and member of the Waking Windows collective wrote in a recent press release that the new track is about “the challenges of making art, and the business of making it into a business.”
An accompanying music video of Reagan and his bandmates — guitarist Wren Kitz, drummer Brennan Mangan and bassist Emily Tompkins — performing the song at Reagan’s home dropped with the single. It was filmed by director Kayhl Cooper, a Burlington expat who has made memorable videos for Caroline Rose, Francesca Blanchard, and a host of other Vermont artists past and present.
“Content Creator” is available on all major streaming services.
Listening In
Playlist of Vermont jams
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2025.
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