Soundbites: Hammydown Throws a Big Gay Block Party 

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• Hammydown

One of the longest-running mysteries and conversations in the Burlington scene centers on the city's gay bars — in the sense that we have none. Zilch. Zero. There hasn't been a dedicated space for the LGBTQIA+ community in the greater Burlington area for years. The most recent attempt, the disastrous Mister Sister debacle of 2017, served more as a source of controversy among the gay community than a safe space. (Feel free to relive the whole mess by looking through Soundbites past. My predecessor, Jordan Adams, spent a lot of ink covering the fight over the name of the Winooski bar, considered by many to be a transphobic slur, and its subsequent renaming and closing.)

Even if you factor in spots such as Babes Bar in Bethel and Fox Market and Bar in East Montpelier, it's pretty hard to find a gay bar in the entire state, actually. That's especially shocking considering that Vermont has the seventh-highest number of LGBTQ-identifying people per capita and the highest rate of same-sex couples in the entire nation, according to a 2022 study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles. In other words, Vermont is suuuuuuper gay. So, uh, WTF? Where are all the gay bars?

"I'm definitely not an expert on the subject," Abbie Morin recently told me by phone. The singer-songwriter and guitar shredder, who is gay and uses they/them pronouns, fronts the indie rock project Hammydown and is a former member of Burlington expat Caroline Rose's band.

"I'm sure there are stats and financial reasons," Morin said, "but I do know that it's hard to run an establishment that has to feel like a monolith for a very, very dynamic community that doesn't necessarily want the same things all the time."

Morin was less interested in unpacking all the minutiae and financial secrets of opening a gay bar than in putting on something for their community here and now. So when Lauren McKenzie, co-owner of the Wallflower Collective bar in downtown Burlington, asked Morin if they might be down to organize an event to celebrate Pride Month in Vermont, they leaped at the chance.

On Sunday, September 24, Morin and the Wallflower Collective, along with the organizers of the monthly Burlington Dyke Night series, will throw the Big Gay Block Party. The all-day music festival features sets by Vermont expats Tōth and Kalbells — aka Alex Toth and Kalmia Traver, respectively, who are also in the indie band Rubblebucket together — as well as some of the area's best up-and-coming acts, including indie rockers Robber Robber, queer punk band Rangus and DJ Genderender.

"This is really my first time sort of putting on a curator hat," Morin said. "I've spent years on the road playing in Caroline's band and met so many friends and musicians I respect, so it's a huge incentive for me to put on an event where I can just get all my friends together."

The music happens on two stages, one outdoors and the other inside the Wallflower Collective. Food will be provided by Folino's pizzeria, along with a Zero Gravity Craft Brewery beer brewed specifically for the event. Morin said to also expect tarot readings, gender-affirming haircuts, a dildo ring toss and a photo booth designated as the "Dyke Dome."

Funds from a raffle go directly to supporting the Freedom Finders Collective, a proposed school in Burlington that, according to the organization's website, "centers the safety, integrity, joy and freedom of Black children."

Morin views the block party as an immediate way to address what they see as a neglected area for the gay community.

"I can't speak enough to how important events like this are to gay culture in Vermont," Morin said. "It would be so nice to just have one single place any night of the week that we could all go to, but the reality is that's not what it looks like in Burlington and Vermont right now."

Morin wants to help make the community feel as welcoming to gay people as it did when they started playing in the Burlington area a decade ago.

"For whatever reason, I just don't get the sense that the local music scene is as supportive of the gay community as it was 10 years ago," Morin said. "So I want to be super intentional with an event like the Big Gay Block Party. Everybody is welcome, but yeah, like the tagline says: 'This one's for the queers and the people who love us.'"

Hammydown will headline the block party, and Morin is excited to play their new material.

"I've been working on my new album for over three years now," they said. "It's done, really. Caroline Rose produced it, Benny Yurco mixed it, and now I'm just doing the business side of it all. But I can't wait for it to come out!"

For more information on the Big Gay Block Party, visit pridecentervt.org. Tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite or in person at Grass Queen and the Wallflower Collective in Burlington.