Soundbites: Learning to Fly Takes Off, New Music From Dutch Experts and Farewell to Mark Ransom 

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• Courtesy
• Aram Bedrosian

Something happens when you play an instrument for a while. Eventually, friends, family and even loose acquaintances will ask you to teach them how to play it. It makes sense in a way. When I see someone on "The Great British Baking Show" make some kind of mind-boggling cake, I feel an inclination to ask my much more culinarily inclined partner to show me how the bakers managed to make fondant look like Winston Churchill's jowls.

I almost always restrain myself, however. For one, no one wants to eat a cake I bake, trust me. Second, I've learned that possessing a skill and being able to teach that skill are two very different things. Passing on musical knowledge is no easy feat, which makes it that much more important to bring students together with teachers capable of helping them realize their goals.

Enter Learning to Fly, a music education program designed by the nonprofit Friends for A_Dog Foundation and the Burlington Music Dojo. Now in its third year, the program provides funding for up to 24 students to take music lessons over the course of four years at the Burlington Music Dojo. The program also assists students with procuring instruments.

It's a cause near and dear to both founders of the program, Friends for A_Dog Foundation board member Justin Remillard and bassist and founder of the Burlington Music Dojo Aram Bedrosian. For Remillard, it's another way to honor his late friend, Burlington turntable legend Andy "A_Dog" Williams.

"Although Andy was best known as an incredible DJ and world-class skater," wrote Remillard in an email to Seven Days, "it was Andy's love for bass guitar and making his first mixtapes in high school that served as a catalyst to his creative musical path."

With music education in public schools a perennial target of budget cuts, Bedrosian knows just how important it is to create new inroads for young people to learn — especially the kind of one-on-one education they can receive at the Music Dojo.

"The larger the class, the less personal attention a student gets," the Burlington-based musician and instructor wrote. "At these formative ages, the scope of the impact that a private music lesson can make on a child's life is immeasurable."

The Learning to Fly program is accepting applications through February 10. Winners are announced on March 6, and lessons begin in April. All students in grades 6 through 12 who are able to arrange for transportation to the Music Dojo (or their preferred lesson destination) are encouraged to apply at friendsforadog.org.

The program is made possible by grants from two Phish-adjacent organizations, the fan-founded nonprofit Mockingbird Foundation and the band's own charitable wing, the WaterWheel Foundation. The orgs each awarded $10,000 to get Learning to Fly up and running.

It's always a little bittersweet for me when I see all the incredible efforts folks like Remillard and Bedrosian and these foundations make to provide access to music education for our youth. While a recent study by the Arts Education Data Project reported that U.S. public school students still have broad access to music and arts programs, it also revealed that there are more than 3 million students without those opportunities.

So, cheers to the folks behind the Learning to Fly program for fighting the good fight.

Electronic Birthdays

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• Courtesy
• Justin Remillard

It's hard to believe, but Sunday Night Mass has been kicking it for a quarter of a century. The Burlington-based electronic music showcase that started in 1998 has become an institution at Club Metronome and brings in a wide array of international and local talent.

While it's undergone changes over the years, the series heads into 2023 as strong as ever, with organizers Nexus Artist Management putting on electronic music showcases on Friday and Saturday nights, as well.

According to founder Justin Remillard (there he is again!), Nexus is pulling out all the stops for Sunday Night Mass' silver anniversary.

"To mark this special occasion, we'll be producing showcases throughout the year, highlighting the work of local, regional, national and international electronic music producers, DJ's, labels and live performances," Remillard wrote in the event's press release. "Sunday Night Mass is the longest running electronic music event in New England; there is a lot of history and a powerful legacy to celebrate!"

The shows start with a doozy: Chicago legend DJ Heather. A staple of the house music scene for the past 20 years, DJ Heather is a master on the decks who has toured all over the world, even bumping up against Kanye West and Billy Corgan in a 2008 ranking of Chicago's most influential artists.

She makes her Vermont debut at Club Metronome on Sunday, January 15, as part of a loaded bill that includes locals Craig Mitchell, Elliott Matos, D-Lav, Justin R.E.M. and the Aquatic Underground's Mitch Almond.

It all kicks off a yearlong celebration of Sunday Night Mass: Every Nexus show of 2023 will shout out 25 years of huge beats and great nights. Be sure to check them out, not only because the series has become a big part of Burlington's music history but also because Nexus is still booking absolute bangers for its events. Happy anniversary, Sunday Night Mass. Here's to many more!

Fare Thee Well

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• Courtesy
• Mark Ransom

In a music scene the size of Burlington, it's always a little strange to find out you don't know someone. Despite being a musician in this city for more than 20 years, I never met Mark Ransom. Sure, I saw him play plenty of times, usually with the Chrome Cowboys or at one of the Honky Tonk Tuesday shows at Radio Bean, but, like so many other great Burlington players, the guy was in about 100 other bands, too. From an outsider's view, he was a hell of a bassist and seemed like a genuinely cool dude with one of the gnarliest-looking Fender jazz basses I'd ever seen.

Sadly, now I'll never have the chance to meet him. Ransom, 72, died on December 27 due to complications from throat cancer treatments.

The sorrow expressed by many local musicians right now tells me that, for those who knew him, Ransom was much more than a great bassist. In the past few weeks, many have shared stories and pictures on social media, including a shot of Ransom playing bass with Chuck Berry.

Burlington is a music scene with a long memory, especially for people who have given it a lot. We haven't forgotten the N-Zones. We haven't forgotten the X-Rays or Mango Jam or Barbacoa or any of the other bands Ransom played with in his long career. And we certainly won't forget someone who left the Queen City with so many memories and so much great music.

A memorial concert is planned for April 6 at Higher Ground in South Burlington. I'll write more about Ransom's life and career before the show. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that all donations be made to Big Heavy World at bigheavyworld.com/donate.

Farewell, Mark.

New Single Alert

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• Courtesy
• Hannah Hoffman

Brattleboro synth-pop act Dutch Experts have released a debut single titled "Morrígu." The project of vocalist and keyboardist Hannah Hoffman, formerly of the band Dune Hunter, Dutch Experts dwell solidly in the ethereal, darkly romantic sounds of Kate Bush and the Cocteau Twins.

"Morrígu," named for the Celtic goddess of war and death, is a throwback to '80s new-wave bangers, with Hoffman's almost crystalline vocals floating above a bed of synths and an 808 beat. That icy aesthetic makes the tune perfect for a neon-lit dance floor full of goths.

The single kicks off what should be a busy 2023 for Hoffman and her project. The debut Dutch Experts EP is expected to drop in February, followed by a tour. You can listen to "Morrígu" at dutchexperts.bandcamp.com.