Greensky Bluegrass at Higher Ground in South Burlington, VT

When I checked out the music calendar for the Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington, VT and I saw that Greensky Bluegrass were going to be playing there I did a little dance of joy. Who am I kidding? I ran around my house shouting woohoo at the top of my lungs. Why did I do that? There is such a big beautiful buzz around this band I couldn't wait for January 21 to come so I could enjoy them live and in real life. I don't know how many of you have been to the small room at Higher Ground before, but if you have you would know that the lighting isn't that awesome. There are redish lights that light up the band and don't change for the duration of the show. That is one thing that I don't like about seeing bands in that room. Well...Greensky Bluegrass brought one sick light show with them. I understand they just hired a light guy and I am giving him a fist bump, a hand shake and a butt squeeze because he killed it. I can't wait for the time when Greensky gets to play big rooms and you can mark my words...that time is not far off.

I know that we don't go to see a band specifically for their light show so let's move on. Something I found refreshing about Greensky Bluegrass was their story telling abilities. Some musicians talk during their shows and you are kind of like, "shut up and play already!" That was not the case with this band. The way they talked to us really brought us into their worlds and made us feel that we were important. The guitarist told a story about how he was jumping from the rafters at a previous show because he got so excited and got hurt. That was the reason he was sitting down and playing during the show. We all sent him feel better vibes and I could tell that it worked:)

I also know that we don't go to see a band because of their story telling abilities. We go for the music. If you like music then you will love this band and who doesn't like music? Their original songs kick ass which makes sense because when a band is comprised of extremely talented musicians that have fabulous chemistry of course they are going rock...and rock our socks off they did. They had the sold out crowd dancing their cold Vermont asses off just as hard to their original songs as they did to some fine covers such as Prince's Little Red Corvette and Paul Simon's Gumboots.

To sum it up, this bands rules the school and beyond and they are going places. It won't be long before they are playing large rooms and selling out so don't miss out on your chance to see them up close and personal. Check out their tour schedule, listen to some music and buy some merch at

www.greenskybluegrass.com

Photos by Ravi Parikh: The Rhythm Devils at Higher Ground on 9/11

Rhythm Devils at Higher Ground in S Burlington on 9/11 by Daniel Weathers

Rhythm Devils Higherground 09/11/10

Mickey’s Birthday Bash

On Mickey Hart’s Birthday I ventured out to Higherground to see Bill Kreutzman and Mickey Hart’s Rhythm Devils. I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Tim Bluhm on guitar/vocals from the Mother Hips and Davey Knowles on guitar/vocals so I really didn’t know what to expect.

What I found was a highly entertaining and energized show. The two guitarists really did a great job of taking on classic Grateful Dead standards like Cold Rain and Snow, Fire on the Mountain, Uncle John’s band and Mountains of the Moon while also offering some originals as well. While Mickey, Bill, Andy Hess, and Sikiru Adepoju held down the groove Tim and Davy really fed off each other. I was surprised with how well each sang lead on vocals and taking turns on guitar solos. They both kept the feel of the Grateful Dead but also

provided their own style and influence to the songs.

It’s always a joy to see Bill and Mickey playing together on the drums. The two of them really add so much to the show. The two are just tight. I came away from this show impressed and happy to have made it out to see the Rhythm Devils. I will definitely be looking forward to seeing them again.

www.rhythmdevils.net

www.highergroundmusic.com

www.healthyhippiemagazine.com

Review: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Higher Ground 7/26

Me at the show
Krissy feeling the love
The band hung out with the fans after the showThey had us all sit down for a campfire song
Families were feeling to love



Their merch is so awesome. I got a t-shirt

I had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were here in Burlington playing at Higher Ground! I have had many dance parties to them and it was fun to have a dance party with a sold out crowd and the music really being them and not a recording. The band doesn't only give you a show, but they give you an experience. People were feeling the love so much that a couple actually got engaged on stage! Their sound is kinda like when you are at a festival late night and people start jamming...but they are actually great! You can't help but feel joyous and that you are lucky to be a part of something so cool.

Here are some quotes from the fans at the Higher Ground Show.

"So good I don't even know what to say." David T Euler of Burlington, VT

"It was awesome! It looked like an Urban Outfitters Tent Sale." Ashley Lipton on Burlington

"We are very excited about tonight's show. We heard about the band when they played at Metronome and we wanted to have them play here. We found they seem to attract many different kinds of people. It seems that people are looking for something different and this is it. They appealed to everyone and made them happy! Nothing pleases us as much as a group of really happy people." Kevin Statesir owner of Higher Ground

Photos and Review by Taraleigh Weathers

To see when Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are playing by you check out their website by clicking here!

Review: Bassnectar Higher Ground Burlington, VT 4/21

I was on Facebook on Wednesday and I realized by reading many excited statuses about Bassnectar coming to Higher Ground that I forgot to get tickets for the show...and it was sold out. I accepted that I might not be going. That afternoon I was walking into town to meet Dan for lunch when I saw this huge bus that said "World Sustainability Tour" on it. I knocked on the door and a guy came out and invited me on. I said, "How do I not know about The World Sustainability Tour in Burlington?" The man told me that it was Bassnectar's bus. He showed me around and informed me of all of the changes they had made to the bus to make their tour more green. The bus was equipted with solar radiant heat, bamboo floors, solar hot water, etc. I set up an interview with Bassnectar and left the bus with 2 passes to the show. Woohoo!

I am now a huge Bassnectar fan. Not only is he awesome because of his eco-consciousness, but he is awesome because of his music. The way he plays with sound and the crowd's energy is amazing. At one point I heard 8 different tracks going at one time. Everyone in the building was going crazy from start to finish. We were all going crazy obviously because of the sounds Bassnectar was mixing and also because watching him make music is so fun. His energy is soooo contagious! Get your ass to a show asap and make sure to save your hearing and bring ear plugs.

http://www.bassnectar.net

Pretty Lights 4/4 Higher Ground Ballroom Vermont

Let me start this review by sharing that I am no longer a spring chicken. When I found out that Pretty Lights weren't taking the stage at Higher Ground Ballroom in Burlington, VT until eleven at night I was concerned that it was past my bed time for a Sunday night. Usually on Sunday night I am curled in bed reading Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on my way to dream land. This Sunday night was different. Pretty Lights was in town and I was excited to find out what all the buzz is about.

I walked into the venue just as Pretty Lights started their set. I looked around and I've gotta say, I felt pretty old. It was an all ages rager where most of the people were under 21 and sporting a new style of high top sneakers, flat brim hats, skinny jeans, and cut off t-shirts. Wait...actually that isn't a new style. It's kinda how I dressed in the eighties. I didn't know it was back! It didn't matter if you were eighteen or eighty, this was a show you were going to enjoy and for the next 3 hours you weren't going to stop dancing even if you tried. One bonus of all ages shows is that there is never a line at the bar. One downside is that there is always a line for water.

What Pretty Lights does to music and to the crowd is an amazing thing to hear and to watch. They have this amazing back drop that is made of millions of pretty lights that change into cool designs and images. It really ties the whole thing together. Add in the way they mix beats, choose unique songs to sample, dance around, add in live drumming and feed off the crowd and you've got something really special and we all felt it. We felt lucky to be there and to be part of the show. It really felt like the crowd was another member of the band...and we showed up and played our best show to date. I'm pretty sure Pretty Lights did too.


If you get a chance to see Pretty Lights on their tour or at the many festivals they are booked at this summer do it!

By Taraleigh

The Egg Higher Ground Ballroom South Burlington, VT by Katherine McNamara Photos by Simon Yugler

The Egg flawlessly melds instrumental and electronic music to create an ethereal groove. The music gains momentum until it overtakes the venue in ambient vibrations. Earthy base thumps below intermittently funky guitar licks and fantastical electronic meanderings. Already wildly popular in the U.K., The Egg has stepped into the U.S. scene with quiet grandeur, steadily building a reputation from silvery explosive performances at festivals like Echo and venues across the States. The undulating crowd evidenced the growing buzz surrounding the group at Higher Ground on November 4th.

Seldom does an opening act elicit so much fire. If an unsuspecting Lotus fan wandered into Higher Ground early, they were certain to be struck by the lightning storm The Egg conjured there. The sound had seemingly boundless energy, like a rogue wave that flowed between band and crowd, able to swiftly usurp the floor from any unsuspecting feet. Guitarist Matt White carves out enigmatic melodies alongside Ben Cullum’s inventive bass, enhanced by Ned Scott’s superb dance on the keys, and Maff Scott’s vibrant drum beat.

When I, playing devil’s advocate, asked keyboard and vocalist Ned Scott what he would say to a more traditional fan, less inclined to appreciate the electronic aspect of their sound, Ned replied that, just like instruments, electronic equipment “are all tools. Using computers doesn’t necessarily mean not having a human groove. The timing is live – we feed off of the audience.” His brother, drummer Maff Scott, added that navigating electronic music is like operating within “a grid, you can bump anywhere within it – how you break, and where you adjust the volumes prevents the music from sounding rigid.”

Certainly, their music is anything but rigid. The Egg is currently on tour with Lotus. They are working on a new album with Benji Vaughan (better known as the extremely talented Younger Brother).

Do not miss this deliciously elusive sound that delicately fuses shimmering tunes with unstoppable beats.

By Katherine McNamara

Photos by Simon Yugler

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey in Burlington

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey returns to Burlington for two very special performances on Sunday October 4th. First an unique stripped down version will be presented at an in-store show at Pure Pop Records at 2pm. Then later that night around 8pm the band opens for Mike Gordon at Higher Ground!

The band just wrapped up an incredible new EP entitled 'One Day in Brooklyn' which was recorded at 58N6 in Brooklyn,NY in July. The EP is set to be released on September 1st and marks the debut of the new quartet lineup in the studio setting. In addition the EP is the first release on JFJO's new record label Kinnara Records.

A description of JFJO's new sound for those yet to hear the latest incarnation is in order -- this is after all a band once described by Signal To Noise as having "a breadth and vision nearly untouched in modern jazz except by the likes of Wayne Shorter and Bill Frisell." With the addition of Combs on lap steel and Hayes on acoustic bass, JFJO has perhaps invented its own genre: red dirt jazz, equal parts earthy and nimble, pastoral and sweeping, elegant and rollicking. The quartet taps into their birthright, drawing upon "The Tulsa Sound" born of hometown heroes like JJ Cale, Bob Wills, and Leon Russell. These roots grow up into a jazz foundation that's built firmly upon the likes of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.

Check out some YouTube Clips!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fRyWHNU6Rc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K25hANWhZ0

Download Winterwood for free at JFJO.com!

Easy Star All Stars at Higher Ground

I have never seen the Easy Stars All Stars live before May 14, 2009. The band took the stage around 10:00 adorned with three of my favorite colors. Red, yellow, and green. They immediatly brought the energy of the room to an extremely high level. Everyone started dancing and jumping up and down. You couldn't help it. The music made you do it and the band continued to give it to you good the entire night.

Not only are their original songs amazing and uplifting, but they cover some of the best bands in the industry dub syle! They played a lot of songs from their new album, "Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band”." Hearing Beatles songs dub style is so unique and awesome. Whoever had that idea was a genius and I love them. They also cover Pink Floyd on their album, "Dub Side of the Moon" and we were so lucky to hear some of those songs as well.

Everyone who was in attendance that night left with happy ears, hearts, and souls and chances are they were exhausted. I know I was because I was jumpin, movin, and groovin for a full two hours. I can't wait for the Easy Stay All Stars to come to town again or even a town kind of near Burlington because I would travel to see them.

http://www.easystar.com

Twiddle Higher Ground VT 4/25/09

Let me start by saying that I am very upset. The reason is that I have been to festivals where Twiddle was playing and I must have gotten distracted and never really gave the band a true listen. Well, that all changed on Saturday night April 25th. Twiddle gave it to me and gave it to me good. I loved every second of it and I stayed until they played their very last note and I was sad when it was over. They left me wanting more! Their sound is so unique. It's like Tea Leaf Green, Cypress Hill, Phish, Led Zeppelin, and OAR had a baby and named it Twiddle...and that baby rocked it out! The room wasn't packed on Saturday night, but everyone who was there was a Twiddle fanatic and had to find a dance space as close to the stage as possible. I see why they are all so passionate about this band. So, I am so sorry to Twiddle for not paying attention before, but you now have a die hard Twiddle fan for life! Watch out because these young boys are about to take the music world by storm.

http://www.twiddlemusic.com

by Taraleigh