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The Inner Fire District (MySpace) are hard to define. When pressed they call themselves Radical Yiddish Balkan Culture Folk but their sound sidesteps labels. TAGS: burlington, culture, folk, music, musician profile, stuck in vermont, video

Music fans born after 1976 — the year Phil Ochs hanged himself in a fit of manic depression — can get acquainted this Friday with the work of a great American songsmith.

Younger members of the Phil Ochs Song Night audience will likely learn that he was not only an excellent exponent of the Woody Guthrie tradition of folkie protest but a prolific lyricist whose songbook includes existential laments and romantic reveries. Ochs’ music has an enduring power that can deeply affect new listeners.... Read more

TAGS: activism, concert preview, folk, music

“Dude, I gotta get out of this town.” It’s a familiar refrain heard ’round Burlington, especially in the harsh winter months that seem to make up roughly three-quarters of the year. A quintessential college town, the Queen City has always had a transient artistic community. People come, and then they go — usually to a “real” city. Then, about 3 months after realizing that living in Williamsburg actually sucks, they usually come back with tales of adventure and excitement from the urban jungle. Such is the ebb and flow of our quaint hamlet on the shores of Lake Champlain.... Read more

TAGS: experimental, folk, hip-hop, music, soundbites

Moses Atwood lives in a van down by the river. Seriously, he does. The classically trained guitarist and songwriter was raised in Maine, dropped out of Berklee, landed at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, moved back to Maine, bought an old van, and went on the road. Somewhere along the way, he managed to record one of the year’s most stunning folk albums. Atwood’s self-titled debut is a moody, haunting affair, rife with grievous angels, inner devils and the whiskey bottles that often introduce us to both.... Read more

TAGS: acoustic, blues, concert preview, folk, music, musician profile

The year was 1996. Bill Clinton was celebrating the first days of his second presidential term with . . . um, cigars. Jamaican port authorities opened fire on Jimmy Buffett’s seaplane, “mistaking” it for a drug trafficking aircraft — with U2 singer/messianic wannabe Bono aboard, no less. MC Hammer, perhaps not quite legit enough to quit, filed for bankruptcy. Tupac Shakur “died” from gunshot wounds outside a Las Vegas hotel. The Pogues, Jawbreaker and The Ramones all disbanded.... Read more

TAGS: folk, hardcore, low-power fm, music, radio, soundbites

It's no mystery that Vermont is steeped in French culture. From the pioneering explorations of Samuel de Champlain to the enriching influence of Quebecois immigrants, the Franco framework is solid. Even the state's name comes from the French: vert (green) and monts (mountains).

Yet this once-prominent mark of distinction has faded. A cultural homogeneity has eclipsed the once-proud folk tradition. Some might call this progress. Others, such as St. Albans-based singer-songwriter Michele Choiniere, are making a stand for the preservation of their heritage.... Read more

TAGS: concert preview, folk, music, musician profile

Utah Phillips looks a bit like Santa Claus, and he's probably just as friendly. But while Mr. Kringle is something of a capitalist icon, folk legend Phillips is an unabashed lefty -- a man whose commitment to political activism is rivaled only by his storytelling gifts.... Read more

TAGS: activism, concert preview, folk, music, musician profile, politics

Driving along Route 125 in Ripton on the first Saturday night of May, you feel almost as if you're traveling back in time. There, in the center of town -- which is more or less the middle of nowhere -- stands a stately, white, 19th-century community meeting hall. A sandwich board out front cheerfully invites passersby to the town's premiere social event, the Ripton Community Coffeehouse, which begins at 7:30 p.m.... Read more

TAGS: concert review, folk, music

Musician Tom Azarian, a.ka. Tom Banjo, sings traditional country music, but you won't hear him belting out anything by Garth Brooks. Although Azarian thinks Brooks is a terrific singer, the 68-year-old former farmer points out that the country star lacks a certain depth. "I saw him on TV once," he says in an interview at his home in a Burlington boarding house. "He jumped through purple smoke with no shirt on." Azarian smiles and chuckles quietly, perhaps trying to picture himself attempting such a stunt. Frankly, it's hard to imagine.... Read more

TAGS: comics, folk, history, music, musician profile