Inside the Peacham Congregational Church, the pews are gently curved so that every member of the congregation has an easy view of the pulpit — or, in this case, center stage. Bob Amos, 54, stands up there, wearing a wide-brim hat and a banjo slung over his shoulder. He taps gently on microphones as part of the sound check, while several musicians tune their instruments.

Amos is the leader of Catamount Crossing, a bluegrass band that’s about to kick off the Saturday-night showcase at the Peacham Acoustic Music Festival.... Read more

(Self-released, CD, digital download)... Read more

Last fall, Joshua Stamper had to write an artist statement for the American Composers Forum Subito Grant. He wanted the grant to fund a short tour of the Northeast with his current ensemble: Stamper on guitar and voice, Paul Arbogast on tenor and bass trombones, and Mike Cemprola and Jon Rees on flute, alto flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and saxophones.... Read more

Rick Norcross leans back in his office chair, arms crossed over his generous belly. His eyes twinkle as he surveys the array of music memorabilia and Vermont ephemera filling the Burlington waterfront apartment he’s called home for 26 years. “Man, I’m going out of here feet first. Can you imagine?” he says with a chuckle.... Read more

There’s a moment of confusion after Sam Cohen answers his phone. The words “seven days” don’t register. Neither does “Vermont.” Pause.

“Oh, shit. I totally forgot,” Cohen says. “Wow. Ah…”

He muffles the mouthpiece of his phone, asks someone a question, and then reappears. He’s good. He’s ready. ... Read more

When Brad Barr first answers his cellphone he sounds upbeat. But after answering a few questions, he pauses and admits that he’s exhausted. After all, his band, the Barr Brothers, which features Barr on guitars and vocals, his brother Andrew Barr on percussion, Sarah Page on harp, and Andrés Vial on bass and pump organ, have just arrived home in Montréal after five weeks touring the United States and Canada.... Read more

The 1990s are often name-checked as a high point in the Burlington music scene, but the following decade proved equally fertile for local music. Some of the city’s most memorable and beloved acts emerged during the early 2000s, including Swale, the Cush, the Jazz Guys, RAQ and even a bar band called Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. ... Read more

“Do you know Ry Cooder was 23 when he did that first album? Twenty-fucking-three?”... Read more

Rob O’Dea is on a roll. He’s sitting on a couch at the Tank Studio, the Burlington recording studio he co-owns with Ben Collette, ranting about the harebrained shit musicians do throughout the process of making records. He’s practically yelling — his face bright pink, his hands waving in the air — but he’s not pissed off. He’s more, well, building to the punch line.... Read more

As a teenager, Ben Lanza had a knack for throwing parties. Not the Hey, my parents are away, let’s get a keg sort of thing. These were dance-until-10-in-the-morning ragers.

At age 16, Lanza rented a huge tent, booked Craig Mitchell and a gang of other Burlington DJs, and spread the word. Nearly 500 people paid a few bucks each to boogie the night away in a field at the Lanza homestead in rural Sheldon, Vt. And he had his parents’ blessing.... Read more