DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 19 * * All Arts News On the Web * * May 28, 2015

STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

      ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column.


     Franklin County's arts and music gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and occasional workshops. There are also booked and acoustic Open Mic Nights that feature music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.

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ON STAGE LIVE

Friday
EAST FAIRFIELD--Summer Evenings with Vermont Treasures presents The Sky Blue Boys in concert at the Meeting House on the Green on Friday at 7 p.m.
      Two fellows with a mandolin and guitar, a musical teamwork built of habit, their voices fused in the special blend produced by kinship. The "brothers duets" of the 1930s and 40s were the predominant format in country music, practiced by now-legendary teams of brothers in Opera Houses and on radio stations throughout the country.
      Banjo Dan and Willy Lindner revived the tradition here in Vermont. Following the footsteps of old-time duos such as The Blue Sky Boys, The Monroe Brothers and the Louvin Brothers, they have a repertoire of old ballads, parlor songs, heart songs and sacred numbers. They have added some newer songs including their own compositions.
      Willy and Banjo Dan have played together for decades. They formed the legendary bluegrass band Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys in 1972 and have toured and recorded extensively, as well as sitting in on shows and recording sessions for many of the region's top acoustic musicians. The sounds they learned to love long ago -- the simple moving sounds of the early brothers duets -- are never far from their hearts.
      Admission is $15 and kids under 12 are free. Refreshments will be for sale at intermission. Call 802.827.6626 to reserve tickets and pay at the door. Click here for more info.


ST. ALBANS--Back Inn Time Bed & Breakfast presents a Music & More Dinner Event with singer/songwriter Carol Ann Jones and string wizard Will Patton on steel guitar and mandolin on Friday at 7 p.m.
      Drinks and appetizers are easy but seating is limited, so reservations are required for dinner. Call 802.527.5116 or Email for reservations or info.


ESSEX JUNCTION--Park Place Tavern hosts some Post Memorial Day Hoopla by Justice on Friday at 9:30 p.m.
      "We were last here in December," the boys said, "so the weather is bound to be warmer, right?" With Gary Greeno, lead vocals; Scott Belisle on bass and backup vocals; Rod Bushey, lead guitar; Mike Stella, drums; and Scott Guptill, rhythm guitar and backup vocals; Justice will make up for the short work week.


Saturday
HYDE PARK--The Cambridge Arts Council presents indie artist Caroline Rose at the Hyde Park Opera House on Saturday at 8 p.m.
      Raised in the Northeast (and currently living in her van), Ms. Rose is a rare mix of Northern grit and Southern charm whose musical influences trace back to her family's Southern roots, deep in the heart of Mississippi. The 24 year-old "failed scholar and modern-day hobo," made her national debut with I Will Not Be Afraid. The album draws on her roots in rockabilly, vintage country, and blues to chronicle her wandering years.
      Elmore-based Christine Malcolm and the Vermont House Band will open. Ms. Malcolm's own debut album, Crickets, Coyotes, and the Big Yellow Moon came out in April.
      Admission is $10. Tickets are available here (with no additional service charge fees for online purchase) or the day of the show at the box office.
      Click here for more info.


Sunday
JOHNSON--The God and Country Benefit Concert takes over the United Church of Johnson on Sunday at 2 p.m. The lineup includes more than a dozen musicians and church choirs sharing personal selections.
      There will be a free-will offering donated to Blue Star Mother's Pet Program. The program trains comfort dogs for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injuries.


MONTGOMERY CENTER--The INN hosts Celebration of Expressive Arts on Sunday at 7 p.m. The program includes musician Paul Boffa, writer Megan Mayhew, and luthier Creston Lea.
      The award-winning author of Birds of a Lesser Paradise and Almost Famous Women, Megan Mayhew Bergman is working on a new novel and is a regular contributor to Salon and Ploughshares. She has most recently been awarded a 2016 fellowship from the American Library in Paris.
      Paul Boffa, singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist, is a teacher, social worker, and story-teller from Montpelier.
      Creston Lea produces vintage-style custom electric guitars and basses, each designed and hand-crafted in collaboration with the customer. His guitars were profiled in the Fretboard Journal and a documentary of his work, Wood & Fire was produced by VCAM last year.
      Have dinner on the deck before or during the program. Click here for more info.


Ongoing
BURLINGTON--Breakwater Cafe and Grill has announced a summer schedule with bands playing Wednesday through Sunday every week. The lineup features Franklin County performers including Justice, the Nobby Reed Project, and local favorites such as Mango Jam, Mr. French, Quadra, and Starline Rhythm Boys. And that's just in June.
      Click here for more info.


MORRISVILLE--Moog's Place has "live music every night we're open, starting between eight and nine pm" with open mic night scheduled most Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.
      Click here for more info.


MORRISVILLE--River Arts holds a Farmers and Artisans Market at the River Arts Center every Wednesday from 3 - 7 p.m. Click here for more info.


ST. ALBANS--Shooters Saloon sponsors an open-mic night every Thursday and scheduled music on some other evenings.
      Call 802.527.3777 for more info or booking requests.


ST. ALBANS--Twiggs offers Music to Dine By with relaxed music and the arts. They have three stages with live piano, violin, or light guitar any day of the week in the dining room, the Window, or the main stage. The Cabaret offers live performances by musicians, visual artists, poets, and more. Piano Night is every Monday night at 6 pm. The regular Open Mic Night repeats on Wednesday and on the first Wednesday of every month. Vern Colburn is Live on the Piano on many Friday Nights, Dayve Huckett on the guitar on the first and third Saturday, and additional performances by Abby Road, Bobby Cee, Mint Julep, Sean Ashby, and Sean Casey.
      Call 802.524.1405 or click here for more info or booking requests.


ST. ALBANS--The Traveled Cup offers open-mic nights hosted by Jesse Potts for musicians as well as poets and other performers to share their talents every other Friday. The shop is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
      Call 802.524.2037 or click here for more info.


MAY-JUNE ART DEADLINES

8TH ANNUAL PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST (May 30)--In conjunction with Chaffee Art Center's Year of Love, this amateur event is themed Images of LOVE. The Chaffee encourages all photography enthusiasts to submit up to three 8" x 10" unframed original images. Awards given for First, Second, and Third Prize, as well as People's Choice. Entry Fee.
      Click here for more info on the contest and the submission form.


ALL IN THE FAMILY (June 11)--The Vermont Photoworkplace in Middlebury wants birth, death, love, loss, heart, home in submissions that showcase "well-considered image-making and the special nature of familial relationships" for a juried show. Entry fee. Email an application and digital image files or snail mail a CD. Email or click here for more info and the entry form.


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

FRANKLIN--The Haston Library in Franklin welcomes Vermont writer Peter Shea for a slide show and discussion of his books on trout fishing in Vermont. Enter a raffle to win the books In the Company of Trout, Vermont Trout Ponds, and 5 hand tied flies. Tickets are available at The Eloquent Page in St. Albans and the Haston Library.


GEORGIA--The Georgia Public Library will host a book discussion, led by Carol and Ron Begley, of To Kill a Mockingbird on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Copies of the book are available at the library.
      The library also plans to show the film in June, in anticipation of Harper Lee's new novel Go Set a Watchman due out in July.


ON THE BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site.


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      This article was originally published in the St Albans Messenger and other traditional print media. It is Copyright © 2015 by Richard B. Harper. All rights reserved. Archival material is provided as-is. Links are not necessarily maintained (if a link in this article fails, try Google.com or your favorite search engine).
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