Beginnings in Burlington

Larissa, Zach, Fausto, Myself, Larry, Nigel, and Larry's housemate at Lumberjack House 12/5/12

"I value the contact with local people who are organizing the gig, and finding out what their conditions are like, what the music in that area is like, and I also value the contact with the audience directly...I feel much more encouraged by community activity on a small level. If I do a concert, and one person has their ideas seriously effected by what I did, and comes to me in perplexity or some kind of changed state and wants to talk about it, then that's great - and it happens alot." - Fred Frith (Step Across the Border) 

I first saw the documentary from which the above quote is taken in the Fall of 2007, my first semester as a student at the New England Conservatory. Fred was the CI department's visiting artist that semester, and came to Boston for a week of masterclasses, rehearsals, and a performance in Jordan Hall, the first thing I took part in as an NEC student.

Since then, I've finished my studies, and about 6 weeks ago, left Boston for Burlington, Vermont. I knew after my first year of graduate work at NEC that I'd want to leave the area when I graduated, in part because the school was so great that I didn't want to be around it if I wasn't studying or working there. I tried to get several jobs in Boston that all had to do with administration (I applied to three at the Conservatory), but was unsuccessful. I had a few really good interviews, but nothing ended up coming my way. Foreseeing that it might be difficult to find decent work in Boston (where around the schools, almost everyone you see on the street is at least as qualified as you are), I began to think heavily about where I could go, and what I'd do if I felt uncomfortable staying put. Here was my list (in no particular order):

1.) Philadelphia, PA

2.) New Haven, CT

3.) Middletown, CT 

4.) New York, NY

5.) Burlington, VT

I also had these basic criteria and considerations, which ultimately led to my choosing VT:

Cost of Living

Regional Music

Transportation 

Community Need for Musicians

At the end of August, my lease in Roslindale was up. Though I had to stick around for the recording of Burr van Nostrand's Voyage in a White Building I, I had pretty much decided that sometime in the coming weeks I was going to leave. It's worth mentioning that I was extremely close to moving to Middletown to play in Anthony Braxton's student ensemble at Wesleyan, and be close to New Haven. Burr lives in New Haven, and there's a tightly-knit community of improvisers there I could have worked with. I decided to let CT go, and temporarily moved in with a friend in Somerville, who was gracious enough to let me stay there for about 3 weeks.

During this time, I worked on the logistics for the recording of Voyage that was on 10/8. I continued to search for jobs, and a place to live. Shortly before the end of September, I made another temporary move, and by October, I felt that Burlington was going to be my best bet: It's the largest city in Vermont, and there's a great concentration and variety of live music. At the same time, it's cheap, easy to get around, and there's a demand for musicians that is relative to a larger metropolis, like Boston or New York, but without the supply that densely populated areas have. When I say demand for musicians, I'm talking about opportunities like teaching, giving concerts, playing functions, religious services, arranging, etcetera. 

To add to this, people here seem to be naturally interested in what others do. Nobody is afraid to introduce themselves if they're in close enough proximity, or if they think they know of an opportunity for you. I have met several people this way, and so far these chance meetings have resulted in me getting work as a church musician, and organizing a house concert series one block from the downtown area. It's also worth mentioning that this part of town is about three blocks from where I live.  

In October, I went up there twice, and on my second visit, secured an apartment. I don't want to sound like I'm ecstatic to have left Boston. There are a lot of things that I miss about it, but one of the great things about being in VT is that it is not hard to go back. In fact, I think that since I moved, it's safe to say that I've been splitting my time between the two places. That's yet another thing about Burlington - it's easy to get out, and wonderful to come back to. One thing that's especially exciting for me is learning about a new local history, culture, and being somewhat of a foreigner. 

This seems like a good time to further address the quote at the top of this post, which also largely ties into my listed criteria for choosing Burlington. Fred speaks of "the music in that area," "conditions," and (though indirectly) "organizing the gig." I want to elaborate a bit on these things, which I think are all extremely important.

The music in that area:

This is something that I'm really still trying to boil down, but from what I can tell, there are alot of different frequencies in regard to how often and where musical events take place. This works perfectly for me, because while there are few musics that I'm actively seeking, I'm open to alot of what I hear when I'm walking down the street, communicating with friends, or searching the web. 

The most frequent period is usually a week (in regards to a venue), and maybe twice for some of the groups. These groups will play a couple concerts a week, with a particular venue hosting them during a fixed weekly spot. They tend to have a moderate-to-heavy following, and play in places that sell food and drink. These people are jazz musicians, folk singers, fiddlers, metalheads, and jam bands who all occupy the same few blocks. Most of the venues share diverse interests in genre, so I don't always go to the same place if I'm on a folky kick (for example). Venues in the Downtown area that I've been to are: Muddy Waters, Radio Bean, Red Square, Signal Kitchen, 1/2 Lounge, and The BCA Firehouse. There's Also Nectar's (a rock club that hosts a weekly metal night), a few other downtown places, and more venues in South Burlington. During my fist 3 days here,  I chanced upon 4 different groups, and hosted members of Debo Band and Full Tang, who were visiting from Boston (they played at Higher Ground).

There is a consistent stream of artists who come through while on tour, and while of course these people are playing all sorts of different music, the "stars" can be heard at the Flynn Theatre on Main St., or at other large venues on the University campus. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra also plays at the Flynn, I think about 5 times a season (I saw them last week). The VSO is a good quality orchestra made up of University professors, and freelancers from all over New England. Going to hear an orchestra play in an old theatre was really sort of a shock, as I'm so used to halls in Boston for these types of events. Classical ensembles usually perform in larger downtown churches, and while most are touring, Burlington has a few really strong choirs that perform fairly often. This is something that has me thinking about writing more choral stuff.

The more abstract/underground things happen downtown as well as in residential areas, but on a much less frequent basis. Improvising groups with regular slots at the Radio Bean appear every 2 or 3 weeks, and there seem to be house concerts that occur at slightly greater frequency. These shows are extremely well organized, and attended by all kinds of people. Most of these underground types of events happen in the Old North End, the neighborhood where many of the musicians also live. There are exceptions, such as Mouse's Roadhause in the South End. It's about a mile from downtown Burlington, and only four people live there.

Conditions: 
My living situation mirrors what I had in Boston to an extent, a key difference being that I don't really know my roommate, and one out of three weekends, he has three kids (ages 3 to 5!). I live in the North End, on the side that's a bit closer to UVM. 10 minutes from downtown by foot, and about 30 to the edge of the UVM campus where I work. It's less gritty than the area west of North Winooski Ave, but some of the houses are still funkily painted, nearly lopsided, or both. I love it here.

The funkier side of the North End (not too far from me) has TWO Asian grocery stores, and is a bit more urban, with businesses open until about 10. This is where a number of house concerts take place. I'm not sure how many people live in those houses, but it wouldn't surprise me if some of them were secretly rented by large quantities of people. Some of the musicians I know here (and in Boston) are avid couch surfers, and others live above the places they work. In the Winter, people don't like to move as much, because it gets very very cold. It's already been 12 degrees here...

I don't really go out to eat anymore. When I do, it's because I'm feeling lazy, or I have a visitor from out of town. It's funny how my idea of a night out has turned into going to the Panera for a croissant. My work schedule during the week is sporadic, so I have a good amount of time to cook. I try and learn a new dish every week, on top of the 5 hymns.

A few days after I got here, I learned of two churches in need of a keyboardist, and now I play for both of them. One is on campus (2nd and 4th Sundays) and the other is in two towns over, in Essex (1st and 3rd Sundays). I have to take a cab to get to Essex, as there is no bus service there on Weekends, but I can walk to the church on campus. I practice there during the week, and they have a kitchen where I can eat, and make tea. I don't trust their burners for too long, so I don't cook there. As a rule, I don't eat things that I can take on the go if I'm in my house (sandwiches etc.), but I've been sliding a bit lately, I think because I've had a few visitors.

Organizing the gig:

If you want to book a gig in Burlington, you're going to have a pretty easy time with it (at least I have), and I've been fortunate to meet a couple people willing to host concerts in their home. The first one I did was this past Wednesday, with Zach Kangas, Fausto Sierakowski, and Nigel Taylor in a big Victorian house near the corner of Winooski and Pearl. I met Larry (the owner of the house) at Panera, when I heard him talking to a friend about tuning pianos. He told me that he had a nice piano in his house, and though he never had concerts, he'd like to. Nigel and Fausto had contacted me before I moved about organizing something here, so I was thrilled to have their visit be our first show at Lumberjack House. Larry is also a logger, and the best landmark for finding his house is the giant woodpile next to his driveway.

Contact with the Audience: 

If you go to a show and really like someone, it's easy to go and talk to them after. Locals and visitors alike have a very friendly predisposition. These people are also somewhat mysterious, as you can go for weeks without seeing them, then you'll find them in a different setting - say, the supermarket. They will also tell you of their ideas, their dreams, and how you fit into the picture. The next time you see them after that, their idea will have completely changed, but they mean well. I think the bottom line is that people get excited here, and they aren't afraid to show it. If they don't like you, they won't approach you, or show up at all. Everyone I've played for here so far has been pretty receptive.

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So, that's a bit of a glimpse into my time up here so far. I'll be organizing a tour in February that will culminate up here with an overnight drone concert, hopefully at CC Presbyterian. We'll see if they let me do it. I'll be traveling to Boston on Tuesday to play at another house show,  edit copywork, and do other Boston-ish things. I'm going to try and see the BSO, too. After working in Symphony Hall I never thought I'd miss it, but I really do.  

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Addendum 12/9/12:


Most recently, I played at an improvisation night with my new friends Torey and Ian (two people I didn't know beforehand). We met up about an hour before we were supposed to be at the venue to talk and play a little bit. Torey lives in a big loft-like space above the Radio Bean, which had an amplifier, and room for some percussion instruments (Ian is a drummer, and Torey plays Ukelele). We were assigned to play with each other this morning, and there were 14 other ad-hoc groups. We were the third to play, and followed a great noise band that sounded like they'd been playing together for years, or at least had spent most of their day preparing. Though there was alot of crossover, each group was pretty distinct. One of the best things I heard from an audience member after our set was "I think everyone should have been sitting on the floor for your set. It seemed strange to be standing during something like that."

Ian and Torie at Mouse's Roadhause

Amplified trombone half at Mouse's Roadhause