Auld Aquaintances

These are heady, uncertain times we live in. As such, holiday wishes and hopes for the New Year carry extra significance as we look toward 2009. What follows are the (somewhat) heartfelt hopes and dreams of various members of Vermont’s music community. This year, we received far more submissions than we had space to print, so you can read the rest on the Seven Days music blog, Solid State [1].

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Kyle Thompson [2]
DJ, MC, owner of Steez

1. A brand-new, shiny economy with extra money for those who need it, coming directly out of the wallets of those who don’t.
2. A Tribe Called Quest and Fugees reunion concert at Steez on my birthday.
3. A night of serious drinking with Smiling Tom Messner, Pamela Polston, The Logger, Howard Dean, Amy Winehouse and myself.

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Daryl Rabidoux [3]
Strangeways Recording/Not-for-Profit Stuntman

I wish for an armored ATV/ Popemobile-style vehicle that will drive Mikey Dread and I around so we both don’t have another year like this last one.

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Charlie Messing
Singer and guitarist, formerly with Be That Way and Johnny Vermont

1. For musicians, writers and artists to get along and support each other . . . more.
2. A forum for reviews of all music that comes through Burlington — yes, to review everything!
3. For bands to play three sets — an entire night, like it used to be.
4. More clubs and live-music coffeehouses.

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The Free Range Chicken
WRUV DJ & general community do-gooder

1. For The Jesus Lizard to make it back to Vermont for their reunion tour.
2. A Vermont summer music festival with no jam bands.
3. A pinball saloon/bar with the ultimate jukebox music selection by WRUV & Radiator DJs.
4. For Tick Tick to take over a small dive bar and stop pretending The Bakery is a secret.
5. A Rock and Roller Skate Music Rink®.
6. No more Mexican restaurants that suck.

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Michael Chorney [4]
Composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist

I hope Santa brings a hammer and one final nail to drive into the coffin of postmodernism.

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Syd [5]
Singer-songwriter

I would like a crystal-clear description of the niche my newest set of songs fits into so I can decide how tight my jeans should be, what bands I should make friends with, and what clubs would fall over their beer-soaked rugs to have me on their stage. This would save a lot of hair-pulling, poring over concert calendars and unanswered emails to Tick Tick. Barring that, a house with a recording studio two hours from every East Coast city.

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Patrick Joseph Fitzsimmons [6]
Singer-songwriter

A Seven Days music critic who is more knowledgeable and less clever, more in-depth and less hip and jaded. Someone who actually reviews the songs on a CD and not merely lumps them all, as well as the artist, in some tidy category of said critic’s own making. And if said critic refers to said artist’s history, he/she should feel some obligation to actually get it right.

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Alex Nief
Comedian

I would like the City Market parking lot to be redesigned, and preferably not by someone who enjoys demolition derbies and screaming hippies. Simply making it one-way would seem adequate.

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Joel Abbott [7]
The Go Ahead And

My usual answer to “What do you want for Christmas?” is, “to be free of obligation.” But since you asked. . .

I want satire and irony to be taught in schools.

I want listeners to value the dynamic content of their music, rather than just how loud it is.

I want people to listen to albums, rather than “collections of singles.”

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Sean Altrui [7]
Musician/booking agent

1. An American flag autographed by Becky Rogers and Rev. Sullivan of The Dirty Blondes.
2. For Casey Rae-Hunter to move back to Burlington so we can finally start our psychedelic dirge band called The Ides of Snid.
3. A proper Zola Turn reunion show in 2009 . . . hmm.

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Creston Lea [8]
Guitar maker, rock ’n’ roller

I wish that all the vocal microphone grilles in all the bars and clubs in Burlington will have a nice, long, wintry soak in disinfectant this holiday season.