(Mother West, CD)

Central Vermont's folk scene is populated by graying hippies trying to recapture the ancient, and often tired, sounds of yesteryear. Montpelier-based singer-songwriter Kris Gruen may play acoustic guitar, but he's hardly part of that crowd. Gruen's debut disc, Lullaby School, showcases contemporary influences from well beyond the Green Mountains. The result is an album that sounds more current than many local folk releases.... Read more

(OutTake Records, CD)

New England's cultural (and paved) highways seem to converge in Boston, Massachusetts. The city certainly offers more musical opportunities than Justin Levinson's hometown of Vergennes. The young songwriter is currently attending Beantown's prestigious Berklee College of Music, and will graduate this spring. He gives us a glimpse of his abilities with his debut disc, 1175 Boylston.... Read more

(Touch & Go Records, CD)

The New Year's members are scattered across the country like Yahtzee dice on the kitchen table, so no state can lay full claim to them. But when bassist Mike Donofrio traded in the bohemian trappings of Greenwich Village for the agrarian simplicity of the Green Mountains last year, central Vermont gained at least a partial stake. Donofrio landed in the capital area around the time The New Year's sophomore release, The End Is Near, appeared in stores.... Read more

(Self-released, CD)

America is witnessing the re-emergence of acoustic music, particularly the bowed, strummed and picked variety. Over the last few years, a new generation of musicians has embraced the instruments and sounds of post-war Appalachia and started producing fresh bluegrass albums for today's music fans. Burlington quartet PossumHaw is one such group. Their self-released debut, split-rail, attempts to bring old-time tradition to modern ears.... Read more

(Animalville Records, CD)

One man's mud season is another man's inspiration -- and that man is Raph Worrick. As the chief visionary for the Addison County quintet Dirtminers, Worrick pulls tales of love and death out of the muck that clumps to the sides of his boots. These earthy tales have been captured on the Dirtminers' new EP, Meat and Electricity.... Read more