Early last Thursday morning, fire consumed an apartment building at 144 North Union Street in Burlington. Fortunately, all of the building’s nine residents were able to escape unharmed. But the house and virtually everything inside it was a total loss.... Read more

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from experimental music guru Greg Davis. It seems he’s been quite the busy, buzzing bee lately, recording, producing and touring with or for an array of artists and labels as varied as the man’s music itself.... Read more

The world-music community suffered a monumental loss early this year when Garifuna artist Andy Palacio passed away suddenly following complications from a major stroke and heart attack on January 19. Already a national icon in his native Belize, his 2007 album Wátina was regarded as one of the finest world-music releases of the year. It catapulted Palacio onto an international stage and, with him, Charlotte-based label Cumbancha, which released the record.... Read more

To some the independent record store is a Mecca of hard-to-find sonic delights; to others it’s an intimidating fortress of hipster elitism. Either way, it holds a unique place in the hearts and minds of discerning music fans. Though the proliferation of online outlets both legitimate (iTunes, Amazon.com) and questionable (P2P sites, Bittorent files, etc.) has been blamed for the decline of the music industry in general, many independent retailers have subsisted by expanding upon the niches they serve in their respective communities.... Read more

It's almost hard to believe, but Higher Ground is turning 10 this week. Seems like just yesterday the club was but a babe in a swaddling strip mall in Winooski. But now, the venue is all growned up, and has staked a legitimate claim as one of New England's most prominent venues with palatial digs in South Burlington. They grow up so fast, don't they?... Read more

Exercise and rockin’ are two disciplines that really should never be brought together except under the most extreme circumstances. For example, doing laps in a swimming pool whilst behind the wheel of a Rolls Royce, à la Keith Moon. Now that’s an exercise regimen. But for most of us — including, I would argue, the late Mr. Moon — athletics and live music are best experienced separately.... Read more

Kids love the hard rock. It’s a tried-and-true fact of modern American adolescence dating back to the dawn of the distortion pedal. I don’t make this stuff up . . . OK, sometimes I do, but that’s beside the point. And the point is that there’s no better local venue for eardrum-popping metal, punk and hardcore than the little teen center that could, 242 Main.... Read more

We haven’t heard much from local hip-hop collective Tha VT Union in a while. I guess they’ve just been too busy to drop their friendly neighborhood music critic a line . . . sniffle.... Read more

When “Irish” eyes are smiling, it’s usually because “Irish” mouths are drinking. And rarely are “Irish” mouths drinking more than on that most glorious of pseudo holidays, Amateur Night, er, St. Patrick’s Day. Unless you count Dublin vs. Westmeath in the All-Ireland Hurling Championships, that is. Have you ever seen a hurling match? Seriously, it’s the most badass sport ever. But I digress.

Everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s Day, as evidenced by the throngs of soused revelers bedecked from head to toe in green garb, Guinness paraphernalia and, usually, vomit. Ew.... Read more

Shortly before he departed for the nation’s capital, the estimable Casey Rae-Hunter handed me an inconspicuous-looking album and asked if I’d heard it. I replied that I hadn’t and in true, succinct, Contrarian form he uttered simply, “You should.” The album was EP1 & EP2, the debut double offering from experimental Burlington trio Oak, one of the finest local releases of 2007.... Read more