Recently, Seven Days partnered with local TV station WCAX in order to cross-pollinate coverage via the station’s numerous news broadcast platforms. A few times a week, you can catch our reporters shooting the shit with WCAX anchors about various topics. (And yes, the gratuitous swear was intentional, since we can’t say any of them on the TV. So frustrating.) One evening, Ken Picard or Andy Bromage might be on talking about hard news or politics.... Read more

(State & Main Records, CD)... Read more

(Jenke Records, CD, digital download)... Read more

You will never be more in love than you were when you were 16. Oh, sure. You’ll likely have more significant relationships as you age than you did with your prom date. Perhaps you’ll even get married, have kids and, if you’re really lucky, grow old with someone. But for pure, emotionally reckless romantic abandon, nothing approaches the sweet, naïve innocence of young love. And there’s no greater symbol of that love than the mixtape.... Read more

Northern Seas begins with the sound of crashing waves — a storm on the ocean, perhaps. A foreboding synth sustain kicks in, then an ancient-sounding, minor-key melody, and then a haunting female voice. The layered effect is dense and spine-tingling and soothing all at once, a seemingly impossible feat. And that’s just the first track on this CD by Essex, Vt.-based composer Al Conti. Ten more follow, for a total listening time of 49 minutes.... Read more

As I write this column — Monday morning — we stand on the brink of an event that could permanently fracture relations between two significant portions of our local population: fans of the New England Patriots and fans of the New York Giants. For the non-sports fans out there, or anyone who awoke from a coma this week, those two NFL teams will meet this Sunday, February 5, in the Super Bowl. Especially as Vermont is uniquely located both in New England but next to New York, this year’s game is indeed a very big deal around these parts.... Read more

(Self-released, LP)... Read more

(Self-released, CD, digital download)... Read more

Prior to a recent Metal Monday at Nectar’s, Matt Hagen, one-half of the team that founded the weekly metal and hardcore series, is discussing his very un-metal New Year’s Eve with a quizzical bystander.

“I went to Phish at Madison Square Garden,” he says.... Read more

1/21/12: Eva heads to an icy corn field in Lyndonville for NEK Snowmobile Drag Racing. The event is hosted by Lyndon Sno Cruisers, a non-profit organization who use the money they raise to groom their trails. There will be 3 more races in February.
Music: Waylon Speed, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, "Riding For The Brand"