Moving to Burlington, VT - Who can I play with?

[Drew Streip]

Hey folks! I’m relocating from TN to South Burlington, VT, this week. After I get settled in my new home, I’ll likely be looking for opportunities to play.

Are there any other Cafe members in the area? Any recommendations for jams / open mics / music stores where I could meet some folks and find new friends?

I’ll be without a band, so I guess I’m also putting myself out there as a free agent on mandolin and guitar!

Thanks in advance,
Drew

[twaaang]

I've been away a few years, but Radio Bean is apparently still in business. Campanella Acquisition Syndrome is especially intense in Burlington, home of Joe Campanella Cleary. -- Paul

[CES]

I have nothing to offer you in that regard, but, as a dad with a kid in Boston, just wait and buy your winter gear there. The stuff they have in Target is more robust than anything we have down here. Burlington is a cool town. One of my daughter’s friends works as a pastry chef at a farm to fork operation there and we visited there not long before the world shut down in 2020. Beautiful country just a little bit outside of town, but the town itself was cool, too. Hope the move is smooth!

[Mandobar]

Burlington is home to a bevy of instrument makers, including the folks at Iris guitars. Adam Buchwald has opened a new music store there, Ben and Bucky’s as well. So, I don’t believe you will be lacking in musical companionship.

[Amanda Gregg]

Me!! I wish I could give you better information about the jam landscape, but Covid really did a number on the jam scene. There used to be a world class old time jam at the Radio Bean, for example, but that is dead. There is a little community jam at the Shelburne library once a month where you could probably at least meet some people. In better news, there are tons of pickers in the area these days, as there seems to be a little diaspora out of Boston seeking slightly lower cost of living. I keep threatening to set up a jam somewhere in the Champlain Valley, but it's hard to get these Vermonters to come out of their cabins sometimes!

But seriously, look me up, I'll play with anyone.

[Drew Streip]

Campanella Acquisition Syndrome is especially intense in Burlington, home of Joe Campanella Cleary. -- Paul

Oh man... it'll be a while before I'm in a position to even consider one of his instruments, but the desire is already there. Maybe he'll let me do a shop visit!

[Drew Streip]

I have nothing to offer you in that regard, but, as a dad with a kid in Boston, just wait and buy your winter gear there. The stuff they have in Target is more robust than anything we have down here. Burlington is a cool town. One of my daughter’s friends works as a pastry chef at a farm to fork operation there and we visited there not long before the world shut down in 2020. Beautiful country just a little bit outside of town, but the town itself was cool, too. Hope the move is smooth!

Always in the mood for pastries! And yes... we have some stocking up to do in the clothing department.

[Drew Streip]

Me!! I wish I could give you better information about the jam landscape, but Covid really did a number on the jam scene. There used to be a world class old time jam at the Radio Bean, for example, but that is dead. There is a little community jam at the Shelburne library once a month where you could probably at least meet some people. In better news, there are tons of pickers in the area these days, as there seems to be a little diaspora out of Boston seeking slightly lower cost of living. I keep threatening to set up a jam somewhere in the Champlain Valley, but it's hard to get these Vermonters to come out of their cabins sometimes!

But seriously, look me up, I'll play with anyone.

Well, I guess the silver lining is that I've never really gone to jams anyway, so I won't even know what I'm missing. I've been pleasantly surprised looking at upcoming concerts with how many of my favorite acts come through the area. I'll check out Shelburne library, and I'll definitely send you a message when I'm settled!

[Ranald]

I have a friend up in the northwest corner of Vermont, less than an hour from Burlington, who held jams before covid. He may still be having them. His main orientation is "Celtic" but he's pretty open to different types of music. He used to go to trad jams in Montreal with Fr-Can musicians. If you're interested I could contact him, see if he's still hosting, and PM details.

added: I think there's an active conta-dance scene in Vermont. At least there was before covid. Sometimes dancer come up to Montreal and Ottawa, though Montreal is two hours away from Burlington and Ottawa farther.

[Jeff Mando]

This guy is pretty good...

[pelone]

Start your own---easy to initiate---visit a local music store and start by putting up fliers. Visit the local library, the Parks and Rec. and any senior centers to determine if a venue is available. There are musicians in every community who would relish an opportunity to join in. Post a short announcement in the local paper and folks will respond. Be a leader and begin at the beginning. Be the agent of change. Speaking from experience, you will have a slew of pickers showing up.

[pelone]

I just spoke with a friend who lives in Burlington. Burlington has a robust music scene with festivals and opportunities to play street music at Church Street Market Place. Contact administrators at (802) 863-1648 to begin networking. Good Luck to you. As a banjo player I always say "if you can't play good--play loud."

[Dagger Gordon]

The very fine Vermont musician Pete Sutherland, who passed away quite recently, did a lot for music there.
He turned up in the Scottish Highlands not so long ago with a large group of young musicians from Vermont who he was mentoring, who were very good players indeed, so if any of them are still around there is bound to be a lot of music there.

Also with this group was Oliver Scanlon, who was a member of Pete's group Pete's Posse, along with Tristan Henderson.
https://www.petesposse.com/bio

I should think if you can track down any of these people you will find some good music.

[Ranald]

The very fine Vermont musician Pete Sutherland, who passed away quite recently, did a lot for music there.
He turned up in the Scottish Highlands not so long ago with a large group of young musicians from Vermont who he was mentoring, who were very good players indeed, so if any of them are still around there is bound to be a lot of music there.

Also with this group was Oliver Scanlon, who was a member of Pete's group Pete's Posse, along with Tristan Henderson.
https://www.petesposse.com/bio

I should think if you can track down any of these people you will find some good music.

Pete was a member of the Vermont contra-dance scene. Drew, if you're not familiar with contra dancing, look into it. It's a widespread pastime in the US, with plenty of musicians involved, but especially so in New England where it originates. Whether or not you're a dancer, these dances would be good places to meet musicians and perhaps even play. (I'm not involved myself, but my sweetheart is an avid dancer.)

Added: She says, if you're on Facebook, check out "Alex Cumming Music." Cumming is an active accordionist and singer in the Burlington area, "who will know what's going on musically."

[Stagehand]

Jake Wildwood, about an hour south in Rochester on rt 100. https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/

[Jim Garber]

Oh man... it'll be a while before I'm in a position to even consider one of his instruments, but the desire is already there. Maybe he'll let me do a shop visit!

From what I have seen online he is also an excellent musician l believe on fiddle as well as mandolin.

[slaminsam]

I know very little about the state of VT, however, Luthier Andy Mueller of Muleskinner Instruments and Froggy Bottom Guitars is located in VT. He plays with several bands including a trio called Trifolium that was featured on Peghead Nation. He plays Mandolin, Guitar and Fiddle. Also, I can vouch that he makes a wonderful Mandolin. There are a few videos of him playing with bands in VT.

MuleskinnerInstruments.com

[Randolph Millsap]

I can't tell you much about the Burlington scene. However, as a southerner who moved north I can give some advice about the winters. We first moved from Arkansas to the Rochester, NY area in 2016. We way overbought on winter gear expecting the worst. The LL Bean store had a good day when we stopped in. Their boots and coats are awesome though. For reference, Rochester averages 100" or so of snow a year (although less the last couple of winters). I imagine Burlington gets around that too. Also, buy a house with a/c. It doesn't get used a lot, but even days in the 80s can get uncomfortable.

My wife always used to say 70º was cold down south and we would wear coats in the forties. We acclimated quickly though and now rarely wear a coat unless it's in the teens or lower. I still need gloves most of the time. Jackets work fine. The first 16" snow I looked like the Michelin Man when I cleared our driveway. That lasted about 15 minutes until I overheated and took most of it off. Now a light jacket, gloves, and boots are all I need unless the winds are howling. Duluth insulated Firehose Pants are great to cut the wind.

The 30" snow the following spring taught me that it's best to clear the snow every few inches rather than waiting for it to stop. The snow is mostly powder and clears easily, not like the heart attack icy snow in Arkansas that you can't clear until it melts. However, the plows don't care about whether you can get out of your driveway and you need to clear it first before the salt the trucks throw creates an ice dam. It's great exercise though... The streets themselves are always cleared quickly here so driving hasn't been a problem. Our friends in Vermont say it's similar.

The downside is the food around here is awful. Especially our old favorites like BBQ and Mexican/TexMex. Forget about fish too. I've never seen such rotten fish being served, and we're right on Lake Ontario. Hopefully Burlington has better restaurants, but this area of New York is not for foodies. Feel free to PM me if you need any adjustment advice from a fellow southern migrant, and good luck on the move and getting acquainted with your new home!

[Randi Gormley]

my daughter went to school in Burlington (UVM, check it out) and like any college town, there are niche restaurants, street food and unexpected popups. You need to try apple cider doughnuts (there's a cider mill fairly close that has great apple cider doughnuts in the fall), there's Vermont Teddy Bears (very overpriced) and a cheese co-op, iirc, within a short drive of the city. It's a great place. Enjoy!

[J.Albert]

You might try getting over to the Jenny Brook festival, in Tunbridge:
https://jennybrookbluegrass.com

[Doug Ezell]

Hi Drew. I have a good friend in Burlington, VT, who is plugged into the old time world and knows about jams. Contact me through here or Facebook and I'll forward his contact information to you.

Doug Ezell

[dbcozzens]

Drew, welcome to Vermont and the Burlington area. I live about 1/2 from there. There is a Song Farmers group that meets in Hinesburg (about 15 minutes from Burlington) at the Hinesburg Community Library. It is a mixture of musicians and includes all types of music. They gather the first Thursday of the month at 6:00 PM and usually end around 8:00. You will find lots of connections there to other jams. I believe the Shelburne Library Jam is the third Thursday of the month. Dave

[Mandobar]

Just saw on Facebook that Joe Campanella is moving back to Idaho.

[Victor Daniel]

Sent you a PM with a Burlington connection.

[Mary Provencher]

Hello Amanda, this is Mary and I live in Charlotte Vt. I would love to get together to play some tunes . If you email back, I can give you my phone number.
We can have a phone chat . I play guitar in a duo and a trio.
I am interested in finding another player to sing with and or harmonize.
I just stumbled into this website today . I have gigs every Saturday starting March looking for another person to work with.

Cheers ,
M