MountainFolkus:
Where the Music’s At
By Todd Tyson

Welcome back to MountainFolkus, a column celebrating quality folk, world, celtic, blues and other variegated forms of organic acoustic music in Central Vermont. This monthly column had a brief run at the close of the 20th Century in The Herald with a focus on upcoming music happenings, local artist profiles, FolkRadio and occasional analysis of the intersection of music and social consciousness. Since I'm not creative enough to revamp a dated, yet reliable, format, I will simply recycle what worked before and hope that readers will find it digestible, if not always aesthetically appetizing.

As mud season slowly burbles down and summertime shimmers on the musical horizon, a budding melodic riot of great music is pushing its way up through our local community's listening landscape.

• Tonight (4/17) marks the return to Vermont of superb singer-songwriter, Dar Williams, with a show at Higher Ground in South Burlington. Over the last decade, Dar has established herself as one of the folk genre's leading young troubadours adept at conveying often provocative issues with lyrics that resonate with passion and melodicism.

• The Lebanon Opera House (LOH) has a full musical plate this weekend with the annual COVER Benefit Concert featuring Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem who are joined by Nightingale, featuring Vermonters Jeremiah McClane, Keith Murphy and Becky Tracy. Being quite familiar with the important community work of COVER in the area of remodeling assistance to low-income folks, I would hope that both the musical and charitable psyches of local folks are spurred on to attend this great night of music. Also on Saturday... blues raconteur, Guy Davis, appears in Bradford at the soon to be shuttered quality listening room, the Middle Earth Music Hall.

• The following evening (4/20) affords a tough choice for live music listeners. Cape Breton fiddling ambassador, Jerry Holland, returns to his adopted second home at Beth and Clint Telford's place in Braintree. This intimate house concert starts at 6 p.m. with more info. at 728-6351.

• Acoustic guitar afficionados will be picking their way back down to the LOH for an evening of world class playing by guitar legend, Leo Kottke.

• April's music compass turns NW again on 4/24 and 4/26 as Burlington welcomes jamgrass luminaries, Railroad Earth (Higher Ground) and high mileage quirky folkie, John Prine, to the spring musical scene.

Recent CDs

Lissa Schneckenburger's "Song," Tim O'Brien's "Chameleon", Meg Hutchinson's "Come Up Ful," Doug MacLeod's "The Utrecht Sessions," and The Strangelings' "Season of the Witch".

Future MountainFolkus ramblings will meander through some "folkie" films, more great recordings, local concerts and a sneak preview (not approved by Homeland Security) of this summer's upcoming Crossroads SummerFest Tour.

(Todd Tyson lives off-the-grid way up a dirt road in Tunbridge, and spends time producing concerts, co-hosting the FolkRadio program "Crossroads on the Point" and painting houses. He can be reached at folkbloke@hotmail.com.)