Best Bands Of Burlington (Part 1)

by Ari Mei-Dan

As I slowly settle down in Boston, I think about how much I cherished the music scene in my old home of Burlington, Vermont. It is hard to spend any amount of time in Burlington without noticing how much of a role art plays in the atmosphere of the town. There is graffiti everywhere, downtown is filled with buskers and cute little venues, and students prefer to go out to DIY shows instead of frat parties. 

I chose to transfer to Emerson from the University of Vermont (UVM) for a multitude of reasons, but the most notable one being that the film department at UVM just wasn’t that good – and as a film major and photographer, I was bored! But Burlington provided me with a safe place to grow as a photographer, find my footing, and develop as an artist new to the professional scene. I find it more than fitting that as I reflect on what I want out of my time in Boston and what I’ll miss about Burlington, I take the time to appreciate the Burlington-based bands that I not only love, but that have shaped my love for music and music photography!

Because Burlington has such an amazing and expansive music scene, this dedication will be split up into multiple parts in order to fully appreciate the different domains that Burlington has to offer. 

In this process, I hope that you come to appreciate the music in Burlington half as much as I do. In typical Ari fashion, I do believe that it is only best to start off this series with my favourite genre of music: jazz! The bands and musicians focused on in this article, although all different, all find their roots in jazz-influenced music. They are fun and magnificent and get the groove going.

This is my multi-part love letter to Burlington and the wonderful people who have supported me throughout my time there. Let’s get cracking!

All night boogie band

Photos by Ben M. Collins and Coleman Cullinan

It is impossible to talk about music in Burlington without running into All Night Boogie Band at some point or another. Formed in 2021 at UVM, they are the ultimate mixture of blues, soul, and rock. They are particularly dear and close to my heart because they take much of their influence from B.B. King, who remains one of my all-time favourites – but in Burlington fashion, All Night Boogie Band is able to spin whatever music they take on into a big and powerful show. 

From a student band to a now-touring band with two studio albums and a handful of singles out in the world, it seems like they constantly have something new down their sleeves.

I speak incredibly highly of All Night Boogie Band because once you see them perform, it is impossible not to speak highly of them. They consist of the persuasive vocals of Jessica Leone, the wailing guitar of Brendan Casey, the soulful piano of Van Garrison, the pulsing bass-thumping of Evan Barker, and the ever-great drumming of Zach Santos. All Night Boogie Band is the type of band that you can sway your hips to, jump to, and just move your body to. In fact, I challenge you to stay still when listening to their music. The task is virtually impossible with the groove that they lay down and the energy they carry. Is it sacrilegious to compare their energy to that of Mick Jagger in concert?

Anyway, comparisons aside, I absolutely love All Night Boogie Band. It is my deep-rooted belief that anyone who has the chance to see them will automatically love them as well.

Note: Van Garrison is also in Scram and Three Piece Meal. Evan Barker is also part of Scram, Cal Humberto, Bullfrog, and the Lara Cwass Band. Brendan Casey is also in Bullfrog.

scram!

Photos by Coleman Cullinan

Scram! is definitely one of, if not my favourite band in Burlington. They are cool, they are groovy, they are jazzy. The band is not particularly unique in their desire to improvise but instead ultra-unique in the way they do it. Each and every single one of their shows is an exhibition into how spectacular improvisation can be. Every moment is a collaboration between each musician in the band – there is no instant where they are each up to their own works. When improvisation is supposed to be an individual act, each musician finds a way to find their voice while still functioning with the rest of the band as a singular operation. They are just all so smooth together.

In full honesty, I wasn’t expecting to like Scram! as much as I do. When it comes to music I enjoy, I typically am drawn more towards guitar-led ensembles or bass-heavy groups where string instruments play a heavy role in the sound. I’m a bassist myself, so it makes sense that that’s the first thing I listen to and the first thing I enjoy. When trying to pinpoint which instrument leads the Scram! sound, one might initially say the piano. Scram! is primarily an instrumental band that lacks a guitar, so it makes sense that the piano is the first melodic instrument that one is drawn towards. However, upon listening to the band for more than 30 seconds, you come to realise that there is no primary instrument in their sound. They are the piano, the bass, the saxophone, and the drums all at once. They come together so well that you can easily consider them one smooth entity. 

Scram! is the glorious combination of Van Garrison on piano, Sam Gelpi on saxophone, Evan Barker on bass, and Sam Lyons on drums. However, you can frequently find them collaborating with other local artists. They even have a live EP out. Currently on hiatus due to Sam Gelpi’s move, I await their revival and what may come next.

Note: Van Garrison is also in All Night Boogie Band and Three Piece Meal. Evan Barker is also part of All Night Boogie Band, Cal Humberto, the Lara Cwass Band, and Bullfrog. Sam Lyons is also part of the Hayley Jane Band, No Showers on Vacation, and the Lara Cwass Band.

lazy bird

Photos by Ascent Photography and Derek Marcy

Lazy Bird is the epitome of a student band gone crazy. Started in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic as a casual jam band in the UVM dorms, they quickly grew into a band that dominated basement shows and backyard events, and a band that held a large and enthusiastic fanbase in town. 

Taking influence from the jam band world but intersecting jazz and reggae, Lazy Bird is definitely special. Guided by the tireless vocals of Grace Palmer, the unforgettable guitar of Jackson Bower, the thumping bass of Tom Gladstone, the catchy piano of Matt Weinstein, the melodious saxophone of Matt Cincotta, and the extraordinary drumming of Cal McCandless, the band takes on every single show with the aim to have fun and be good at having fun. Lazy Bird is your ultimate feel-good, fun-dancing, hip-swaying band. They are the fun plans on your Friday night. What I find particularly astonishing about Lazy Bird is their ability to not only make music accessible for everyone, but also make it funky. Songs like Valerie (Amy Winehouse) and Stayin’ Alive (The Bee Gees) and Landslide (Fleetwood Mac) are jazz-ified in a way that is not too pretentious for the average listener. 

Lazy Bird is also pretty distinct in the sense that they have played virtually every type of venue that Burlington has to offer, thus truly bringing the funk everywhere. They have played their music in basement shows, frat houses, cute little venues downtown, and the iconic Nectar’s (where Phish started!). They have even gone on tour and have a debut single out. Personally, I’m super excited to see how Lazy Bird grows. Maybe you will be too!

Note: Matt Weinstein is also part of the Hayley Jane band, Small Talk, The Hive, and Barn Cat. Tom Gladstone and Matt Cincotta are also part of Barn Cat.

Three Piece meal

Photo by Ari Mei-Dan

Three Piece Meal, although a relatively new project, has swiftly and easily made their mark on Burlington – which is not something to be taken lightly considering how many student bands seem to pop up in town. Initially starting off as a passion project between Van Garrison (organ), Luca Medina (guitar), and Zach Brownstein (drums), with the desire to play organ trio music, it seems like they already have gigs lined up left and right. They just finished off a month-long residency at Radio Bean – a quaint yet popular venue in downtown Burlington. 

I have to admit that I had no idea that organ trios are a big thing in the jazz world or even how impressive they are. Generally consisting of an organist, drummer, and either a guitarist or saxophonist, this type of ensemble is super niche but coolly takes jazz into new levels. Maybe it’s because I lean more towards the vocal jazz world, but I was nonetheless taken aback by the sheer coolness of the genre from Three Piece Meal’s first show and that feeling has yet to go away. 

If Three Piece Meal is the first organ trio you see (like they were for me), I could not recommend a better band to lose your organ-trio-virginity to. The trio takes pride in their love for good songs and their ability to deliver them to their audiences with high energy and much love. I do believe that this pride is quite easy to spot and the confidence each of them sports is infectious. 

If you ever get the chance to visit Burlington and see them perform for yourself, it is a near-divine experience that I could not recommend enough. Until that happens, we can only pray that they begin their New England tour soon.

Note: Van Garrison is also in All Night Boogie Band and Scram. Luca Medina is also part of Cal Humberto, Barn Cat, and Empty Pockets. Zach Brownstein is also part of Barn Cat and Empty Pockets.

cal humberto

Photos by Ari Mei-Dan

When I was making a list of which artists I wanted to include in this series and how to split up each article, I was debating whether to put Cal Humberto in this article or another one. It is very safe to say that Cal Humberto just transcends genre. His music is an impeccable combination of neo-soul, funk, pop, and singer-songwriter. Oftentimes I ask myself where artists like him have been all my life and why music like his isn’t done more often – but I think that my question can be simply answered by the fact that he is a unique find. Burlington is definitely lucky to have him.

Cal Humberto can typically be found with a full band. Although the band rotates occasionally, you can typically find Cal on piano, Luca Medina on guitar, Evan Barker on bass, and Angus Schwaneflugel on drums. Sometimes, however, Cal performs solo as well. Regardless of which mode you catch him in, Cal’s original tunes are catchy and fun to indulge in. I can speak from experience and say that I had one of his songs stuck in my head for 3 days straight this summer. If you doubt me, I encourage you to go to Burlington and attend one of his shows yourself. 

While Cal Humberto doesn’t have any songs released yet, you will just have to trust me when I say that his music is danceable and jazzy. 

Note: Cal Humberto is also part of No Showers on Vacation. Luca Medina is also part of Three Piece Meal, Barn Cat, and Empty Pockets. Evan Barker is also part of All Night Boogie Band, Scram, the Lara Cwass Band, and Bullfrog.