A Week of Music

There is nothing I love more than music.

I’ve been singing ever since I first discovered the movie Sister Act as an impressionable 5 year old and have since dabbled at playing the piano, the french horn, and the ukulele (now if that doesn’t sound like the makings for a fantastic band, I’m not sure what does), so whenever there is a chance to experience live music, I’m always game, so you can imagine my joy when this past week, in both expected and unexpected ways, I found myself surrounded by musicians in all of their zany and talented glory.

These experiences included getting to see performances by Low Anthem, Swell Season, and The Jubilee Family Band and getting to perform myself (with Audrey, of course) at the Farmer’s Market.

The Low Anthem & Swell Season Concert

This past Wednesday, Olivia, Syd, Ryan, Audrey and I went to the Flynn theater in Burlington to see Swell Season (a band which is made up of the groovy stars of the movie Once and assorted other people). And let me tell you..

It was amazing.

Not just in the, “oh..that was worth $35! What a pleasant experience” but in a “oh my GOD WHAT WAS THAT DON’T STOP DON’T STOP DON’T STOP” sort of way that makes you remember why you love music- especially live music. There is something raw and unpretentious about both groups, which makes the experience all the more genuine. Having entered the theater not knowing who The Low Anthem was and having only watched the movie Once once (pretty proud of that word play), I left a devoted fan, nay, a devout follower of both groups.

As my friend Olivia put it, “They [Swell Season] are just so… AHHHH”

The Jubilee Family Band

This pretty much sums up what The Jubilee Family Band is all about. A group of students from Bennington College singing and traveling together throughout the New England area, The Jubilee Family Band, with each performance, attempted to bring together a collective of shared experiences, art, performances, stories, etc. in an effort to make all of their shows a collaboration between the audience and themselves.

And I will be the first to admit that I was more than a bit skeptical about what their show would be like. Bennington has the reputation for being just a tad hippy/crunchy, so I had no idea what to expect.

But it turned out to be really awesome.

There is something really refreshing about a group of kids performing not just because they enjoy performing, but because they really want to share their music and have it impact others. The intimate setting (an apartment in Middlebury) made it all the more fun, and by the end I wanted to join the family! Not to mention that two of the group members stumbled upon two famous German hip hop artists that the German School flew here for a concert on the streets of Middlebury and proceeded to invite them to perform with the Jubilee Family Band.

Also, you can go to this link to hear some of the music performed by members of the Jubilee Family Band.

Audrey & The Uke

This past Saturday Audrey and I performed at the Farmer’s Market in town. More to come on this later, including videos and photos!

All in all, it was a week full of joy, saw-playing band members, crazy hippies, and sweet melodious music.

Until the next concert,

Cody