LINEUP

MUSIC & POPUP LOCATIONS

  • Denny Park (Gazebo), Bradford, VT: 9 S Main St, Bradford, VT 05033. Across the street from Wells River Savings Bank on Route 5.
  • Chapman’s Place (Gazebo), Fairlee, VT: 472 US-5, Fairlee, VT 05045. Across the street from Chapman’s General Store on Route 5.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

5-7pm SMALL BUSINESS POPUP MARKET
Denny Park in Bradford, VT

Check out local vendors. Interested vendors can sign up here.

7-9pm SMALL BUSINESS POPUP MARKET
Chapman’s Place in Fairlee, VT

Check out local vendors. Interested vendors can sign up here.

5–7PM • BRADFORD @ The Gazebo
Kotoko Brass

Kotoko Brass melds the beautifully complex traditional drumming of Central Ghana, the sturdy bass and keyboards of the Caribbean, and the joyous horns of New Orleans to forge a sound the Boston Globe has described as “propulsive, infectious party music.” The band began when brothers Ben, a performer, scholar, and educator of Ghanaian drumming, and Brian Paulding, a longtime trombone player in Boston’s reggae scene, joined forces. Ben fortified the percussion section with Attah Poku and Kwame Ofori, two master percussionists from Ghana. The rhythm section of M’talewah Thomas (bass) and Yusaku Yoshimura (keyboards), as well as saxophonist Andrew Fogliano, fill out veteran rhythm and horn sections.

Coming together as Kotoko Brass feels like a superpower. When the traditional Ghanaian percussion and driving drum set grooves meet the steady rhythm section and jubilant horn melodies, we can’t help but dance. Now, after over a year of sharing our sound and energy with audiences across New England, we have seen just how infectious this energy is.

While each member plays an equal and vital role in Kotoko Brass, the drums are at the heart of the band. The tradition of Asante drumming is intimately intertwined with dance in West Africa, and our audiences experience that first-hand. That instinctual link between drumming and dancing exists in nearly all indigenous traditions, and it informs the harmony and melody in all of our music.

At its core, our music is a celebration of tradition, diversity, and unity. While our compositions are influenced by and emerge from the rich culture and heritage of the Asante Kingdom of central Ghana, they are brought to life by a group that spans age, ethnicity, and nationality. The wealth of our varied musical experience serves not only as an endless well of inspiration, but as a vital opportunity to broaden the depths of our communication as humans.

7–9PM • FAIRLEE @ The Gazebo
If You Must Know

Vermont based duo, Rachel Clemente – member of harp duo Two Shores and US National Scottish Harp champion (’16) – and Dan Houghton – member of Cantrip, Pipers’ Den and former member of Salsa Celtica – bring together an unlikely pairing of bagpipes and harp. While firmly rooted in the fertile ground of Scottish traditional music, their gritty, avant-garde musical interpretations put them at the forefront of Celtic folk musicians in New England. They are both avid tunesmiths and their repertoire reflects this as it features many original compositions as well as traditional melodies.

SATURDAY, JULY 16

5-7pm SMALL BUSINESS POPUP MARKET
Denny Park in Bradford, VT

Check out local vendors. Interested vendors can sign up here.

7-9pm SMALL BUSINESS POPUP MARKET
Chapman’s Place in Fairlee, VT

Check out local vendors. Interested vendors can sign up here.

5–7PM • BRADFORD @ The Gazebo
Chad Hollister Trio

Chad Hollister Band hails from Vermont and has grown throughout the years to a nine piece all star group traveling throughout New England. Hollisters’ thirty year career has landed him opening for Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Tom Petty as well as jamming on stage with each PHISH member, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Warren Haynes of Government Mule.The band now features a killer rhythm section of Tommy Diehl on drums and Rudy Dauth on bass, lead guitarist Jeff “Primo” Poremski, and a four piece horn section led by Burlington sax hero Chris Peterman. Northeast Kingdom’s best friend Luke Laplant appears on baritone sax and the amazing Avery twins on trombone and trumpet. The band rounds out with Yahuba Garcia on percussion which we call the icing on the rock and roll cake!

Hollister has released five full length recordings and has toured the globe from CA to China and Europe. The Vermont community has always been home and the band looks forward to bringing their message back to the stage.

Music has been on hold for over a year and CHB is extremely excited to have this one full band show this summer. LIVE music is where this band comes alive and the positive message is one that rings through now more than ever. Music is a gift as is LIFE and you will feel that as you watch CHB live and in person.

7–9PM • FAIRLEE @ The Gazebo
Jesse Taylor

Rock, pop, punk. . . we’re not really sure. Highly introspective, Jesse Taylor pours her heart out into her lyrics and music. Hailing from Maine, Jesse moved to Burlington to later find out she’d pursue music– drawing inspiration from long days in various food service jobs and life with anxiety and depression. Taking notes from artists like Courtney Barnett and Regina Spektor, Jesse writes songs that mirror their passionate vocals and unapologetic style. After performing as a solo artist for a couple years, she formed a band consisting of locals: Matthew Sicard (drums), Nicholas Treis (lead guitar), and Ian Morris Greenman (bass).

Seven Days’ Kristen Ravin makes a connection to No Doubt and Stefani “in Taylor’s voice — as a singer with her phrase-ending warble, and as a writer reflecting on life transitions through a lens of relationships, mental health and traditional milestones.” She also says, “Taylor could easily perform these songs with just her voice and acoustic guitar, but, as a fan of rock and roll and electric guitars, I’m glad she’s got a band. The performance works best when the players augment Taylor’s already strong and thoughtful rock songs.”

SATURDAY, JULY 23

5-7pm SMALL BUSINESS POPUP MARKET
Denny Park in Bradford, VT

Check out local vendors. Interested vendors can sign up here.

7-9pm SMALL BUSINESS POPUP MARKET
Chapman’s Place in Fairlee, VT

Check out local vendors. Interested vendors can sign up here.

5–7PM • BRADFORD @ The Gazebo
Ward Hayden & the Outliers

Ward Hayden & The Outliers (formerly Girls Guns & Glory) formed as a way to break from the music so commonly found on popular radio airwaves. Hayden’s foray into country music and early rock ‘n’ roll began with a fateful borrowing of a few of his mother’s cassettes. When asked, Hayden remarks, “I was doing these long drives and there was nothing appealing to me on the radio. I was twenty years old at the time and had been through my first experiences with heartbreak and loss. When I put some of these cassettes on the player in my Oldsmobile Delta Eighty-Eight, all I could think was, “this is everything I’ve been searching for.”

It took a few years after that to get the band up and running, and now with a line up featuring Greg Hal on Upright/Electric Bass, Josh Kiggans on Drums and Cody Nilsen on Lead Guitar/Pedal Steel the band has cut it’s teeth the old fashioned way: on the road and on the stage. Since their formation they’ve barnstormed far beyond their Boston hometown, playing honky-tonks, beer joints and more recently concert venues throughout the U.S. They’ve amassed a loyal legion of fans along the way. The media have noticed too, including Rolling Stone, which heralds them as a “modern-day Buddy Holly plus Dwight Yoakam divided by the Mavericks.”

Spending much of their young-adult lives relentlessly touring the US and Europe has not been without hardships, but also not without it’s rewards. The experiences the band has gone through on the road have led to a broader songwriting perspective, but also conditioned the band into a well-oiled machine. And when it comes to versatility and musicianship, these guys are second to none. I’m not sure there’s an instrument under the sun that someone in this band can’t find a way to play.

Their love for early rock ’n’ roll, true country, raw blues and pretty much any kind of authentic American music branded them quickly as anomalous — and electrifying. The song topics run the gamut of love, hope, work-a-day life, the grind and the results of those experiences on the body and mind.

The band, hailing from the Northeast, have always been outliers in the world of country music, often joking they were born out of time and out of place. But, they have stayed true to the sounds that inspired them and the genuine life experiences they’ve gone through no matter where they hail from.

Ward Hayden and The Outliers are a musical force to be reckoned with. From heart wrenching ballads, to foot-stompin’ rock ‘n’ roll, whether live or on record, Ward Hayden and the Outliers deliver every time.

7–9PM • FAIRLEE @ The Gazebo
Zach Nugent

It usually only takes one show to understand why Zach Nugent is one of the most sought after guitarists in the live music scene. Since touring as de-facto Garcia expert with Melvin Seals & JGB, he continues to build his dedicated following, putting together and leading multifaceted groups for special runs and festival appearances. Never one to shy away from new and challenging ideas, his performances promise intensity and beauty in the delivery of the music that he’s built a reputation with.