Photo by Lily Chau.

Cameo Harlot joined us for ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s local music radio hour on 105.9FM The Radiator tonight.

Photos by Lily Chau.

James Kochalka Superstar (above) and Tod Moses & Fujita 5 (Tod, below) joined new host Adam Desroches on Rocket Shop tonight.

Words by Ben Fox. Photo by James Lockridge.

Central Vermont country musician Tim Brick will be performing a solo acoustic set Wednesday, April 17 as part of the Rocket Shop Live concert series at Main Street Landing. Brick will bring his brand of soulful, rock-infused country music to the stage without his usual backing band, which consists of Todd Wells on bass, Steve Quennville on drums and George Seymour on the pedal steel, banjo and fiddle.

Brick grew up on country music and has played in multiple rock bands, brilliantly fusing the two together. “My favorite era of country music was the mid- to late-1970’s dubbed “The Outlaw Movement” with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Paycheck,” Brick says. “That, coupled with my love of Southern rock, which the edgier country artists of that day were really akin to, it was only natural that some of my music would reflect that.”

As for his songwriting ability, that comes from the heart and soul. “Lyrically, I’m inspired mainly by emotions that I’m feeling at the time. I write in the moment… There’s an inherent honesty in music that makes it easy to tackle the tough issues… I like my music a lot like I like life: simple, to the point, honest and real.”

With two albums available through his web site, www.timbrickmusic.com, and lots of shows being played throughout the state, it is clear that Tim Brick is on a mission to bring straight-forward country-rock music to as many Vermont audiences as he possibly can.

Citizens Bank presents Rocket Shop Live at Main Street Landing!

Vermont is a state that excels at creative endeavor and the shore of Lake Champlain is an idyllic venue for showcasing it. A group of local organizations, each with intense respect for Vermont’s vibrant music community, have united to present a monthly music series on Burlington’s beautiful Waterfront.

Once each month for the past six months, a Vermont-based singer songwriter, followed by a band, has performed in the family-friendly Black Box Theater at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center on the corner of College Street and Lake Street. With support from presenting sponsor Citizens Bank. Main Street Landing, Big Heavy World, Seven Days and RETN have collaborated to make this final concert – and the broadcast series – possible. Additional support is provided by Stowe Mountain Resort, Advance Music, Moreau Theatrical Services, the Vermont Arts Council, and National Endowment for the Arts. Concerts begin at 8pm sharp, admission is all-ages and free.

‘Rocket Shop’ is Big Heavy World’s local music radio hour, every Wednesday night at 8pm on 105.9FM The Radiator. Rocket Shop has hosted hundreds of Vermont musician guests in its five years on-air and this live concert series is a natural direction for the radio program to go. Host Matt Gadouas will MC Rocket Shop Live, and Big Heavy World’s volunteer crew will engineer videography and live streaming of the performances.

THE DUPONT BROTHERS: Two brothers reunite after years of geographical separation by a fortified collaboration in music. Sam and Zack Dupont are best friends, siblings and now coconspirators in a shared passion that runs deep in their family. After a ground breaking show at Nectars in Burlington, Vermont, it was clear that the next step was to merge the brothers writing styles and form one super group to be known as The Dupont Brothers. The sound is Vermont made folk-rock-Americana. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeMGgMQbamI

THE MUSIC OF APRIL 17: THE DUPONT BROTHERS, THEN TIM BRICK 8pm sharp!

TIM BRICK: Singer, songwriter and guitarist: You could say that Tim Brick is a triple threat, but you’d be wrong. Add entertainer, band leader and all-around working man to that list and you begin to get a sense of what Tim is all about. Raw and real! A born and bred Vermonter and son of a hard living trucker, country music has graced Tim Brick’s life since birth. The influence of fine-crafted songs by Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr. and Don Williams along with the rockier sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bruce Springsteen has forged Tim Brick’s soulful edge. Standing on stage since the early age of twelve, he is at home entertaining audiences. His ability to engage people from the stage and draw them into his songs is what separates Tim from the average entertainer. Tim says, “It’s about a lot more than just playing the right notes. You have to live it, breathe it, and drink it. The audience has to believe that these songs come from your heart and soul.”

In the early years, He cut his teeth playing guitar in numerous bands. Performing with a number of talented musicians helped educate him in a variety of styles, but it was country music that was always in his heart. Growing tired of bouncing from band to band and the lack of success that each misadventure brought, Tim emerged as an independent country entity with a new sound and a new vision. Tim brought his career to the next level. Playing clubs throughout New England, appearing regularly on country radio, and the independent release of two albums (‘Free to Run’ & ‘Borderline’) have made him one of the top country entertainers in the region. The release of his latest CD ‘Free To Run’ puts Tim’s songwriting skills on full display. While on stage, Tim and his band deliver consistent solid performances for country fans throughout the state of Vermont and beyond.

FREE MUSICIANS PANEL, 7pm

Preceding these concerts, artists of every genre and experience level are invited to a music industry social hour in the theater, featuring presentations and workshops fostering success of independent, “do it yourself” music careers that so many Vermont artists experience. The workshops, presented by musician peers and supportive organizations like the Vermont Arts Council, are free and begin at 6pm. Topics include Earning Revenue through Live Performances in Rural Locations; Musician Social Networks – Real & Virtual; Creating, Managing, and Seamlessly Coordinating a Multi-Part Web Presence; How to Build a Fan Following in Vermont; How to Apply for Vermont Arts Council Funding for Performances, Tours, and Album Production; and Getting Sponsored and Raising Funds to Tour and Record.

The panel topic on 4/17 is GETTING PRESS with Dan Bolles from Seven Days and Brent Hallenbeck from the Burlington Free Press.

Brent Hallenbeck has been with the Burlington Free Press since 1999 and became arts and entertainment writer in 2004. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at SUNY Plattsburgh. He has seen thousands of bands in concert, but don’t ask him to name all of them. He and his wife share a house that’s approximately 92 percent filled with CDs, LPs, cassette tapes and the occasional 8-track tape.

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LARGE-SCALE INDEPENDENT MEDIA SIMULCAST ON RADIO, TELEVISION, & THE WEB

Concerts will be broadcast live on the radio by community media partner 105.9FM ‘The Radiator;’ televised live by RETN on three local cable networks, viewable from Essex to Vergennes, and streamed online with video at www.bigheavyworld.com. RETN is found on channel 16 on cable TV in the cities and towns of Burlington, Essex, Essex Junction, St. George, South Burlington, Williston, Winooski, Charlotte, Ferrisburgh, Hinesburg, Shelburne, and Vergennes (two Comcast cable systems and Burlington Telecom).

The Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Black Box Theater is located at the corner of College Street and Lake Street in Burlington, VT. For more information about the concert series, visit mainstreetlanding.com or bigheavyworld.com, or contact Mariah Riggs, mariah@mainstreetlanding.com. Performers and workshop topics are subject to change without notice.

About Main Street Landing:
Main Street Landing is an environmentally and socially conscious redevelopment company in Burlington, Vermont that has created over 250,000 square feet of built environment on the Burlington Waterfront.

About Big Heavy World:
Big Heavy World is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Vermont-made music. Based in Burlington, “Big Heavy’” operates a record label, public listening library, online music shop, community radio station, and special projects that help Vermont music find a wider audience. Bringing Vermont’s music community together since 1996, Big Heavy World is a high-spirited, independent regional music office and advocate for the arts. For more info: jim@bigheavyworld.com;  www.bigheavyworld.com.

Words by Marissa Bucci.

Zack duPont and his brother Sam have recently started seriously collaborating, and the results have been extremely positive, not only for the two brothers, but also for Zack duPont’s fans. The two had performed together a couple times before December, when they played a show at Nectars billed as the DuPont Brothers. Post-show, Sam who had been living in Arizona, moved to Burlington, and the two began to seriously work together as a band.

“We’re not stopping until music becomes a means to live off of,” says Zack, and the duPont Brothers are going full steam ahead to achieve this goal. They recently recorded a session at Egan Media Productions in Burlington, as well as booking slots on the radio, and press in newspaper, magazines, and blogs. Their dedication has inspired people to help them out with show bookings and career advice, and the two have a heavy touring calendar this upcoming spring and fall. Their favorite Burlington venues include Nectars, Higher Ground, and Signal Kitchen, but Zack says it’s hard to narrow it down to just one room; understandable due to the plethora of high-quality venues in Burlington.

Zack describes their influences as including Paul Simon, The Tallest Man on Earth, Ben Howard, and the Avett Brothers, which is evident in their beautiful guitar finger picking and tight harmonies. Personal experiences, and the people they have met along their journey inspire their songs. The two brothers together create beautiful music reminiscent of folk, but tinged with a variety of other genres.

The DuPont Brothers will be performing April 17th at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, as part of Big Heavy World’s local music radio hour live concert series, ‘Rocket Shop Live at Main Street Landing,’ that showcases local Vermont musicians. The music starts at 8pm and is free for all ages, so be sure to stop by!