Over the past several days, I’ve caught two remarkably different musical acts here in Burlington, VT. On Saturday, March 31st, my wife and I went to the (in)famous Nectar’s to hear Moonalice play. This is a band made up primarily of session players; drummer John Molo, guitarist Pete Sears, and pedal steel guitarist Barry Sless are joined by Roger and Ann MacNamee, who between the two of them play damn near everything else. In fact, with the exception of Molo, each member is able to step into the role of any of the other members. To give you an idea of what that was like, check out their covers of...
Last night, we hit the Flynn Theatre to hear Hermeto Pasoal. What a time that was! I spent the entire night with a grin on my face and my feet never stopped moving. Hermeto is funny, self-deprecating, and he also possesses an amazing ear for how odd sounds might work together. Rather than forcing you to read as I blather on about this performance, let me just offer up a couple of clips of Hermeto and his superb band. It’ll be a lot more eloquent than anything I can offer.
