The "Brooklyn" of the Old North Woods

One last post from me, Murf of False 45th, before I'm out of here.

I thought I'd share some good indie bands from the Burlington (VT) area with you NYC music lovers. So, here's a quick rundown of the indie bands that are pushing their way through the choking sea of jam bands in VT.

The Jazz Guys

The Jazz Guys are the most popular band going in Burlington scene these days. Their name is a misnomer since their sound is as close to jazz as Charlie Parker is to reggae. TJG are more pop punk with a blistering two guitar assault that is softened by their four-part harmonies and sharp hooks.

They just released their debut EP, Blessing in Disguise, which is available only at their shows and select Burlington record shops but they are working on an online option. Once they have an online sales option figured out (hey things work a little differently in VT; cut us some slack), I'll ask b.f. to post the info.

For anyone in the Burlington area, The Jazz Guys will be at Red Square this Friday night and then at Higher Ground the following Friday (7/21) with Phantom Buffalo and Danielson.

The Jazz Guys - "The Best Five Minutes of Your Life" mp3 site [recommended]
The Jazz Guys - "Amanda" mp3 site

The Hero Cycle

Do you like Broken Social Scene? If so, you'll like The Hero Cycle. They're a new seven piece band creating that multi-layered textured sound that BSS has become famous for. They haven't released any albums yet but have a few songs available for downloads on their myspace page.

The Hero Cycle will be playing at Sin-e in NYC this Friday night. They are coming on at 8pm which will leave you with enough time to get over to Maxwells for that Serena Mannesh show at 10pm. Their current tour will take them down the east coast and through the midwest (including Indianapolis, Jim). Dates here.

To download these tracks, left click on them and then save them to your disk.

The Hero Cycle - "Breathing In" mp3 site [recommended]
The Hero Cycle - "You vs Them" mp3 site
The Hero Cycle - "American Proxy" mp3 site


The New Siberians

These guys are the newest guys on the block. I haven't seen The New Siberians live yet but their song "1965" has been spinning in my iPod a lot of the last month. Nothing fancy. Just a fuzzy but melodic guitar attack from this trio with a catchy chorus line.

They haven't released anything yet but they have a few demos out there. There are songs available from them on their website and myspace page.

The New Siberians - "1965" mp3 site


Kris Gruen

The son of famed NYC rock photographer, Bob Gruen, Kris has been living in central VT since attending Goddard College some years back. This spring he released his debut album, Lullaby School on NYC's Mother West label.

Kris Gruen's songs are more mellow than the bands listed above. More along the lines of Iron & Wine or Sufjan Stevens. Quiet but with a multi-instrumental blended sound.

Kris occasionally plays at Joe's Pub as he did last month. But as of right now, I don't know when he'll be playing down there again.

Kris Gruen - "Tender Theory" mp3 buy [recommended]
Kris Gruen - "Further Down" mp3 buy

So, those are the highlights of our small indie music scene up here in the mountains. Enjoy.