We're gonna do the Synthfest tomorrow. We ain't no chickens.

 

Current NWS forecast (enjoy 'em while you can) for Saturday night locally:

Snow starting slow around when door opens at 6:00, with ~2.5" on the ground by 2AM. So maybe an inch or so by the time the show ends. Another ~4" through the wee hours, then it starts to taper around 8AM for another ~1", and just fizzling remnants until about 6PM Sunday. Temps to be in the low 20s from the time it starts snowing until 8AM when it starts crawling up to about 30 around noon — so things shouldn't get slushy and snizzly.This is likely to change a bit by tomorrow but probably not by a lot.So there will be snow happening by the end of the show, but nothing terrifying. The biggest concern is that most of the performers are coming from New York — the city, and upstate — and they've gotta get home afterward. Depending on how things shape up today and overnight, there may be substitutions in the lineup if any of them are feeling queasy.Barring anything crazy developing there will be synthesizers, circuit-bending, and sound manipulation on Saturday night! Meet-and-greet / Q&A at 6:00 PM, with five 20-minute performances scheduled to start at 7:00. Suggested $10 donation for the performers. 

Toward the end of the month — on Sunday the 23rd — Charlotte Morris and Elliott Lee Friesen!

Charlotte is a Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter who weaves together Americana, folk, jazz, and more. Her soaring vocals and keen songwriting, often compared to Joni Mitchell, Liz Longley, Eva Cassidy, and Ira Wolf, create an intimate and vulnerable experience — personal, authentic, and familiar. And almost always with a few laughs and a few tears. Seeing Charlotte live is like having a deep conversation with an old friend. Influenced by artists like Delta Rae, Brandi Carlile, Sara Bareilles, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, and The Chicks, she joined the Lonesome Traveler folk tour in 2018 alongside Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, George Grove, and more.Charlotte is a veteran of venues such as The Bluebird Cafe and The Listening Room (both in Nashville) and Rockwood Music Hall (NYC), and festivals including PorchFest (Wayne, PA), Fall for Greenville (South Carolina), and The Ladybug Festival (Wilmington, DE). Her second studio album Wild Child (2023) made waves globally, resonating with audiences and charting internationally, and she spent most of 2024 on the road, including a sold-out show at Uncommon Ground in Chicago and performing as an official showcasing artist at Toronto's 2024 Canadian Music Week. Wild Child was on the Grammy ballot for Best Americana Album, Best Americana Roots Performance (for The Day We Lost You), and Best Music Video (for Love Ain’t Real).Off stage, Charlotte adventures in her converted van with her pup and is an avid crossword puzzler.Elliott is a singer/songwriter and wide-ranging multi-disciplinary artist from the green mountains of Vermont. Their acoustic folk-leaning indie-pop alt-rock has gained a dedicated following for its heartfelt authenticity, captivating melodies, and introspective lyrics often exploring themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. Soulful vocals and skillful guitar playing make their performances memorable.As a young child with existential dread, Elliot grasped the concept of death and the infinite nature of the cosmos while in the bathtub, and now has SpongeBob tattoos. Charlotte Morris and Elliott Lee Friesen will play the Stage 33 Live listening room at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont, on Sunday, February 23 at 6:00 PM. Tickets are $15 in advance through stage33live.com or at the door as available. Advance tickets guarantee entry. Only 40 tickets will be sold. The performances will be recorded and filmed. 

Didn't get the latest grant we pitched, again, alas. S'okay, we're not in dire straits. It was to bolster the Performer Guarantee Fund so that when turnout is small the performers still get paid something at least approaching the lowest recommended scale for the smallest venues in the worst markets as recommended by the Traveling Musicians Union.

Pancakes for everyone!