#hgvt

We made our way back to Higher Ground’s Showcase Lounge on Tuesday night to catch The Mowgli’s, Julia Nunes, and The Rebel Light for a night full of upbeat, happy-go-lucky pop songs.

I walked into the venue right as The Rebel Light was taking the stage. Upon first impression I thought to myself “Oh boy… this isn’t really my thing, but I probably would have liked them in high school.” After looking around the room I quickly realized that the demographic was in fact high schoolers. This wasn’t  too much of a surprise considering the band was made up of a group of decent looking gentlemen who make sugary, sweet pop music that’s easy to bounce around to.

Good looks and upbeat music can only do so much though. After about a half hour I was ready to hear some music that had a little bit more depth to it than just something fun to listen and dance along to. A half hour is all The Rebel Light was supposed to have for their set time, but they pushed the envelope by squeezing in one more song. “This doesn’t have to be goodbye,” said their frontman Will Steil. “Hang with us at the merch table or follow us on Instagram.” Just as he was finishing his sentence the venue turned on their lights as bright as they could get to give the cue that they were out of time. Regardless, The Rebel Light pushed forward and ended their set with “Strangers.”

After a very quick set change Julia Nunes took the stage with her ukulele. While her songs were also happy-go-lucky pop songs, they weren’t sickening. The lyrics had some depth to them and it was evident that they come from real life experiences that helped shape her to be who she is today. She was very open about her personal life in her stage banter and added some cynical humor to poke fun at herself which was refreshing after listening to The Rebel Light.

Many of her songs were about breakups and how she used the experience to better herself. Betterment seemed to be the theme of her set as she started to stray down the path of the New York Primaries which were also happening on the same night. “This is the first election I’ve ever really paid attention to because I want good things in my life… Like a good America,” she said before playing “Locked In My Mind,” a song about a person who let her go, which in turn, helped her change her life.

Julia Nunes has an adorable stage presence, from her witty banter, her lighthearted songs to her connection with the crowd. Before bringing up a couple of The Mowgli’s to the stage she took the time to say how nice everyone was being. She waved and said hello to what seemed to be just about everyone in the crowd individually (at least everyone she could see from the stage). Nunes and The Mowgli’s covered the top 40 hit about social anxiety “Here” by Alessia Cara. This was the first time I actually heard the song so I can’t really say how her take on it stacked up, but I thought she blew the roof off the place.

To my disappointment, and the crowd’s as well, Julia Nunes cut her set short to help keep the show on track. After about only 20 minutes, she closed out her set with “Make Out.” She had a lot of fans in the crowd, both old and new, all of whom cheered for an encore which they unfortunately couldn’t get.

The Mowgli’s took the stage with an explosive amount of energy opening their set with “Bad Dream.” They kept the momentum going by blowing through “Whatever Forever,” and “Emily.” Initially I wasn’t quite sure what to make of them. They definitely had a fun stage presence and knew how to work the crowd, but similarly to The Rebel Light a great stage presence can only do so much.

Before playing “Summertime” one of their many vocalists, Katie Earl, commented on how everyone was wearing t-shirts in 50 degree weather. This is nothing out of the ordinary for Vermonters in early spring, but I could see how that seems crazy to a group coming from L.A.

After playing a new tune titled “Last Forever,” I had a pretty good idea of the Mowgli’s sound which consisted of overly repetitive lyrics that were so happy-go-lucky that it was almost sickening. There’s nothing particularly wrong with songs about being happy and in love, but I think for most people over the age of 23 there’s a point where you can only hear so much of it. For their high school aged crowd who hasn’t been jaded by life yet, it makes for a fun, easy listen.

It wasn’t just their music I wasn’t a huge fan of. Their stage banter was also lackluster. “Dave over here was saying how much he really likes Vermont. Let’s all chant for Dave,” said frontman Colin Dieden. The crowd followed suit by chanting “Dave” over and over until it was time for the band to play “Love Me Anyway.” Apparently they hadn’t gotten their love for Vermont out of their system with the Dave chant because Earl said, “It doesn’t matter where I go... If I see Vermont Cheddar I’m going to buy it.”  Dave then stated that he bought maple syrup and how he wants to do whatever he can to contribute to the environment. I’m not quite sure how buying maple syrup contributes to the environment, but hey, thank you Dave for at least contributing to our local economy. Maybe economy was the word he was going for.

“Our goal for the night is to have all of you walking away from this show feeling better than you did before coming here today,” said Earl. To no surprise the next song was “I’m Good,” which pretty much repeats the song title so many times that I started thinking “Okay, I get it. You’re good.” They closed their set with Say It, Just Say It.

Sunday marked the first nice day of the year in Burlington and with the sun setting later in the day, it made it pretty difficult to make my way into Higher Ground’s Showcase Lounge when it seemed as though the rest of the town was out barbecuing. Luckily for me though, I got an early taste of what was in store for the night walking on Church Street. The Maine Youth Rock Orchestra who’s backing The Ballroom Thieves were out performing on the marketplace. They were impressive on their own, so I was excited to see what they’d be like supporting the band.

Opening the show was BTV locals The DuPont Brothers and they were also feeling the struggle of pulling themselves indoors. “Thank you all from coming here on the nicest day of the year,” said Zack DuPont to open the set. “I’m sure you all would rather be outside right now.” Once they started playing I was happy to be inside watching them, but I think I would have enjoyed them even more while laying in the grass in Waterfront Park. The DuPont Brothers have a soft, acoustic sound that would mesh nicely with warm sunshine and a cool, early summer breeze.

The DuPont Brothers will be putting out a new album this June and they’re only $3,000 away from reaching their Kickstarter campaign goal. As Zack promoted the new album, I noticed that he had a voice similar to the hosts on NPR. I’m not sure if it was the fact that he was trying to reach a campaign goal or if it was his soft tone, but the similarities were uncanny.

They continued their set with “Implications,” “Trespassers,” and “Attention Spans,” before asking the crowd to close the gap between them and the stage. The next song they played was the most lively of the set and it wasn’t just a coincidence that it happened right as the crowd moved towards the stage. “There we go guys… Now we have it now that we have you,” said Sam DuPont. They closed their set with one final track “You’re Not a Ghost.”

It seems like we’re always catching The Ballroom Thieves during special performances. The last time we caught them was under the Supermoon and now with the Maine Youth Rock Orchestra.

After a quick set change The Maine Youth Rock Orchestra began to pack like sardines onto the stage along with their conductor and The Ballroom Thieves, opening their set with “Wild Woman.” With only one song in the orchestra standing behind the Thieves already managed to impress the crowd. “I wish I was as cool as these kids behind me when I was in high school. This next song is about that” said Devin Mauch. “Don’t let him fool you guys. Devin was prom king,” said Martin Earley. “You can still be sad and confused as prom king,” Devin responded with before playing “Brother.”

The Thieves slowed things down with “Bury Me Smiling” before letting the orchestra step down for a few songs. “Small Stage. Lots of people. One stair case. That’s what this would be called if this was an art instillation,” Devin joked as the 22 high schoolers stepped off the stage in single file. The Ballroom Thieves took the time alone on stage to play a few new songs which consisted of “Peregrine” (like the falcon) and “For Mercy.”

“This next song is about being in your kayak out on Lake Champlain and seeing those dark clouds rolling in,” said Martin before playing “Storms.” I know that’s a situation I can relate to as I’m sure anyone else who lives in Burlington or near a body of water can also relate to.

Before welcoming the orchestra back onto the stage Devin took the time to explain how having them on tour is a dream come true. “These 22 young adults standing behind us are professionals. I’m amazed and so thankful everyday that their parents allowed them to join us on this tour and they’re handling themselves so well on the road (at least so far).” After the orchestra took a moment to get setup again, Devin exclaimed “And that song was called tuning! Thank you!” before playing “Trouble.”

The Ballroom Thieves closed out their set with “Here I Stand,” “Archers,” and “The Loneliness Waltz.” The Thieves stepped off stage for a brief moment before coming back on and saying “We’ve been trying to figure out a magic trick where they disappear, you guys cheer and then we come back on, but so far we've got nothing.” For the final song they played “Lantern.”