9. GMBR highlights return of live music
For two years, the Green Mountain Bluegrass and Roots Festival was sidelined by the COVID pandemic. But the festival, held at Hunter Park in Manchester, returned in a big way with some big names in the bluegrass and Americana genres, as well as an enthusiastic crowd of fans. The festival drew the “American Acoustic” tour with Punch Brothers, Watchhouse and three-time Grammy winner Sarah Jarosz, as well as Twisted Pine and Leftover Salmon, among many more.
But the festival wasn’t the only show in town – far from it. The opening of The Coffee Bar in Bennington brought some great acts to the region, including Bella White and Kat Wright. Taylor Farm in Londonderry, the Billsville house concert series, Magic Mountain in Londonderry, and the Danby Country and Bluegrass Festival all welcomed musicians and music lovers. Taconic Music and Manchester Music Festival both expanded their offerings with jazz, as well as their usual array of breathtakingly talented young classical musicians.
Perhaps the most heartwarming story in music in 2022 was the continuation of the Bondville Concert Series, which again brought live music, vendors and picnics to the Bondville Fairgrounds on summer Friday nights. The death of the series’ founder, Andy Gluss, could have brought the series to a halt. But the Winhall Industrial Society – which owns the fairgrounds and runs the Bondville Fair – quickly decided the show would go on, and paid a tribute to Gluss with a New Orleans-style funeral parade up Route 30 on opening night.