- Friday, June 1, 2012
- 7:30 pm - Midnight
- Church Street Marketplace
- FREE
Asphalt Orchestra leads a parade down Church Street Marketplace at 7 pm and kicks off the 2012 Festival with oomph!
The electro-rock Brooklyn/Vermont-based Heloise & the Savoir Faire stuns voracious crowds with their supercharged, artful live performances. Stirring a potent cocktail of new wave, soul, disco, rock, and electronica blended with poppy hooks and danceable beats, these leviathans of glam count among their ardent fans Blondie’s Debbie Harry and actor Elijah Wood, who released, on his label Simian Records, their full-length debut Trash, Rats, and Microphones. Dance, Burlington! Dance!
Underground System Afrobeat deploys four horns, seven rhythm players and dispatches the fiery energy of frontwoman Domenica Fossati to whip frenzied crowds into a massive dance party. Melding traditional Afro-Cuban elements to more progressive dub, house, jazz, funk and new music, the fierce collective creates an unstoppable motion-ready sound.
Voted Vermont’s Best Hip Hop and Best Vermont Unsigned Artist, The Lynguistic Civilians, comprised of five razor-sharp emcees, a DJ and a producer, bring an electrifying and authentic sound to the world of hip-hop. Burlington’s all-star band and groove regulators, The Dan Ryan Express back The Civilians for this special Discover Jazz performance.
Fan the flames of funk with Sparkplug, the blazing quintet that pays tribute to their former bandleader, the late legendary soul-jazz guitarist Melvin Sparks.
A monster of a group! With their gripping lyrics, haunting melodies and one-of-a-kind harmonic structures, Burlington’s Zack duPont Band twists contemporary folk with soul and blues to stunning effect.
Slip into the textured soul, R&B, blues and roots of Dwight & Nicole with their band. With influences like Otis Redding, Etta James and John Lee Hooker, the Boston/NYC outfit has snapped up four Boston Music Awards — and countless fans—for their hard-driving, sweet and dusky sound.
DJ Disco Phantom flawlessly spins from an eclectic catalog that includes electronic, rock, punk, hip-hop, folk and noise.
The Party continues at the Red Square stage. Let go and get down with the sizzling R&B of Soul Understated featuring Mavis “Swan” Poole.
Hungry for More? Grab a bite at Leunig’s and catch the swinging diva jazz of Jenni Johnson.