The holiday shows are coming thick and fast as the yule approaches like a gore-soaked revenant! Sorry, my bad — I’ve been on a Christmas horror-film kick. I need to reboot and focus on tinsel and reindeer instead of psycho killers in Santa outfits.
Foam Brewers in Burlington has back-to-back holiday events this weekend. First up is the fourth annual Holiday Extravaganza, a massive night of music featuring a slew of Vermont artists, including Osage Orange, Baby Fearn, Ryan Sweezey, Troy Millette, Forest Station, and Andriana and the Bananas. That goes down on Saturday, December 13. The show starts early, at 4 p.m., to make room for all 26 acts.
On Sunday, December 14, Matt Hagen bring his 2024 holiday classic album, Matt Hagen’s Christmas Bath, to the stage, joined by musicians Bob Wagner, Mike Fried and Tony Naples. The album is getting a psychedelic wash: Hagen promises a night of “sinister, sonic, experimental” holiday music. OK, maybe I can indulge my holiday horror side after all!
Former Burlington singer-songwriter Francesca Blanchard has released a new single. Now based in Los Angeles, the indie-pop artist has dropped “Feel Good,” written during the COVID-19 lockdown and after a breakup. You can bet it’s just brimming with positive vibes. Or not. Fortunately, Blanchard excels at painful, beautiful bops, and the moody, tender “Feel Good” is no exception.
“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve considered leaving these songs behind, or leaving music behind entirely,” she wrote in a recent email. Thankfully, Blanchard seems to have battled back the bad thoughts — or at least channeled them into her music —and is promising a new EP in 2026. “Feel Good” is now streaming on major services.
Steven Yardley’s Burlington indie-rock project the Pyros have returned with a new, three-song EP titled Big World. Including the
Electric Light Orchestra-esque rocker “Light It Up,” the hard-driving title track and closing song “Poker,” the record marks the first release from the band since 2021’s self-titled debut. The Pyros have been missed, with their strange alchemy of ’90s slacker-indie and washed-out ’60s-rock vibes.
Indie-soul and R&B act Dwight + Nicole are back with a new single, a cover of the Yaz song “Only You.” The Burlington band is stepping out of its comfort zone, taking on the synth-pop classic on the recommendation of manager Dennis Wygmans, who introduced guitarist Dwight Ritcher and singer Nicole Nelson to the original track.
“We worked out the tune on guitar in a different key and crafted a different ending,” Ritcher said. “Now it has a real dream-pop vibe.”
The single is an early salvo from their upcoming album Day or Night, produced by frequent collaborator and producer Joel Hamilton and scheduled to drop in March via WestWalk Records. “Only You” is streaming now on major services.
7 Shows to watch out for
1. Dari Bay at Waterfront Park in Burlington, December 31
2. Kathy Griffin at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington, January 31
3. Explosions in the Sky at Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington, February 2
4. Chris Higgins at Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington, February 5-7
5. Joe Jackson at Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts, in Montréal, May 13
6. Mt. Joy at the Midway Lawn at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, June 4
7. Guster’s On the Ocean Festival at Thompson’s Point in Portland, Maine, August 7-9
Listening In
Playlist of Vermont Jams
This article appears in Dec 10-16 2025.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.sevendaysvt.com ’
