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  The Brew visits Burlington

By Dan Weathers

Vermont has its fair share of micro brews that offer plenty of variety in flavors and smooth elaborate full tastes.  On Thursday April 24th at Higherground, Burlington, VT was treated to a smooth elaborate full sounding brew from out of town.  Namely, The Brew.  Hailing from Massachusetts, this four-piece band treated Vermonters to two excellent sets of music and offered a nice surprise for their first set.  Local legend Gordon Stone took the stage to sit in with the Brew offering his pedal steel skills to bring a new additional sound to the lively music being played.

It started out with some soulful singing by keyboardist/vocalist Chris Plante.  His vocals and lyrics reach out to the audience while the music still keeps the crowd alive and dancing.  The band then took advantage of Gordon Stone by sneaking in some honky tonk country flavored songs in between their signature tracks. With searing guitar solos by Dave Drouin, funky bass lines by Joe Plante, and the full on tight drumming from Kelly Kane it was easy to see that Gordon Stone was impressed by the enthusiasm and smile on his face as we was jamming alongside the talented youthful musicians.  The second set continued the energy of earlier in the night minus Gordon Stone.  The band brought together its flawless up-tempo playing to keep the crowd dancing late into the night.

As this band continues to grow so do the crowds as people are finding out what a creative and energetic band the brew is.  With plenty of original material and continuous touring this band has a lot of upside with where it will go musically.  I'm pleased to own the Brew's new cd "Back To The Woods" so I can familiarize myself further with their music.  We will hopefully get the opportunity to see more from them live very soon. 

    Photo of Taraleigh and Mike. 

    Taraleigh is wearing a shirt by www.vintagevantage.com  

    Interview with Mike Rempel of Lotus

    I sent an email to the band Lotus to see if I could interview them before their show at Higher Ground in S. Burlington, VT on how they stay healthy on the road.  I was told that Mike was the man to talk to...so that is what I did and here is how it went.
    HH-  What challenges do you face as a musician who wants to stay healthy while on the road? 
    MR-  A normal sleep schedule is hard to maintain.  It’s best for your body to rest soon after sunset and to wake up when the sun rises, but we don’t do that too often.  Also eating healthy can be a challenge as well.  It really hard being stuck in the van all the time.  It makes the body really tense.
    HH-  So what do you do?
    MR-  Not much.  (Laughs)  I try to stay away from fast foods and alcohol.  I stay hydrated as much as possible.
    HH-  How do you adjust the way you eat on the road?
    MR-  There are many options to fast food.  If I find a health food store or co-op I hit those up as much as I can and stock up on things.  We also make sure to get juice and fruit at every venue where we play. 
    HH-  There are some great health food stores around here.  You can walk to Healthy Living from here.  There is also City Market in downtown Burlington.
    MR-  I’ll have to check it out.
    HH- Are there any health food stores that have stood out during your travels?
    MR-  I can’t think of one that stood out.  They all blend together.  Everything blends together when you are on the road.
    HH-  Did you have a favorite pit stop while you’re traveling?
    MR-  I don’t remember where we were.  Somewhere in the south...maybe Virginia or Georgia and there was a rest stop that was on an island on a lake.
    HH-  That would stand out to me.  That is different than the rest areas you find in Jersey.
    MR-  Laughs...yeah absolutely!
    HH-  What advice do you have for other musicians who want to stay healthy or get healthy while on the road?
    MR-  I would say mainly stay hydrated.  Drink alot of water.  Don’t drink too much alcohol.  Drink lots of juice.  I’m a huge fluid guy.
    HH-  That’s great!  Many people are chronically dehydrated and don’t even know it and that is why they are so sick and tired all the time.
    MR-  Yoga and stretching is really important too especially after being cramped up in the van all day.
    HH-  Where do you do this?
    MR-  I find a space whether it’s at the venue, a rest stop, a park.  Wherever.  You just have to find somewhere and do it and get your blood flowing.
    HH-  What is your favorite food?
    MR-  I loved dried mangoes.  I eat them all the time.
    HH-  Do you ever have time to cook?
    MR-  I cook when I’m home.
    HH-  What do you listen to when you cook?
    MR-  I listen to whatever I’m feeling.  If I were to start cooking right now I would listen to Lusine, Blue Tech, Feist, and Shpongle.
    HH-  Do you consider yourself a Healthy Hippie?
    MR-  I consider myself the healthy friend of lots of hippies.
    HH-  Best answer ever!
    MR-  Being healthy is always a work in progress.  You can’t have a healthy mind if you don’t have a healthy body.
    HH-  That is so true.  Your body is always changing so what works right now, might not work a year from now.  Thank you so much for the lovely conversation and I’m so excited to see the show tonight!  Tell Steve congratulations on quitting smoking. 
    MR-  I will and thank you!


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    Burlington, VT 05401
    ph: 917-756-0309