I Shit Music

If you spend anytime in the Burlington, VT area, you’re bound to hear the casual yet gritty voice of Zach Dupont playing in some room or venue. If you’re lucky, you may also get the kid to make you a killer sandwich… ahh, day jobs. If you saw Zach walking down the street, he kind of looks like that kid you expect to smoke a joint with after a game of full-contact ultimate Frisbee. But when the kid picks up a guitar, suddenly there’s this rush of intricate finger work that meshes seamlessly with a friggin’ amazing voice. It’s the kind of folk vibe that un-mastered and in the wrong hands makes you want to smash a plate over your head, but in the right hands makes you want to ruminate on the wonders of simple living. The kid has got the magic touch, and now low and behold it turns out he’s got an equally talented brother. Sam has recently moved to Vermont after living in Tuscon – obviously a smart move. Arizona and Florida – basically two states no one should ever spend too much of their life in. well, and then there’s that whole Mid-West bullshit but anyway… Sam has moved to VT, and the two have started a new gig and band known simply as The Dupont Brothers. A first listen at their new music is incredibly refreshing, and they’re the first band in a long time that I personally feel extremely confident supporting right from the get-go. The fellas are trying to raise some loot to put out their debut record, and if you support them now you can be one of those people who said they knew about the Dupont Brothers way before they got in that backstage brawl with Mumford and Sons backstage at the Grammys.

The last time I saw Hot Tuna was play was July 4, 1997, when they were part of the Further Festival and it came to Riverside Amusement Park in Agawam, Massachusetts. I don’t remember much from that day except that Ratdog kind of sucked, that The Black Crowes played the hugest “Remedy” of all time, and that I stood 5 feet from the stage for Hot Tuna’s set. I also recall them playing “I Know You Rider” which was preceded by Jorma saying that one of his friends told him he’d pay him 5 bucks if he mentioned Jerry Garcia‘s name before the song. Anyway, there aren’t too many bands I’ve ever taken a 16 break from in-between shows, but I just always seemed to be out of town every time they came to Vermont. So seeing them in a sold-out theater in Portland amid the strongest contingent of twilight hippies I’ve ever been immersed in, was really quite a beautiful experience. Here’s an excerpt from the review and read the whole thing over at State Of Mind.

…The sold-out crowd in Portland was mainly composed of folks who have most likely been seeing Jorma play in one manner or another since long before this writer was even born. The faded tie-dyes that were omnipresent throughout the room seemed to hold a metaphorical essence within them. Much like the ashen garb‚ the music represented the settling echoes of raucous times gone past. Like an acid trip of perfection‚ the psychedelic eruptions of Jefferson Airplane have peaked and settled into the soothing moments of delicate synergy that Kauokenen and Casady emit from the stage. Each song was prefaced by some fabled tale of enlightenment or moment of self-mockery‚ and it seemed clear that these guys have long existed on the true artistic mantra of taking your music seriously‚ but not taking yourself seriously at all…