Started in 2021 to provide work for musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maple Roots Music Festival returns for its fifth edition on July 26 at the iconic and idyllic Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in Montpelier.
The annual event strives to “celebrate the vibrant music scene in central Vermont,” said guitarist and festival director Michael-Louis Smith via email, “and bring the community together in a positive way to have fun and to enjoy live music, life and the beauty of Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in the summer.”
This year’s edition, which runs from noon to midnight, features 14 bands on two stages along with activities for kids and local vendors selling food and beverages.
DJ Logic, a renowned New York City-based hip-hop DJ, headlines the main stage. The turntable maestro and innovative bandleader is known for his infectious mix of live hip-hop, jazz, and fun, and his collaborations with a wide variety of noteworthy musicians spanning myriad genres — everyone from Medeski Martin & Wood, and Bob Weir, to Vernon Reid, and Arturo Farrill, among many others.
At Maple Roots, Logic will perform with a stellar five-piece group that includes guitarist Smith and members of his New York City-based band — saxophonist Stacy Dillard, bassist Mike Roninson and drummer Ismail Lawal — in addition to acclaimed central Vermont raised, Montreal-based keyboardist Parker Shper.
Other main stage artists include psychedelic jazz-rock collective Freeway Clyde (led by singular Lincoln-based musician and composer Michael Chorney); the funk-soul-Afrobeat jamming of the Maple Roots Allstars, featuring Burlington saxophonist Dave “The Truth” Grippo; standout Montpelier singer Miriam Bernardo, performing with guitarist Al Teodosio (both of High Summer) and bassist Robinson Morse; and Smith’s eponymously named four-piece group.
The smaller Festival Village Stage, in the Maple Roots Festival Village, features such Green Mountain State-based artists as live house music trio HiFi (DJ Fidelma Wyse, bassist Jofus, and drummer Phil Carr), central Vermont rock-cumbia-Latin band La Lovo, Burlington-via-New York City guitarist Lara Cwass and her band, and New Orleans-via-central-Vermont bassist Noah Young and his trio.
And, for the first time, the festival will include an artist in residence, East Montpelier native and unassuming master bassist Robinson Morse (Vorcza, viperHouse). One of the most respected musicians in Vermont, Morse — who the Tony Award-winning Michael Chorney has called “a quiet genius at play” — recently returned to Vermont after several years in New York City as a musician in Anaïs Mitchell’s Tony-winning Broadway hit “Hadestown.”
“Robinson Morse epitomizes why this area is so special for music,” said Smith. “Rob is admired by music fans other musicians alike for his attention to sound, unwavering dedication to his artistry, intimate knowledge of all kinds of music, unique compositional style (and) potent creativity.”
“Everybody wants to play with him,” Smith added, “because he always makes everything sound so darn good.”
Smith, 47, a guitarist and band- leader from Saratoga Springs, New York, who now lives in New Canaan, Connecticut, has been a frequent visitor to Vermont for over 25 years with his New York City bands Brooklyn Circle and Left Ear Trio.
Smith hatched the idea for the festival after talking to some of his musical friends in Vermont. The festival was “created by musicians for music lovers,” according to the festival website, and “brought to life in 2021 by a coalition of independent musicians, artists and entertainment workers … to benefit the local/regional music scene and community.”
And while Smith admits to being more of a musician than a concert promoter — “I’m just doing this by the seat of my pants,” he told me last year — the festival is clearly a labor of love and something he plans to continue.
“I am truly grateful to be able to present this amazing music at such a beautiful location,” he said, “and I look forward to continuing the tradition for years to come.”
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