7/21 Summervale: The Wee Folkestra
By Brenna Lewis-Slammon, Summervale Music Intern
Entering our third week of Summervale at the Intervale Center, we will be celebrating these warm summer months in true style with the BVT Indie Folk Rock sensation, The Wee Folkestra. The Wee Folkestra was first created by Joe Adler, a key force behind the local music scene here in Burlington. The band has since evolved into somewhat of a supergroup, boasting some of the most prominent musicians in the area. The group focuses on re-imagining covers -- obscure and cherished. Throughout a regular performance, an audience can expect to hear anything from The Band to Michael Jackson to Selena Gomez covers, all as they’ve never been heard before.
Although they almost exclusively play covers, The Wee Folkestra manages to create a sound that is wholly unique. It is in fact the synergistic combination of a troop of devoted musicians coming together to create and to move an audience with that creativity that drives their sound. As is evidenced in their music, the trained skill, natural talent, and time spent with each piece allows for a fluidity within their rhythms. They know each other just as they know the music. Through this universally appealing keystone to their sound, The Wee Folkestra has much to offer to even the most idle listener. They may play and totally re-envision a long-held favorite tune or force you to reconsider a song that never quite cut it before. They will certainly imagine an elusive twist on a well-worn classic that reanimates its original passion and maintains that same animation through each and every song they bring to life. Listening to The Wee Folkestra, it is impossible to ignore the fact that you are seeing something great, a Burlington legend of sorts, in the making. Become inspired by their vision. Seek out the ways in which the old becomes something new through their work. Experience the exquisite joy of creation each band member so clearly evidences throughout their performance. Rock out with The Wee Folkestra.