The Tenderbellies at Summervale!

By: Kally Sample, Music Intern

Summer is almost over which means you definitely don’t want to miss this Thursday’s  Summervale!  This week, we are excited to welcome The Tenderbellies to the stage.  This band brings us their take on bluegrass, but don’t box them in there:  “We play a hearty dose of bluegrass, but it's really a mish-mash of Americana music: folk, blues, jazz, soul, rock n' roll,” the Tenderbellies state, “We write a good amount of originals and really pride ourselves on improvisation, vocal harmonies, and a lot of dance-able tunes.

The Tenderbellies friendship with each other goes back years, “in some cases decades”, and is at the heart of what they do.  “I think people catch on really quickly to the fact we're just buddies hanging out and having fun together. We all have pretty different personalities and in a given show we play to each of those and create something that touches on a ton of different influences and ideas. At the end of the day, we're just having fun and feel really lucky that we get to do in front of other people and they dig it! The (often times) free booze and food doesn't hurt, either.”  The Tenderbellies first formed six years ago, performing their first gig at the Old Brick Store in Charlotte.  “It was so fun and interesting that we just kept doing it!”

            The Tenderbellies have some goals some for future.  Perhaps most importantly, they hope to “keep pickin’ and help people have a good time! We're busy dudes, but hopefully will have some fresh recordings out there soon and take things one step at a time”.  In the meantime, The Tenderbellies are happy to be performing in and around Burlington:  “For such a small place population-wise, it really is unbelievable how much amazing - and diverse - music there is. Among the musicians, everyone is so supportive of each other. But what makes it really special is all the people that continue to spend their hard-earned time and money going to shows and creating such a fun and creative community”. 

            So let’s continue to support these awesome musicians!  Join us on Thursday for a cheddar cheese tasting from Slow Food Vermont, City Markey’s Make it From Scratch activity: salad dressing, a visit from our featured sponsors BED & Seventh Generation, and a sweet show from The Tenderbellies!