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April 16, 2025 Music » Music News + Views
Published April 16, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.
Montpelier singer-songwriter and country musician Mark LeGrand died on April 8, two years after he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was 72.
LeGrand was a prolific songwriter of the outlaw country variety, drawing inspiration from musicians such as Waylon Jennings. Similar to Jennings, LeGrand wrote often and candidly about his past struggles with alcoholism, as on his 2006 album Cold New England Town.
A fixture of the Montpelier music scene, LeGrand — often alongside his partner, Sarah Munro — played at Capital City venues such as the now-defunct Sweet Melissa’s and its successor, Bent Nails Bistro. The latter held a benefit last year to help LeGrand recover from cancer surgery.
„Each person is a world unto themself,“ LeGrand’s friend and fellow musician Dave Keller wrote in a social media tribute on April 9. „A dear friend who dies is like the loss of an entire library. Mark was more than that … He was no simple library — but an Alexandria, full of Merle and Johnny and Hank and Willie, and his own hard-won wisdom. His life was not easy. Far from it. But it was beautiful. He made it into something beautiful. Forged with just a few simple chords.“
No details on a celebration of LeGrand’s life had been released as of press time. But we’ll have them here when they’re announced. Rest easy, Mark.
Burlington pianist and singer-songwriter Tyler Mast released a new single last week titled „Patterns of Our Lives.“ The upbeat tune is chock-full of horns and stabs of organ, with an overall retro-psychedelic vibe that Mast occupies with relish.
Channeling George Harrison‚s „What Is Life“ and Jerry Garcia‚s „Rhapsody in Red,“ Mast’s new song brims with earworm melodic lines and a ’60s-style rave-up energy perfect for blasting from car speakers on a sunny Vermont country drive.
Mast is backed on the track by an all-star local outfit, including trumpeter Connor Young and Goose drummer Cotter Ellis.
According to Mast, the tune is about „a woman who has a voice in her head that influences the way she thinks and acts, and this creates long-term patterns when she looks back on the path her life has taken.“
„Patterns of Our Lives“ is streaming now on major services.
It’s Daysies time again, when Seven Days asks locals to nominate their favorite people and places in Vermont. This generates lots of excitement among local businesses and so, so, so much bitching from the music community.
Every year I get the same three emails: „You dudes don’t know real hip-hop from your asshole,“ „[Fill in the blank] isn’t really a folk band!“ and, my favorite, „How much did [fill in the blank] pay you to win?“
Seriously, the notion of local musicians bribing me to win a popularity award is fucking hilarious, but if any of you indie musicians want to start funneling a trust fund my way to win the Daysie for best cover band, hit me up on Venmo. I could use the cash.
Obviously, I’m joking about taking bribes. And since I don’t play a part in picking winners, or any facet of the readers‘ choice awards in general, that would be a waste of money. So let me tell you something that will actually help: If you’re a music fan and you think the Daysies music finalists suck, it’s totally your fault.
That’s right, I said it. Right now, this very second, you can nominate whatever artists you want for multiple Daysies music categories. The Daysies can accurately reflect a very healthy and vibrant local scene — if the local scene engages with it. Seriously, that’s all it takes. Is there a band you’re passionate about? Nominate it and get your friends to vote, too.
Vermont is currently enjoying one of its best music scenes in decades, with the likes of Robber Robber, THUS LOVE, the Dead Shakers, Lily Seabird and plenty of other excellent artists putting out phenomenal original music. The hip-hop scene is thriving, with great new records coming out from rappers such as Robscure and Obi the Voicegod. We’re brimming with excellent bluegrass outfits — look at the Tenderbellies and the Wormdogs. Our DJ culture is going strong, with legends such as Taka and newer faces such as Kate Kush. Even the cover bands and tribute acts are stepping it up — we now have a No Doubt cover band, Burlington’s Bathwater. And that’s just the music I know about. Maybe you know something I don’t — nominate ‚em!
The Daysies should reflect our robust scene. But it’s on you, the local music fan, to make that happen. Stand up for your favorites and vote now. And if it sounds like I’m begging you, well, I am. I really want the Daysies music categories to shout out the best of our scene. And I really, really want people to stop complaining to me.
Let’s make our dreams come true: Vote in Round 1 through April 28 at ballot.sevendaysvt.com.
Tags: Music News + Views, Mark LeGrand, Tyler Mast, Daysies
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