Join us in the alley between The Phoenix and Blackback Pub for the second installment of TURNmusic’s MUSIC IN THE ALLEY. Food and beer by Blackback Pub and our soda fountain and candy counter will be open!

FREE TO ALL

About the artists

CRICKET BLUE

Cricket Blue are a Vermont-based folk duo comprising Laura Heaberlin and Taylor Smith. Their unique sound lies "somewhere between tingly/prickly,"    built from intricate, layered guitars and dreamy harmonies which sources consistently describe as "haunting",  even though only Laura believes in ghosts.

Taylor and Laura share writing duties, and the fruits of their collaboration are songs which draw mainly from traditional American folk music and also borrow liberally from jazz and Romantic classical ideas. Their lyrics wheel from balladesque narrative to stark character portraits to small meditations on philosophy or friendship, buoyed by signature tightrope harmonies which Laura once pitched to Taylor as "playing a two-headed narrator."

Cricket Blue released their first full-length album, Serotinalia, in 2019, to widespread critical praise. NPR Music writes, "Within the first few seconds, it's clear the two musicians are master storytellers." The All Scene Eye declares that the duo "sets a new standard for fiction folk.” Folk Radio UK dubs Serotinalia "a fresh-sounding, true delight." To be balanced, Cricket Blue has also been informed by alert commenters that "Milkman", their ballad of a woman's unhinged reaction to a dairy-delivery crush, "needs some work in terms of pace and cohesion.  !!" and that the "player on the left was not dressed warmly enough."    So, your mileage may vary.

Laura and Taylor met as members of their college a cappella group. One time Taylor foisted a bunch of his weird college freshman poetry onto Laura and she actually read it. After creating and performing music together in various capacities for several years, they adopted the Cricket Blue moniker in 2013.

During the pandemic, while live music was on hold, the duo created a series of video covers of songs from the television series Over the Garden Wall. The project, full of lush arrangements, costumes, and guest stars, has grown fairly popular on video-sharing website Youtube.com amongst a small group of enthusiastic international listeners.

Cricket Blue are currently focused on polishing and recording a new batch of tunes, and also continue to tour and perform when the spirit moves them.

REID PARSONS

Vermonter Reid Parsons is an open book on stage, words stripped to the heartwood. Parsons's lyrics are honest and simple, placed with intention in a true craftsman style. Not one to beat around the bush, Parsons has a knack of distilling the hurts and hopes of life into compact tunes that live in the liminal spaces between genres. “Parsons has a warm spirit. Even though her tunes touch on hardships and dark times, they impart a sense of hope that’s lately in short supply” (Jordan Adams, Seven Days).

Parsons was raised in the woods with early influences of folk, blues, and jazz. Her deft songwriting landed her the top spot at the 2017 Advance Music Singer/Songwriter competition, providing the opportunity to record a 5 song EP, released in 2018. Parsons subsequently recorded a live EP in 2021, and her debut album is scheduled for independent release in late 2023.