Twilight Music presents two shows with Vermont and Brooklyn-based contemporary folk singer/songwriter Anais Mitchell and her collaborator Jefferson Hamer, plus Irish singer/multi-instrumentalist Eamon O'Leary, at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery on Friday, April 12 at 7:00 and 9:00 pm.

Mitchell and Hamer are touring in support of “Child Ballads,” their new CD of traditional Celtic and British Isles ballads from Sir Francis James Child’s nineteenth century anthology. Recorded in Nashville, the songs are driven by two-guitar arrangements and the kind of close harmonies that call to mind Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris.

Mitchell recorded for Ani Difranco’s Righteous Babe Records for several years before starting her own Wilderland label in 2012. Among her recorded works are four CDs, including 2010′s “Hadestown” - a folk opera based on the Orpheus myth - and 2012′s “Young Man in America.” She has headlined solo and band performances worldwide as well as supporting tours for artists like Bon Iver, Ani Difranco and the Low Anthem (all of whom appear as guest singers on Hadestown).

Grammy Nominated Drummer , Matt Wilson leads his trio in a tribute concert honoring VJC Founder, Attila Zoller

The Vermont Jazz Center will present the Matt Wilson Trio in a concert honoring their founding director, Attila Zoller on Saturday, April 13th at 8:00 PM. Matt Wilson is a highly-acclaimed drummer who was particularly close to Attila, they performed together often during Zoller’s final years. There was always a tremendous affinity between them; perhaps it was Wilson’s deep groove, or his goofy yet powerfully confident persona that Zoller found compelling. Attila was a loveable, brilliant man; however, he wouldn’t tolerate anything but the highest level of competence in the musicians with whom he shared the bandstand (and he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind when those expectations weren’t met!).

Kurn Hattin Homes for Children welcomes the public to attend its Annual Jazz Invitational Wednesday, April 10th at 7:00 pm, with performances by the Bellows Falls Union High School Jazz Ensemble, Kurn Hattin Jazz Ensemble, Northfield Mount Hermon Jazz Ensemble, Vermont Academy Jazz Ensemble, and Vermont Jazz Center Youth Jazz Ensemble. The event will be hosted by Eugene Uman, Director of the Vermont Jazz Center, and the evening will conclude with a performance by the Keene Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Scott Mullett.

This year's program features special guest Kurn Hattin alum Dick Nash, Class of 1942. Nash first learned to play the trombone at Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, and then went on to gain recognition on the world jazz stage during the swing and big band era.

Six Feet Under Vermont
Paintings by Sarah Adam
Photography by Daniel Barlow

During April Gallery Walk- Opening & Reception on Friday, April 5th, 5pm to 9pm
Latchis Gallery, 50 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT

RAMP's 11th Annual Art Raffle Benefit Slated for Sunday, April 21, 2013
Opening to Meet the Artists Scheduled for Sunday, April 7

The 11th Annual Art Raffle hosted by the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP) will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2013 starting at 3:00 p.m. at Windham Antique Center in downtown Bellows Falls. Over 60 regional artists have donated works. A preview opening for the artwork in the raffle will be held on Sunday, April 7 at 3 http://p.m.at the Windham Antique Center. This is not an auction, a winning ticket gives you the opportunity to own the artwork of your choice assuming no one else has chosen the work you had your eye on.

By Jonathan Stein, MA, RDT, CTP, - Contributing Editor, Collapsing into Consciousness

INTRODUCTION
This essay is intended to be but a nudge in the direction of greater awareness, and not an in-depth exposition of the challenges that we face as a species. The crux of this short writing will, hopefully, direct my readers toward an awareness of one potential aspect of the solution to personal and global transformation. This facet pertains to gratitude and awareness of beauty.

In the years to come, the people of the world will continue to wake up to the massive and far-reaching humanitarian and environmental atrocities being perpetrated by an elitist minority of wealthy individuals for their own gain. As this awakening occurs and people begin to understand the deception and violation that has been taking place, it will be completely natural for them to move through a process of intense emotional upset, spiritual emergency, and crisis of meaning.

Bad Art Night: A free evening of clay play - Wednesday April 17th, 6-9 p.m.

Of Note: “Bad Art” means:
• No Standards -rather than Low Standards
• No Expectations -rather than Low expectations
• High Self-esteem -rather than Low self-esteem
Bad Art is all about conscious, dedicated badness-in community - as a tool of liberation.

Where: Brattleboro Clayworks, 532 Putney Rd., Brattleboro
Contact:Alan Steinberg: 802 387 4820 or Alans@sover.net, http://www.brattleboroclayworks.com

Twilight Music presents The Lonely Heartstring Band, a dynamic new quintet of Berklee College of Music students who share a love of bluegrass and acoustic music, as well as the music of the Beatles, at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery on Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 pm.

George Clements, Matt Witler, Gabe Hirshfeld and Louis Fram play traditional and original songs as well as the songs of the Beatles, which they play as close to the original arrangements as possible, while adding their own influences. They create a new and unique sound using the standard bluegrass lineup of instruments - guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo and acoustic bass.

Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery is located at 139 Main Street in downtown Brattleboro, VT. Tickets for the show are $14 General / $12 Students and Seniors. For ticket reservations and information, call 802-254-9276. For more information, visit http://www.hookerdunham.org and www.twilightmusic.org.

The Rockingham Free Public Library is planning an excursion to Boston and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for Saturday, April 13. A chartered bus will depart Bellows Falls at 7AM, returning at 7PM. The cost is $95 per person and includes round trip transportation and a museum tour. There will be time for shopping and lunch in addition to the tour. Isabella Stewart Gardner was Boston's renowned patron of the arts, who traveled the world collecting artwork in various formats. The museum's permanent collection includes more than 2500 paintings, textiles, furniture, sculpture, drawings, silver, ceramics, archival collections and regalia. The museum itself is modeled on a fifteenth-century Venetian-style palace, with a stunning garden courtyard and a brand new wing of the museum completed in January 2012. Spots are limited, people are encouraged to sign up right away. To reserve your seat or for more information, call 463-4270 or online at http://rockinghamlibrary.org/isg.html

A World Tour in a Single Night - Jazz Vocalist Karrin Allyson at the Vermont Jazz Center Saturday, March 16, at 8 p.m.

When vocalist Karrin Allyson steps to the microphone, you can’t predict what style or language she’ll be performing in. The best part is, it doesn’t matter.

Allyson is referred to as a jazz vocalist, and has climbed to the pinnacle of the genre since recording her debut album, I Didn’t Know About You, in 1992. She is now regarded among the top vocalists in jazz. Releasing her 13th album last year, Allyson has put together a career that has brought her to top stages around the world, performing at major jazz festivals in Brazil, Japan, Australia and Europe, as well as the most legendary venues in the United States, including regular appearances at New York’s Blue Note and Birdland. Along the way, Allyson has garnered four Grammy Award nominations, most recently for her 2012 album ‘Round Midnight.