On the Beat: Grammy Noms for Noah Kahan and Bernie Sanders; the Silent Mile Return

Noah Kahan Credit: Courtesy of Patrick Mccormack

In case you missed the news, a couple of Vermonters nabbed Grammy nominations last week. Strafford-born singer-songwriter Noah Kahan was nominated in the Best New Artist category, riding a wave of good reviews and vibes in the wake of his 2022 album Stick Season. Several New England states rushed to claim Kahan as a native son after the news dropped. I don’t know, did he name his last album Doughnut Season? No, he didn’t, so STFU, Massachusetts.

That old punk rocker Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also picked up a Grammy nom, for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for his book It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism. It’s Bernie’s second nomination, but he lost out to Carrie Fisher‘s autobiography in 2018 because, um, she was fucking Princess Leia. He’s up against Michelle Obama this year, so keep those fingers crossed for Kahan, I guess?

Happy anniversary to Burlington pop-punk outfit the Silent Mile. The hard-charging four-piece hit the scene with 2019’s What We Used to Have & Who We Used to Be, a year after its live debut at the now sadly defunct underground venue Jim’s Basement. To celebrate the half-decade anniversary (I think you’re supposed to buy each other pewter?), the band is throwing a rager at Despacito in Burlington’s Old North End on Saturday, November 18, with support from Kennedy Park and Violet Crimes.

Returning after a two-year hiatus from gigging, the band will have a lot of pent-up pop-punk frustration to work out, so bring your earplugs!

Eye on the Scene

Last week’s live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry

Rangus at the Higher Ground Credit: Luke Awtry

Rangus at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, Thursday, November 9: Once again at Higher Ground, I found myself unexpectedly jumping between the Ballroom, where I was house photographer for the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and the Showcase Lounge, where I was happily surprised to see locals Rangus opening for Portland, Maine’s Weakened Friends — a band I hadn’t photographed since it performed at ArtsRiot in 2019. Even though I consider myself fairly plugged in, I still miss show announcements sometimes, which gives me the opportunity to be excited when I come across an unexpected show. One of the local bands I’ve been continually happy to bump into is Veronica Stella Russell‘s Rangus. Not only does Russell absolutely rock on lead guitar and vocals onstage, encouraging openness and inclusion for the LGBTQ community, but all of her offstage work with Pride Center of Vermont and its Queer Takeover series rocks just as hard.