On the Beat: Remembering Sound Engineer Sergei Ushakov

The Burlington music scene lost a true legend last week when Sergei Ushakov died on Wednesday, January 8. The head sound engineer at Nectar’s and Club Metronome for more than 30 years, Ushakov leaves behind a legacy of making countless bands sound like they were playing a packed arena when they set up at either of the Burlington clubs.

As a musician for most of my life, I can attest to the fact that the man had some kind of secret superpower to make a 20-watt amplifier roar and the softest, jammiest drummer sound like they were in Led Zeppelin. The man just understood what it took to rock and made a science of it.

The outpouring of grief and love on social media that followed Ushakov’s death underscored how vital he was to the local scene. From Swale‘s Amanda Gustafson and Eric Olsen to Rough Francis drummer Urian Hackney to DJ and rapper Fattie B, Queen City musicians took to social media to memorialize Ushakov and share stories of one of Burlington’s most distinctive characters.

One thing many of those tales had in common was being initially terrified of Ushakov, to which I can relate. I recall Sergei — he was always just “Sergei;” I don’t think I knew his last name until last week — glaring at me from behind his thick-rimmed glasses and barking “Turn the fucking guitar down!” more times than I’d like to admit. Once you understood that it was all coming from a place of passion — Sergei really, really cared about sound in a way I’ve never seen from any producer, engineer or musician — you would see the sweeter side of the gruff Russian.

Following his death, Nectar’s released a statement on social media: “Words cannot begin to describe the impact Sergei had on everyone within his orbit. He was a true master of his craft with a heart as big as his passion for analog gear. Our hearts and condolences are with the Ushakov family as well as the thousands of us who were lucky enough to know him.”

Stay tuned in the next few weeks for a big Sergei story. The man certainly deserves it, and as Seven Days culture coeditor Dan Bolles discovered when he profiled him in a 2013 feature, Ushakov lived a fascinating, inspiring life.

For now, though, it’s just about saying goodbye. Nectar’s is holding a celebration of life in honor of Ushakov on Saturday, February 15, both downstairs at Nectar’s and upstairs at the Lounge, formerly Club Metronome, with more details to be announced.

In the meantime, Burlington is a little bit quieter without Sergei. I think he’d hate that, so let’s make sure we make some noise for him in 2025, OK?

Burlington singer-songwriter Sean Hood has released two new singles under his Eastern Mountain Time project. A double A-side, the singles serve as reunions with his bandmates from the folk act Hello Shark, Lincoln Halloran and Alex Decato.

“Mr. Jones [Working Title]” and “Best I Never Had” were recorded at the Electric Cave in Portsmouth, N.H., and mixed and mastered by Jer Coons at his studio in Jericho.

The tunes push a little more into indie-rock territory than Eastern Mountain Time’s earlier, alt-country terrain. Give them a listen over at easternmountaintime.bandcamp.com.

Jazz at the Lantern returns for its third season on Thursday, January 16, at the Brass Lantern Inn in Stowe. The inn serves as an intimate, jazz club-style setting once a month through the winter and spring, an ideal spot to listen to some music with a nice view of Mount Mansfield, wine and a charcuterie plate.

The series kicks off the 2025 season with a performance from Miriam’s Well, a new outfit including singer Miriam Bernardo, bassist Robinson Morse and pianist Andric Severance. MSJ Trio follows on Thursday, February 13, and Boplicity performs on Thursday, March 13. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit brasslanterninnevents.square.site.

Eye on the Scene

Last week’s live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry

Brett Hughes, Kat Wright, Pat Melvin and Pappy Biondo Credit: Luke Awtry

The Grand Old Après, Madbush Falls, Waitsfield, Sunday, January 12: I’m not sure what that river in Waitsfield is so mad about, but I always find myself pretty happy after making the crossing over the Green Mountains from Burlington. It took under an hour from a downtown shove off to a landing at Madbush Falls for the kickoff of the Grand Old Après on Sunday. The inaugural edition of the winter music series featured Pappy Biondo on guitar and banjo, Brett Hughes on guitar and mandolin, and Pat Melvin on upright bass. With Hughes at the helm, the trio drifted comfortably through covers and originals with no help from amps or mics. From what I could tell, these were calm waters and the flow was just right. Joined by vocalist Kat Wright, they finished out the two-hour tour with a Hughes original, “When We Finally Come Home” — a song from which you just can’t walk away mad.