The inaugural Green Mountain Reggae Festival debuts September 6 through 8 at the Bradford Fairgrounds. With a stacked lineup of top reggae talent from Vermont and abroad, the fest features Easy Star All-Stars, Mike Love, Mihali, Culture featuring Kenyatta Hill, the Brighton Beat, the Medicinals and many more.

The event was conceived of by Matt Strong, a music promoter and tour manager who moved to Bradford from New York four years ago. Together with local marijuana dispensaries and growers such as Forbins Finest and Winooski Organics, Strong had put together the Green Mountain Smoke Out in recent years, a private, one-day fest with two to three bands. After surveying the Bradford Fairgrounds in May, he decided it was time to throw a proper festival.

"I've had this idea for, like, five years," Strong said. "But once I saw the grounds I thought to myself ... Holy hell. The layout is perfect. This is the home for my festival."

As tour manager for the New England reggae band Sundub, who are also on the bill, Strong had a plethora of connections to call on. He put together the bill with more than 20 acts, as well as tons of local vendors, artists, daily workshops, a kids' tent with games and childcare for parents looking to get irie.

Strong is very aware of the legacy of the Vermont Reggae Festival, a mega-popular festival originally held in Burlington from 1986 to 1990.

"The original Reggae Fest was so huge for Vermont," Strong said. "I wouldn't be doing this with such care if it wasn't for that legacy. But we're not trying to get to that size yet, we're not shooting for 40,000 people. We're trying to bring our take on reggae as a force for community and love."

Check out greenmountainreggaefestival.com to purchase tickets and learn more.

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A festival unlike any other in Vermont, the fifth annual Afterglow returns next month to shine a light on suicide awareness. Launched by John Holzscheiter and Andrea Wells after their 18-year-old son, AJ, died by suicide in 2018, the one-day festival is the showcase event of the Afterglow Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring those lost to suicide and helping those affected by it find resources and support.

Partnering with Josh's House in Colchester, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Afterglow features workshops and speakers throughout the day. There is also a memory wall for attendees to share mementos of loved ones lost to suicide.

"We try not to overburden the vibe of the show with sorrow and hurt that goes along with suicide," Holzscheiter said in a phone interview. "But we have to bring it down sometimes and let people know why we're here and what we do. We're there to celebrate the lives of those we lost. But every year we try to balance that with fun and music."

Holzscheiter is particularly proud of the bill he and the other Afterglow Foundation members have booked this year. Local cover band stalwarts Quadra return, joined by duo King Me and the recently reformed Burlington indie rock band Chin Ho! Singer-songwriter Samantha Mae Patnaude will also take the stage and debut a new song titled "Reverie," which she wrote for her mother, who died by suicide.

"Every year, I feel like it gets easier for people come up to me at the concert and tell me stories of their loved ones," Holzscheiter said. "So much of what we try to do with Afterglow is remove the stigma of talking about suicide, because more people are impacted by suicide than you can ever imagine."

Afterglow takes place at Hard'ack Recreation Area in St. Albans on September 21. Visit afterglowfoundation.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Eye on the Scene

Last week’s live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry
Maris, Wallflower Fest 2024, Burlington, Sunday, August 25:
King Buffalo, the riff-rock shred masters of Rochester, N.Y., must’ve been wildly disappointed when they got to Burlington and realized that Wallflower Fest is a celebration of one of Burlington’s hippest spots, the Wallflower Collective, and not a homage to Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers. But it was a raging party with nonstop music on two stages, live tattooing from Seven Symbols Tattoo, and really, really good hangs with old and new friends. With the help of Wallflower regular Willverine opening up the indoor stage, the early vibes were good, but I need to give credit to Los Angeles pop sensation Maris for getting things started. It was her boundless spirit, positivity and ability to connect with her audience that set the tone for the day – a mash-up of pure energy, love, acceptance and openness. Wallflower Fest’s third year was the biggest and best yet.

Listening In

Spotify playlist of Vermont jams