• Courtesy Of Rico James
• Mavstar

At 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 7, Brattleboro radio station 96.7 FM WTSA will launch its new program "Listen Local." The one-hour show will air weekly and be available as a podcast at wtsaradio.com. Bands and artists from Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire will be its focus, though the show will also spotlight touring acts coming though area clubs.

Mitch Harrison, owner of Next Chapter Records in Putney, is set to host the program, which is sponsored by local music institutions such as Next Stage Arts in Putney, the Farm Road Estate Music Festival in West Dover, Guilford Sound recording studio and Retro Music in Keene, N.H.

Hartford-based actor and singer-songwriter Tommy Crawford has a new single dropping on Thursday, April 11, "Mountain Song," inspired by his love for his Vermont adopted home.

In a press release, Crawford said the song "takes a page from the kids' albums of folk heroes like Woody Guthrie and Doc Watson ... while I would love parents to croon these tunes to their kiddos, I'm equally happy for the songs to inspire people of all ages to go out hiking and camping and to sing along with nature's melodies."

So get your babies in a ring sling, hit the trail and check out tommycrawford.bandcamp.com.

Burlington rapper Mavstar released "Adamantium (feat. D.French & Konflik)" on March 22. The smooth, slow-burning jam features Mavstar's easy flow complementing the more aggressive press of Konflik and D.French's bars, all interspersed with samples from the Clint Eastwood film Dirty Harry.

Mavstar has been a fixture on the Vermont hip-hop scene since dropping The Meltdown in 2012. He's never stopped evolving as an MC, and "Adamantium" shows off a confident, lyrically fluid rapper ready to drop some of the best work of his career.

A full-length LP titled Verona comes out on July 5, with four more singles promised before then. The single is streaming now on Spotify and mavstar.bandcamp.com.

Eye on the Scene

Last week's live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry

• Luke Awtry
• säje

säje, Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, Sunday, March 31: Though the official criteria are still unclear to me, by Kingdom law, I'm not a Vermonter. However, in my 22 years of post-Masshole bliss in the Green Mountain State, I've seen many a rise to fame, from Anaïs Mitchell to Grace Potter to Noah Kahan. Vermont is a low-key star factory. My theory: It's because of our music-supporting school systems. Recent Grammy winner — and Mount Mansfield Union High School grad — Erin Bentlage of säje was in town with the band for an Easter night show at Higher Ground, and it basically turned into an MMU music program reunion. The local scene was well represented by graduates: Members of Cricket Blue, Andriana & the Bananas and Black Fly and solo performer Avery Lavoie were right up front. Even MMU choir director Caleb Pillsbury, Erin's high school chorus teacher, was in the house. The band itself was incredible — the four-part harmonies were angelic and, at multiple times in the set, those little hairs on my arms stood up. Though not born here, they stood proudly for Vermont.

Listening In

Spotify playlist of Vermont jams