• Courtesy Of Eleanor Petry
• Katie Von Schleicher

You read that right: This is an all-Waking Windows music section. We'll catch you up on Vermont music news next week. This week is about helping you navigate the goings-on in Winooski for the 12th annual fest.

Faithful readers of the section might recall my advice from Waking Windows past: Abandon a plan. Once again, I urge you to let yourselves wander. Winooski is a small town. You're not going to blow an ACL trudging around the rotary, and the chances of you discovering your new favorite band are pretty high.

That said, it's not a bad idea to focus on a few shows you just can't miss. While anything on the Rotary Stage will be fair game, it's pretty common for the more intimate venues, such as the Monkey House, to fill up quickly.

In that spirit, here are three shows I'm prioritizing this weekend. Feel free to join or make your own path!

Reorder Narcotic, Friday, 8:50 p.m., at the Monkey House: Those keeping stats on Waking Windows will notice that a certain band has played the fest every year: Swale. The Burlington-based indie rockers were in danger of blowing their streak this year after realizing not all of their members were available. But Swale guitarist and vocalist Eric Olsen saw an opportunity. Along with longtime collaborator and Blue Button bandmate Jason Cooley, he put together a project the two have been dreaming about since 2002: Reorder Narcotic.

"I wanted to do this massive, Glenn Branca-style guitar orchestra," Olsen said, referencing the late avant-garde composer and guitarist. Branca famously convened entire orchestras of electric guitars, bringing in some of New York City's best six-string samurai, such as Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Page Hamilton of the hard-rock band Helmet.

Olsen has organized a Vermont version, drafting an eye-popping lineup of local guitarists: Luke Awtry (Dogface, Andriana & the Bananas), Cooley, John Flanagan (the Wet Ones!), Amanda Gustafson (Swale), Julian Hackney (Rough Francis, Death), Lauren Costello (ouzkxqlzn) and Zack Martin (Carrigan). They'll be supported by two drummers: Urian Hackney (Death, Iggy Pop) and Jeremy Fredericks (Swale, Blowtorch). Swale and Rough Francis bassist Tyler Bolles holds down the low end.

"Everyone in Swale ended up being available after all," Olsen pointed out with a laugh. "So we're all doing this. That still counts — the Waking Windows record stands!"

Do I have any clue how that many guitars will sound together? Hell, no. But with this kind of talent involved, it promises to be a beautiful cacophony.

Katie Von Schleicher, Saturday, 4:15 p.m., at Rotary Park: New York City-based singer-songwriter Katie Von Schleicher turned heads with her 2023 release, A Little Touch of Schleicher in the Night. The album showcased a songwriter capable of crafting witty and gorgeous dream pop on topics ranging from the anxiety of being left behind to regrets that she didn't take nudes of herself when younger. The album's guiding influence, Harry Nilsson, would approve.

With an almost aggressive level of charm and tongue-in-cheek lyrics (check out her recent NPR "Tiny Desk Concerts" appearance, where she works in lyrics shouting-out Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson), Schleicher's music moves from whimsical to emotionally heavy moods, often in the same song.

• Courtesy of George Goldberg
• They Hate Change

They Hate Change, Sunday, 9:20 p.m., at the Monkey House: Sonically, They Hate Change are all over the map. Hailing from Tampa, Fla., the hip-hop duo draws influences from the state's flourishing '90s rave scene. Vonne Parks and Andre Gainey work in tandem as dual producers and MCs, laying down East Coast-style raps over UK- and Ibiza-flavored beats and Chicago footwork. It makes for a synthesis of classic and modern hip-hop and EDM, suffused with clever, music-nerd lyrics.

According to Nagle, the Waking Windows crew tried to book THC for years before landing them this year. Better late than never! Check out their latest EP, Wish You Were Here..., to see why they were so coveted and get a preview of their show at the Monkey House.

Eye on the Scene

Last week's live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry

• Luke Awtry
• Dad?!

Dad?! at Despacito in Burlington, Saturday, April 27: After just over a year of writing this mini column, it's time I introduced you to Dad?!. Yes, the band's name ends with an interrobang, the seldom-seen love child of a question mark and an exclamation point. I believe that requires it to be said with a slight head tilt and the kind of low-to-high vocal inflection reserved for moments of deep questioning. Full disclosure: Dad?!'s lead guitarist is Seven Days music editor Chris Farnsworth. When I expressed interest in writing about Saturday's Despacito show, Chris chuckled and said I probably couldn't — so I went over his headstock for approval and got it. The band consisted of little bro Pat Farnsworth on rhythm guitar, Joey Bowling on bass, Jeff LaBossiere on drums and Lily Sickles up front, swapping between vocal, hand percussion and drama-queen duties. These sons and daughters have all been doing this for a long time, so maybe it's the cumulative hearing loss that makes them turn it up to 11. More likely, it's the pure joy of playing rock and roll with best friends. Whatever it is, I'm real proud of you, Dad?!.

Listening In

Spotify playlist of Vermont jams