• Courtesy
• Pete Sutherland and Emmett Stowell

Putumayo is preparing to celebrate its 30th year. The New York City-based record label, which now partially operates out of Charlotte, took its name from a Latin American handicraft shop that Dan Storper opened in 1975, after the then-23-year-old returned from a trip to Colombia's Putumayo River valley. Seeing Afrobeat outfit Kotoja at a 1991 performance in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park inspired Storper to turn Putumayo into a world music label, which he and cofounder Michael Kraus launched in 1993.

As well as releasing records from around the globe, Putumayo has contributed more than $500,000 to nonprofits where its releases originate. Folk Alliance International acknowledged those efforts in 2021 with the Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award.

To kick off the anniversary celebration, Putumayo will release the new collection African Yoga on April 28. Cocurated by Storper and New Orleans musician and yoga instructor Seán Johnson, the album offers soothing melodies to soundtrack a yoga session. The physical package also includes a 16-page booklet of information about the artists and the history of yoga and music.

Happy (almost) birthday to Putumayo!

When musician Pete Sutherland died in November, the fixture of Vermont's folk music scene left behind a legacy of teaching and supporting young musicians. As artistic director of the touring group of Young Tradition Vermont, a program dedicated to teaching folk music to young people, Sutherland touched the lives of generations of Vermont musicians.

Related Life Stories: Musician Pete Sutherland Was a 'Unifying Force’

Life Stories: Musician Pete Sutherland Was a 'Unifying Force’

By Sally Pollak

Life Stories

To honor that legacy, the Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture will hold Mud Season Spectacular, a showcase of young traditional musicians on Friday, March 31, at the Capital City Grange in Berlin. The group will play a set before holding a Balfolk dance, a European-style folk dance that will be played by multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Williams and a group of visiting Québécois youth musicians.

For tickets, visit summitschool.wixsite.com/summitschool.

Eye on the Scene

Last week's live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry

• Luke Awtry
• Everybody's Favorite Irish Drinking Songs Band

Everybody's Favorite Irish Drinking Songs Band at Red Square, Burlington, Friday, March 17: It's 3:30 p.m. on St. Patrick's Day. I step into Red Square and immediately am alerted that the band is throwing things. Something shiny flies overhead, followed by something else. I can't tell what the objects are, but I want one. I make it to the front, where Sully — Seven Days art director the Rev. Diane Sullivan — smiles at me. I get a few shots off before being struck in the chest by one of the projectiles, which is denser than I expected. It's warm, and it smells good. I've been pelted with a baked potato! When the band calls me out and breaks into AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)," I turn bright red, but in that lighting, no one can tell. The band only exists for one day a year, so ... see you next year, Everybody's Favorite Irish Drinking Songs Band. And thanks for the potato.

On the Air

Where to tune in to Vermont music this week:

• "Wave Cave Radio Show," Wednesday, March 22, 2 p.m., on 105.9 the Radiator: DJs Flywlkr and Gingervitus spin the best of local (and nonlocal) hip-hop.
• "Exposure," Wednesday, March 22, 6 p.m., on 90.1 WRUV: Indie rockers H3adgear play live in studio.
• "Rocket Shop Radio Hour," Wednesday, March 22, 8 p.m., on 105.9 the Radiator: Host Tom Proctor plays the best of local music.
• "The Sounds of Burlington," Thursday, March 23, 9 p.m., at wbkm.org: Host Tim Lewis hosts singer-songwriter AliT.
• "Cultural Bunker," Friday, March 24, 6 p.m., on 90.1 WRUV: Host Melo Grant plays local and nonlocal hip-hop selections.
• "All the Traditions," Sunday, March 26, 7 p.m., on Vermont Public: Host Robert Resnik plays an assortment of folk music with a focus on Vermont artists.

Listening In