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Venue of the Month
Edited by David Saslavsky
The Higher Ground of Music
By Douglas Newton
As Charlie Hunter played the first chord I ever heard at the Higher Ground, I recalled my parents' stories of the incredible concert experiences of their youth. While I was venturing off to enormous arenas across the Northeast, my parents had the pleasure of seeing acts like Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and Bob Marley in venues holding no more than several thousand people. They explained how unbelievable it was to see a show in a place so small you had a great seat no matter where you were, it seemed the concert was meant especially for you, and the music sounded exactly the way it was intended. I have always been a music buff, particularly live music, but I never really understood how important the venue is to the concert until that fateful night. I had come to the Higher Ground to see John Scofield play with Jon Medeski and Chris Wood from Medeski, Martin, and Wood, and Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown's longtime drummer. The place was packed, but by packed I mean only about 500 people to see one of today's greatest jazz guitarists and most talented young bands. Before they could dazzle the crowd, however, the opening act hit the stage.
Usually when you see an opening act, it is just a quick preview to let everyone settle in with the audience anxiously awaiting the headline band and unwilling to get involved. What amazed me right away about the Higher Ground was that these two conventions were laid to rest in the first five minutes. Charlie Hunter and Pound for Pound played an awe inspiring hour-long set that set the tone for the entire evening. The atmosphere of the opening act impressed me on three levels. The crowd was the energetic, appreciative, music-loving crowd one hopes to find at a venue just outside Burlington, Vt. Additionally, the instant I heard the acoustics of the place and realized my proximity to some of the best musicians of our generation, it was easy to understand why, when it comes to concerts, smaller is most definitely better. Finally, people would have come to see Scofield and MMW without an opening act, but delivering such an incredible extra dose of music sent the message that this place is for real. By the time Scofield, Martin, Wood, and Stubblefield had finished tearing down the joint, I was a certified addict of the Higher Ground.
Since that night, I have made the seventy-five minute drive from Dartmouth College several times a month. The Higher Ground resides in an unsuspecting little shopping center off I-89 in Winooski, VT about five minutes from legendary Burlington. The moment one steps inside this musical Mecca, it is clear that pleasure awaits. Everything needed for musical enjoyment is there. For those lucky enough to be legal, there is a bar to help ease you through the night - though from the looks of the bar during show-time few seem too concerned it exists. The club itself is a picture of simplicity with subtle and tasteful touches, knowing that anything too intense might detract from the acoustics and music the audience is coming for. There are a whole slew of couches in the back of the club for those looking for a real relaxing evening. The heart of the club, however, lies directly in front of the stage. An expansive wooden dance floor is the place for young and old alike to forget about life for a few hours and groove to some of the best music anywhere. The dancing projects an energetic atmosphere that always seems to end up in the instruments of the night's band-members guaranteeing a great night. I can say without hesitation that some of the shows I've seen at the Higher Ground rank among my lifetime favorites. I remember standing two feet from legendary drummer Billy Cobham when Jazz Is Dead decided to blow several hundred people's minds for a couple of hours. Just when you thought the energy inside and the earthquake like feel from everyone's dancing was all the Higher Ground could give or take, on came David Schools and Domingo Ortiz from Widespread Panic, who had played earlier at the Flynn Theater. It seemed the aura had also lured these masters and forced them to join in the party with a melodic and unique Dark Star for a truly grateful audience.
Probably the concert that I think best sums up the Higher Ground, was seeing the Jazz Mandolin Project a few months ago. My friends and I arrived and to our delight, we saw couches lined up all along the concert floor. Let me tell you that there is nothing in the world more relaxing than seeing a concert in the friendly confines of a soft comfortable couch. Everyone was in paradise. As the concert neared its conclusion, Jamie Masefield explained how rare it was to play for an audience that was so noticeably into the music but also knew how to sit back and let the musicians really do their thing. He enjoyed playing just as much as the audience enjoyed listening. And just in case anyone doubts how much fun they had, it comes as no surprise that JMP chose the Higher Ground as one of only four venues for their Tour De Flux with Jon Fishman, the drummer of Phish.
All the concerts I've seen in Winooski, VT bring the three things together that make a show: a fantastic audience, musicians that are really excited to play for them, and clear crisp sound. That is why the venue truly reaches Higher Ground and is a place worth the trip.
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