Take for instance our friendly neighborhood—er—space? Designhaus.

That’s right, it’s a space, for whatever use you could possibly imagine. I have seen music, artwork, sculptures and massive amounts of fun take place in this “space”. Comfortably it seats about 40 people in the whole joint, making it a tiny space, but in my opinion, just large enough to keep the real art-observers in and the riff raff out. (Riff raff…hmmm…does Church Street even have riff raff?)

Dare I say that I have had one slight frustration with downtown Burlington in the past; although our plethora of colleges (five majors in this small area) keep our economy afloat, sometimes it can leave those of us inbetweeners (say…23+) feeling a little big for our britches. Or…a little old for our town. But when Designhaus settled on upper Church, all was changed. Finally, we have a creative space where all of us sorta-grownups can hang. Did I mention it’s BYOB?

Which brings me to my announcement about the next cool thing DH is up to this Friday from 5 p.m.-11 p.m.: The Open Fashion Shoot. Come experience the working photo studio! DH technicians will be on-hand giving demonstrations, answering questions, and facilitating fun. They need models, photographers and enthusiasts to get involved. Bring your friend, your kid, your dog… anyone can drop in to strike a pose or pop a flash. Image copies will be available after the shoot. Discounted studio memberships will be offered during the event!

One of the toughest things about being a diehard fan of Burlington musicians is that sometimes they do the unthinkable—they leave. Such is the story with Avi and Celia. They carved a serious niche in the Burlington Music scene when coming out as a rockabilly/soul/blues duet nearly six years ago. The first time I saw them, I was in love. Avi sings with a low simple voice (think Johnny Cash) while Celia wail’s like she’s embodying a 60’s blues mama (think Janis Joplin). They literally freak out on stage and know how to get the whole crowd jumping. The duo soon flew the coop and moved to Boston in pursuit of a bigger playing pool. It’s tough when that happens, but I understand it (as a musician myself). Sometimes you have to feel validated, and going to a strange place with complete strangers enjoying your music really does the trick. And sometimes, it can feel pretty lonely. So, when that happens, you pick up your gear and come back home, where Burlington awaits you with open arms. This must be one of those times! The two are coming back to Burlington this weekend for a CD release party for their new band: Hey Mama. This is not a show to miss. Hey Mama features Avi & Celia with Jared Seabrook and Ben Kogan on drums and bass. The rock & roll vibe of the band explores the groups deep influence in blues and roots-country music. The album was recorded with Grammy nominated producer Jack Gauthier at Lakewest Recording. Check them out. Nectars, this Saturday, 10 p.m.

Case in point…The Firehouse Gallery on lower Church. The Gallery is equally as known for it’s strange and fascinating displays of artwork as it is it’s support in music, roller derby parties, Mardi Gras events and now, this weekend, the afterparty party!

If you haven’t met Cynthia of Cynthea’s Spa on Church Street you should know that she is one of the most tenacious gorilla marketer’s there are. She takes full advantage of our communities support and in turn offers mountains of support to our community.

Tomorrow night she will link up with Top Hat Entertainment in support of brides who have attended our local Wedding Affair.  Take a load off and enjoy Music from Top Hat, a chocolate fountain from Fountain of Dreams and Cocktails by Fluid while unwinding and getting another chance to mingle with Brides and Vendors alike.

Don’t worry! There are prizes. Including:

a romantic Overnight Stay from the Courtyard Marriott

a Gift Certificate from Cynthea’s Spa

a Gift certificate from Top Hat Entertainment

a Gift Certificate from Leunig’s Bistro

and many more!

Use Yellow Cab to travel to the Party and receive a voucher for a FREE ride home 864-7474 (got to get everyone home safe!)

8 p.m.-10p.m., Saturday Nov.7, Firehouse Gallery Church st.

Costume

Stop by Old Gold on Main Street for this. The 37-year old store has an overwhelming plethora of costume ideas from Alice in Wonderland, to the Queen of Hearts, to dressing as a giant foam toaster! The prices are reasonable and the store in general is just…fun. Check it out.

Music

Halloween is all about going out dancing and showing off that costume. Because of this, I for once, do not recommend the sterile songwriter’s showcase, and instead advise you to go for a more hot and sweaty night of dancing. DJ Fattie B always knows how to throw a good party and this year, on Oct. 31, he will kick off a costume party at club Metronome on Main Street.

Spooky

Join creepy ghost guide Thea Lewis, author of the book “Haunted Burlington, Spirit’s of Vermont’s Queen City”  for a tour of terror through downtown Burlington. Find out if the very corner you like to drink coffee on is haunted by a madman! $13.00 per person. The tour meets nightly at 7 p.m. at the City Hall Park this weekend.

That’s it! Dress up, enjoy, but mostly, get on out of the house! Burlington really comes alive during this holiday.

Boy are we in for a treat tonight. The lovely Amber deLaurentis is blessing us with a night of songs at the Acoustic Lounge at Parima.

Amber is a fascinating creature. She’s a tiny little thing, and when you meet her,she comes across as shy. She has a bashful smile, and a soft approach. But just you wait until she gets to the piano, and belts out a whopping helping of soul that rivals Aretha Franklin (I think she actually covers an Aretha song, and that’s tough stuff!)

Amber deLaurentis has just released her first full-length record, “Hey Sadie” (available through www.amberdelaurentis.com, Amazon, and iTunes). Amber also teaches jazz voice at the University of Vermont. As a recording artist, she has collaborated with keyboardist Chris Cameron of Sonia Dada and Jim Tullio (producer of Mavis Staples and Los Lonely Boys). As a performer, she has opened for Patti Larkin, Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks, NRBQ, Tom Paxton, Marshall Crenshaw, Five for Fighting, Alana Davis, and Entrain. She has performed with artists including pianist Marcus Roberts, and has toured Scotland.

Amber collaborates with lyricist Sarah Blue, with whom all of the songs on the “Hey Sadie” were written. One of these, “Lonely in Love,” took second place in the Billboard International Songwriting Competition in 2002. Their songs have also been finalists the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and Unisong. In 2002, the Amber deLaurentis Band was one of six finalists (chosen from over 1,200 entrants by the editorial staff of Billboard Magazine) and took Grand Prize in the 2002 Independent Music World Series. Amber has performed solo and with her band in venues including the Bitter End in New York City, Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, Toronto’s North by Northeast, and Musikfest.

She will perform tonight with Burlington based musician Joe Adler draws on influences that range from the blues, folk, and experimental tendencies of Tom Waits, to the poetic leanings of Leonard Cohen. Adler’s lyrics visit bittersweet stories of love lost & won and the journeys of self discovery during times of joy and despair. This unique artist speaks to the listener’s ear and invites you into his world.

Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8.

Joe, joined by vocalist Andrea “Andie” Burke, will start at 8.

Amber, joined by Tom Cleary on bass, will start around 9.

One of Vermont’s best rockers is coming back home.

Like fellow artists Madonna and Cher, “SYD” is also a one name kind of man. Which is ok, because after listening to his music, a last name is kind of irrelevant.

After the Vermont native scored an impressive 500,000 downloads on mp3.com with earlier demos in 2002, his new album – acoustically driven pop a la John Mayer or Jack Johnson, with a lot of pining and lovelorn lyrics (albeit with a degree of earnestness Syd’s songwriting and voice always offer) – was intended to create a foundation for him as a singer-songwriter and it succeeded on all counts. Syd toured literally hundreds of colleges across North America, Fault Lines went on to sell a surprising 3,000 units, and Music Connection named it one of the “Top 25 Demos of the Year.” All of his albums sold an impressive combined 23,000 digital downloads on the major music stores.

But despite these triumphs, SYD still wasn’t satisfied. He became road weary and longed for something to spark his musical fire again.

January 2006, Syd hit the studio again and recorded a series of songs that were not only new, but entirely unlike anything else he had ever laid down. For starters, they were electric guitar-driven, which, seeing as though Syd had never really played the electric guitar in a studio for an album, was a bit of a problem. Solution: He taught himself as he went along, and somehow it worked. However, the mixing process, not so much.

Out of money and out of time, SYD sought out an old friend and producer Danny Weinkauf (They Might Be Giants, Fountains of Wayne, David Mead). Weinkauf took interest in the bedraggled but talented musician, and they spent their time together mixing and recording in Long Island.

His latest creation, The Way We Found It, has been receiving 150 downloads a day on Myspace since its first single “On a Friday” was posted. Syd continues his habitually relentless touring schedule throughout the East Coast and other select cities, including, coming back to roost in his roots. He will play with a full band at the Monkey House, 20 Main Street Winooski, Sunday at 8 p.m. Be there!

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Bob Levinson teaches music. Not at a local high school, and not at a local university, but, he has braved the recession to become one of Vergennes Vermont’s primary private music instructors.

What instruments do you play/teach?

I teach guitar, electric bass, percussion, trumpet, songwriting, composition, and beginner piano.

When did you realize that you wanted to teach music for a living?

I actually did not choose to teach.  Twenty-four years ago in New Jersey, my guitar teacher, the late great Harry Leahy guided me into the teaching profession. One day, I came in for my lesson, and he asked me where was I teaching.  I told him I wasn’t teaching anywhere.  He immediately sent me to apply for a teaching position at a music school and a store that gave lessons.  He gave me ideas and teaching tips and he said the rest was up to me.  I started teaching and never looked back.  It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Harry Leahy recognized me as a musician and as a teacher and showed me that I had something of value to offer the world. I never forgot that and to this day my curiosity pushes me to continue to grow and study as a musician.

How has the economy affected you?

The economy now and in the past has always affected me as a teacher, player and a writer.  It is a big part of the arts and how we see ourselves in the world we live in. This isn’t he first time I have tried to survive in a down time as a musician and teacher.  I am doing okay because I teach more than just one instrument and I have been doing this for a long time.  My heart goes out to those just starting out.

How have the many changes in the music industry/culture affected you?  What changes have you had to make?

The biggest changes in the music industry are technology and the monopolization of the radio airwaves. It is extremely important for musicians to continue to study music and theory, but it is also important to keep up with technology.  Also, the music business has produced great art, but it also has sold out to the quick and easy buck. Making music is an art that is also a business.  One cannot do well with out the other.  When the balance is off, we all suffer from it. Between the FCC allowing the monopolization of radio by large corporations and the record companies putting out inferior product, the world of music has suffered. The new musicians have to be more disciplined to find great music to be inspired by.  I myself struggle to find new material and often must look to the past to inspire upcoming musicians. There are great young players and writers out there.  It’s very hard for them to succeed and promote themselves without radio; the public relation of interconnecting music and art is lacking in radio and unfortunately has not yet found its way through the Internet. Both need to happen.  I hope that we can return the airwaves back to the people and to the creative artistic minds that used to run it.  Then we will have art and smart business working together.

If you could give advice to a struggling musician, what would it be?

If you are serious about music as a career you must be willing to be there for the long haul.  It is about a body of work over a lifetime. It is about the people you work with and the ideas and experiences you go through.  Whatever your dream may be, just be passionate, focused, continue to learn and grow, never compromise your art or the truth inside you and most importantly, embrace the process of getting there.

Want to take lessons?

Bob Levinson’s private studio is in Vergennes. He charges $20, for half-hour lessons, but he is flexible with rates of two or more family members want lessons, or if economic issues arise. 877-2649, songs212@gmail.com. Listen to some of Levinson’s original music at: http:\\profile.myspace.com/BobLevinson.

Your mission this weekend: Eat Asian Cuisine!

Which shouldn’t be too hard to do…at all. While I was walking to my favorite hot-spot the Asiana House for some Sushi Wednesday night, I noticed that there is a Plethora of Asian restaurants on our small street and even around its corners.

Just a few for instances:

A Single Pebble located at 133 Church St. is to die for. Their style is “family style serving” which basically means, they put some of the best food in Burlington in the middle of your table so you can all rotate and pig out together.

Pacific Rim, located at 111 St. Paul Street lost their booz for a little while, but not to worry, their amazing ginger-infused Sake is back in action along with some of the tastiest and inexpensive Thai food around. You can literally walk out full and tipsy for $12. (if you’re of age…of course).

Walking up to 144 Church Street, Bangkok Bistro is the decadent little eatery with the giant umbrellas to shade you while sitting outside. As of about two years ago, they added sushi to their menu, alongside hefty and familiar helpings of Thai food.

I’m sure you catch my drift. Well, not entirely. Don’t forget these:

Sakura, Asiana House, Asiana Noodle Shop and Parima. (I’m sure there are many more).

There! Not only is the food mostly really good for you but you’ll finally figure out how to use those pesky chopsticks. Check them all out!

If you live in Burlington, you know Nathan Jarvis.

He’s the young playwright with indie/funk fashion and a face from the God’s (yeah…that one!) Weather he was setting up performances and the once club Pearls (which is now a Papa Johns?) or dazzling you with an epic intermission at Higher Ground’s Drag Ball, you’ll be sure to all find three things in Nathan’s plays: Fashion, music, and a whopping dose of psychedelic fun.

So, in keeping the theme of fashionmusicpsychedelicfun alive, enter Rue Mevlana. The Glam electronic-pop sophomore album “Batz & Beez”.

The collective brings out Nathan and the rest of his crew in a sincere original compilation of pure curiosity. The high harmonies and crooning melodies over a kicking electro-produced beat may leave you scratching your head for a while, but ….scratching your head feels so good! It’s nice to find a band and sound that challenges your usual listening patterns and awakens your inspiration. We need this Burlington. Go check it out.

Rue Mevlana brings the house down tomorrow at the Monkey House in Winooski. Local new-folk songwriter Antara opens the show. $5

While strolling down lower Church Street, you may have noticed that a certain club has had a (in my opinion, much needed) face-“lift”.

The club space “Toast” that was once huge for live rockin’ music, continued to transform into dance club after dance club (Millennium, Second Floor) and seems to have finally settled into a comfortable (and fashionable) skin.

Local DJ and heartthrob to both men and women, Craig Mitchell, purchased the space and turned his now named club “Lift” into a dance club proper. The entire atmosphere has a different feel. There are smooth leather couches, a newly built DJ hut and even a sectioned off VIP lounge towards the back. I had the honor of spending some QT time at lift about a month ago when famed Roots drummer ?uestlove popped in to spin some Michael Jackson in honor of his passing. This club is hot. The crowd is much like Mitchell himself: fresh, fun, funky, and fabulous!

The music at Lift is dedicated solely to a dance crowd. Do NOT come here if your plans are to be a wallflower on the side. It will be nearly impossible to step into this new club without having your dancing spirits immediately…well…lifted.

Lift is located at 165 Church St. 660-2088. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Wed-Sat, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Sun.

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