BRATTLEBORO — Fourteen area youth rock bands and solo artists will take the stage at 118 Elliot in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont, on Saturday, Oct. 1, for BrattRock 2016, the first Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival.
Performances will be on two stages, one indoor and one outdoor, between 5 and 10 p.m. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. The festival will feature food vendors, as well as an arts and crafts activity tent hosted by the River Gallery School, according to a news release.
The final performer line-up for BrattRock 2016: From Brattleboro and surrounding towns: Impending Exorcism, The Faints, Negative Space, Nomad vs. Settler, Oak Grove Blues Band, Sophie Waters, and Third Dimension. From Western Massachusetts: Cape Fournier, Cosmic Duct Tape, Felixis Jinx, Kalliope Jones, Raspberry Jam, and Rool Bunk. From Hinsdale, N.H.: Zebulon Hildreth. Performer bios are available on the BrattRock Facebook page.
In addition to performing at the festival, youth musicians will participate in hands-on music workshops offered by area music professionals and educators Wyatt Andrews, Aaron Chesley, Samirah Evans, Matt Hall, June Millington, Kevin Parry, Dan Seiden, and Peter Siegel.
Executive Director Russell Bradbury-Carlin approved the plan for Youth Services to act as BrattRock's fiscal sponsor, allowing festival organizers to raise funds under Youth Services' nonprofit status.
To date, BrattRock has received grant funding from the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Community Foundation, and sponsors include Guilford Sound, Youth Services, the Brattleboro Music Center, WKVT, C & S Wholesale Grocers, 118 Elliot, Oak Meadow, Hilltop Montessori, The Brattleboro Retreat, and Rouleau-Holley's Tae Kwon Do.