This summer, the Bandwagon Summer Series continues its electrifying run with a performance that promises to defy musical gravity. On Sunday, June 8 at 6:00 pm, Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber lands at West River Park (333 West River Road, Brattleboro) for an unforgettable night of cosmic sound and genre-bending improvisation.
Founded by the late cultural critic and sonic visionary Greg Tate, Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber (BSAC) is a sprawling collective of NYC-based musicians known for pushing boundaries and fusing styles with raw energy and technical brilliance. The ensemble draws deep inspiration from the Conduction method pioneered by Butch Morris, creating orchestrated improvisations that are never played the same way twice.
Now in its twenty-sixth year, BSAC is led by Jared Michael Nickerson, the group’s co-founder and electric bubble bassist. Under his guidance, the Arkestra continues its journey through what Tate called “a vast, darkly energetic cosmic realm of noise and riddim.” Expect a soundscape where Sun Ra collides with Funkadelic, and where Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and King Crimson all leave their fingerprints on the vibe.
As Rolling Stone’s David Fricke described them, Burnt Sugar is a “multiracial jam army that freestyles with cool telekinesis,” and their live shows are known to be deeply immersive and joyfully unpredictable.
The lineup includes:
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Shelley Nicole – Vocals/Conduction
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Miss Olithea – Vocals/Electronics
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Bruce Mack – Vocals/Conduction
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Lewis “Flip” Barnes – Trumpet
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“Moist” Paula Henderson – Bari Sax
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Leon Gruenbaum – Keyboards/Samchillian/Talk Box
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Ben Tyree – Electric Guitar
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Marque Gilmore tha Inna Most – Trap Drums/Electronics/Conduction
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Jared Michael Nickerson – Electric Bubble Bass
Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the gate, and as always, children under 12 are free. Tickets and more info are available at nextstagearts.org.
The Bandwagon Summer Series, presented by Next Stage Arts, is a family-friendly outdoor cultural series that brings world-class talent to ballfields, farms, and parks across Putney, Brattleboro, and Bellows Falls from May through September. Every show includes a dedicated kids’ area, food from Smokin’ Bowls, and Barr Hill cocktails for the grown-ups. Audiences are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs and settle in for an evening of community and live performance under the open sky.
This concert is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and six New England state arts agencies.
Join the groove, feel the rhythm, and witness a band that redefines what a live music experience can be. Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber doesn’t just perform—they teleport.
