Arts
Kings & Queens and Everything in Between
Max P. Martini's Entertainment Shorts
Rising Stars to Get Northern Exposure
Rising Stars To Get Northern Exposure
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| Sarah Bolen performed at Radio Bean, Burlington on March 6th & at 135 Pearl in Burlington on March 7th | Skott Freedman performs at UVM on April 3rd. |
by Roland Palmer
Young, talented, and masters of their chosen instruments, Sarah Bolen and Skott Freedman will both be performing in Burlington, Vermont in the next couple of months. Bolen, who performed at 135 Pearl in January 2003, will be back for two solo performances. Freedman, who has previously played at Saint Michael’s and Dartmouth College, will be at the University of Vermont.
Sarah Bolen grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill with a master’s in political science and minor in Spanish. Her relatively late start on the guitar (in 1993), is surprising once you hear how masterfully she plays. Her 2001 debut release, Naked On The Inside, was written, preformed, produced, and financed by Bolen while she was still in college. She is now living in Northampton, MA and touring to promote her newest CD, Late Night Confessions.
Skott Freedman grew up in New Jersey and was a child piano prodigy; winning statewide competitions by the time he was fifteen. Freedman released his debut CD, Swimming After Dark, in 1999, followed by a limited four song extended play release, Best Little Boy, in 2000. His third recording, which was his first full-band effort, titled Anything Worth Mentioning received glowing reviews and was voted #1 album on the Outvoice charts in May 2001. Freedman was named the 2002 Outmusic award winner for Best New Recording – Male and is now touring to promote his fourth CD, Some Company. Freedman is currently the nation’s youngest touring bisexual activist who when not performing travels the country with his lecture, “Battling Biphobia and Bringing Bisexuals Back to Both Communities.”
Having never heard either of these rising stars, I was amazed to discover many similarities between these two performers. Both Sarah and Skott have not only started to gain recognition in the United States but have toured internationally as well. Sarah has performed in Spain and Italy, while Skott most recently performed in Sydney, Australia. Skott and Sarah are amazingly talented musicians who play their chosen instruments, piano and acoustic guitar respectively, expertly and with passion.
Both are heartfelt, talented songwriters whose lyrics are honest, refreshing, and truly original. In Bolen’s “BFF”, we hear “I am jealous of that one strand of hair, strays from the rest to flirt with your eye” while in Freeman’s “Fairytales” we hear “Well it can’t always be like the fairytales that we used to believe, and sooner or later time’s gonna run out.” Bolen and Freedman’s songs make you think, feel, and wonder. Both also use their voices as an instrument, which makes listening to them perform with only their guitar and piano, a truly melodic experience, where you can really focus on what they are singing about.
I encourage you to catch both of these performers at their upcoming live Burlington performances, as like shooting stars they’ll be here only briefly but to hear them live will truly be a memorable musical event you won’t soon forget. If you can’t catch them you can listen to audio clips and read their song lyrics on their web sites – www.sarahbolen.com and www.skottfreedman.com
Roland Palmer is the President of the Board of Mountain Pride Media and an occasional contributor to these pages. He lives in Hinesburg.