Loose Change, Wednesday, September 1, 8:00 – 9:00 pm

Daniel Mench-Thurlow and Eben Schumacher are two high school students from Vermont who play a mixture of blues, classic rock, and original songs. Some of their greatest influences are the Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and The Doors. They have been playing together for about two years, and enjoy performing and sharing their music.

Verbal Onslaught: First-Year Orientation Edition, Thursday, September 2, 11:00 pm – 12:00 am

The First-Years are coming! The First-Years are coming! We will welcome them to Middlebury 51 Main-style with a little Verbal Onslaught. Drawing from our Middlebury community of faculty, staff, students, local community members and other special guests, Verbal Onslaught adds dynamic poetic and cultural diversity to our vibrant town nestled between the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks. Shy and Outspoken Poets, Storytellers, Writers, Artists, and Listeners are more than welcome.

Guagua, Friday, September 3, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

Guagua’s original “psychotropical jazz” blends guitar, piano & horn melodies with tropical African, Caribbean & Brazilian polyrhythms for a uniquely exuberant and danceable sound.

The Neil Pearlman Band, Saturday, September 4, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

Scottish music with a heavy dose of Latin, Funk and Jazz. Pianist Neil Pearlman (“I’m a fan!” –Alasdair Fraser) is rapidly distinguishing himself as a uniquely innovative artist in the contemporary traditional music scene and his newest project continues that trend.  Drawing on a wide variety of musical influences, Pearlman and his fellow musicians take traditional Scottish and Irish melodies to unexpected and exciting places.  High energy and grooving, their music may be difficult to classify but is anything but difficult to listen to.

The Energy of Thought with Dorothea Langevin, Thursday, September 9, 5:15-6:45 pm

Local resident and Professional Certified Energy Coach Dorothea Langevin will facilitate a discussion, “The Energy of Thought: Tapping Into Our Internal Energy Sources Through Powerful Questions.” By combining a life long love for reading and questioning with her training as a Facilitator and Professional Certified Energy Coach, Dorothea will be offering thoughts from various sources as a base for an engaged exchange of thought. She writes, “As latest research in Quantum Physics shows, powerful questions are the key to connecting with the most powerful energy source there is: our connected consciousness.”

Dorothea affectionately calls this “The Other Book Club,” as it involves no preparation, no homework, no assigned readings. She wants you to come, sit back, and join on any level that feels right for you. It’s for all of you who like to ask questions, feel inspired by thought that challenges our current beliefs, and are willing to ask, “What if…?” Dorothea notes, “There are no right answers, only answers that ring true for you!”

Charlie Hilbert, Thursday, September 9, 8:00 – 10:00 pm

New York City blues legend Charlie Hilbert has played the blues for forty years – from his time in the streets of NYC with harmonica master Nat Riddles to his recent performances with Adam Gussow, headlining Mundharmonikalive in Klingenthal, Germany, and teaching and playing at Hill Country Harmonica in Oxford, Miss. If you like traditional blues, harmonica, and slide guitar, with maybe a country or rock tune thrown in, come on down; you won’t be disappointed.

Middlebury Arts Walk ft. Tim O’Grady ’12 and Sophia Perlman ’12, Friday, September 10, 5:00 – 7:00 pm

From September 7 through 30, the brick walls of 51 Main will feature, “Bygone Vermont: Photographs from Vermont’s Rural Past,” an exhibit by Middlebury College students Tim O’Grady ’12 and Sophia Perlman ’12.

Vermont has been popularized in the American consciousness as a place of rural charm, simplicity, and natural beauty. The state’s landscape itself is imbued with meaning as a place that reflects a simpler time in American history. The vernacular architectural structures of Vermont sit upon expansive farmlands, open fields, and winding country roads. Every year, thousands of tourists come to admire the area’s transcendental beauty. However, most overlook individual elements in the landscape, instead preferring to view the state as an ideal place seen in travel guides. If one observes Vermont with an acute eye, it becomes evident that the pristine image of Vermont is not always upheld in reality. Rural decay coexists with the open pastures and rolling hills. Along the major roads that tourists, students and locals frequent there are a plethora of dilapidated barns and abandoned homes that reflect greater social issues, such as poverty and a decreased interest in rural lifestyles among young Americans. Although “decay” and the notion of a “Bygone Vermont” may have negative connotations, Tim and Sophia hope to emphasize, with their collection of photographs, the modern state of Vermont rural life and the aesthetic beauty inherent in these structures.

Their images will be shot with traditional 35mm black and white film and some digital color photographs. By photographing the buildings on a variety of scales—ranging from up-close architectural details to more distant images– they hope to present a complex representation of how decay is present in Vermont.

Dreams of Tomorrow, Friday, September 10, 8:00 – 10:00 pm

Nick Marshall is a student at Middlebury Union High School. He plays a combination of acoustic, grunge, and progressive rock n’ roll. Influences include Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Black Label Society and Rush. He loves to play music and share it with anyone who is willing to listen.

Jenni Johnson & Friends, Saturday, September 11, 9:00 pm – 12:00 am

Jenni Johnson has been described as “a renaissance woman” in the many articles written about her for publications such as the Burlington Free Press, Seven Days, Vermont Woman, Rutland Herald, as well as articles in New York State and Yaroslavl, Russia. Born in New York City’s Harlem Hospital and raised in the Big Apple, she now resides in the Green Mountain State where she wears several hats in order to “Moonlight in Vermont.” Jenni will be joined by Mark Van Gulden on keyboard and Glendon Ingalls on acoustic bass. Enjoy an evening of jazz and blues when Jenni renders her unique style,  keeping your feet moving and your soul full of joy.