[Searching_for_quiet]

Thanks for your response!

Having been to Burlington a few times I can see that it seems to be the most "college like" city. I do remember there were a couple of pubs that had bands. We are hoping to find something going on more towards the southern part of the state. Ideally we'd like to stay within 2 to 2.5 hours of Boston...all our kids are down near there.

If we were so bold as to try and open a coffee shop or some sort of space focusing on music, does anyone think that the local economy would support it? Are there enough people who would like to go out and do that sort of thing? We'd try to do activities that start end earlier...like shows from 6:00 PM to 9:00 or 10:00.
As a musician myself (although it's not my main source of income) I know even the most talented musicians don't necessarily have the expendable funds to support a business based on their attendance. We'd have to bring in "regular" folks looking for a quality night out.

[voyager977]

Not to steer you away from VT, but have you considered the 5 colleges area of western MA? Plenty of music scene out there and a good Vermont like vibe. Just a thought. ��

[thunderkat59]

Originally Posted by Searching_for_quiet

My wife and I just spent a few days over Thanksgiving up in the Brattleboro area. We're poking around for possible retirement locations and find the area appealing.
As an active musician we asked many people we met where we could go hear live music and kept getting the response that "theres not much of a scene up here in Vermont, aside from the ski areas".

Is that really true? Aren't there places that professional / amateur musicians congregate and play regular gigs? I find it hard to believe that almost any city can't support at least one venue that would have music every night of the week.....even in a pub type atmosphere. The type of music we're most interested in would be termed "Americana / folk / bluegrass / rock or even jazz. Down here near Boston the scene is just continuing to grow (not that there is a ton of money to be made) and there are many places to go out and meet others and play almost any night.

Any input from locals would be appreciated. I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but haven't seen too many others about this topic, so I hope this is an appropriate place.

Thanks!

You heard what I found to be the truth in my few years in VT.

[Searching_for_quiet]

@ voyager977 :
yes....we're also looking around that area too, but there is something about Vermont that feels more rural. We certainly haven't made up our minds yet and are still in the exploration phase of the process. As is often stated in these forums "along with more work (of almost any sort except online only) comes more people". It's a big decision for sure, and for us there would be some other advantages to staying in MA too. Time will tell!

@ thunderkat59 :
It wasn't a huge number of people that we asked the question of - maybe 5 or 6 - but they seemed like the types of people that would know about the scene (or apparent lack thereof). The said a lot of musicians live in Vermont, but make their money elsewhere out on the road. Frankly I don't have any desire to start touring the country at this point, but wouldn't mind playing 10 or 15 gigs a month to pick up some extra income....the closer to home the better! :-)

[VT'ah]

vermont and new hampshire are amazing places to live, of course, until the cold weather hits...i live in the south and miss home...but the cold will keep me here...

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by scoobydew

Someone always ends up making this comment, but I disagree. People may be people, but people also create vastly different cultures in different regions of the country. For many people, these vast cultural differences are too much to overcome. This becomes especially true if you are not really interested in changing yourself to meet the expectations of people who can't or won't accept you as you are.

I agree too. Some places are a lot more accepting of "freeloaders" than others. Unfortunately I don't think Vermont is one of them. People there are liberal on the surface and not mean-spirited, but from what I've heard, not particularly friendly or willing to help people they perceive as being capable of helping themselves. Whether those people actually need the help or not.

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by Wanderlust Wisdom

The only variance to standoffish seems to be fake overly done friendly to the point of being off-putting?



Well you just described Seattle, Portland(OR), San Fran and Los Angeles to a T. The above sentence I just paraphrased from the quote is why the West Coast is a loser nowadays and to be truly unemcumbered by such ill-fated social graces, one must truly strike out and blaze a fresh city-dwelling trail.



The West Coast = socially and soulfully in its death throes as of 2014

Yup, pretty much. People here are so anti-social, and the ones who aren't totally overdo it. I admit to being guilty of this myself (both of them), but it still drives me crazy.

[DauntlessDan]

I think at the end of the day it all comes down to the attitude you bring with you. My wife and I only moved to VT 15 months ago but sometimes I can already see why most Vermonters don't like "transplants". For one I'm already sick and tired myself of sharing the road with M@ssholes. And the attitudes of some people. Our local Vermonter friends that we have actually found quite easy to make always tell us we're not transplants, we're original...they would never be able to tell the difference(even though we're a little more conservative than some of them). All about the attitude. You get what you give.

Wife and I grew up, went to school, lived in Vermont many years, still have family there. I agree with some of what you say. There are some places in Vermont that are more friendly than others. Some aren't friendly at all. But, and I have encountered this on the other end, if you came to Vermont with a "let me show these bumpkins how it's done" or I am from _____ and I am smarter, more cultured, more educated, BETTER than you", attitude, then you will probably get your head handed to you or at least be shunned. NOBODY likes people looking down their nose at them and have experienced my fair share of city types, whilst in Vermont, whether they be from NY, NJ, CT or MA just to name a few, doing just that. If you want to come and try to be one of the people and fit in, fine. But please don't rattle on about how "it is done in the city" or make it your first objective to get on the local ______ board so you can try and tell the rest of us how it should be done.

[timberline742]

I just spent the last four days there (my beer fridge and cellar is now fully stocked again, thanks Lawson!), and boy, I think the state is actually getting friendlier from when I lived in their in the early 90s. Great time, though I forgot about the mud season. Haha.

[Bang!]

When you talk about 'Vermont people' you need to understand that like any other state there are any number of sub-cultures each with their own nuances. If your attitudes, values, goals, etc. align with any of these groups you'll get along just fine. If not, then maybe you'll feel a little out of place.

In my area there are, in my view, three or four loosely defined groups:

1. The Old Vermonters who are generally speaking very kind and helpful people but perhaps a little skeptical of outsiders until you earn respect. This group tends to be Classic Liberal not to be mistaken with the new breed of Progressive Liberal that makes up most of the state now. As classic liberals they're generally non-judgmental about others so you can will get along fine with this group even if your politics are different as long as you're willing to invest a little time and effort in helping you neighbors.

2. The New Vermonters who idealize the Old Vermonter way of life but are still on the outside. Unfortunately I know a lot of people in this group who for whatever reason just haven't made it to the inside with the Old Timers. If you're in this group and trying to get closer to the Old Timers understand that while they are generally tolerant of Progressives lifestyles don't mistake tolerance for acceptance. From what I've seen people in this group either transition to one of the other groups within a few years or they leave the state.

3. The Pot Smokers who... well they smoke pot. You'll find lots of new and old time residents in this group as well as people from all economic strata. Where I'm from this group is most of the town. If you're on the outside of this group you'll be lonely. You'll find yourself on the outside of most social things going on in town. The Pot Smokers are generally easy to get along with on the surface level but difficult to build close relationships with if you're not one of them. The Pot Smokers seem to be accepting of just about anyone with one exception, conservatives. If you're politically conservative don't tell anyone...ever.

4. Maybe not a true sub-culture, but there are an awful lot of Degenerate Criminal types who come from families both old and new to the state. This group overlaps with the Pot Smokers but most certainly do not share their gentle and harmless nature. This group is the underclass in Vermont and appears to be growing in size every year. If you align with this group you will find the Old Timers and New Vermonters unwelcoming to you. You will, however, find the Pot Smokers to be excellent customers.