Lucky 13: A baker's dozen acts worth checking out at this year's Waking Windows festival

One of the great things about an intimate music festival like Waking Windows is getting the chance to see old bands, and old friends, you haven’t seen in a while, letting you catch up and add some new good times to those good old days.

Another great thing about an intimate music festival like Waking Windows is that it’s small enough not to overpower you with ultra-familiar top-of-the-marquee names. It’s nimble enough to sneak plenty of “Who are they?” acts into the lineup who might just become your new favorite discovery.

Something old, something new – that’s what’s made Waking Windows a Winooski institution since 2011. That was 13 years ago, so in honor of that supposedly unlucky number, let’s look at 13 live music acts you ought to catch at the 2024 iteration that runs Friday, May 3, through Sunday, May 5.

Many of these bands and solo artists perform Saturday as part of the festival’s centerpiece, literally – the outdoor Rotary Park stage that sits smack in the middle of downtown Winooski with cars and people circling by all day long. Other performers will be scattered inside venues throughout the city. Now, get out there and hear some music!

Friday, May 3

7:20 p.m., the Burlington act Young Laidy makes sweet and low-fi indie-folk that’ll ease you gently into an otherwise hectic weekend, Four Quarters Brewing. (Free)

9:40 p.m., the music of New Yorker Aubrey Haddard bursts from its singer-songwriter base with flourishes of electronica infusing the songs with pop energy, The Monkey House. ($15 for full evening of music)

Saturday, May 4

($55 admission for Rotary Park and all other venues today; free for ages under 12; admission charge is per venue for those not buying day passes)

4:15 p.m., Rolling Stone last year called Katie Von Schleicher ’s album “A Little Touch of Schleicher in the Night” “a low-key revelation,” marking her “as a major star in sad-sack chamber pop,” Rotary Park.

5 p.m., Bristol-based musician Rebecca Ryskalczyk makes indie-pop-rock that beautifully embraces the weird, The Monkey House. ($20 for full day of music)

5:15 p.m., the Israeli-born guitarist Yonatan Gat leads a fiery blend of punkish, instrumental-driven world music, Rotary Park.

6 p.m., he’s also a bit of a sad sack (Waking Windows is actually a fun festival despite the prevalence of mope), but Jon McKiel creates songs illustrating the phrase “achingly beautiful,” Standing Stone Wines. (Free)

6:15 p.m., Texas-based act The Vapor Caves is going to ramp up the dance vibes with its funky, soulful, modern R&B, Rotary Park.

7:20 p.m., Aly Spaltro, aka Lady Lamb , has visited Vermont many times, and the Maine native always brings her intense and poignant songs and frequently ferocious guitar skills with her, Rotary Park.

7:40 p.m., Brattleboro singer-songwriter Ruth Garbus performed a mesmerizing Waking Windows set in 2019 – the same day her sister, Merrill Garbus, played the festival with her band, Tune-Yards – and makes a welcome return to Winooski, 41 Main St. ($10 for an evening of music)

9 p.m., the proto-punk Vermont-based rock band with the amazing origin story , Death , plays a rare show following a short 8:30 p.m. set by Rough Francis , the like-minded Burlington rock band featuring the sons and nephews of Death’s members, Rotary Park.

Sunday, May 5

4:20 p.m. don’t sleep on Barbacoa just because these surf-rockers have been around a long time and play a lot of local shows; guitarist Bill Mullins and the band are still as tight as they come, Four Quarters Brewing. (Free)

7:20 p.m., the fertile Brattleboro scene that includes Ruth Garbus (see above) also nourishes the spooky synth-pop of Dutch Experts founder Hannah Hoffman, The Monkey House. ($15 for full day of music)

8:10 p.m., conveniently slotted right after Dutch Experts, Burlington-based Greg Freeman is making waves around the country with his creative take on Neil Young-ish Americana rock, The Monkey House. ($15 for full day of music)

For more information

www.wakingwindows.com

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com .

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Lucky 13: A baker's dozen acts worth checking out at this year's Waking Windows festival