Dark winters up north, an encyclopedic knowledge of Americana music mixed with punk rock sensibilities, and a heart easily broken (and re-broken) make for songs that are crushing and redemptive.

It’s easy to understand why Burlington, VT’s Lowell Thompson and his band Crown Pilot are getting hailed as the “next big thing” for the alt-country set. It’s hard to find a review that doesn’t include favorable comparisons to the likes of Gram Parsons, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, vintage Rolling Stones, and the various Americana revivalists that used to grace the cover of No Depression. While there’s truth to the hype, the fact is that Thompson’s music is informed as much by the names above as it is by less expected sources like Fugazi and early Elvis Costello.

Thompson’s latest album entitled “Lowell Thompson and Crown Pilot” features contributions by local Vermonter’s like Phish’s Page McConnell, Grace Potter and Son Volt’s Mark Spencer. The record has been garnering positive media attention at home, nationally (including Rolling Stone) and in the press across the Atlantic.