$20 Advance | $25 Day of Show

All Ages

Seated Show, first come first serve. Standing Room Only in the back.

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The 12th Annual “Home for the Holidays” Benefit Concert curated by Troy Millette & the Fire Below returns to Higher Ground on December 12, 2024 to benefit Special Olympics Vermont and Northwestern Counseling & Support Services!

Featuring a special full-band acoustic set à la MTV Unplugged from Troy Millette & the Fire Below, as well as performances by Ryan Sweezey & the Midnight Walkers, Forest Station, and Frankie White

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TROY MILLETTE & THE FIRE BELOW

What’s in a song? A dash of creativity, a few fresh rhymes, and a full serving of heart are the recipe for success according to singer/songwriter Troy Millette, who alongside his band the Fire Below has gained recognition as one of the region’s most engaging live acts.

Since emerging on the local circuit in 2009, Millette’s emotive and relatable lyrics have made him a staple of dives, clubs, and festivals across the northeast United States and Quebec. In March 2022 he was invited to showcase his talents at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. That same year, the Fire Below received the title of Vermont’s “Best Folk Group” at the Seven Daysies Awards.

In addition to hundreds of headlining shows, appearances at festivals such as Grace Potter’s Grand Point North, and even a promotional run with Senator Bernie Sanders, Millette and company have shared bills with the likes of MT. JOY, Counting Crows, LIVE, Bowling for Soup, Trey Anastasio (of Phish), Richard Marx, Rick Springfield, the Front Bottoms, DEER TICK, Marcus King Band, American Authors, Josiah Johnson (of the Head and the Heart), Brett Dennen, Dawes, lovelytheband, the Ballroom Thieves, and many more!

The debut solo EP from Troy Millette entitled  “Living With A Ghost” is a five-song collection that Seven Days says is “sure to strike a chord with fans of storytelling Americana troubadours such as [Jason] Isbell and the radio-friendly stylings of Kip Moore.” The singles that followed, “I Miss You,” and “Stay (Please)” have received recognition as a “Monthly Best” from Seven Days Magazine and entertainment blog County Tracks.

Tom Higgenson of Plain White T’s likened the pandemic single “I Miss You” to “classic Tom Petty storytelling, with modern pop repetition.”

The group’s full-band debut, a cover of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” is available to stream now.

 

RYAN SWEEZEY & THE MIDNIGHT WALKERS

Ryan Sweezey is an acoustically-driven singer/songwriter who blends together classic rock and 90’s alt rock influences to create memorably catchy and relatable original music touching on the subjects of love and heartbreak, aging and modern struggle, and anxiety and mental health issues.

Born and raised in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, Ryan spent several years cutting his teeth at open mics and the late-night bar scene around Boston before relocating to Burlington, VT. On top of ongoing recording projects, he performs countless shows around the Northeast both as a solo performer and as front-man of his band Ryan Sweezey and the Midnight Walkers. The band currently features Ryan on guitar, Joshua Glass on keyboards, Chris Doncaster on bass, and Eric Belrose on drums.

Ryan has released five studio albums of original music – 2012’s No Hollywood Star and 2013’s Fall with Brian Maes at Briola Studios in Lynn, MA – 2017’s Starting Over with George Woods at The Record Co in Boston, MA – 2020’s acoustic Meadowlark Sessions with Dan Kruglak at Meadowlark Studios in Williston, VT – 2022’s Out Searching with Christopher Hawthorn at Studio 150 in Burlington, VT. His original music has been featured on local radio stations like The Point FM in Vermont.

 

FOREST STATION

Forest Station is a Vermont-based bluegrass group born in the Rocky Mountains and realized in the Greens. Its blend of high energy, tight pockets, and just enough improvisational grease will scratch your itch for real, honest bluegrass.

Guitarist Eli Martell-Crawford and mandolinist Alex Skowron began playing together in Bozeman, Montana in 2019. At the base of the Bridger Mountains, they formed a communicative musical bond that has resulted in innovative string music spanning the traditional ideal and pushing a unique style into unknown territory.

A move east to Vermont introduced life changes, ambitions, and musicians. After meeting local banjo mainstay, Thomas Bryce, the three began formulating musical ideas and a blueprint for the ideal Bluegrass band. Thomas’s driving banjo rolls and traditional sensibilities brought new life to their existing catalog and forged a new sonic path forward. Shortly after, they were joined by Bassist Finn Lester-Niles, and Forest Station was chartered. With Finn’s multi-genre background and formidable dynamics, the band can drop into cavernous improvisational moments and blistering Bluegrass standards.

Their writing partnership, love for the natural world, and appreciation of Bluegrass music (and beyond) yields reflective music steeped in the mountain ranges, landscapes, and forests that surround them; literally and figuratively.

FRANKIE WHITE

Frankie is a singer/songwriter from Burlington, VT. Growing up, she was drawn to melancholic and simple sounds from the likes of Ingrid Michaelson, Birdy, and Cloves. Additionally, she was heavily influenced by ’90s rock bands such as Weezer and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

As a result of these two styles, Frankie’s music is uniquely melancholic and melodic as she brings together piano-driven melodies and rock overtones to create her own sound.