High and Loathsome is band that plays songs and improvisations, a band that floats between form and freedom, structure and ambiance, intention and attention. The band first gathered in the summer of 2025 to record a batch of songs that Michael Roberts (guitar, vocals) wrote during a year living and traveling in East and North Africa. The plan was simple, but the results raised more questions than answers. In the hands of Stefan Amidon (drums), Max Adam (bass, synthesizer) and John Levin (ARP Odyssey) the songs took on new life, blooming into moments of minimalism and free improvisation, collapsing and coalescing into new soundscapes, and finally reassembling into familiar forms. The songs breathed, and a new band was formed inspired equally by the music of Michael Hurley and Miles Davis.
High and Loathsome, based in Brattleboro, Vermont, draws fully from the experiences of these four musicians who have spent their careers as sound explorers. Michael Roberts founded the indie folk band Wooden Dinosaur, leads the country band The Rear Defrosters, composes ambient guitar music, and conducts sound research. Educator, singer, and folkie lifer Stefan Amidon has made a name for himself as
Vermont’s most in demand drummer, from The Sweetback Sisters to Zara Bode’s Little Big Band to The Devil Makes Three. Sound engineer and bassist Max Adam was a founding member of The Amity Front, Western Mass’s folk-rock luminaries. John Levin, one of the godfathers of Brattleboro’s experimental music scene, has been opening ears for years through his solo work and as a member of The Ill Wind Ensemble, Green Hill Builders, and Tweak.
“Known for his sessions and live shows with artists like Califone, Jolie Holland, Adan Jodorowsky, Psychic Temple, Simon Joyner, Alex Dupree, and others, Max Knouse has established himself as an essential factor in the West Coast indie pop underground, brandishing guitar chops that mirror the rawness of his voice; he treats his instrument like a divining rod of spiritual tension and joyful racket, pushing and pulling on it with affection and sometimes something darker . . . “ - Aquarium Drunkard
Doors are at 7pm and music will start at 730. This show is all ages and seating is limited and also first come first served.
Thanks to support from Savings Bank of Walpole, this show has an Access For All option which lets you name your price (you can't buy multiples of this option at the same time, so to buy more than one ticket, it is necessary to do each additional ticket in a different transaction).