The Higher Ground Showcase Lounge lit up with the powerful vocals and classic rock singer/songwriter fusion of Ryan Sweezey and the Midnight Walkers on Friday 3/14.
The night kicked off with Audrey Pearl, the Vermont-born artist who surprised the audience with her unique mix of folk, indie rock, and pop, inspired by her experiences growing up in the Green Mountain State. While she is well-established in the Burlington music scene, this was Audrey’s first performance at Higher Ground. She was supported by an incredibly talented band, featuring Evan on bass, Alex on guitar, and Bastien on drums.
Their set consisted entirely of Audrey Pearl originals, highlighting her newest EP, Long Term Plans, released in 2024. Her song “Dustbunnies” resonated with many audience members, as it was her attempt at “making a fun song about being mentally ill.” The song is inspired by her experiences living with OCD.
As a Vermont-born musician, Audrey draws a lot of inspiration from the unique experiences that come with growing up in Vermont. During the intro to her song “A Time Like This,” Audrey spoke to the audience, sharing her fear that “all the things that made growing up in Vermont special are disappearing.” This sentiment seemed to resonate with many in the crowd.
The set ended with one of the singles from Long Term Plans, “She’s Holding My Hand,” one of Audrey’s most popular songs.
Audrey Pearl Setlist
Pale Yellow Moon
Toothpaste
Never go back
Dustbunnies
A time like this
She’s holding my hand
The second act to take the stage was another Burlington-based band, the Jesse Taylor Band. Featuring singer-songwriter Jesse Taylor, the band brought an exciting mix of pop, punk, and rock to the stage with their energetic performance. Jesse was joined by guitarist Nicholas Treis, bassist Ian Morris Greenman, and the band’s incredible drummer.
The band opened with their new single, “Thinking of You,” released in 2024. Their high-energy performance featured several unreleased songs, including “What’s New,” “Saturn,” “Tidal Wave,” “Still the Same,” and “Procrastination Queen.” The band has released acoustic versions of “Still the Same” and “Procrastination Queen” on YouTube, and fans are hopeful for new music releases this year.
During their set, the band took a moment to introduce their mascot, Crownut, to much audience excitement.
Although Jesse mentioned that she didn’t have the energy to engage with the audience between songs, she shared, “I love you, and I’m really glad you’re here. Life is hard and it’s scary, but it’s important to get together,” before performing the song “Always Do.”
Jesse Taylor Band Setlist
Thinking of you
What’s new
Comedown
Adore you
Saturn
Ever changing
Tidal wave
Still the same
Blue
I Always do
Procrastination Queen
Ryan Sweezey and The Midnight Walkers took the stage in the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge on Friday for a spectacular set, highlighting his powerful voice and soulful lyrics. The singer-songwriter traded his acoustic guitar for his Les Paul as he opened with a pair of songs from his upcoming sixth album, set to release later this year—“Superhero,” followed by “Black Widow.” Ryan revealed that both songs were narratively about the same woman, joking that it “didn’t end well.”
For this show, Ryan was joined on stage by Joshua Glass on keys and backing vocals, Chris Doncaster on bass, and Eric Belrose on drums. The four-piece band rocked the small Showcase Lounge stage as the crowd pulled in close.
After swapping guitars, Ryan introduced the top song from his debut album, No Hollywood Star, “Breathe.” Many long-term listeners in the crowd sang along with this throwback tune. After several more original songs from his newest album, Out Searching, and “All Through the Night” from his second album, Fall, the band jumped into their first cover of the night—a high-energy rendition of the classic rock song “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” by the Spin Doctors.
The first single from the new album, “Sleepless Nights,” is set to release next Friday, 3/21. Before playing the song, Ryan shared that he had been working on it on and off for many years, struggling to figure out the ending, but ultimately decided it needed to be included on his latest album.
The band finished their set with a fun call-and-response with the audience during the chorus of “Alright (For a Little While)” from the album Starting Over. The houselights flared up to highlight the audience as they followed Mr. Glass, singing the responses through the uplifting song.
After leaving the stage for only a moment, the band returned for a two-song encore of “Kings of the Broken” and “Bright Lights” before the night came to its real close.
Ryan Sweezey and the Midnight Walkers Setlist
Superhero
Black Widow
Midnight Walker – unreleased cover from a previous disbanded group
Breathe
My turn
Honest liar
All through the night
Searching for water
Little Miss cant be wrong – cover by the spin doctors
Sleepless nights – unreleased out on 3/21
Cobblestones
The one up there
Poison kisses
Bartender
Alright
Encore
Kings of the broken
Bright lights –Cover By Matchbox 20
RYAN SWEEZEY AND THE MIDNIGHT WALKERSWebsite | IG | Facebook | X | Youtube
JESSE TAYLOR BAND
Website | IG | Facebook | Youtube
AUDREY PEARL
HIGHER GROUND
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