
Rain Date October 9





Indigenous Peoples’ Day Rocks!
Saturday, October 8, 2022 from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Concert 3:30 – 6:30 p.m.
(Rain Date Sunday, October 9, 2022)
Town of Stowe Stowe Events Fields, Weeks Hill Rd.
Named a 2022 Vermont Chamber of Commerce Top Ten Fall event, Stowe Vibrancy celebrates the third Indigenous Peoples’ Day Rocks! in Stowe. It’s a daylong offering of Native American culture, education, and music, including blessings by Chief of the Abenaki Nation, Abenaki drummers, Native American singers, authors and storytellers, vendors and artisans. Click here for more details.
As the day winds down the rock-and-roll show begins featuring Blues Hall of Fame inductee Joe Louis Walker, Vermont’s own Dave Keller, and many tribal performers. Check back here for concert tickets.
Join us at The Current on Thursday, May 5, when Chief Stevens speaks about Abenaki culture. CDs of the 2nd IPD Rocks! concert support funding this year’s event. You can also support the tribe by becoming a sponsor. Read more on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/1QD8fTKr6
A HUGE thank you to our sponsors and partners, the generous contributions of our 2021 donors, the amazing Joe Louis Walker, members of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe, musicians and performers, and you the attendees of this event.
Fire Keepers (Gifts of $1000+)
Allies (Gifts of $500 – $1000)
Friends (Gifts up to $500)

Jesse Bowman Bruchac, is a Nulhegan Abenaki citizen, traditional storyteller, musician, and Abenaki language instructor. As one of the last fluent speakers of Western Abenaki, he works vigorously to revitalize the language and culture. His efforts have led to the creation of a Western Abenaki website, Youtube channel, Facebook group, and a number of bilingual publications.
As a musician he has produced several albums of Abenaki music, including traditional drum, rattle and flute. He has opened for The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and performed at Woodstock ’94. He won the Best Storyteller Competition at Indian Summer in Milwaukee in 1995. Jesse has also acted as consultant, translator, composer, and language coach for programs on AMC, National Geographic, and PBS.
Jesse began learning stories, songs, and language as a child from elders and his father Joseph. He has traveled throughout the United States visiting schools and universities to share Northeastern Native American traditional stories, music, language, history and culture for over two decades. He continues to learn and teach the language, including at the University of Southern Maine.

Bella Sances, hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and East Montpelier, Vermont, a singer and songwriter since she could talk surrounded by her musical family. She is classically trained and majored in jazz studies at the University of Vermont. Bella has performed nationally as a back up vocalist, including a performance at the Montreal Jazz Fest. She performs locally in Vermont with her band Bella and the Notables, with Remi Savard, with the Vermont Jazz Trio, solo at jazz or blues jams, at Burlington Discover Jazz Fest, and holds a monthly residency at The 126 with her band beginning September 2021. She has studied with Amber DeLaurentis, Tom Cleary, Tom Stewart, Patricia Julien, Ray Vega, Sheila Jordan, Dominique Eade, Karrin Allyson, Don Trennor, Madeline Cole, John Proulx, Michael Zoldos, and Elaine Dame to name a few. In addition to her music she works with children with autism spectrum disorder while studying to become a music therapist.
Peter Schmeeckle, music director of IPD Rocks,

Jeremy Hill, bass player for the Vermont Jazz Trio, is one of central Vermont’s busiest musicians. He is a rhythm section regular for many groups including those led by Ray Vega, James Harvey, Alex Stewart, Bruce Sklar, Gabe Jarrett, Marty Fogel, Jake Whitesell, Shane Hardiman, Dan Ryan, Dan Silverman, and Vermont Jazz Trio. Jeremy also plays with Vermont’s contemporary chamber music ensemble, TURN Music. He “cut his teeth” during the ‘90’s in the New Hampshire seacoast area as one of the founding members of the rock band Percy Hill, and through his time at UNH where he played steadily with the Seacoast Big Band and took advantage of many opportunities to work directly with some of the planet’s finest jazz musicians including Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, “Slide” Hampton, Kenny Werner, Hal Galper, Fred Haas, Tom Cleary, and many more. Playing jazz is Jeremy’s main goal, but he also has extensive experience with orchestral, chamber music, musical theater, rock, and the blues.
