Soundbites: Breath Support

Greetings, friends! Before we get into the week's music news, let's take a collective deep breath. I think we're all feeling a bit on edge this week and could benefit from centering ourselves before the inauguration. Ready? In through your nose, out through your mouth. And repeat. I'll give you a second... OK, now keep doing that for four more years. Jokes aside, and without plummeting too far down the political rabbit hole, it's important to remember that we're stronger together. Don't let frustration drive you to an insular place of fear and doubt. Use it to further your goals. If you're struggling for inspiration, maybe take a look at the local music scene. Since the election, many local bands and artists have stepped up to protest and support various causes. Acts such as NODON, Guthrie Galileo, Mark Daly, WaterFowl and Emma Cook have all used their music to support various causes and organizations in need of support recently. I fully expect that trend to continue as we move forward. Split Ends This week, we have to say two goodbyes. And one is a little more permanent than the other. After 12 years and four albums, folksy bluegrass band PossumHaw are calling it quits — but for a great reason. Banjo player Ryan Crehan landed a job way out west at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Naturally, his wife, lead singer Colby Crehan, will be heading out there with him. And, yes, this also means that Colby's other band, the Bluegrass Gospel Project, will be ending as well — I guess that's actually three goodbyes, then. The BGP's farewell concert is scheduled for February. More immediately, PossumHaw's official farewell show is this Saturday, January 21, at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. It's going to be quite a hootenanny. Several guest performers are slated to join in the fun, including vocalist Beth Duquette, guitarist and vocalist Bob Degree, Gene White Jr. on fiddle, and Seth Eames on electric guitar. Fun fact: This show will be the first time PossumHaw have performed with electric guitar. Also, presumably, the last. Career highlights include a serendipitous and spontaneous performance in 2006 (or 2007 — band members can't remember) at the now-defunct Champlain Valley Folk Festival and playing the famous Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — you know, the one that Bob Dylan famously played. While the performance…