Thursday July 12, 2012

WILMINGTON -- Historically significant as the place where Howard Dean announced his candidacy and where Mick Jagger once dined, Dot’s was one of the many Wilmington businesses severely damaged by the floodwaters brought by Tropical Storme Irene.

On Saturday, music industry heavy-hitters Jon Pousette-Dart and the Aztec Two-Step will perform a benefit Concert to Rebuild Dot’s at 8 p.m., at Memorial Hall. The concert is presented by the Green Mountain Songwriter Series and the Wilmington Fund.

"We’re absolutely ecstatic," said Julie Linberger, one of the organizers of this Wilmington Fund event.

Jon Pousette-Dart and Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman of Aztec Two-Step have friends in Wilmington and personal ties to the area and were willing to step up and help as Wilmington continues to rebuild its business community.

"They have a genuine affinity for the area," Lineberger said.

They also have earned legions of fans through music careers that have spanned four decades.

Pousette-Dart led the Pousette-Dart Band, a mainstay of album radio in the 1970s. The band worked with a who’s who that included The Byrds, Bonnie Raitt, the Eagles, Little Feat, James Taylor, J. Geils, Billy Joel, Journey and more. The band took part in the Frampton Comes Alive and Yes Fragile tours. When the band split up in the ‘80s, Pousette-Dart continued on and has recorded four albums since then.

Fowler and

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Shulman met each other in 1971 and became a duo the next year, recording a much-heralded debut album, which was named in 2007 one of the top five debut folk albums of all time by Real Simple magazine. Now celebrating their 40th year, they have appeared with The Band, Bruce Springsteen, Harry Chapin, Jonathan Edwards, Talking Heads, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Suzanne Vega, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett and countless others.

Premium seating for Saturday’s event is $150 (limited to 100 seats), and includes dinner with the artists. General admission to the concert is $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

Proceeds go to rebuild Dot’s, a mainstay of downtown Wilmington and local gathering place.

For tickets and information, visit www.thewilmingtonfundvt.org.

-- Jon Potter