You need a special occasion to lure Linda Boudreault onto a stage and up to a microphone these days, almost four years after the beloved dance band Dr. Burma disbanded.
“In the last year, I think I’ve done three gigs or something,” the Vershire-based torch-singer-turned-yoga-instructor said this week. “I don’t come out of my cave too much. It’s nice to see the other side of the day that I missed a lot with all the nights. And I have a horse now.”
So what makes this Sunday afternoon’s UnCommon Jam festival, in Newbury, Vt., worth rounding up Burma alumni Ted Mortimer, Casey Dennis and Marcus Copening, recruiting Party Crashers saxophonist Katie Runde, and revving up her voice?
“It’s my old stomping ground,” Boudreault explained. “I grew up in North Haverhill, and there are people I get to see there who I haven’t seen in years. It’s that community thing.”
The festival begins at 1 with a set of modern bluegrass from The GrassFed Boys, followed by the Nobby Reed Project with its blend of blues and funk. Boudreault’s Linda B and the Barncats close the village’s farewell to summer, which also features lawn games for kids of all ages and sales of local food and craft beer.
It doesn’t hurt that Mortimer, the guitarist (and Boudreault’s husband), who continues to perform regularly around the Upper Valley with the Party Crashers and other bands as well as solo, played the Jam with the Stone Cold Roosters and enjoyed the vibe.
“Something like this isn’t about the entertainers,” Boudreault said. “It’s about adding to the festivities. These kinds of things are really fun.”
The UnCommon Jam runs from 1 to 6 Sunday afternoon, on the common in Newbury Village on Sunday. Tickets ($10) are available at the gate and at courtstreetarts.org.