The way Marco Benevento kicked off his weekly residency on October 14th at the Radio Bean couldn't have been any better. Everything worked -- the energy, the vibe, the sound, the intimacy of the small room. Two-minutes into his first piece of the night, it was like the room experienced collective transcendence. Distorted piano notes were already bleeding over the edge. The rhythm section (Andy Borger on drums and Dave Driewitz on bass) was immediately so locked-in and tight that it felt completely loose. One song in and you just knew: there's going to be some great fucking music made in this room over the next four Friday nights.

And for round two last Friday night, they did. Some of Burlington's finest hit the stage -- saxophonist Caroline O'Connor, guitarist Bob Wagner, bassist Mike Gordon and vocalist Kat Wright all joined Marco. Yep, plenty of great collaborations. But my favorite part of all the guests was when vocalist Samara Lark hopped on stage to sing The Knife's "Heartbeats." Samara has also been working the door the last two weeks at the Bean. Only at the Radio Bean and only with a host like Marco could the person working the door take a break, get on stage and crush it, and then go back to work. Marco & the Radio Bean: the perfect pair. I can't wait for some more magic this Friday night…