South Burlington does not come up often enough in the upstate road-trip conversation, but Higher Ground has been making the drive north worth it for years. WILLIS plays the venue’s Showcase Lounge on Sunday, July 12 — and this is the kind of show you want to catch now, in a room this size, with a band moving this fast.
About WILLIS
WILLIS formed in Florence, Alabama in 2016 — five high school friends who started recording in a bedroom and eventually set up in Nashville. The five-piece is Murphy Billings on vocals and bass, guitarists Edward Armstead and Trey Murphy, drummer Glenn O’Steen, and keyboardist Will O’Steen. Their sound blends indie rock with southern blues and surf rock elements — warm, rhythmic, built to play loud in a small room.
Their breakout track “I Think I Like When It Rains” hit number one on TikTok’s U.S. chart in 2023 and lived in the platform’s Viral 50 from 2022 through 2025. Over 350 million streams and an RIAA Platinum certification later, the streaming numbers are almost beside the point. Four EPs in the Locals series built a devoted following, and their debut album I Can’t Thank You Enough, released April 2024, arrived alongside a fully sold-out national headline tour. People show up knowing every word — the live set is the whole reason.
Their 2026 summer run includes stops in DC, Philadelphia, Houston, LA, Kansas City, and Chicago — Burlington is early on the route.
About Higher Ground
Higher Ground anchors Burlington’s live music scene, and the Showcase Lounge is the right-sized room for a band at this stage — close enough that there is nowhere to hide. The venue is at 1214 Williston Rd in South Burlington, drawing from across North Country Vermont for exactly this kind of night: a band on the rise, in the room before the rooms get bigger.
Show is all ages. Doors at 7:30 PM, music at 8:00 PM. Plan your drive accordingly — Burlington fills up on summer weekends.
Tickets
Tickets for WILLIS at Higher Ground on July 12 are available via See Tickets. Don’t wait on this one.