Archive for July 20th, 2010:
In preparation for an upcoming presentation at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25, in Rangeley, I got to thinking about the allure of long-distance trails. Long-distance trails possess a magic in that from any point on the trail, one can envision the route continuing “just around the bend” for days and days, if not weeks. Around each river bend or summit crest, new discoveries await.
Most of Maine’s music fans have enjoyed one or more of the bands that were fronted by either Pat Colwell, his brother Bob, or both over the years. With the release of their new record “New Shoes – Old Blues”, they have combined their talents with other highly acclaimed Maine musicians to produce a musical walk through time from the 1960’s to the present day.
L.A.-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist Shane Alexander has drawn comparisons to everyone from Jeff Buckley to Art Garfunkel and Jackson Browne, thanks to his beautifully emotive vocal style and his haunting, finely crafted songs. Born in San Diego but raised in Maryland and Pennsylvania, Alexander took refuge from a troubled childhood in music, falling early under the spell of Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits, an influence that still slightly colors his adult work.
The last three sardine cans packed in America, along with related historical artifacts and photographs from the recently closed Stinson Seafood plant in Prospect Harbor, headline a new exhibit at the Maine State Museum in Augusta, “End of the Line…America’s Last Sardine Cannery.”
