The Sweetback line-up features the lavish voices of Zara Bode and Emily Miller joined by an all-star cast of instrumentalists including: West Virginian triple threat Jesse Milnes; Stefan Amidon on drums; Philly’s stringed slayer Ross Bellenoit on rippin’ Telecaster, and the newest Sweetback Sister Bridget Kearney on bass.

PHOTO: From band’s website, photographer unknown

Their debut EP Bang! was released in early 2007 and earned them a spot on A Prairie Home Companion’s talent contest for twenty-somethings. A full length album Chicken Ain’t Chicken was released June 30th on the Signature Sounds label.

Showdate Feb. 5th, 7:30 PM

Tickets $15

Unity Centre for the Performing Arts
42 Depot Street, Unity Maine 04988

Buy tickets online at www.unityme.org/theater
or call 948-SHOW

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Douglass calls “Day of the Battler” his favorite track on the album. “It’s so dramatic and uninhibited; it calls upon many of my more free-spirited musical influences like Sarah Slean, Kate Bush and Regina Spektor,” he says. “Cathedrals,” a gritty and controversial song, takes on religion and sexual addiction. “While ‘Cathedrals’ is relatable to anyone who has suffered from addiction, I spotlight religion and sexual addiction because of all the scandals we’ve seen recently,” says Douglass. “From political figures to priests to celebrities — with all the sexual oppression in the world, it’s no wonder these issues have blown up in the media.” Douglass describes his feelings watching a beloved childhood friend overcome a tough upbringing to marry the love of her life in the piano-driven opening track, “Broken Through.” BATTLER’s epic ballad, “Devotion,” also portrays a similar surge of personal growth. “No Apology” confronts Douglass’ life-long struggles with his father in a multi-layered, a cappella hymn. Douglass explains, “I’m much happier in my personal life these days; I’m letting a lot more positive people and energy into my life.” Collaborations include Righteous Babe Record’s Anais Mitchell on the moving and intensely beautiful “Sadly” and the stunning closing track “Ordinary Man,“ featuring soul diva Grace Potter. The album was produced by longtime friend and fellow artist, Syd.

Douglass’s evocative, alternative sound has been compared to Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright. His numerous accolades include being a finalist for both the 2005 International Songwriting Competition and the 2004 Independent Music Awards; he was the winner of the 2003 GrammyFest Awards in New York City, as well as the inaugural performer on the American Red Cross “Save A Life Tour” in 2003. Douglass actively appears at listening rooms, clubs, festivals, and campuses throughout the United States and has shared the stage with artists like They Might Be Giants, Melissa Ferrick, Jason Mraz, Regina Spektor, Third Eye Blind and Margaret Cho. Douglass’ music video for “Hang Around” charted for six consecutive months on LOGO TV’s “Click List” Top 10 Video Countdown in 2008, following similar success on LOGO TV with his video for “I Wanted To Run” in 2007.

Douglass has mastered the art of grassroots promotion with the help of his fan base. He has independently released seven full-length studio albums over the last decade through “Emote Records,” a self-owned and operated record label. His last four albums were financed almost entirely by the support of his fans pre-ordering and contributing donations directly through his website. House concerts hosted also by fans make up a large portion of his national touring. “As a full-time independent artist, it’s imperative to come up with intimate, new ways to remind people you’re still there,” Douglass says.

Douglass was born and raised in rural Vermont, winning local talent shows in his early teens. He taught himself to play the piano and guitar by ear and took up songwriting in junior high. While attending Brewster Academy, a college-preparatory boarding high school in New Hampshire, Douglass composed and recorded the material for his first two albums. On graduation day, Brewster Academy’s headmaster presented him with a music award, publicly announcing that Douglass was the first student he would ever encourage NOT to go to college and instead pursue his passion full time — advice Douglass ran with.

Slates offers a full menu on these nights along with fine

desserts & drinks – from 5:30pm to 8pm
or just come enjoy the music!

For reservations call 622-9575
169 Water Street, Hallowell

Support Local Music Venues

Saturday, January 23, 2 p.m.
Sunday, January 24, 2 p.m.|
NR

Colin Beavan decides to completely eliminate his personal impact on the environment for the next year. It means eating vegetarian, buying only local food, and turning off the refrigerator. It also means no elevators, no television, no cars, buses, or airplanes, no toxic cleaning products, no electricity, no material consumption, and no garbage. No problem – at least for Colin – but he and his family live in Manhattan. So when his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two-year-old daughter are dragged into the fray, the No Impact Project has an unforeseen impact of its own. Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s film provides an intriguing inside look into the experiment that became a national fascination and media sensation, while examining the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from Colin and Michelle’s struggle with their radical lifestyle change.

“Proof that “eco” and “entertainment” aren’t mutually exclusive.” John Anderson, Variety

Directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, 2009

RT: 90 min.

Welcome to the new Movies at the Museum! Continuing the tradition of The Movies on Exchange Street, we will showcase the best in foreign, classical, and art films. Sign up for our weekly Movies emails.
Tickets: $7
Tickets are sold beginning at 10 a.m. on the day of the show at Admissions Desk.

Portland Museum of Art Seven Congress Square . Portland, Maine 04101
(207) 775-6148

Just announced: John Lennon Songwriting Contest Winner Gaby Moreno to open for Ani DiFranco

The Strand Theatre is happy to welcome Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ani DiFranco to the Strand stage this January!

A prolific artist, DiFranco has written hundreds of songs & released over twenty albums during the course of her career. She has played thousands of shows, captured the imaginations of legions of followers, and jammed with folkies, orchestras, rappers, rock and roll hall-of-famers, jazz musicians, poets, pop superstars, and storytellers.

Fiercely independent, Ani bucked the major label system in the early-’90s, opting to release her music on her own label, Righteous Babe Records. On her latest album, Red Letter Year, she takes more advantage of this freedom than ever before. Conceived, sculpted and refined over the course of two years- a lifetime compared to a typical Ani recording session- the album is an impeccably crafted, multi-layered sonic achievement which celebrates existence, professes love, and tackles thorny political issues with an infectious sense of glee. It is one of Ani’s most joyous records to date. “I’ve got myself a new mantra”, Ani shares on Red Letter Year. “It says ‘don’t forget to have a good time.’”

Join us for a joyful evening of folk and alternative rock with Ani DiFranco in the intimate setting of the Strand Theatre.

Tickets are $52/All Ages – General Admission. On sale NOW at the Strand Box Office (online, phone-207-594-0070, and walk-up window evenings 6-8pm only).

Live Event Ticket Sales:

Advance: Tickets for select events may be purchased in advance in the following ways:

BY PHONE at 207.594.0070 (M-F, 12pm-5pm),
ONLINE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or
WALK-UP to our Box Office window (open 30 minutes before and after show times).

Day of Show: For day of show ticket purchases and ticket pick-up, the Box Office opens 90 minutes before ShowTime.

Buy tickets online NOW!

“It shines with raw wit and originality.” Michael Levitin, Newsweek
“Great fun! It takes some nerve, not to mention diabolical intelligence…to pull off the elaborate pranks devised by the Yes Men.” Stephen Holden, New York Times

Starring Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno
Directed by Kurt Engfehr, Andy Bichlbaum, and Mike Bonanno
RT: 85 min.

Welcome to the new Movies at the Museum! Continuing the tradition of The Movies on Exchange Street, we will showcase the best in foreign, classical, and art films. Sign up for our weekly Movies emails.

Friday, January 22, 6:30 p.m.
NR

Tickets: $7
Tickets are sold beginning at 10 a.m. on the day of the show at Admissions Desk.

Portland Museum of Art Seven Congress Square . Portland, Maine 04101
(207) 775-6148

Saturday, January 09, 2010   8:00 PM

Hailing from a small New England town, Matthew Stubbs is quickly gaining a reputation as one of today’s premier Blues guitarists. Whether performing with his own band or as a sideman to some of the best singers in the business, the 25 year old always delivers a mesmerizing performance.

In 2003, the Matthew Stubbs Band garnered a first place finish in the Boston Blues Society’s “Blues Challenge.” Matthew followed that success with a third place finish at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. The exposure that these accomplishments earned the young Stubbs was immense. The sought after guitarist soon joined many of today’s blues greats on stage.

Currently, Matthew is performing with The Legendary Charlie Musselwhite Band. Before joining The Charlie Musselwhite Band Stubbs did time with R&B Sensation John Nemeth and also spent a year and a half touring North America with diva Janiva Magness. Stubbs can also be found doing select tours/shows with Lynwood Slim, Junior Watson, Sax Gordon, Brian Templeton and many other top acts.

Stubbs has earned himself a reputation for his ability to write tremendously catchy instrumentals. He even went as far as to form a band just to focus strictly on writing instrumentals. The songs which he composes are a cocktail of Memphis Soul, Blues, R&B, Surf, Rock n’ Roll and Groove, all perfectly mixed together. His real knack is being able to blend all of these styles without overwhelming the listener.

www.matthewstubbs.net

Price: $15.00

Box Office

IN PERSON

181 State St
Suite 201
Portland, Maine
04101

BY PHONE

(207) 761-1757

ONLINE

Sarah Blacker is a Music Therapist turned full-time singer/songwriter, coined “the perfect blend of Ella Fitzgerald” by 92.5 the River Boston, and Suzie Brown is a cardiologist turned full-time singer/songwriter, from Philadelphia.

Suzie plays a solo performance at 8PM followed by Sarah Blacker and her full band All Kinds of Sugar.

These two young ladies are busily touring and building their national followings as they bring their unique blends of folk music to Portland.

This is a show not to be missed. Sarah Blacker has been featured in The Valley Voice for her CD Release Party in September that took place at One Longfellow Square.

http://www.myspace.com/sarahblacker
http://www.sarahblacker.com

Sarah Blacker + Suzie Brown
The North Star Music Cafe
225 Congress St.
Portland, ME

Godfrey Daniels is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions in eastern Pennsylvania. A small neighborhood coffeehouse and listening room, it has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians, and in the late 1970s, one of these was a young Moravian College student named John Gorka. Though his academic course work lay in Philosophy and History, music began to offer paramount enticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident M.C. and soundman, encountering legendary folk troubadours like Canadian singer/songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs — mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer/songwriter) became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and emerging songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him — Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin — had become his peers.

In 1987, the young Minnesota-based Red House Records caught wind of John’s talents and released his first album , I Know , to popular and critical acclaim. With unusual drive and focus, John hit the ground running and, when an offer came from Windhan Hill’s Will Ackerman in 1989, he signed with that label’s inprint, High Street Records. He proceeded to record five albums with High Street over the next seven years: Land of the Bottom Line, Jack’s Crows, Temporary Road, Out of the Valley, and Between Five and Seven. His albums and his touring (over 150 nights a year at times) brought new accolades for his craft. Rolling Stone called him “the preeminent male singer/songwriter of the new folk movement.” His rich multi-faceted songs full of depth, beauty and emotion gained increasing attention from critics and audiences across the country, as well as in Europe where his tours led him through Italy, Belgium, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany.

Other performers also discovered his songwriting. His material is championed by many — to date more than a score of artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. He also started sharing tours with many notable friends — Nanci Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpenter among them. All this has brought his music to an ever-widening audience. His video for the single “When She Kisses Me” found a long-term rotation on VH-1’s “Current Country,” as well as on CMT and the Nashville Network. John also graced the stage of Austin City Limits, appeared on CNN, and has been the subject of other national pro- gramming.

Finally in 1998, after five successful recordings, and seven years at Windham Hill/High Street, John felt the need for a change and decided to return to his musical roots at Red House Records. The choice was driven, in part, by the artistic integrity that the label represents in an industry where the business of music too often takes precedence. As John says, “Red House is in it first for the music, and so am I. It’s a good place to be.”

After Yesterday represents the first fruits of that reunion and reflects John’s continuing commitment to the craft of songwriting. Longtime fans will find in its twelve songs John’s trademark twist of lyric and attention to the details that so effectively evoke a time, a place, a person, or a range of emotion. But there are also the stirrings of new musical directions with the evocative addition of percussion from Ani DiFranco’s drummer Andy Stochansky. John also shares his joy at recent changes in his life (namely a 1996 marriage and move to Minnesota, followed by the 1997 birth of a baby boy — Bocephus Mahatma Sinatra Gorka) with cuts such as “Cypress Trees,” “After Yesterday” and “When He Cries.” There is a hardened knowledge, vented and voiced in “Thorny Patch” and “Wisdom.” Story songs and character studies, “Amber Lee,” “Silvertown” and “Zuly” engage the imagination, while a song like “Heroes” invites introspection.

Though a long way from Godfrey Daniels, John Gorka is still honored to be a part of the folk tradition — energetic acoustic music that is not a trend, not a fad, but an expression of everyday life. After Yesterday is the embodiment of that expression — another classic release where his rich baritone voice and unique songcraft weave together in a way that can only be described as “Gorka.

Slates offers a full menu on these nights along with fine
desserts & drinks – from 5:30pm to 8pm -
or just come enjoy the music!
For reservations call 622-9575
169 Water Street, Hallowell

Tue, Jan 5th 2010
College week!
9:00 pm
EastWave Radio
Sugarloaf – The Widowmaker
Carrabassett Valley, ME
Map

Thu, Jan 7th 2010
Reggae and more every Thursday
9:30 pm
EastWave Radio
Bull Feeney’s
Portland, ME
Map

Fri, Jan 8th 2010
Historic venue in Hallowell
9:00 pm
EastWave Radio
The Hallowell Wharf
Hallowell, ME
Map

Sat, Jan 9th 2010
9:30 pm
EastWave Radio
Brian Boru
Portland , ME
Map

Sun, Jan 10th 2010
Every Sunday! The best party in town!!
9:00 pm
EastWave Radio
Oasis
Portland, ME
Map

Mon, Jan 11th 2010
Dave solo, every Monday, and the best Monday night partly in the Old Port!
9:30 pm
Dave Solo
Gritty McDuff’s
Portland, ME
Map

Wed, Jan 13th 2010
Dave on Guitar and Vocals and Tori on Djembe every Wednesday,
7:00 pm
David & Tori
Inn On Peaks
Peaks Island, ME
Map

Thu, Jan 14th 2010
Reggae and more every Thursday
9:30 pm
EastWave Radio
Bull Feeney’s
Portland, ME
Map

Fri, Jan 15th 2010
With El Grande
10:00 pm
EastWave Radio
Big Easy
Portland, ME
Map

Sun, Jan 17th 2010
Every Sunday! The best party in town!!
9:00 pm
EastWave Radio
Oasis
Portland, ME
Map

Mon, Jan 18th 2010
Dave solo, every Monday, and the best Monday night partly in the Old Port!
9:00 pm
Dave Solo
Gritty McDuff’s
Portland, ME
Map

Wed, Jan 20th 2010
Dave on Guitar and Vocals and Tori on Djembe every Wednesday,
7:00 pm
David & Tori
Inn On Peaks
Peaks Island, ME
Map

Thu, Jan 21st 2010
Reggae and more every Thursday
9:30 pm
EastWave Radio
Bull Feeney’s
Portland, ME
Map

Fri, Jan 22nd 2010
9:30 pm
EastWave Radio
Ri Ra Irish Pub & Restaurant
Portland, ME
Map

Sat, Jan 23rd 2010
Full Band!
9:30 pm
EastWave Radio
Gritty McDuff’s
Portland, ME
Map

Sun, Jan 24th 2010
Every Sunday! The best party in town!!
9:00 pm
EastWave Radio
Oasis
Portland, ME
Map

Mon, Jan 25th 2010
Dave solo, every Monday, and the best Monday night partly in the Old Port!
9:00 pm
Dave Solo
Gritty McDuff’s
Portland, ME
Map

Wed, Jan 27th 2010
Dave on Guitar and Vocals and Tori on Djembe every Wednesday,
7:00 pm
David & Tori
Inn On Peaks
Peaks Island, ME
Map

Thu, Jan 28th 2010
Reggae and more every Thursday
9:30 pm
EastWave Radio
Bull Feeney’s
Portland, ME
Map

Sun, Jan 31st 2010
Brunch on Peaks with music from EastWave! Last Sunday of every month!
11:00 am
EastWave Radio
Inn On Peaks
Peaks Island, ME
Map

Sun, Jan 31st 2010
Every Sunday! The best party in town!!
9:00 pm
EastWave Radio
Oasis
Portland, ME
Map

“Ellis Paul’s new CD The Day After Everything Changed officially releases on January 12th, but he will have copies with him for sale at this show!

A singer songwriter is only as good as the times he reflects. In times like these, when so many nuts are running the show, it’s comforting to know that Ellis Paul is actually holding our sanity on his own stage! Wise, tender, brilliant and biting, Ellis is one of our best human compasses, marking in melodies and poems where we’ve been and where we might go if we so choose to. Personally Ellis, I’m goin’ where you’re goin’!  –Nora Guthrie (Woody Guthrie’s daughter)

Ellis Paul is one of the leading voices in American songwriting. He was  a principle leader in the wave of singer/songwriters that emerged from the Boston folk scene, creating a movement that revitalized the national acoustic circuit with an urban, literate, folk pop style that helped renew interest in the genre in the 1990′s.

His charismatic, personally authentic performance style has influenced a generation of artists away from the artifice of pop, and closer towards the realness of folk. Though he remains among the most pop-friendly of today’s singer-songwriters – his songs regularly appear in hit movie and TV soundtracks – he has bridged the gulf between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger more successfully than perhaps any of his songwriting peers.

Yet to hear him at this crossroads moment in his career, you would think he was just getting started. For years, he has been among the folk circuit’s most popular and dependable headliners, with a mailing list of over 20,000 fiercely loyal fans. He has released 14 CDs, and recently explored new media avenues with a documentary/concert DVD called “3,000 Miles,” and “Notes from the Road,” a critically acclaimed book of poems and stories.

In recent years, he has also departed from his solo career to tour and record with longtime compadre Vance Gilbert, and to indulge his deep respect for American folk icon Woody Guthrie. He appeared with the all-star Guthrie tribute tour, “Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway.” For his Philo CD, “The Speed of Trees,” he wrote a modern musical setting of Guthrie’s unpublished lyric “God’s Promise.”

Nora Guthrie, Woody’s daughter, invited Paul to to perform at a Woody Guthrie tribute show held in September 1996 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. The show was part of a 10-day celebration to honor Woody and also included performances by Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg and others. In 1998, the quintessential Boston songwriter was also made an honorary citizen of Guthrie’s birthplace, Okemah, Oklahoma, in recognition of all he has done to revive interest in the Dust Bowl troubadour.

This may surprise casual fans of Paul’s urbane, literate and thoroughly modern folk-pop sound – but not those who knew him well. Among the first to single him out from the vast pack clamoring to rise from Boston’s open mics in the early ’90s was Bill Morrissey, even then considered the definitive New England ballad writer. He was so impressed, he produced Paul’s first record, “Say Something,” in 1993.

What did he see, so early in Paul’s career? “He was always unique,” Morrissey recalls. “He didn’t write like anybody, didn’t sing like anybody, didn’t perform like anybody. So many of the songwriters then were trying to imitate whoever they thought was successful. Ellis was always himself; he didn’t try to separate himself from his audiences. Perhaps it’s because he’s a Mainer; there’s no pretense, and I think audiences sense that.”

Paul is today regarded as such a classic urban songwriter that it’s hard to fathom what a small-town boy he was. He grew up in northern Maine, in a potato farming community so remote that his exposure to music came almost entirely from the one top-40 station he could get on his radio, and his school band, where he played trumpet well enough to earn a summer scholarship to the Berklee College of Music.

He toured the country competing in track, catching a hard case of wanderlust, and earning a track scholarship to Boston College.

It was there that he discovered songwriting, completely out of boredom when a track-career-ending knee injury left him bedridden for months, and he began making up songs on a guitar a friend had given him. By 1989, he was haunting the open mic scene that would soon produce the most important generation of Boston folk stars since the early ’60s, including Paul, Dar Williams, Vance Gilbert, Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball (then performing as The Story), Martin Sexton, Patty Griffin, and Catie Curtis.

Almost immediately, Paul’s infectious melodicism, literate lyrics, and honest performing style drew attention. As early as 1993, the Boston Globe was calling him a songwriter’s songwriter, adding that “no emerging songwriter in recent memory has been more highly touted and respected by songwriters.”

While his style was highly introspective at that time, it was also informed by a probing humanism shaped in part by the five years he spent as a social worker. Every day, he struggled to help poor urban kids hovering dangerously on the edges of the criminal justice and welfare systems.

Recalling those days, Paul says, “It definitely gave me a whole new vision of what the world could be like. Even BC was about as safe an environment as you could find. Picking up kids at the projects, breaking up fights, talking to parole officers and psychologists, getting to know this side of life I’d never been exposed to, really opened my mind up. From that, maybe I took sort of a wide-eyed view of the world around me, which seeped into my music.”

His skyrocketing career is still the stuff of legend in Boston folk circles; how quickly he climbed from opening act for the likes of Morrissey, Shawn Colvin, and John Gorka, to national headliner and recording star.

Morrissey recalls something else that set him apart back then: his artistic curiosity. Paul would pepper him with questions about who influenced him, which songwriters he should be listening to. He was discovering what a rich, ancient community this music was – and he wanted to dive right into the deep end.

“You know, that’s a very smart thing to do,” says Morrissey. “It helped set him apart. A lot of young singers I meet are not curious about what went on before; they just say, ‘I want to sing another song about my life.’ Paul has a sense of roots, of connectedness to the whole history of folk music; he sees the thread that runs through all the generations of this music.”

In particular, Paul fell under the spell of Woody Guthrie, who wrote “This Land Is Your Land,” “Pastures of Plenty,” and a thousand other American anthems. By 1998, Paul was telling the Boston Globe that Woody, to him, was “ground zero, the prototype in a long line of people I’m a huge fan of.” He put a Woody Guthrie tattoo on his arm, solemnly telling people it was “a commitment.”

An increasingly topical humanism informed his work. Like Guthrie a half-century before, Paul displayed a humble genius for putting the most divisive issues of his day into starkly personal and emotional terms. “She loves a girl,” he sang. “What are you going to do if you love her, too?”

“I feel like I’m more a part of a community now than just a songwriter singing about my own struggles and the struggles of the friends I see around me,” Paul says of his career today. “Maybe that’s the difference between being a singer-songwriter and being a folk musician, that transition into more of a community sense of writing. ”

At the same time, Paul remains the most mainstream-friendly folk songwriter to emerge from Boston since Tom Rush. Between 1993 and 2004, he won an unprecedented 13 Boston Music Awards, and his songs were heard on hit TV shows Ed and MTV’s Real World; and in the soundtracks of several Farrelly Brothers films, including “Me, Myself, & Irene,” starring Jim Carrey, and “Shallow Hal,” with Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow. Director Peter Farrelly has called Paul “a national treasure.”

It would be easy – perhaps even advisable – to become complacent after succeeding so remarkably at all the things he set out to do. But there is a restlessness in Paul these days, a vibrant, glowing spirit of artistic adventure. Success to him is not a prize to clutch and protect, but an open door to a wider journey.

“There are differences between the me now and the me I was in the early ’90s,” he says quietly. “I have a reliable fan base that keeps a roof over my head, for which I’m so thankful. And I think they’re also willing and forgiving enough for me to go through any evolution I choose, as long as the core of what I do is honest, and that I continue to write songs and stories about the things I see around me.

“I need to keep feeling refreshed. I’ve been down the Ellis Paul rabbit-hole, you know, and now I’m looking around and trying to learn new things, experience other people’s music and stories. I have no idea where I’m headed, but I think it’ll make me a broader artist. ”

That sounds like a very safe bet.

Price $18.00

Box Office

IN PERSON
181 State St
Suite 201
Portland, Maine
04101

BY PHONE
(207) 761-1757

Pianist and singer Chris Humphrey, together with Dave Wells (sax), Ryan Parker (piano) and Les Harris (drums) continue our weekly series Jazz at the Square with an evening of jazz flavored holiday classics.

Chris is the Director of Music at Cheverus High School, the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Maine. He teaches jazz piano at The University of Southern Maine, and also teaches jazz voice at Bowdoin College.. He is often a guest conductor and clinician, having led district and All-State jazz festivals in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

Tickets at the door only!

www.chrishumphrey.net

Price: $5.00

Please call 207-761-1757 for more information.

Box Office

IN PERSON

181 State St
Suite 201
Portland, Maine 04101

BY PHONE
(207) 761-1757

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Harvey Reid has honed his craft over the last 33 years in countless clubs, festivals, street corners, cafes, schools and concert halls across the nation. He has been called a “giant of the steel strings” and “one of the true treasures of American acoustic music.” He has absorbed a vast repertoire of American contemporary and roots music and woven it into his own colorful, personal and distinctive style. His 20 recordings on Woodpecker Records showcase his mastery of many instruments and styles of acoustic music, from hip folk to slashing slide guitar blues to bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, ragtime, and even classical.

Reid’s skills and versatility on the guitar alone mark him as an important new voice in acoustic music. He won the 1981 National Finger picking Guitar Competition and the 1982 International Autoharp competition. Yet he’s also a veteran musician with a long list of studio and band credits, a strong flat picker who has won the Beanblossom bluegrass guitar contest, a versatile and engaging singer, a powerful lyricist, prolific composer, arranger and songwriter, a solid mandolin and bouzouki player, and a seasoned performer and captivating entertainer. And he plays the 6-string banjo and the autoharp like you’ve never heard.

Reid started playing guitar in his early teens in Maryland, and fell in with the now-legendary DC-area bluegrass scene. After street-fiddling and playing old-time and bluegrass music for close to 8 years, he moved into his van in the late 1970′s and began pursuing solo acoustic songs & instrumental music, primarily finger style acoustic guitar and autoharp. After stints in a bluegrass band in Colorado, playing Telecaster in a country band in Virginia, and a winter in Nashville, Reid migrated to Northern New England, playing 5 nights a week on the “blue-collar” folk circuit in Maine and New Hampshire, while developing his own personal blend of American acoustic music.

Although Reid has been somewhat reclusive, his reputation as a musician’s musician is spreading fast. Even though he is not associated with any record labels or hype machinery, his music is having an impact–he was included on the 1995 Rhino Records Acoustic Music of the 90′s CD, and his Steel Driven’ Man CD was voted in 1996 by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as one of the 10 Essential Folk CD’s of all time, in company with Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez and other hallowed names. His music appeared on the blockbuster BBC television series Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Scotland. He has become a featured act at many of America’s premier concert clubs and festivals, including Merlefest, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the Walnut Valley Festival.

Radio DJ’s and critics nationwide are discovering his remarkable recordings, and audiences coast-to-coast are flocking to catch his exciting and uplifting concerts.
Reid has also made his mark on the acoustic music world in other ways. He is responsible for most of what is known about the partial capo, developed all of the popular partial-capo configurations in use today, (including the Esus) was the first to record and publish music for partial capo. In 1980 he co-founded the Third Hand Capo Co. Also in 1980 he wrote the first college textbook for folk guitar, titled Modern Folk Guitar, it was published by Random House and is still in print and available from Woodpecker Records.

Harvey was the person who convinced Fishman Transducers to develop the Acoustic Blender amplification system, worked on the design team, and even wrote the instructions for it. He may have been the first acoustic independent musician to make a CD, and certainly was among the first to make DAT recordings, and helped usher in the new era of direct-to-digital recordings with a series of articles he wrote for acoustic music magazines. He was also the first artist to endorse Taylor Guitars, and began doing promotion for them in 1983. Reid’s success “under the radar” has become a role model for a large number of young, independent musicians who want to pursue their careers outside the music industry.

Reid prides himself on his independence, and sees himself as a modern embodiment of the ancient minstrels. You’ll find elements of the traditional troubadour, the modern poet-songwriter, the American back-porch picker, the classical virtuoso, and even a good bit of Will Rogers style dry humor and satire. You’ll hear folk, country, classical, blues, ragtime, rockabilly, Celtic, bluegrass, and popular music influences. Although Reid has a vast repertoire of traditional and contemporary songs, his concert material consists mostly of his own compositions and traditional music.

Don’t miss a chance to hear the Master Minstrel in concert or to hear his amazing recordings.

Singer/songwriter-master instrumentalist Harvey Reid is a former national acoustic and autoharp champion, who is one of New England’s best-known musicians. He is known worldwide for his peerless acoustic guitar, autoharp and mandolin work.

This will be a special Holiday concert featuring songs from his best selling CD “Heart of the Minstrel on Christmas Day.” His beautiful music is sure to get you in the holiday spirit!

Slates offers a full menu on these nights along with fine desserts & drinks – from 5:30pm to 8pm – or just come enjoy the music!

For reservations call 622-9575
169 Water Street, Hallowell

In December, Inanna, Sisters In Rhythm, celebrate twenty years of performing. What started as a drum class and drum gatherings became a circle of music and a friendship that evolved in ways beyond the group’s imagination. These independent women are leaders in forwarding a vision of inner peace and community building through music.

In a special Winter Solstice Celebration, Inanna celebrates their history with all who have been part of their journey Inanna feels the magic of the drums and rhythms rooted in Africa and world musical traditions touch the souls and hearts of the people they play for. This music and drumming create a vibration that ripples out across the audience.

Joy is seen on the faces and in the bodies as people move to this rhythmic pulse. This primal beat, the heart beat, serenades one to an inner peace where healing takes place and love is felt.

Now, after 20 years, Inanna celebrates with stories, gift give-aways, and new music never heard before.

After this performance, Inanna is going on a mini-sabbatical to study, write and develop new music. Do not miss this special concert. In the spirit of Inanna’s story and this holiday season we honor the cycles of life, death, rebirth, and the stillness of the darkness through which the light will begin to shine through once again.

www.inanna.ws

Price: $15.00

One Longfellow Square does not use paper tickets.

The name on your order will be automatically entered on the Will Call List for the event. Check in at the door. Please be prepared to show a photo ID when picking up your tickets.

For credit card purchases, tickets are available by phone within 60 days of the event and online within 30 days of the event.

Tickets are available by cash or check at any time.

To pay with cash or check please stop by our Box Office or contact us by phone at 207-761-1757 or email at tickets@onelongfellowsquare.com.

Box Office

IN PERSON
181 State St, Suite 201
Portland, Maine 04101

BY PHONE
(207) 761-1757

The “Concerts at Jewett” Series sponsored by University of Maine at Augusta College of Arts and Humanities and UMA Senior College will present a Christmas concert with the Don Campbell Trio on Friday, December 11, 7:30 pm at UMA Jewett Auditorium. Tonya Shevenell on bass and Andy Happel on fiddle will join Don in a sing-along of seasonal favorites including a few new ones by Don which will be on his new holiday CD, available at the concert.

Maine native singer-songwriter Don Campbell has a wide crossover appeal with his smooth vocal and adult contemporary and country music songs and sounds. He has performed over 150 shows per year for the last several years and was named Maine’s Best Singer Songwriter, 2004 (Maine Sunday Telegram) and Country Artist of the Year. He has opened for Country music legends like Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith and many others.

Tickets are $10, students $5, 12 & under free. Tickets are available at Pat’s Pizza in Augusta, Apple Valley Books in Winthrop, Al Corey Music Center in Waterville, and at the door. Call 621-3551, or email umasc@maine.edu for more information or for mail order tickets. www.concerts@jewett.com.

Next concert: Sunday, January 10, 2010, 2:00 PM—A Family Folk Festival: The Gawlers and the Boardmans (Snow date: Jan.17).