Rockin’ Out
ROCKIN' OUT
Two weekend Maine music festivals spotlight wide array of genres, venues
One of the only downsides to summer in Maine is that the weekends can get so full there’s no time to do everything. That’s why music festivals are so welcome at the times of year where it’s not as warm out. Especially in fall when the weather is crisp, and, …
Bangor band Chamberlain goes underground to rise above
What’s in a name? That which we call an indie rock band by any other name would sound just as awesome. So Chamberlain, the Bangor-based four piece, has learned after tossing around multiple ideas for names and different songwriting approaches since their very first rehearsals two years ago. They were …
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Guitarist-songwriter Mike Billings finds reason to ‘Re:Connect’
2011 was a pretty good year for Mike Billings. And so far, 2012 has been even better. The longtime Bangor-area musician hasn’t felt this much creative vitality and productivity in years. After all, the wisdom that comes with experience isn’t something you can buy. It just amasses, until you know …
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Reviews of Maine-made albums: July-September 2012
Rebel Son Rise – “Sunshine on Daemon Land” This album is undoubtedly the most surprising and worthwhile collection of songs I’ve heard from a Maine artist in the past three months. It was not at all what I expected – though honestly, I don’t really know what I was …
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Portland singer Sara Hallie Richardson creates magical worlds within her songs
The special kind of atmosphere that Portland singer-songwriter Sara Hallie Richardson creates is best captured on her newest album, “Restless,” a six-song EP released earlier this year. There’s a clear, crystalline beauty in both her voice and in the electronic soundscapes that she and producer Michael Flannery conjure up. “I …
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Who was that masked man? A Severe Joy, that’s who
Adapt or die, goes the adage. Reinvent yourself, or be ready to accept the consequences. Jose Ayerve did that last year, when he renewed himself creatively by putting his old band, the longtime Portland scene-makers Spouse, on the back burner, and turning himself into the mysterious masked musician known as …
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Songwriter’s Showcase to highlight local talent
Unless you are a regular attendee of the various open mike nights in the greater Bangor area, you’re probably unfamiliar with the plethora of songwriters that regularly show up toting a guitar or keyboard, ready to play. But they’re there, and they don’t often get to have the spotlight to …
POLL QUESTION
Local bands to play across state on New Year’s Eve
I love New Year’s Eve because, like Halloween, it’s an excuse to put on an outfit or costume and go out and have fun. And I only need the faintest of excuses to do just that. There’s of course lots to do on New Year’s Eve this year — first, …
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Culture Shock blog launches; reporter returns to roots
In the ongoing digital revolution here at the Bangor Daily News, the most recent step has been the launch of numerous blogs on our website. I’ve got one myself: Culture Shock, where I’m writing about arts, entertainment, food, pop culture and more, here in our beloved 207. I like to …
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From roots to branches, Bangor duo plays music they love
There’s a lot of talent amassed at Main Street Music Studios in Bangor. Bill Thibodeau and Jeremy Shirland, the studio’s mandolin and guitar instructors, have taught students of all ages since MSMS opened in the fall of 2009, and together they have 70 years of experience. When they’re not in …
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Bangor’s Captain Hollow a return to noisy roots
At the ripe old age of 19, Ryan Higgins is getting back to his roots with his new band; his loud, gleefully noisy roots, along with several of his old band mates from his very first band. The Bangor-based indie-punk four-piece Captain Hollow is made up of guitarist-vocalist Higgins, fellow …
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A musical to-do list for the rest of 2011
A short list of things I, your humble music columnist, must do before the end of the year: 1. Make extra-special super-secret homemade holiday gifts for family and friends. Not the kind of homemade gift that everyone says, “Gee, thanks!” when receiving, and then shoves in the back of the …
Maine songwriter releases three albums in one week
There’s an awful lot of music contained on the three albums Jacob Augustine is releasing this week. The albums, “Frontier,” “Goldyhymns” and “The Original Love,” weren’t recorded in one mad creative session, however, nor are they part of one triple-album whole. Instead, it’s three distinct statements from the Portland-via-Lincoln songwriter, …
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Funk, soul, electro and more in Bangor area
Sometimes, we here at Rockin’ Out (and by we, I mean the royal we) have enough information to divulge that we’ve got to cram it all into one column while appearing to seamlessly weave one compelling story. Well, I’ve totally blown it on that front — spoiler alert, this article …
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Milkman’s Union plays lush, complex indie rock
At the first-ever Milkman’s Union band practice back in the fall of 2006 in a dormitory basement at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, the lead singer and guitarist didn’t show up. That was not a bad omen, however. It was just the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Five years later, Henry …
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Down East soul, courtesy of Stesha Cano
When Stesha Cano was a little girl growing up in the Ellsworth area, she would imitate Mariah Carey songs that she heard on the radio. When she was a little older, she’d practice her Ella Fitzgerald impression in private, and she grew to love contemporary singers like Jill Scott and …
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Joy Kills Sorrow has bluegrass instruments, contemporary sound
Though the Boston band Joy Kills Sorrow appears to be a bluegrass band, their approach and sound come from a place that’s more rooted in indie rock and indie folk. They may play banjo, mandolin, upright bass and acoustic guitar, but the songs come out as something different. Joy Kills …
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Mines of Paris, out of NESCOM, play bluesy alternative
You’d think that a band that started at the New England School of Communications might be a bit on the tech geek side of things, with a massive love for excellent instruments and gear, studio polish and technically superior sound. And you’d be right. But that’s certainly only scratching the …
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Portland’s Theodore Treehouse creates punchy power pop
Quite possibly the most difficult part of the early stages of being in a band isn’t figuring out your sound or booking shows; no, it’s picking a band name. You want catchy, you want fun, but you don’t want cliched. And you want a story behind it. That kind of …
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Rockin’ Out makes a move
Change can be a good thing. I like it when things I previously appreciated are made bigger, better, faster, more efficient. It does take a little getting used to, however. So when my editor suggested we move Rockin’ Out to Tuesday, from its original run date of Friday, I was …
‘Curb Appeal’ co-host, midcoast Maine native killed in motorcycle crash
Rescued hunter recounts two nights in the woods of northern Maine
Injured patient’s family questions ambulance’s speed before rollover
The upside to surviving poverty and depression
$40 million tax break process was doomed by politics, lack of information
National Park budget cuts undermine Bar Harbor’s economy
Pennsylvania’s Coal Region toughness, football tradition helps quarterback excel at UMaine
Fearing loss of fans downtown, Portland Chamber pressures civic center, Pirates hockey team to reconcile
Ellsworth cross-country runner among three Mainers to qualify for Foot Locker nationals
Kelco Industries: 58 years in the Christmas business
Rescuing Rhoda: “This is your dog. There is no mistake and no turning back.”
Portrait artist Robert Shetterly adds Wabanaki activists to famed ‘Americans Who Tell The Truth’ series
More students switch to online schools to escape bullies