LISTEN-August 2011
Text + photograph by Bryan Bruchman

Bryan Bruchman doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to music happenings around Maine. Every issue, he fills the calendar with the best concerts, album releases, and news from your favorite artists and venues.

Put a Bee on It

Multi-instrumentalist and self-proclaimed Old World troubadour from Portland Putnam Smith took the ultimate hands-on approach to his June release, We Could Be Beekeepers. He printed the CD jackets with hand-set type on a pedal-powered 1901 Pearl letterpress—on 100 percent recycled card stock, of course. What about the songs? With the exception of two traditional numbers, Smith penned the bulk of the 13-track album and played most of the stringed instruments himself, while friends helped out on vocals, cello, clarinet, and fiddle.

Every Weekend a Festival
Make time in your weekends this month to catch some live music.

Camp Creek
August 5–8 The brainchild of the band Max Creek, this jam-heavy festival finds room for plenty of local acts, including Adam Ezra, Dirigo, Dopapod, Gypsy Tailwind, McLovins, Rustic Overtones, Ryan Montbleau Band, the Brew, the Mallet Brothers Band, and more.
Oxford Fairgrounds | Oxford | maxcreek.com/campcreek.html

KahBang Music, Art + Film Festival
August 5–13 With national acts like My Morning Jacket, Lupe Fiasco, Surfer Blood, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Maine’s own Lady Lamb the Beekeeper leading the charge, KahBang heads into its third year. This summer the festival-closing weekend bash includes an outdoor stage dedicated to Maine-based acts.
Bangor Waterfront Pavilion | Bangor | kahbang.com

Saddleback Mountain Bluegrass Festival
August 12–13 When there’s no snow on the mountain, bring on the bluegrass! Saddleback welcomes Crooked Still, the Toughcats, Mason Strunk, and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, among others, to its slopes for a weekend of pickin’.
Saddleback Mountain | Rangeley Lakes Region | saddlebackmaine.com

American Folk Festival
August 26–28 This festival presents performances honoring America’s multicultural heritage, from the blues of Super Chikan and the Afro-Cuban conga
of Pedrito Martinez to the a cappella singing of Brotherhood Singers and the Quebecois harmonies of Réveillons.
Bangor Waterfront Pavilion | Bangor | americanfolkfestival.com

Picnic Music + Arts Festival
August 27 Local favorites Sunset Hearts, Mango Floss, Butcher Boy, and more are scheduled to play this HillyTown-curated day of free indie rock in downtown Portland, which will be accompanied by a juried craft fair featuring local artists.
Lincoln Park | Portland | picnicportland.com

Upcoming Concerts

Guster with Ra Ra Riot
August 6 | 7 p.m.
Riding the line between alternative rock and the jam-band circuit, Guster has a reputation for taking great opening acts along on the road. Lively indie pop sextet Ra Ra Riot fits the bill well.
Concerts on the Waterfront at Ocean Gateway
Portland | statetheatreportland.com

Rickie Lee Jones
August 13 | 7:30 p.m.
For this full-band show, the pop and jazz songwriter will perform material from her first two highly acclaimed releases: Rickie Lee Jones and Pirates.
Discovery Park | Freeport | llbean.com

Tedeschi Trucks Band
August 19 | 7 p.m.
Combining the power of their two blues-rock groups, husband-and-wife team Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi return for a massive show on the Portland waterfront.
Concerts on the Waterfront at Ocean Gateway
Portland | portcitymusichall.com

Richard Thompson
August 30 | 8 p.m.
From his work with Fairport Convention during the 1960s to his current solo career, Richard Thompson’s reputation as a virtuoso guitarist and prolific songwriter has only continued to grow.
Stone Mountain Arts Center | Brownfield | stonemountainartscenter.com