Take the 5:35 PM Casco Bay Lines ferry to Peaks Island ($8.20 round trip!)

Have dinner at the Cockeyed Gull restaurant or at The Inn at Peaks Island.

Walk (yes walk! It’s NOT going to rain!) to the Fifth Maine Regimental Museum on Seashore Avenue, and get there by 7:30 PM for Phil Daligan’s “Songwriters by the Sea” music series.

You will get the chance to see and hear Gathering Time, a traditional folk trio from Long Island that has perfected two separate but related art forms: three part harmony and having a ball on stage!

(As an added bonus, Gathering Time is sharing the stage tonight on Peaks with Teresa Storch, a wonderful Boston-area singer/songwriter who writes great tunes, in a variety of styles, and has killer performance skills!)

I caught Gathering Time’s set last night at The North Star Music Cafe in Portland, and that’s why I’m recommending that you make the 20-minute voyage across Casco Bay tonight.  These folks put on a wonderful show, with a bunch of original folky tunes, some great covers, and lots of fun banter on stage.

Gathering Time: (l to r) Glen Roethel, Hillary Foxsong, Stuart Markus

Gathering Time is Glen Roethel, Stuart Markus, and Hilary Foxsong.  Glen plays a beautiful Gibson guitar, plus electric bass.  Stuart is an excellent guitarist and bassist as well, and Hilary is a skilled percussionist.  They all sing with great enthusiasm, passion, and precision.  When they harmonize, some sort of fundamental, cosmic concordance occurs that makes you very happy that you have ears.

They did some covers by America, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Beatles, and led the crowd in a cozy and heartening communal sing on the Chet Powers 60’s classic “Get Together”.

Their own tunes are gentle, peaceful, hopeful; true, traditional folk music.  There is a place for darkness in music, but this type of  upbeat optimism never fails to inspire me.  Anyone who allows stereotypes about folk music to shut themselves off from this stuff is missing something special.

Opening for Gathering Time was Annie Wenz, a world-traveling, folk and world music artist and  biker chic: a very nice person and extremely talented performer.  She opened with a heart-stopping interlude on a

Annie Wenz

native wooden flute with dual tones – very spooky and affecting.  Her set was a mix of funny and clever story songs, political gems, and meaningful folk ballads.  She is a strong woman with a strong voice, and a very talented songwriter.  

Her stories and songs made it clear that she has a wealth of vibrant world experience from which to draw (you need to hear her bungie-jumping song!)  She told me that she would be staying in Maine for the summer (although her gig schedule doesn’t show it!), so hopefully, we’ll get another chance to hear her.

Get over to Peaks Island tonight and see Gathering Time and Teresa Storch!

I first saw Jacob perform at the North East Folk Alliance in New York last November.  What impressed me most then was his guitar work: his fingers fade into a blur as he races across the fretboard, laying out a full sound all on his own, and hitting every note dead on.

Last night I saw another side of Jake that I hadn’t seen at NERFA.  His very innovative in his approach to the guitar.  Lot’s of right-hand work on the fretboard, harmonics, and flexing the neck for special effects.  He used a looping box to lay down grooves, and then played amazing lead over them.  That’s not so unique these days, but I don’t remember seeing anyone singing scat through his guitar’s sound hole, into the pickup microphone, to make that part of the loop.  Pretty cool.

Jacob and I had a chance to talk at the Port City Music Hall lounge before he mounted the unique stage up behind the bar.  The conversation ranged wildly between Willie Nelson’s hat, Harry Anderson’s talent, and David Copperfield’s magic.  They were all influences on his performance style and approach to his art.

He hails from South Carolina, but in the last few years has traveled extensively as he has taken up the life of a touring musician.  He seems to be having a pretty good time!

Johnson’s songs are about forgetting old girlfriends, growing up, and Jack Karouac.  He has a unique lyrical style that crams lots of words in between the frantic lead work on the fretboard; it works very well.  On stage, as he surrenders to the passion that drives his guitar playing, his energy and motion was that of a rocker from the old Muppet TV show.  Very entertaining and inspiring.

Jacob comes back to Maine regularly – he has played The Dogfish Bar and Grille and The North Star Music Cafe in the past.  Keep an eye out for this guy, he is not to be missed!

Incidentally, I enjoyed my first visit to the Port City Music Hall.  I didn’t get a good look at the big room in the venue, but it’s a very classy place, with great service.  I need to get back in there for a show.  I’m sure I’m the last one in town to have that experience!

Hey, folks, here I am sitting up in the front of the room at the North Star Music Cafe in Portland, with about 10 minutes to go to showtime.  Tonight is the Maine Songwriters Association Showcase and Open Mic – I’m going to try a little something here, in the context of my education as a blogger – real time blogging! (Not that I won’t be editing just a little before I post!)  Let’s see how it goes!  But hold that thought – I need to get a beer!

OK, I’m back!  Craig Hensley has started his showcase set – Nice Conley guitar (local luthier!), with vocals that remind me of Chuck Pyle.  ”Dark Eyes” is the opener, a lush strummer with thick romantic themes.  Craig has obviously spent some time on stage; he’s very confident, and an accomplished performer. (above, Craig Hensley!)  ”Thunder and Lightning” comes a little later in the set – give a listen below!

(All audio was recorded live using a Zoom H2 Handy Recorder; the resulting MP3 file was imported to GarageBand and exported to reduce the file size; permission to post was obtained from all artists!)

Streaming Audio: Craig Hensley sings “Thunder and Lightning”

The night is structured thusly – beginning at 7:00, there are four MSA showcase slots.  These are MSA members who have performed in at least one open mic slot, and are eligible for the 35 minute showcases.  Generally, the quality of these sets is very good and Craig is no exception.  After the showcase slots end at 9:30, the open mic starts, with 15 minute slots until 11:00 PM, when the evening ends and the North Star closes.

Ronda Dale is our MSA host tonight!  Ronda has a lot of cred around here – she performs with her partner Kevin Attra often as a folk/pop/blues/alt country duo, plays bass for Truth About Daisies, and has a show on WMPG radio.  Nice gal, very talented!

Caleb Davenport is on the sound board, along with Jennifer McQuaid (at left).  These volunteers are what keeps this evening going – it’s got to be a candidate for the longest running gig in Portland, at nine years!

7:20  PM:   Craig has broken a string, borrowed another guitar, and is re-tuning and setting up with a new mic on the guitar, with Caleb’s help.  We didn’t even skip a beat here!

It’s not even 7:30 yet, but the open mic list is full, and players continue to come in and ask to sign up.  As most people know, this night is an “all originals” night – only original music, in keeping with the tradition of the Maine Songwriters Association.

7:45 PM:  Craig’s set ends and Ronda does a few hosterly duties, and then she and Kevin Attra take the stage!  The first tune is Ronda’s, called “Preachin’”, and it’s bold and beautiful.  She and Kevin are very tight musically; they’ve had lot’s of time to get inside each other’s heads.  She has a clear tone to her voice, dead on pitch, with just a slight hint of that southern drawl from her home land.  Their set is a nice mix of each other’s songs, that blend well together. Kevin’s lead work is very, very nice.

Streaming Audio: Kevin Attra’s song “Terminal”, with Ronda Dale

8:10 PM:   Next up is Heather Hardy!  I met Heather at Jud Caswell’s song circle (see my last post!)  The song she had us critique that night was “Here Lies Vera”, which is about a woman who died in New Orleans after Katrina; the authorities didn’t want to bother with burying her, so her lover had to do it himself – poignant story, great song! She is singing it right now, here at the North Star Music Cafe – give a listen below!

Streaming Audio: Heather Hardy sings “Here Lies Vera”

There are some folks who come here every single Thursday night – great supporters of the MSA!  The host passes a silver bucket so that the audience can contribute to the organization – it’s the MSA’s largest source of revenue at present (full disclosure – I’m on the Board of Directors of the MSA and I’m currently the Treasurer!  Just so you know!)  The bucket generally attracts between $10 and $30.

The last showcase slot is Brendan Hogan.  I met Brendan at another MSA night here at the North Star a month or so ago – he drove up that night from his home in Cambridge, MA, in the middle of a snow storm.  He’s got this wonderful old legacy gibson guitar, from the 1950’s, and he actually let me play it that night – what an experience!   Brendan performed a great set that night, with inspired songwriting and solid guitar chops.

Alas, I did not get to stay and hear Brendan’s set tonight!  I had to depart for the evening at 9:00 – I am trying hard to live without a car, and that puts me at the mercy of available rides.  The two-and-a-half mile walk home is OK in the warm weather, but not in the dead of winter!

But it was another great night at the Maine Songwriters Association Showcase and Open Mic.  If you go to the North Star on any Thursday, you will experience this great sense of community, the killer music, and the excitement of the open mic.  Bring your instrument and sign up, if that’s your thing – it really is a lot of fun, and the crowd is very friendly and supportive!

Have a great week!

Bob McKillop