Members of a Portland-based country band are taking country superstar Tim McGraw at his word.
Specifically, his words “Portland, Maine, I don’t know where that is.” McGraw sings them in a new song titled “Portland, Maine” – not really about the city – which was released last week as part of McGraw’s “Sundown Heaven Town” album.
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To educate McGraw about Portland and all it has to offer, members of the local country band American Ride are planning to star in a video they hope will clear things up for the singer. The band plans to perform their own version of the song during a Saturday night gig at the Portland pub Brian Boru. It will include lyrics that put a more positive spin on the city, like “Portland, Maine, that’s where my heart lives.”
The video will also include shots of Portland, so McGraw will know what the city looks like, to help him find where it is. The band members plan to put the video online, with the hope of attracting the attention of McGraw and country music fans everywhere. No date has been set for releasing the video.
“We just wanted to say to him, ‘We do think you know where Portland is. But if you don’t, here’s something to tell you about it,’ ” said Eric Mauriello, bass player for American Ride. “You never know what videos will go viral. We’re hoping this could. It would be great for the city.”
Mauriello said he got the idea to create a video response to McGraw’s new song when he read about it in the Portland Press Herald last week. City boosters were happy that Portland, Maine, was in the title of a song, especially one that has the potential to be a country hit heard by millions. But they lamented that there really wasn’t anything about Portland in the song.
It’s a break-up song, written by Donovan Woods and Abe Stoklasa. McGraw sings of a recent break-up and how he wants to forget about his ex-love as soon as possible. When he finds she’s now in Portland he sings repeatedly, “Portland, Maine, I don’t know where that is” and “I don’t want to know.” The words “Portland” and “Maine” are mentioned at least nine times each.
McGraw and the songwriters could not be reached for comment. Publicists for McGraw said they will try to make Woods or Stoklasa available for interviews at some point, so that curious Mainers can find out what motivated them.
Oddly enough, McGraw’s song about not knowing Portland was completed in Portland. Gateway Mastering is one of the best-known mastering studios in the country, and music stars from Bruce Springsteen to Daft Punk send their nearly finished recordings to Gateway for the final fine-tuning that mastering engineers give a recording.
Gateway’s Adam Ayan mastered McGraw’s album, including the track “Portland, Maine,” and has mastered several of McGraw’s albums over the years. McGraw was not present for the session, as most stars don’t feel the need to be in the room while the mastering takes place.
At their gig Saturday, members of American Ride plan to perform a straight cover of “Portland, Maine” followed by their own version. There is no cover charge for the performance, and Mauriello hopes Portlanders will come out so they can be part of the video.
American Ride came together earlier this year and is made up of country musicians from southern Maine. The band performs a range of cover songs by Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and other current country stars. It is working on original songs as well. The band members are in their 40s, and most have day jobs. Mauriello said he hopes the video might help the band “get to the next level” in their musical careers.
The video will be shot and produced by Real Media Solutions of Portland and will include footage of the band members in various Portland locations. Those might include Portland City Hall, Monument Square and the Victoria Mansion, said Richard Pelletier, owner of Real Media Solutions.
Mauriello said the video is not intended as a jab at McGraw but as a “fun” reply to his song.
“We know he didn’t write the song, and the town in the title could be anywhere,” Mauriello said. “But it’s Portland, which presents a fun opportunity for us.”
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