In 2012, a small cadre of musicians living on Montsweag Road in Woolwich found each other and decided to perform a Christmas concert for their neighborhood. Fiddlers Scott Ciampa, Mark Wallace, and Christine Woodman, along with accordion player Sylvia Wallace and flutist Sara Wright compiled winter and Christmas tunes, warmed up the old schoolhouse on Montsweag Road and delighted their community with an afternoon of footstomping joy. A band was born.
Now named The Montsweagers, the band expanded over the next year to include fellow Montsweag Road denizens Susanna Liller and Peter Kent. Several “outsiders” from nearby towns, including Beth Richards and Liz Starr on guitar, Bill Bliss on bass, and Shine Richards on percussion have joined the band, many more tunes and styles of music have been introduced, and the band has widened its scope of music, including Celtic tunes, old time Americana, roots music, whatever catches its fancy. The band has performed at numerous venues, from Byrne’s Irish Pub in Brunswick to Locavore Music and Arts Festival in Waldoboro, with many stops in between.
Their upcoming gig for the Artstravaganza Music and Arts Festival will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at the Curtis Library in Brunswick. Take an evening to enjoy some lively tunes, brought to you by Dave Bullard, hosting with his band Soundwavz. Bullard is sharing the stage with the Montsweagers, as well as guitar-maker Jonathan Waldo. In addition, a number of artists will be presenting their works at the festival.
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