Let me shout it from the rooftops: Two batches of outdoor shows have been announced, and I’m over the moon about it!
Lin-Manuel Miranda and rest of the “Hamilton” original Broadway cast singing the line “I am not throwing away my shot!” has become the latest of my pandemic mantras, as I hopefully and anxiously await my turn for the COVID-19 vaccination. And though the light at the end of the tunnel comes and goes, some sensational outdoor shows are indeed on the books for this spring and summer, and I’m telling you about them now so you can grab tickets before they sell out.
I have a special email folder called “Tickets,” where I put all confirmations for safe-keeping. It’s been an echo chamber in there over the past year, with a tiny handful of exceptions, and I sure am ready to repopulate it. It was with pure glee that I got to stick one in there for a Lady Lamb show in May, kicking off the Sunday Concert Series at Maine Craft Distilling. The whole schedule is below, along with that of the Music on the Lawn Series in Yarmouth, but keep in mind that both locations may add more shows, so be sure to keep an eye out as we get further into spring.
A scene from one of the summer of 2020 shows at the Martelle home in Yarmouth. Photo by Josh Caron
The Music on the Lawn series is at the Yarmouth home of musician Andrew Martelle and his wife, Rachael. This is the series’ second summer, but this year, Martelle said, the shows will be “bigger with full bands because it’s about damned time to party!” The shows will kick off with a socially distanced happy hour, complete with a food truck, followed by an hour and a half concert. There’s also a wonderful bonus element.
“The big difference between my house concert series and others is that, whoever comes to play, I play with them. So, it’s kind of a two-birds-with-one-stone sorta deal. Come to my house, let me learn your music, learn harmonies and put my fiddle to all your music,” said Martelle, a member of The Mallett Brothers Band, which will kick off the series in July. His duo with Jay Bragg, North Of Nashville, will play its first gig in five years to close out the series at the end of August.
Tickets to the shows are $35, and you’ll find them at eventbrite.com. Martelle said his yard can accommodate about 150 people safely, but he’ll be selling around 100 tickets per show. Bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. Here’s the schedule:
July 1: The Mallett Brothers Band
July 15: Steadman’s Landing
July 29: Pete Kilpatrick Band
Aug. 12: Kenya Hall
Aug. 26: North Of Nashville
The Ghost of Paul Revere performing last fall at Maine Craft Distilling in Portland. Photo by Keri Herer
Maine Craft Distilling in Portland has a ton of real estate behind and to the right of its inner Washington Avenue building and, last summer, used it to host several local shows and a last-minute surprise one from national act The Lone Bellow. Wisely, they’re doing it again this year, with shows starting in May.
The Sunday Concert Series includes a band out of Texas that I’m just now getting hip to called Ghost-Note, which will bring a whole bunch of jazz, funk and hip-hop to the distillery’s stage. They pretty much had me at hello when I heard the song “Swagism.”
There will be several seating options – some covered, some out in the open – including fish shack-type structures to stay warm in, especially during the shows earlier in the season, since we all know spring in Maine can’t be trusted. You can also eat and drink your fill at the distillery, which has extensive food and beverage menus.
All concert dates will have shows at 3 and 6 p.m. with 150 tickets available for each. You can find them at eventbrite.com. Here’s the schedule:
May 16: Lady Lamb, $35
May 23: Ghost of Paul Revere, $65
May 30: Ghost-Note, $50
June 6: Upstate, $50
June 13: Lespecial, $40
June 27: Jocyln and Chris, $50
July 11: DJ Logic, $35
OK, everyone, I’ll see you at a show. May we all be rolling up our sleeves soon.
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