July 21, 2022 • 35 mins
In our series premiere, host Will Dailey takes you on a musical tour of Portland, Maine—the city Elvis was preparing to play on the night his reign came to an ignominious end. Some musicians couldn’t find it on a map. But the allure and beauty of Portland is that it doesn’t need you to know where it is. It already has everything it needs, whether you want bluegrass or blues, heavy metal or good ol’ rock and roll. Patty Griffin, Rustic Overtones, Weakened Friends, Ray Lamontagne: Before they were on your headphones, they were Made in Maine. You can catch the essence of Portland in one visit—we’ll show you how.
To hear the artists mentioned in this episode, check Will’s playlist at soundofourtownpod.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
When I'm listening to music, I don't want to have
to think about what I'm playing next. I don't want
to think at all. I just want to feel it.
That's why I love my Sonos Rome. It has a
hands free voice control and voice helps so I don't
have to think twice if I need to set a
timer or turn up a volume. Experience the best sound anywhere,
everywhere with Sonos Rome, the ultimate portable smart speaker for
all your listening adventures. Visit Sonos dot com to learn
(00:23):
more and shop Rome in three new exclusive colors. Double
Elvis as Rock and Roll Royalty succumbs to an overtaxed
(00:45):
heart on the toilet. One city in America was in
rapture waiting for tomorrow to come. They were waiting for
the King. Elvis was to arrive August seven for two shows.
The stage was set, the crew was there. Tickets for
two nights of the Cumberland County Civic Center were sold
out well in advance. Fans waited in the line for
(01:06):
days to grab them, especially amped because he just played
the state's diminutive capital of Augusta back in May, skipping
its largest city, Portland. Elvis was supposedly getting it going again,
and by it I mean it's life unhealthy, isolated, artistically stagnant,
and losing money. He had to get back out there
and work, but August sixteen would be his last day
(01:27):
on earth. And no city was left more at the
altar than Portland, Maine. When I'm playing a show or
going to a show in the Forest City, it has
never lost on me that I'm going to play some
songs in the last next place Elvis was going to
be Portland, Maine. I don't know where that is. Leave
your bags in the car, keep it running. I won't
(01:49):
pretend that I won't miss this for Portland, Maine. I
don't know where that is, Donovan Woods, I couldn't find
a lot of songs if it's in Portland, Maine. Hell,
there aren't a lot of songs that reference Maine. But
in digging around this song in particular reinforce my sense
of the ports city. It seemed to hold some power
(02:10):
with others too, because it has been covered at least
three times, including a version by Tim McGraw. It's not
a song about Portland, though, it's a song about not
knowing where the hell Portland is. The allure and beauty
of Portland is that it doesn't need you to know
where it is. It already has everything it needs. Whether
you want blue grass or the blues, heavy metal or
good old rock and roll, they have got a band
for that. The state of Maine in Portland has given
(02:33):
us Patty Griff had Rush, The Govertones, Ellis, Paul Sley, Cleaves,
Amy Allen, Genevieve Stoke, smell Stone, The Worst Week and Friends, Paranoids,
Social Club, Golden Oak and a Lombard, The Mallet Brothers Band,
Nigel Hall, Oshima, ray La Montaigne, Ryan Zoidis, the ghost
of Paul Revere, Cindy Blinds, and Jeff Coffin, to name
a few. And a lot of people think Maine gave
(02:55):
us lobsters. Um will correct that by the end of
this episode. So artists like Tim McGraw just gave up
on love because they didn't know geography. If there's a
reason the King died on a toilet just before testing
his abilities in the city, McGraw can't find on a map,
Elvis's manager hope for a soft launch back to stardom,
away from the bright lights that show all your faults
(03:17):
in a place like Madison Square Garden. You wouldn't be
faulted for thinking there isn't gonna be a lot of
live music or thriving music culture awaiting you on a
trip to Portland, But you would be missing out one
of the best music scenes in America if you do
not plan to fill your soul up while you're in town.
And that is precisely what this podcast is here for.
(03:37):
Portland knows how isolated it is, and it turns that
into its strength. It's music, it's food and drink. Take
full advantage of being the last city before you drift
towards Canada. If the world won't come to you, you
must ensure that your world has everything it needs. They
do that with the tagline you feel everywhere you go
more than you see made in Maine. An avalanche of
(04:01):
musical acts come out of l A, New York, and Nashville.
When a band or artist comes out of Maine, it
immediately says something about them. That is what I heard
every time I could catch a band like Rustic Overtones Alive,
a relentless, rocking cavalcade of rhythm, horns and groove triumphantly
served upon by the Bandshee punk rock vocals of Dave
Gutter before I understood the true heart of Portland, Maine.
(04:23):
I could understand what Maiden Maine meant by listening to
the Rustic Overtones. And I'm not alone in that, because
David Bowie thought the same thing and joined them on
their record. It drew me to Portland after hearing them
on tour. Once you're there, floating through the mist and
fog coming off the ocean at night, it's clear that
Maiden Maine is not a brand, but a way of
life from which music like Rustic Overtones sprung forth, real
(04:46):
in both its rawness and its comfort. Maybe when Elvis
drops dead on you, you're left with no plans. You
realize nobody is coming. Tim McGraw can't even find it
on a map, and you think we better plan our
own party, supply our own music. When I play there now,
I feel that welcome to our small, cozy city. We
don't really need you here to show us why you came.
(05:10):
The food, the beer, the crafts, the art and music.
Portland's is its own perpetual motion machine, a single energy
source feeling. It's vibrant live city music scene, dependable as
the tides in one visit. You can catch it all yourself,
and this is how you do it. Welcome to episode
one of Sound of Our Town. We are visiting Portland, Maine.
(05:35):
The Sound of Our Town is a podcast about the
music that has shaped the city you're touching down in,
or your move to, or you want to go to.
It is about finding, hearing, and experiencing its best music
happening right now. What sounds and places have shaped that
city's culture, and what new sounds continue to define it.
It's about getting together in a room to listen and
(05:55):
why that matters whether you're quickly dropping in or landing
for a long stay. In each episode of Sound of
Our Town, I'll introduce you to the real places in
sonic stories echoing in a particular town, so that your
travel is enriched with music. If we've all been through
a lot, and we are going through a lot, and
music gives the challenges that inevitably befall us some perspective,
(06:19):
grace and healing. My name is Will Daily. I'm working
in the artists the Sonic Traveler, UH foolish and relentless
true door from one of you. I'm looking for that
spot to go to in that spot to play. We
want to get lost and found in the same night.
We start our first episode in Portland, Maine, and by
the time we are done walking along it's cobblestone streets
(06:41):
where there's always someone playing something, you'll know why we
started here. So let's listen in on Portland. This humble
East Coast city possesses a true ocean side winner with
the spirit of the mighty Atlantic beating at your door
and finding an energy and a food sources a must
and thankfully easy to do in Portland. This is what
(07:02):
makes the city thrive. Yes, when certain icons use a
city to get their act together, only to die the
night before the show, that city will inevitably learn to
provide for itself. It is the only way. Anytime I
played Portland, I feel like I'm invited into someone's home.
But it's board game night and you have to bring
something interesting and nobody's going to talk to you until
like the second drink. So let's get you settled and going.
(07:25):
Any new destination could be overwhelming and you only have
one chance to make your first stop. Where does one
go when first arriving in Portland's the unwind the first pint,
your first real taste of not only knowing the live
music scene, but the vibe of the city itself. You flew,
drove bike to sauntered into town. You don't want to
waste a minute. We could start with mains drinking problem.
(07:48):
Portland has so many breweries and impress of seventeen micro breweries,
the most per capita of any city in the US.
It would be fair to assume that prohibition never stood
a chance here, except that the father of prohibition was
the former mayor. In eighteen fifty, Mayor Neil dow co
founded the Main Temperance Society, which is hopefully an indie
(08:09):
band or going to be an indie band. Soon. Dal
used his political power to turn Maine into America's first
dry state in eighteen fifty one. No beer, no wine.
But four years later it was discovered that he had
allowed the city to buy medical and mechanical alcohol for
him to store and you know, look after, just just
in case, thus marking the only time in US history
(08:32):
where a leader dramatically opposed to something was himself indulging
in that very thing. Eventually, angry and sober protesters surrounded
city Hall on June two, eighteen fifty five, Mayor dow
ordered his state militia to shoot, killing one protester and
injuring seven more. Everything went downhill from there. A year
after that incident, dal lost his reelection bid and Maine
(08:55):
got drunk again. The day at protest is remembered as
the Portland run Riot. Our first entry of evidence that
Portland knows how to take care of itself. So what
better way to honor that than to let this city
welcome me with a pint. Portland has a number of distilleries.
All the better many of them have live music. If
you're in Portland on Tuesday night, you can check out
Maincraft Distilling, which has bluegrass as long as it's warm
(09:17):
enough to play outside, and mayonnerds have a different definition
of warm enough than a lot of the country. Or
try Gritty mcduffs on a Thursday night for a band
beyond description and a guy in Jason Phelps who does
the best Jerry Garcia You're going to hear for free
in a brewery just about anywhere in America. There's even
something called Affirmatory that has bands in the parking lot
(09:38):
all summer and specializes in types of booze that I've
never even heard of. But I don't want you to
suffer from too many options, so I will share with
you my favorite place to grab a drink and wake
my ears up before catching the show in Portland, place
that immediately ingests you into the ventricles of the city,
with the ocean pumping outside, while you still got that
ocean air and your lungs. Maps. Ocean there in your lungs. Maps.
(10:02):
The bar is one of Portland's many small pubs, but
it's the only Subterrainean bar decorated with Maps. Simple and unpretentious,
the bar has a healthy selection of all of the
fine Portland beers out there. But integral to our auditory
needs is the music Maps supplies via classic turntable and
a stellar record collection. Some people say they're grilled cheese
(10:24):
is of legend. I'll let you decide. Maps is underground.
It's in the soil, speakeasy vibe with the bartender who
will spin records for you, welcoming you into this strong
and humble city and priming you for what comes next.
By the time you walk out of Maps, you are
a tuned to the Portland peninsula and ready to see
some live music. Ready to listen in every city we visit.
(10:47):
In sound of our town, we are first finding the
listening rooms where magic happens in intimacy is of value.
In most cities, you really have to plan your night
because a cab right across town from one place the
next really sucks up your time. But Portland built itself
around a culture that values being there over getting there.
What I mean is this city is walkable. The majority
(11:08):
of your music exploration is less than a mile from maps.
The spine of the city that is actually its nickname
is Congress Street cuts through the heart of Portland. In
a country that suffers from an over homogenization of main streets,
the crimson brick sidewalks of Congress offer you walk on
the home grown side. It has two thirds of your
live music stops. I've been in Portland and gone to
(11:29):
three different shows in one night, like I'm walking room
to room through a beautiful Victorian brick house. That is
why I think it's best to start at one Longfellow Square.
It's one of the city's most charming and versatile nonprofit
performing arts venues. Ols his position to what feels like
the gateway to the arts district Portland It has a
warm and intimate atmosphere, setting up unforgettable experiences featuring some
(11:52):
of the best talent from Maine and the world. I
personally love playing that stage. It has a mini arena
type seating with chairs on the floor and an elevated balcony.
You can played to a whisper there and you can
whip it up to a scream if the moment compels you.
It's one of the best listening rooms in New England,
featuring folk, jazz, rock, blues, spoken word and beyond. Masters
a song like ted Leo Melissafic lore Viers two masters
(12:16):
of the instrument like Leo Cocky, Johnny A and Lucy Kaplansky.
They all find a Portlands home at one Longfellow Square,
and those local heroes goes the power Vier, who now
hold legendary status like Rustic Overtones, learned they can't be
contained much longer when they filled this room beyond its
eight five capacity. In two thousand and twelve, Dave Garter
from Rustic plays solo shows in between projects and rappers posts.
(12:38):
Wants to to show here with a nine piece backing band.
If there's something that deserves to be listened to, you
can find it at one Longfellow Square and just five
hundred steps away from OLS is one of Portland's top
alternative arts venues. Space side note, I don't know if
we will have that many cities to visit throughout this
season where I actually have to think about which alternative
(13:00):
arts venus to not include. That's how special Portland is.
You don't create that kind of problem for a podcast
about live music in a city without having a robust culture.
The mission of Space is to present contemporary, unconventional and
emerging arts artists and ideas. It's multidisciplinary, kind of a
fancy wave saying, come here to expand your consciousness. They
(13:24):
show films that remind you to watch, not stream, or
spoken word nights that remind you to stop speaking and
listen even internally. And when they host music, you pay
attention because any unit of the week is prime real
estate because the music they're booking there is of the
truest soil. They main only book about seven to twelve
concerts a month, but they all count. Shows can also
(13:44):
be all ages depending on the event, so you will
likely align with something special at Space no matter when
you arrive. Acts like my favorite living guitarist Mark rabou
Yasmin Williams, dear hoof Jonathan Richmond, all frequent Space and
you feel connected to the cult you there. It has
a warmth about It's Portland's spoon fed to your heart
and mind. And look, if one Longfellow Square and Space
(14:06):
is your night, then that's a beautiful evening on the peninsula.
One or two stops at one of the kind venues
in a bar that spends vinyl, that's that's amazing. You
did it, and you've done a lot, and you can
finish off with some late night eats at a place
like Nash because you need food and there's no way
I'm not dropping some food in our journeys before or
after between shows. You need fuel to listen. I don't
(14:29):
want you hungry or malnourished. And I don't want you
to listen to a food podcast about Portland. You don't
have time for that. There's too much music. Nash is
a Portland's stop for the live music level because it's
open till eleven on Fridays and Saturdays, and it has
the hardiest of main sandwiches and burgers. And you'll notice
that you passed a lot of places on your Congress
Street walk so far. Because Portland, as with its breweries,
(14:49):
has a high per capita account of venues for a
small city, all concentrated for your sonic comfort. What do
you do if you don't have a ticket? You didn't
plan ahead. That's me, I don't plan ahead and you
want the comfort of live music right now? Where in
Portland town is the coveted no cover spot. As with
any live music venue in town, and particularly with Ports
(15:10):
City Blue or just Blue for the locals, many people
come to really listen. It battles one long Fellow Square
for the most intimate venue, and it might have the lead.
It's quiet enough so you can sometimes hear somebody take
a leak in the bathroom in the back, but it
has no cover, and it's known to unleash that now
and then via one's fellow listeners. And don't take it personally.
(15:32):
It's just the love of the moment. Even the bartender
can get the zippets sign once in a while. The
lost art of deep listening remains contagious in Blue. In
ports City, Blue holds jazz jams, singer songwriters, electro funk,
and Irish music. I think there's zero rules as to
what they'll host. With each city we visit in this
season and sound of our Town, we will find that
(15:52):
no cover spot where like Blue, the curation focuses on
the love of the moment and not a genre or scene.
There is a minimum purchase of at least one drink
or topics items just like any old school Greenwich village
club has passed around which all proceeds go to musicians.
And yes you should feel obligated. I've walked out of
Blue with more than I make at a sold out
two person venue, so thank you Mry Daddy Warbucks. So
(16:19):
places like Blue, it's always there for you. You can
slip in and out any time. But if you're coming
to Portland on purpose, it's worth checking out what the
local clubs have on offers so you can plan to
see one of the dozens of bands who either make
Portland's home or swing through periodically because they built up
a fan base from their home in Brooklyn or Boston
or Northampton or Burlington, Vermont because it is a regional
hub nowadays thanks to that Made in Maine investment. And
(16:41):
let's say you roll into a beautiful city like Portland
and you only have one night and you want to
get your face melted. One place that's always reliable is
the apply named port House of Music and Events or
PE Home to the locals. It really is a home
for musicians who have who have been supported by owner
ken Bill sin see open the Big Easy now sadly
(17:01):
a West Elm furniture store. Especially if you dig big
bands with horns and keyboards and R and B singers,
this is your joint. Plus it's one of the best
rooms in town in terms of set up. An elevated stage,
easily accessible bar and bathrooms to the back stage right
in a balcony that wraps around the back for those
you'd rather sit down than pogo stick. And they have
a smoking area, so bring your weed, which is legal
(17:25):
in Portland. Remember all right, I'll tell you that part.
I don't think I did. You can also try out
sun Tiki, which is just maybe a bit outside of
the walking distance that we've been talking about from Congress Street,
but it's among the best new entrants into the scene.
Maybe it's because it started out as a practice space,
So Suntiki feels like a home for the wayward musician,
(17:46):
a place where you can always find a bill to
hop on and play three or four songs of new
material on a six band show and no one will
ever seem out of place. This is where indie rock
meets Americana and one of the last places where there
is clearly a taste that governs every book decision and
you can reliably show up for a group of bands
you've never heard of and come away impressed. And obviously
(18:06):
members of bands like Rustic Overtones and goes to Power
review frequent Santiki with their side projects. Santiki certainly encapsulates
everything we've been talking about regards to Portland's Maine and
that made in main vibe. But you want to get
your face melted right off, Well, there's one spot in
Portland to really get a flavor for the city's legacy
(18:28):
of music, to be in a building where everyone from
Modest Mouse to Cap Power play before they got too big,
but before we get to that. And when I'm on
the road, I'm always bringing my favorite current albums with me,
but sometimes my car speakers just don't do the music justice.
(18:49):
Or that hotel thing that if I ever managed to
get my phone hooked up too and never really does
the music justice. But with my Sonos Rowan portable smart speaker,
I can experience the best sound everywhere and anywhere, no
matter the conditions of the location. The sound quality on
the sun Room is perfection. The room is about six
inches tall and it delivers amazing vocal quality and depth.
(19:11):
When I was listening to the latest from Ghosts to
Paul Revere Field Notes Going Free, a full Sunic spectrum
is represented, and I felt like I was up front
that one longfellow square. The room also has a shock
resistant design that protects it against accidental drops or turbulence,
which is my standard mode of operation. So if you're
like me, you don't have to worry if you drop
(19:31):
it or it gets tossed around in your back. So
get room and get ready for your next adventure. Learn
more and shop three new exclusive colors at Sonos dot com.
(19:52):
The winter wind is biting at your cheeks as you
try not to slip on the slick brick sidewalk. You
make it to the most unpretentious facade on the block,
just before you can't feel your fingers. The heat from
inside is boiling out the front door and the body
parts of flyers from shows past blowing the wind, nothing
has been groomed. A well worn regular who likely knows
(20:12):
every touring band with a loud guitar, is leaning against
the brick, getting some air with a filterless lucky strike
in a leather jacket, totally inappropriate for the weather. You
pull open the glass door, leaving the cold and possibly
the real world. Maybe there's nothing and no one inside.
At first, only darkness greets you, but then the essence
(20:32):
of sonic sweat hits your eyes. Adjusted for one second,
it feels like you're walking onto a stage in metal
is life. This isn't dinged, it's purity. The black and
red walls extend to the checkerboard floor, but there's no chest.
It's more primal than that. And just make sure you've
got enough cash for the bouncer. You brought cash, right,
because that's the only currency that works here. And you think,
(20:55):
is this it? But is that? The strokes at the
pool table post sound check just time. Burlesque dancers pray
the checkerboard eye contact all the way they might love you.
They might The foodsball table is alive tonight, each player
on the rod arguing who saw black flag more Back
in the day, a thrash four pieces, finishing a set
hair that reaches the floor, flying in a windmill. The
(21:18):
singer's voice sounds like a chainsaw playing through a broken speaker,
loud as hell. It's beautiful. The rest of the bill
is stacked to night, three bands all trying to outpunk
the other to you. Suddenly that is peace. Gray metal
heads and wet behind the ear d i y rockers
decorate the bar all the while the ghost of nineteen
seventies sexual exhibitionism flirts at the bar with a never
(21:40):
ending glass of seven and seven stickers and skulls plasters
of the wall. Death is everywhere. Let's be honest, how
can it not be? And you you feel alive, you
have found your way to Genos or you have a
good chance of having your face melted right off. Originally
(22:02):
it was a basement spot under Brown Street. Open in three,
Geno's was intended as a restaurant cat to the downtown
shopping crowd, but the main mall came into being and
gutted Portland's downtown. So Gino, who run numerous drinking and
eating establishments, said fuget, let's just let the punks play
here at night, and that spot had to pack up
shop in two thousand and twelve and move a mile
(22:22):
up the block to its current location, all a few
years before Gino died and left it to his son
j R. Who recently sold it. But to like minded individuals,
of course, there are some townies who will never recognize
Geno's new location as anything but the new Genos, even
though it's been in place for a decade now and
most people hardly remember the Brown Street location that's been
(22:43):
turned into condos. But this spot on Congress has history too.
Not only did it used to be the Skinny, a
club run by Portland legends Johnny and Melo Lamba for
a white hot minute, but it was also the so
called fine arts cinema where you go to see X
rated movies before they were freely available everywhere. It turns
out a porn theater offers great sight lines for live
(23:03):
music fans. But maybe the coolest thing about Geno's is
how legitimately welcoming it is. No matter how weird you are,
They've got a place for you, and the newcomers that
bought the place from Geno's Jr. Are not only keeping
the spirit alive, but also making it even more of
a place where everyone is accepted. You will never not
once walk into Genos and not feel a kind of
connection to that beautiful rock and rule freedom that America fears.
(23:30):
Of course, Elvis was not coming to melth Faces but
Mouth Hearts, and he wasn't planning on playing the local club.
He was set up to play the Civic Center, where
locals have seen everyone from Kiss to Dolly Pardon, but
which is called the Cross Insurance Arena now and hasn't
held a big show anyone's really cared about since the
Black Keys played in and at least twenty thod people
claimed to have been at that show that holds less
(23:52):
than ten thousand, but certainly dates hold legends. So with
every city we visit in this season and Sound of
our Town, I'll be setting you up with a calendar
highlights that make your time wherever you are special, and
also giving you these target dates in case you want
to plan your trip. So if you want a big
show in Portland, you have two main options, one of
which is the storied State Theater, and should you find
(24:12):
yourself in town over Thanksgiving weekend, make yourself available for
the annual Beatles Night, which is actually a series of
three shows with the matinee by local gut about Spencer Albi,
who puts together a family of fifteen or twenty musicians,
a sort of all star game for the Portland music scene,
where they played the hell out of your favorite Beatles
tunes and a family friendly atmosphere. There is a reason
(24:34):
the legend of these shows has made it to the
pages of Rolling Stone. As far as fests go in
the Portland's summer, a historic night is waiting for you
this September for ghost Land. It will be the end
of something in the beginning of another. The outdoor micro
Festival's grounds are called Thompson's Point, a big show option
all summer where you can listen to big bands with
(24:55):
seven thousand of your friends and munch on food truck
fair right by an ocean side inlet. Just make sure
to bring a sweater or something because it gets cold
when the sun goes down. And along with the State Theater,
Thompson Point is run by the impeccable Lauren Wayne, Portland's
pre eminent and humble tastemaker. She made people like Brandy
Carlyle and Lake Street Dive stars in Portland before the
rest of the country had much heard of them. Now
(25:16):
they come to Thompson Point almost annually and you can
see right there that Made in main dedication courtesy of
Miss Wayne, and this Labor Day weekend serves as the
retirement party for the aforementioned Ghost of Paul Revere, one
of Portland's truest success stories, founded by a trio of
guys from a high school out in the Sticks who
turned themselves into national alt country darlings after crawling through
(25:36):
and then flying through places like the dog Fish Cafe,
one Longfellow Square, and far beyond places like Playing Conan
in the Austin City Limits Festival. They host their very
own festival every year. I think I played their first one,
but this year will be their last as they've decided
to do what of bands we love eventually do break up,
(25:58):
So this September you can be part of the Bond Voyage.
It would be an awesome way to celebrate their hometown
with the party where they've invited all their friends to.
The night is made in Made in its purest form,
and every music fan there will be there to also
instill that ghost Land continues beyond the band to not
only keep their legacy alive, but also Portland's and independent artists.
(26:19):
Everywhere in Maine obviously opens up in the summer. Hopefully
by the time you make it there, Congress Square will
be fully rehabilitated and expanded already. It's a real downtown
park in a European way, and a great place to
find some random things happening, everything from hip hop hosted
by Monday of the Minds. Look for everyone from old
(26:40):
indie heads like mc soul in DJ Paine to rising
stars like Miles Bullen two random swing dances with legends
King Memphis who were originally known as the Memphis Mafia.
Speaking of Elvis but in the Portland's summer, bar hopping
and venue hopping down Congress Street is considered an outdoor
activity which brings me to the Vatican of the city.
(27:02):
The Vatican that that precious spot that a town will have.
We'll be finding a lot of them and for this episode,
and if it's a Thursday, while you're there, make your
way to the Vatican of Portland, Maine, a humble gazebo
in Portland's Eastern Promenade. You just follow Congress Street up
Montjoy Hill until it hits the ocean. They're overlooking Casco
Bay and all its sailboats. You can see any number
(27:23):
of local bands on fired during the Magic hour, and
as many as like three people will show up with
baskets and blankets in the whole shebang. See the ocean here,
the music win win, and it's all free. And then
there's our hidden gem. We have covered a lot, and
every lover of live music understands that silence is also musical,
so please don't forget to rest your ears on a
(27:43):
long stay. The town has plenty of things that don't
involve live music if you need to break out. Next
to Thompson's point is the Children's Museum. Portland is super
kids friendly, f y I. But next to that is
the Quirky and Weird Cryptozoology Museum, where where America's foremost
expert on Bigfoot, Lauren Coleman, has collected all men are
(28:04):
of artifact relating to not just Bigfoot, but other magical creatures,
including Jack Lopietti's sasquatches. Those might be big foots too,
I don't know, but just go there and learn something
about our distant cousins. But a real hidden gem for
live music fans lies down in Portland's up and coming
Bay Side neighborhood, but Appahadian has been the little venue
that could. It was founded by a Portland artist who
(28:26):
has done cover artwork for the Rustic Overtones named Patrick
Corgan in the late Dave Noyez, who is not just
the trumbone player for Rustic Covid Tones, but in many
ways the heart of Portland's music scene. He died suddenly
just before the pandemic started, but the Appahadian carries his
legacy by putting on weird Outsiders shows, screening films you'll
never see anywhere else in Maine, and serving plenty of
(28:46):
PBR from a makeshift bar that only came to be
legal a short while ago. Mayor dal would have been furious.
You're looking for a place where someone might play a
saw on stage with the bow, this is your spot.
And again, no matter where you're going, you have to
restock your stomach. Importantly, you'll find amazing food every two feet.
But if you've got some time in the morning and
you don't mind waiting in line a little bit, then
(29:06):
just go to the Holy Donut where main potatoes made
Main potatoes. See see what we're doing here? Are turned
into delicious donuts that are hardy enough. You just might
have to save something for later. And if you're real Pharaoh,
you're gonna want to listen to the past and prep
for your trips. So I'll always give you something to
help you get ready. And just like every city, Portland
(29:28):
was changed by the pandemic, and the music scene felt
that change more than most. As you give up for
a visit to Portland, I'd be remiss if not mentioning
the way things used to be. A little bit you
might hear about the Old Court now are shopping and
find dining district, I'm here to tell you used to
be a lively place for music, with cool places like
the Basement, the Big Easy, the bitter End in the
ale House. Now all loss of the dust been a history.
(29:50):
I share that truth because it adds value to what
you have in front of you right now, and why
your presence alone is Valuedland lost what might have been
its best room for real music. Fans of ports City
music hall pace where you saw bands on the come
up at also legacy acts touring through just a place
where you played before you got too big, or you're
on your way to the state theater. Maybe good Old
(30:11):
war who always loved to do in acoustics set in
the middle of the floor, the crowd in a circle,
or the late great justin towns Earl, who once played
ports City with shovels and rope opening the places in
arcade now digital boops and beeps and craft beer flowing.
If you squint you can see how awesome the shotgun
arrangement was. I love playing that room. I'm sad it's
gone and I'll never roll into town without thinking about it.
(30:32):
The Portland's City animal is not a phoenix for nothing.
Stuff tends to rise from the ashes here. That is
as much a part in the mad and main ethos
as anything. And if you want more flavor, find John
Duncan's Take It Easy. It's a book of photographs from
Portland's downtown in nineteen seventies, a time when five bucks
a day driving cabs wasn't a bad way to make
a living. You can see the through line to today's
(30:54):
thriving music scene in every black and white image. Or
see if you can get your hand on an old
compilation record from two thousand Greetings from Area code to
zero seven. On it you will hear a selection of
bands who laid the city's current foundation, from Darien Brahm's
The Psychology Teacher Now to the McCarthy's Two Slave Cleaves
who moved to Austin but still comes home to play
shows in summer and escape that Texas heat. And while
(31:16):
we're visiting places in Sound of Our Town, I will
keep you sonically prepared, not just dreaming about Portland, but
taking in something ahead of time, and after you can
listen to goes to Paul Revere rustic overtone. Suppose Debt
gowns all of my playlists that are posted up on
the Sound of Our Town pod dot com, or just
dm me on Instagram at will Daily Official, and I'll
(31:37):
send you links. You'd think we all be used to
shock by now. The sudden loss of an icon, finding
out a political leader denying let's say alcohol in this
example is strongly storing, said Contraband in the basement, those
kind of things aren't that big of a deal, and
the ocean has swalled up countless fishing boats full of
friends and family over the years. Instead instilled in a
(31:59):
community is how much the real stuff of life truly matters,
The food sitting down for a pint together the music,
both creating, performing and taking it all in. It is
power and comfort. Mainline, Portland wears its heart on its sleeve.
A community this small and tightly knit, where everyone plays
in five different bands and half the audience could step
(32:21):
in for your bass player and a pinch feels things acutely.
COVID did a number on everyone, of course, but Portland's
seemed to take it more personally than some places. What
do you mean we can't play a gig downtown at Gritty's?
Are we really not getting together for a movie at
Appahadian tonight? What are we gonna do? But now Portlands
has come storming back with a vengeance. Ask any musician
(32:43):
in Maine and they've got more gigs than they knew
what to do with right now. And if you're smart
an adventurous, you'll get up there and make sure that
continues to be the case. I know what you're thinking.
You never never got to lobster, I said, like, maybe
i'd tell you where to get some, but look, if
you can't for our way to get lobster within five
minutes of being in this town, then I can't help you.
(33:04):
But I suppose the best place to get lobster and
see some music. That's got to be Portland Lobster Company,
right on Commercial Street next to the water, and somehow
able to sometimes fit a whole five or six piece
funk band or solo artists like Eric Bettencourt home from
Austin because you can't stay away from Portland for too long,
which is sort of how Portland does things in general.
(33:25):
You never know what's right around the next corner, in
the basement bar or up that side street. And sometimes
this little city might seem like it doesn't need you
there at all. It will be just fine whatever Elvis.
And sometimes like anyone who's just putting on a good
face in case they get burned again, Portland can seem
like it needs you and you and you more than
(33:47):
anything else in the world. How else are they going
to show off what they made? And one more thing,
the reason why lobsters are associated with Maine so prominently
isn't because of anything in the water. I mean, lobsters
get around there are other parts of the world, but
it's because they take care of their supply. They don't
(34:11):
pull out too much. In quality is preserved and there's
always a richness and what they bring into shore. All right,
you've been listening to Sound of Our Town, We're coming
(34:32):
at you with twelve episodes this first season, covering ten
different cities and all in. New episodes drop on Thursdays.
If you want to chat about the music scene in
your city, hit us up on Instagram at Double Elvis
and at Will Daily Official, or on Twitter at Double
Elvis FM and at Will Daily. Sound O Town is
a production of Double Elvis and I Heart Radio. The
show is executive produced by Jake Brennan, Brady Sadler, and
(34:54):
Carl Karioli for Double Elvis Production, assistant by Matt ta
Hainey and Matt Boden. The show is created, written, hosted,
and scored by me Will Daily. Additional writing on this
episode by Sam Feiffel. For sources see the show notes
special Thank you Dil Spencer, alvi, Anna Lombard and Dave
Gutter on this episode. Music for this episode was composed
and performed by me Will Daily. You can check out
(35:15):
my music just by spelling my name correctly. Anywhere you
listen to music, just spell Daily with all the vowels
D A I L E Y. I'm on Spotify, Apple
band Camp. And always at Sound of our Town pod
dot com and will Daily dot com. Okay, I'm off
to the next town and the next show. I will
see you out there. Thank you for your ears.
When I'm listening to music, I don't want to have
to think about what I'm playing next. I don't want
to think at all. I just want to feel it.
That's why I love my Sonos Rome. It has a
hands free voice control and voice helps so I don't
have to think twice if I need to set a
timer or turn up a volume. Experience the best sound anywhere,
everywhere with Sonos Rome, the ultimate portable smart speaker for
all your listening adventures. Visit Sonos dot com to learn
(00:23):
more and shop Rome in three new exclusive colors. Double
Elvis as Rock and Roll Royalty succumbs to an overtaxed
(00:45):
heart on the toilet. One city in America was in
rapture waiting for tomorrow to come. They were waiting for
the King. Elvis was to arrive August seven for two shows.
The stage was set, the crew was there. Tickets for
two nights of the Cumberland County Civic Center were sold
out well in advance. Fans waited in the line for
(01:06):
days to grab them, especially amped because he just played
the state's diminutive capital of Augusta back in May, skipping
its largest city, Portland. Elvis was supposedly getting it going again,
and by it I mean it's life unhealthy, isolated, artistically stagnant,
and losing money. He had to get back out there
and work, but August sixteen would be his last day
(01:27):
on earth. And no city was left more at the
altar than Portland, Maine. When I'm playing a show or
going to a show in the Forest City, it has
never lost on me that I'm going to play some
songs in the last next place Elvis was going to
be Portland, Maine. I don't know where that is. Leave
your bags in the car, keep it running. I won't
(01:49):
pretend that I won't miss this for Portland, Maine. I
don't know where that is, Donovan Woods, I couldn't find
a lot of songs if it's in Portland, Maine. Hell,
there aren't a lot of songs that reference Maine. But
in digging around this song in particular reinforce my sense
of the ports city. It seemed to hold some power
(02:10):
with others too, because it has been covered at least
three times, including a version by Tim McGraw. It's not
a song about Portland, though, it's a song about not
knowing where the hell Portland is. The allure and beauty
of Portland is that it doesn't need you to know
where it is. It already has everything it needs. Whether
you want blue grass or the blues, heavy metal or
good old rock and roll, they have got a band
for that. The state of Maine in Portland has given
(02:33):
us Patty Griff had Rush, The Govertones, Ellis, Paul Sley, Cleaves,
Amy Allen, Genevieve Stoke, smell Stone, The Worst Week and Friends, Paranoids,
Social Club, Golden Oak and a Lombard, The Mallet Brothers Band,
Nigel Hall, Oshima, ray La Montaigne, Ryan Zoidis, the ghost
of Paul Revere, Cindy Blinds, and Jeff Coffin, to name
a few. And a lot of people think Maine gave
(02:55):
us lobsters. Um will correct that by the end of
this episode. So artists like Tim McGraw just gave up
on love because they didn't know geography. If there's a
reason the King died on a toilet just before testing
his abilities in the city, McGraw can't find on a map,
Elvis's manager hope for a soft launch back to stardom,
away from the bright lights that show all your faults
(03:17):
in a place like Madison Square Garden. You wouldn't be
faulted for thinking there isn't gonna be a lot of
live music or thriving music culture awaiting you on a
trip to Portland, But you would be missing out one
of the best music scenes in America if you do
not plan to fill your soul up while you're in town.
And that is precisely what this podcast is here for.
(03:37):
Portland knows how isolated it is, and it turns that
into its strength. It's music, it's food and drink. Take
full advantage of being the last city before you drift
towards Canada. If the world won't come to you, you
must ensure that your world has everything it needs. They
do that with the tagline you feel everywhere you go
more than you see made in Maine. An avalanche of
(04:01):
musical acts come out of l A, New York, and Nashville.
When a band or artist comes out of Maine, it
immediately says something about them. That is what I heard
every time I could catch a band like Rustic Overtones Alive,
a relentless, rocking cavalcade of rhythm, horns and groove triumphantly
served upon by the Bandshee punk rock vocals of Dave
Gutter before I understood the true heart of Portland, Maine.
(04:23):
I could understand what Maiden Maine meant by listening to
the Rustic Overtones. And I'm not alone in that, because
David Bowie thought the same thing and joined them on
their record. It drew me to Portland after hearing them
on tour. Once you're there, floating through the mist and
fog coming off the ocean at night, it's clear that
Maiden Maine is not a brand, but a way of
life from which music like Rustic Overtones sprung forth, real
(04:46):
in both its rawness and its comfort. Maybe when Elvis
drops dead on you, you're left with no plans. You
realize nobody is coming. Tim McGraw can't even find it
on a map, and you think we better plan our
own party, supply our own music. When I play there now,
I feel that welcome to our small, cozy city. We
don't really need you here to show us why you came.
(05:10):
The food, the beer, the crafts, the art and music.
Portland's is its own perpetual motion machine, a single energy
source feeling. It's vibrant live city music scene, dependable as
the tides in one visit. You can catch it all yourself,
and this is how you do it. Welcome to episode
one of Sound of Our Town. We are visiting Portland, Maine.
(05:35):
The Sound of Our Town is a podcast about the
music that has shaped the city you're touching down in,
or your move to, or you want to go to.
It is about finding, hearing, and experiencing its best music
happening right now. What sounds and places have shaped that
city's culture, and what new sounds continue to define it.
It's about getting together in a room to listen and
(05:55):
why that matters whether you're quickly dropping in or landing
for a long stay. In each episode of Sound of
Our Town, I'll introduce you to the real places in
sonic stories echoing in a particular town, so that your
travel is enriched with music. If we've all been through
a lot, and we are going through a lot, and
music gives the challenges that inevitably befall us some perspective,
(06:19):
grace and healing. My name is Will Daily. I'm working
in the artists the Sonic Traveler, UH foolish and relentless
true door from one of you. I'm looking for that
spot to go to in that spot to play. We
want to get lost and found in the same night.
We start our first episode in Portland, Maine, and by
the time we are done walking along it's cobblestone streets
(06:41):
where there's always someone playing something, you'll know why we
started here. So let's listen in on Portland. This humble
East Coast city possesses a true ocean side winner with
the spirit of the mighty Atlantic beating at your door
and finding an energy and a food sources a must
and thankfully easy to do in Portland. This is what
(07:02):
makes the city thrive. Yes, when certain icons use a
city to get their act together, only to die the
night before the show, that city will inevitably learn to
provide for itself. It is the only way. Anytime I
played Portland, I feel like I'm invited into someone's home.
But it's board game night and you have to bring
something interesting and nobody's going to talk to you until
like the second drink. So let's get you settled and going.
(07:25):
Any new destination could be overwhelming and you only have
one chance to make your first stop. Where does one
go when first arriving in Portland's the unwind the first pint,
your first real taste of not only knowing the live
music scene, but the vibe of the city itself. You flew,
drove bike to sauntered into town. You don't want to
waste a minute. We could start with mains drinking problem.
(07:48):
Portland has so many breweries and impress of seventeen micro breweries,
the most per capita of any city in the US.
It would be fair to assume that prohibition never stood
a chance here, except that the father of prohibition was
the former mayor. In eighteen fifty, Mayor Neil dow co
founded the Main Temperance Society, which is hopefully an indie
(08:09):
band or going to be an indie band. Soon. Dal
used his political power to turn Maine into America's first
dry state in eighteen fifty one. No beer, no wine.
But four years later it was discovered that he had
allowed the city to buy medical and mechanical alcohol for
him to store and you know, look after, just just
in case, thus marking the only time in US history
(08:32):
where a leader dramatically opposed to something was himself indulging
in that very thing. Eventually, angry and sober protesters surrounded
city Hall on June two, eighteen fifty five, Mayor dow
ordered his state militia to shoot, killing one protester and
injuring seven more. Everything went downhill from there. A year
after that incident, dal lost his reelection bid and Maine
(08:55):
got drunk again. The day at protest is remembered as
the Portland run Riot. Our first entry of evidence that
Portland knows how to take care of itself. So what
better way to honor that than to let this city
welcome me with a pint. Portland has a number of distilleries.
All the better many of them have live music. If
you're in Portland on Tuesday night, you can check out
Maincraft Distilling, which has bluegrass as long as it's warm
(09:17):
enough to play outside, and mayonnerds have a different definition
of warm enough than a lot of the country. Or
try Gritty mcduffs on a Thursday night for a band
beyond description and a guy in Jason Phelps who does
the best Jerry Garcia You're going to hear for free
in a brewery just about anywhere in America. There's even
something called Affirmatory that has bands in the parking lot
(09:38):
all summer and specializes in types of booze that I've
never even heard of. But I don't want you to
suffer from too many options, so I will share with
you my favorite place to grab a drink and wake
my ears up before catching the show in Portland, place
that immediately ingests you into the ventricles of the city,
with the ocean pumping outside, while you still got that
ocean air and your lungs. Maps. Ocean there in your lungs. Maps.
(10:02):
The bar is one of Portland's many small pubs, but
it's the only Subterrainean bar decorated with Maps. Simple and unpretentious,
the bar has a healthy selection of all of the
fine Portland beers out there. But integral to our auditory
needs is the music Maps supplies via classic turntable and
a stellar record collection. Some people say they're grilled cheese
(10:24):
is of legend. I'll let you decide. Maps is underground.
It's in the soil, speakeasy vibe with the bartender who
will spin records for you, welcoming you into this strong
and humble city and priming you for what comes next.
By the time you walk out of Maps, you are
a tuned to the Portland peninsula and ready to see
some live music. Ready to listen in every city we visit.
(10:47):
In sound of our town, we are first finding the
listening rooms where magic happens in intimacy is of value.
In most cities, you really have to plan your night
because a cab right across town from one place the
next really sucks up your time. But Portland built itself
around a culture that values being there over getting there.
What I mean is this city is walkable. The majority
(11:08):
of your music exploration is less than a mile from maps.
The spine of the city that is actually its nickname
is Congress Street cuts through the heart of Portland. In
a country that suffers from an over homogenization of main streets,
the crimson brick sidewalks of Congress offer you walk on
the home grown side. It has two thirds of your
live music stops. I've been in Portland and gone to
(11:29):
three different shows in one night, like I'm walking room
to room through a beautiful Victorian brick house. That is
why I think it's best to start at one Longfellow Square.
It's one of the city's most charming and versatile nonprofit
performing arts venues. Ols his position to what feels like
the gateway to the arts district Portland It has a
warm and intimate atmosphere, setting up unforgettable experiences featuring some
(11:52):
of the best talent from Maine and the world. I
personally love playing that stage. It has a mini arena
type seating with chairs on the floor and an elevated balcony.
You can played to a whisper there and you can
whip it up to a scream if the moment compels you.
It's one of the best listening rooms in New England,
featuring folk, jazz, rock, blues, spoken word and beyond. Masters
a song like ted Leo Melissafic lore Viers two masters
(12:16):
of the instrument like Leo Cocky, Johnny A and Lucy Kaplansky.
They all find a Portlands home at one Longfellow Square,
and those local heroes goes the power Vier, who now
hold legendary status like Rustic Overtones, learned they can't be
contained much longer when they filled this room beyond its
eight five capacity. In two thousand and twelve, Dave Garter
from Rustic plays solo shows in between projects and rappers posts.
(12:38):
Wants to to show here with a nine piece backing band.
If there's something that deserves to be listened to, you
can find it at one Longfellow Square and just five
hundred steps away from OLS is one of Portland's top
alternative arts venues. Space side note, I don't know if
we will have that many cities to visit throughout this
season where I actually have to think about which alternative
(13:00):
arts venus to not include. That's how special Portland is.
You don't create that kind of problem for a podcast
about live music in a city without having a robust culture.
The mission of Space is to present contemporary, unconventional and
emerging arts artists and ideas. It's multidisciplinary, kind of a
fancy wave saying, come here to expand your consciousness. They
(13:24):
show films that remind you to watch, not stream, or
spoken word nights that remind you to stop speaking and
listen even internally. And when they host music, you pay
attention because any unit of the week is prime real
estate because the music they're booking there is of the
truest soil. They main only book about seven to twelve
concerts a month, but they all count. Shows can also
(13:44):
be all ages depending on the event, so you will
likely align with something special at Space no matter when
you arrive. Acts like my favorite living guitarist Mark rabou
Yasmin Williams, dear hoof Jonathan Richmond, all frequent Space and
you feel connected to the cult you there. It has
a warmth about It's Portland's spoon fed to your heart
and mind. And look, if one Longfellow Square and Space
(14:06):
is your night, then that's a beautiful evening on the peninsula.
One or two stops at one of the kind venues
in a bar that spends vinyl, that's that's amazing. You
did it, and you've done a lot, and you can
finish off with some late night eats at a place
like Nash because you need food and there's no way
I'm not dropping some food in our journeys before or
after between shows. You need fuel to listen. I don't
(14:29):
want you hungry or malnourished. And I don't want you
to listen to a food podcast about Portland. You don't
have time for that. There's too much music. Nash is
a Portland's stop for the live music level because it's
open till eleven on Fridays and Saturdays, and it has
the hardiest of main sandwiches and burgers. And you'll notice
that you passed a lot of places on your Congress
Street walk so far. Because Portland, as with its breweries,
(14:49):
has a high per capita account of venues for a
small city, all concentrated for your sonic comfort. What do
you do if you don't have a ticket? You didn't
plan ahead. That's me, I don't plan ahead and you
want the comfort of live music right now? Where in
Portland town is the coveted no cover spot. As with
any live music venue in town, and particularly with Ports
(15:10):
City Blue or just Blue for the locals, many people
come to really listen. It battles one long Fellow Square
for the most intimate venue, and it might have the lead.
It's quiet enough so you can sometimes hear somebody take
a leak in the bathroom in the back, but it
has no cover, and it's known to unleash that now
and then via one's fellow listeners. And don't take it personally.
(15:32):
It's just the love of the moment. Even the bartender
can get the zippets sign once in a while. The
lost art of deep listening remains contagious in Blue. In
ports City, Blue holds jazz jams, singer songwriters, electro funk,
and Irish music. I think there's zero rules as to
what they'll host. With each city we visit in this
season and sound of our Town, we will find that
(15:52):
no cover spot where like Blue, the curation focuses on
the love of the moment and not a genre or scene.
There is a minimum purchase of at least one drink
or topics items just like any old school Greenwich village
club has passed around which all proceeds go to musicians.
And yes you should feel obligated. I've walked out of
Blue with more than I make at a sold out
two person venue, so thank you Mry Daddy Warbucks. So
(16:19):
places like Blue, it's always there for you. You can
slip in and out any time. But if you're coming
to Portland on purpose, it's worth checking out what the
local clubs have on offers so you can plan to
see one of the dozens of bands who either make
Portland's home or swing through periodically because they built up
a fan base from their home in Brooklyn or Boston
or Northampton or Burlington, Vermont because it is a regional
hub nowadays thanks to that Made in Maine investment. And
(16:41):
let's say you roll into a beautiful city like Portland
and you only have one night and you want to
get your face melted. One place that's always reliable is
the apply named port House of Music and Events or
PE Home to the locals. It really is a home
for musicians who have who have been supported by owner
ken Bill sin see open the Big Easy now sadly
(17:01):
a West Elm furniture store. Especially if you dig big
bands with horns and keyboards and R and B singers,
this is your joint. Plus it's one of the best
rooms in town in terms of set up. An elevated stage,
easily accessible bar and bathrooms to the back stage right
in a balcony that wraps around the back for those
you'd rather sit down than pogo stick. And they have
a smoking area, so bring your weed, which is legal
(17:25):
in Portland. Remember all right, I'll tell you that part.
I don't think I did. You can also try out
sun Tiki, which is just maybe a bit outside of
the walking distance that we've been talking about from Congress Street,
but it's among the best new entrants into the scene.
Maybe it's because it started out as a practice space,
So Suntiki feels like a home for the wayward musician,
(17:46):
a place where you can always find a bill to
hop on and play three or four songs of new
material on a six band show and no one will
ever seem out of place. This is where indie rock
meets Americana and one of the last places where there
is clearly a taste that governs every book decision and
you can reliably show up for a group of bands
you've never heard of and come away impressed. And obviously
(18:06):
members of bands like Rustic Overtones and goes to Power
review frequent Santiki with their side projects. Santiki certainly encapsulates
everything we've been talking about regards to Portland's Maine and
that made in main vibe. But you want to get
your face melted right off, Well, there's one spot in
Portland to really get a flavor for the city's legacy
(18:28):
of music, to be in a building where everyone from
Modest Mouse to Cap Power play before they got too big,
but before we get to that. And when I'm on
the road, I'm always bringing my favorite current albums with me,
but sometimes my car speakers just don't do the music justice.
(18:49):
Or that hotel thing that if I ever managed to
get my phone hooked up too and never really does
the music justice. But with my Sonos Rowan portable smart speaker,
I can experience the best sound everywhere and anywhere, no
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(19:52):
The winter wind is biting at your cheeks as you
try not to slip on the slick brick sidewalk. You
make it to the most unpretentious facade on the block,
just before you can't feel your fingers. The heat from
inside is boiling out the front door and the body
parts of flyers from shows past blowing the wind, nothing
has been groomed. A well worn regular who likely knows
(20:12):
every touring band with a loud guitar, is leaning against
the brick, getting some air with a filterless lucky strike
in a leather jacket, totally inappropriate for the weather. You
pull open the glass door, leaving the cold and possibly
the real world. Maybe there's nothing and no one inside.
At first, only darkness greets you, but then the essence
(20:32):
of sonic sweat hits your eyes. Adjusted for one second,
it feels like you're walking onto a stage in metal
is life. This isn't dinged, it's purity. The black and
red walls extend to the checkerboard floor, but there's no chest.
It's more primal than that. And just make sure you've
got enough cash for the bouncer. You brought cash, right,
because that's the only currency that works here. And you think,
(20:55):
is this it? But is that? The strokes at the
pool table post sound check just time. Burlesque dancers pray
the checkerboard eye contact all the way they might love you.
They might The foodsball table is alive tonight, each player
on the rod arguing who saw black flag more Back
in the day, a thrash four pieces, finishing a set
hair that reaches the floor, flying in a windmill. The
(21:18):
singer's voice sounds like a chainsaw playing through a broken speaker,
loud as hell. It's beautiful. The rest of the bill
is stacked to night, three bands all trying to outpunk
the other to you. Suddenly that is peace. Gray metal
heads and wet behind the ear d i y rockers
decorate the bar all the while the ghost of nineteen
seventies sexual exhibitionism flirts at the bar with a never
(21:40):
ending glass of seven and seven stickers and skulls plasters
of the wall. Death is everywhere. Let's be honest, how
can it not be? And you you feel alive, you
have found your way to Genos or you have a
good chance of having your face melted right off. Originally
(22:02):
it was a basement spot under Brown Street. Open in three,
Geno's was intended as a restaurant cat to the downtown
shopping crowd, but the main mall came into being and
gutted Portland's downtown. So Gino, who run numerous drinking and
eating establishments, said fuget, let's just let the punks play
here at night, and that spot had to pack up
shop in two thousand and twelve and move a mile
(22:22):
up the block to its current location, all a few
years before Gino died and left it to his son
j R. Who recently sold it. But to like minded individuals,
of course, there are some townies who will never recognize
Geno's new location as anything but the new Genos, even
though it's been in place for a decade now and
most people hardly remember the Brown Street location that's been
(22:43):
turned into condos. But this spot on Congress has history too.
Not only did it used to be the Skinny, a
club run by Portland legends Johnny and Melo Lamba for
a white hot minute, but it was also the so
called fine arts cinema where you go to see X
rated movies before they were freely available everywhere. It turns
out a porn theater offers great sight lines for live
(23:03):
music fans. But maybe the coolest thing about Geno's is
how legitimately welcoming it is. No matter how weird you are,
They've got a place for you, and the newcomers that
bought the place from Geno's Jr. Are not only keeping
the spirit alive, but also making it even more of
a place where everyone is accepted. You will never not
once walk into Genos and not feel a kind of
connection to that beautiful rock and rule freedom that America fears.
(23:30):
Of course, Elvis was not coming to melth Faces but
Mouth Hearts, and he wasn't planning on playing the local club.
He was set up to play the Civic Center, where
locals have seen everyone from Kiss to Dolly Pardon, but
which is called the Cross Insurance Arena now and hasn't
held a big show anyone's really cared about since the
Black Keys played in and at least twenty thod people
claimed to have been at that show that holds less
(23:52):
than ten thousand, but certainly dates hold legends. So with
every city we visit in this season and Sound of
our Town, I'll be setting you up with a calendar
highlights that make your time wherever you are special, and
also giving you these target dates in case you want
to plan your trip. So if you want a big
show in Portland, you have two main options, one of
which is the storied State Theater, and should you find
(24:12):
yourself in town over Thanksgiving weekend, make yourself available for
the annual Beatles Night, which is actually a series of
three shows with the matinee by local gut about Spencer Albi,
who puts together a family of fifteen or twenty musicians,
a sort of all star game for the Portland music scene,
where they played the hell out of your favorite Beatles
tunes and a family friendly atmosphere. There is a reason
(24:34):
the legend of these shows has made it to the
pages of Rolling Stone. As far as fests go in
the Portland's summer, a historic night is waiting for you
this September for ghost Land. It will be the end
of something in the beginning of another. The outdoor micro
Festival's grounds are called Thompson's Point, a big show option
all summer where you can listen to big bands with
(24:55):
seven thousand of your friends and munch on food truck
fair right by an ocean side inlet. Just make sure
to bring a sweater or something because it gets cold
when the sun goes down. And along with the State Theater,
Thompson Point is run by the impeccable Lauren Wayne, Portland's
pre eminent and humble tastemaker. She made people like Brandy
Carlyle and Lake Street Dive stars in Portland before the
rest of the country had much heard of them. Now
(25:16):
they come to Thompson Point almost annually and you can
see right there that Made in main dedication courtesy of
Miss Wayne, and this Labor Day weekend serves as the
retirement party for the aforementioned Ghost of Paul Revere, one
of Portland's truest success stories, founded by a trio of
guys from a high school out in the Sticks who
turned themselves into national alt country darlings after crawling through
(25:36):
and then flying through places like the dog Fish Cafe,
one Longfellow Square, and far beyond places like Playing Conan
in the Austin City Limits Festival. They host their very
own festival every year. I think I played their first one,
but this year will be their last as they've decided
to do what of bands we love eventually do break up,
(25:58):
So this September you can be part of the Bond Voyage.
It would be an awesome way to celebrate their hometown
with the party where they've invited all their friends to.
The night is made in Made in its purest form,
and every music fan there will be there to also
instill that ghost Land continues beyond the band to not
only keep their legacy alive, but also Portland's and independent artists.
(26:19):
Everywhere in Maine obviously opens up in the summer. Hopefully
by the time you make it there, Congress Square will
be fully rehabilitated and expanded already. It's a real downtown
park in a European way, and a great place to
find some random things happening, everything from hip hop hosted
by Monday of the Minds. Look for everyone from old
(26:40):
indie heads like mc soul in DJ Paine to rising
stars like Miles Bullen two random swing dances with legends
King Memphis who were originally known as the Memphis Mafia.
Speaking of Elvis but in the Portland's summer, bar hopping
and venue hopping down Congress Street is considered an outdoor
activity which brings me to the Vatican of the city.
(27:02):
The Vatican that that precious spot that a town will have.
We'll be finding a lot of them and for this episode,
and if it's a Thursday, while you're there, make your
way to the Vatican of Portland, Maine, a humble gazebo
in Portland's Eastern Promenade. You just follow Congress Street up
Montjoy Hill until it hits the ocean. They're overlooking Casco
Bay and all its sailboats. You can see any number
(27:23):
of local bands on fired during the Magic hour, and
as many as like three people will show up with
baskets and blankets in the whole shebang. See the ocean here,
the music win win, and it's all free. And then
there's our hidden gem. We have covered a lot, and
every lover of live music understands that silence is also musical,
so please don't forget to rest your ears on a
(27:43):
long stay. The town has plenty of things that don't
involve live music if you need to break out. Next
to Thompson's point is the Children's Museum. Portland is super
kids friendly, f y I. But next to that is
the Quirky and Weird Cryptozoology Museum, where where America's foremost
expert on Bigfoot, Lauren Coleman, has collected all men are
(28:04):
of artifact relating to not just Bigfoot, but other magical creatures,
including Jack Lopietti's sasquatches. Those might be big foots too,
I don't know, but just go there and learn something
about our distant cousins. But a real hidden gem for
live music fans lies down in Portland's up and coming
Bay Side neighborhood, but Appahadian has been the little venue
that could. It was founded by a Portland artist who
(28:26):
has done cover artwork for the Rustic Overtones named Patrick
Corgan in the late Dave Noyez, who is not just
the trumbone player for Rustic Covid Tones, but in many
ways the heart of Portland's music scene. He died suddenly
just before the pandemic started, but the Appahadian carries his
legacy by putting on weird Outsiders shows, screening films you'll
never see anywhere else in Maine, and serving plenty of
(28:46):
PBR from a makeshift bar that only came to be
legal a short while ago. Mayor dal would have been furious.
You're looking for a place where someone might play a
saw on stage with the bow, this is your spot.
And again, no matter where you're going, you have to
restock your stomach. Importantly, you'll find amazing food every two feet.
But if you've got some time in the morning and
you don't mind waiting in line a little bit, then
(29:06):
just go to the Holy Donut where main potatoes made
Main potatoes. See see what we're doing here? Are turned
into delicious donuts that are hardy enough. You just might
have to save something for later. And if you're real Pharaoh,
you're gonna want to listen to the past and prep
for your trips. So I'll always give you something to
help you get ready. And just like every city, Portland
(29:28):
was changed by the pandemic, and the music scene felt
that change more than most. As you give up for
a visit to Portland, I'd be remiss if not mentioning
the way things used to be. A little bit you
might hear about the Old Court now are shopping and
find dining district, I'm here to tell you used to
be a lively place for music, with cool places like
the Basement, the Big Easy, the bitter End in the
ale House. Now all loss of the dust been a history.
(29:50):
I share that truth because it adds value to what
you have in front of you right now, and why
your presence alone is Valuedland lost what might have been
its best room for real music. Fans of ports City
music hall pace where you saw bands on the come
up at also legacy acts touring through just a place
where you played before you got too big, or you're
on your way to the state theater. Maybe good Old
(30:11):
war who always loved to do in acoustics set in
the middle of the floor, the crowd in a circle,
or the late great justin towns Earl, who once played
ports City with shovels and rope opening the places in
arcade now digital boops and beeps and craft beer flowing.
If you squint you can see how awesome the shotgun
arrangement was. I love playing that room. I'm sad it's
gone and I'll never roll into town without thinking about it.
(30:32):
The Portland's City animal is not a phoenix for nothing.
Stuff tends to rise from the ashes here. That is
as much a part in the mad and main ethos
as anything. And if you want more flavor, find John
Duncan's Take It Easy. It's a book of photographs from
Portland's downtown in nineteen seventies, a time when five bucks
a day driving cabs wasn't a bad way to make
a living. You can see the through line to today's
(30:54):
thriving music scene in every black and white image. Or
see if you can get your hand on an old
compilation record from two thousand Greetings from Area code to
zero seven. On it you will hear a selection of
bands who laid the city's current foundation, from Darien Brahm's
The Psychology Teacher Now to the McCarthy's Two Slave Cleaves
who moved to Austin but still comes home to play
shows in summer and escape that Texas heat. And while
(31:16):
we're visiting places in Sound of Our Town, I will
keep you sonically prepared, not just dreaming about Portland, but
taking in something ahead of time, and after you can
listen to goes to Paul Revere rustic overtone. Suppose Debt
gowns all of my playlists that are posted up on
the Sound of Our Town pod dot com, or just
dm me on Instagram at will Daily Official, and I'll
(31:37):
send you links. You'd think we all be used to
shock by now. The sudden loss of an icon, finding
out a political leader denying let's say alcohol in this
example is strongly storing, said Contraband in the basement, those
kind of things aren't that big of a deal, and
the ocean has swalled up countless fishing boats full of
friends and family over the years. Instead instilled in a
(31:59):
community is how much the real stuff of life truly matters,
The food sitting down for a pint together the music,
both creating, performing and taking it all in. It is
power and comfort. Mainline, Portland wears its heart on its sleeve.
A community this small and tightly knit, where everyone plays
in five different bands and half the audience could step
(32:21):
in for your bass player and a pinch feels things acutely.
COVID did a number on everyone, of course, but Portland's
seemed to take it more personally than some places. What
do you mean we can't play a gig downtown at Gritty's?
Are we really not getting together for a movie at
Appahadian tonight? What are we gonna do? But now Portlands
has come storming back with a vengeance. Ask any musician
(32:43):
in Maine and they've got more gigs than they knew
what to do with right now. And if you're smart
an adventurous, you'll get up there and make sure that
continues to be the case. I know what you're thinking.
You never never got to lobster, I said, like, maybe
i'd tell you where to get some, but look, if
you can't for our way to get lobster within five
minutes of being in this town, then I can't help you.
(33:04):
But I suppose the best place to get lobster and
see some music. That's got to be Portland Lobster Company,
right on Commercial Street next to the water, and somehow
able to sometimes fit a whole five or six piece
funk band or solo artists like Eric Bettencourt home from
Austin because you can't stay away from Portland for too long,
which is sort of how Portland does things in general.
(33:25):
You never know what's right around the next corner, in
the basement bar or up that side street. And sometimes
this little city might seem like it doesn't need you
there at all. It will be just fine whatever Elvis.
And sometimes like anyone who's just putting on a good
face in case they get burned again, Portland can seem
like it needs you and you and you more than
(33:47):
anything else in the world. How else are they going
to show off what they made? And one more thing,
the reason why lobsters are associated with Maine so prominently
isn't because of anything in the water. I mean, lobsters
get around there are other parts of the world, but
it's because they take care of their supply. They don't
(34:11):
pull out too much. In quality is preserved and there's
always a richness and what they bring into shore. All right,
you've been listening to Sound of Our Town, We're coming
(34:32):
at you with twelve episodes this first season, covering ten
different cities and all in. New episodes drop on Thursdays.
If you want to chat about the music scene in
your city, hit us up on Instagram at Double Elvis
and at Will Daily Official, or on Twitter at Double
Elvis FM and at Will Daily. Sound O Town is
a production of Double Elvis and I Heart Radio. The
show is executive produced by Jake Brennan, Brady Sadler, and
(34:54):
Carl Karioli for Double Elvis Production, assistant by Matt ta
Hainey and Matt Boden. The show is created, written, hosted,
and scored by me Will Daily. Additional writing on this
episode by Sam Feiffel. For sources see the show notes
special Thank you Dil Spencer, alvi, Anna Lombard and Dave
Gutter on this episode. Music for this episode was composed
and performed by me Will Daily. You can check out
(35:15):
my music just by spelling my name correctly. Anywhere you
listen to music, just spell Daily with all the vowels
D A I L E Y. I'm on Spotify, Apple
band Camp. And always at Sound of our Town pod
dot com and will Daily dot com. Okay, I'm off
to the next town and the next show. I will
see you out there. Thank you for your ears.
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