Coffeehouse Schedule: 2009-2010

 

ALWAYS the third Saturday of the month!

"When musicians have a very appreciative audience, we rise to the occasion
and feel even more inspired to perform at our very best level. Your audience was outstanding!" Carl Bradford - Port City Jazz (Sept. '06)

September 19, 2009

Tom Dean

Wildfires in the hills and canyons of Los Angeles, radio ghosts, the road, redemption, Elvis, the moon, Robert Johnson, small town New England life and of course love and all its entanglements. These are the themes one can expect from this well traveled, seasoned songwriter and his prolific song writing partner, lyricist George Wardwell.
With the release of the new CD "Pennies" Tom has once again teamed up with lyricist George Wardwell to produce ten stunning songs rich in melody and lyric.
Prior to going solo Tom was a member of Devonsquare, which performed and toured internationally with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Peter Frampton and Steven Stills.

FMI: http://www.tomdeansongs.com

October 17, 2009

Michelle Currie

Michelle Currie makes musical magic that's been stopping people in their tracks for nearly two decades. With a gutsy, soulful voice and fingers that fly across the ivories at dizzying speed, nobody sings the blues like the lady with the flaming red hair. She's also got a repertoire of pop, rock, gospel, jazz and the best of Broadway that will make you want to sing along.

FMI: http://www.michellecurrie.com/

November 21, 2009

Heather Pierson

Whether she is seated at the piano, strumming her old Gibson guitar, beating a drum or raising her voice to the microphone, composer and songwriter Heather Pierson is right at home. On her own record label, Vessel Recordings, she has produced and released 4 CDs to date and is receiving international distribution.
Heather's most recent release, "Between Lives", is a collaboration with Alfred Lund of One Heart Drums, which FACE Magazine declared "transcends definitions like new age or world music... Pierson and Lund have created a work that is stirring and memorable."

FMI: http://www.vesselrecordings.com

December 19, 2009

Vanessa Torres

Inspiring, tender and passionate, Torres’ songs and performance are soulful personal portraits rooted in universal themes of compassion and hope. It is her unique blend of authenticity and grace that makes Torres' music both refreshing and inspiring. Torres' songs draw you in by being both catchy and lyrically moving.
Having been raised on a musical diet of politically dynamic and inspiring folk musicians including Holly Near and John McCutcheon, her life is drawing a full circle, as Torres was recently asked to join these musicians and many others including Laura Love and Emma’s Revolution in the ‘Sing out the Vote’ tour rallying voters for Barack Obama across the battleground state of Ohio. Straddling the lyrical and the political folk music realms, Torres’ songs are full of raw emotion and a strong call to justice.

FMI: http://www.vanessatorresmusic.com

January 16, 2010

Heather Maloney

With a full range voice Heather delivers her music with raw passion from the heart and soul; with thought and wisdom that reaches out and connects with those whom are fortunate enough to see and hear her perform live. Her thoughtful lyrics relate the universal lessons of the human experience which are reinforced by the beautiful and contagious melodies she writes. You can easily find yourself hearing her songs in your head long after you’ve heard them. Her songs are like those classic stories that you can read repeatedly and come away with something new every time. Heather’s musical style is uniquely her own!

FMI: http://www.heathermaloney.com/

February 20, 2010

Lissa Fiddle

The traditional music of New England can be as warm and comforting as a winter fire or as potent and exhilarating as a summer thunderstorm. Fiddler and singer Lissa Schneckenburger is a master of both moods, a winsome, sweet-voiced singer who brings new life to old ballads and a skillful, dynamic fiddler who captures the driving rhythm and carefree joy of dance tunes old and new.
Lissa's fiddling is uplifting and lively, and her singing is gentle and evocative. Both in concert and in the studio she is regularly accompanied by some of New England's best musicians, including guitarists Keith Murphy and Matt Heaton and double bassist Corey DiMario.

FMI: http://www.lissafiddle.com

March 20, 2010

Bread and Bones

Bread and Bones is a Vermont-based acoustic trio performing original music with a strong traditional-roots foundation. Made up of Richard Ruane, Beth Duquette and Mitch Barron, their sound is characterized by imaginative two- and three-part harmonies over solid guitar and bass work. Their CD "I Know Stories" was named Vermont's Best Traditional Album of 2008.

FMI: http://www.breadandbones.com/

April 17, 2010

Singer/Songwriter Showcase

Showcasing three singer/songwriters from within our local community.

David Sherry

David has been performing in a variety of Southern Maine venues for the past 25 years. This has included coffeehouses, local “watering holes” and benefit concerts. Along with his with his trio mates, Harry and Jaymie Chamberlin, David performed with the local trio, "Out on A Limb" for many years.

For the past six years, David has been a member of the Saco Bay Jazz Vocal Ensemble, an auditioned jazz choir conducted by Camille Curtis. These days his guitar performances happen mostly at coffeehouses, at gatherings of his musician friends or in the quiet of his home in Buxton. His inspiration comes from writers/artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, David Wilcox and Shawn Colvin.

David works in the field of education, as does his wife, Sandy. They have two children, both in their twenties, one of whom is also a performing musician.

Doug Kolmar

It's not everyone who can write a song combining elements as diverse as Hurricane Katrina, a taxi driver, Acadian culture, and quantum physics set to a jazzy bossa-nova beat, but Doug pulls it off smoothly. That's pretty representative of the kind of eclectic influences and witty introspection bubbling beneath the surface of what may at first appear to another just mellow New England singer/songwriter. After a varied music background that included playing commercial jingles, providing music for off-off-off broadway theatre productions, getting degrees in music composition, and playing in numerous rock, jazz, and folk outfits, Kolmar moved to Maine from the New York City Area in 2002. He quickly discovered the emerging Maine Songwriter's Association and Portland's fertile acoustic music community and has played at numerouse venues in Portland, Southern Maine and the NH Seacoast. FMI: http://www.dougkolmar.com

Presentense

An acoustic duo with Paul Harkin on lead guitar, harmonica and vocals, and Jennie Backstrom on lead vocals, keyboard and mandolin, Presentense have been playing music together under different names since 2005 playing many different genres of music. Today they create their own sound that combines influences from all those genres, influences from a year spent in the south of France and from the local musicians they are fortunate enough to play with throughout New England. Filled with unique vocal harmonies and diverse songwriting, Presentense has a delivery that entertains all types of music lovers. FMI: http://www.myspace.com/presentensemusic

May 15, 2010

Taylor's Grove

Veteran county music performer Mac McHale and old-time gospel singer Carolyn Hutton bring a bit of the North and South together in a duo called "Taylors Grove." Mac and Carolyn perform together in the spirit of simple old-fashioned American music that reaches across barriers of place and generation. They trust that the music that touched the lives of people long ago still has the power to touch, to delight, and to connect us to all the places and people we came from.

June 19, 2010

Port City Jazz

Tap your toes and get up and dance to the great jazz standards of the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. Enjoy Port City Jazz’s great mix of sweet and low down, hot and blue, and up-tempo tunes like "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Struttin’ With Some Barbeque", "Stardust", "Moonglow", and other great songs, as popular today and they were then. Their renditions will get you tappin’ and swingin.’ The goal of Port City Jazz is to focus on the small combo sounds of Chicago and Kansas City Jazz.
Leader, trumpeter and vocalist Carl Bradford, along with trombonist Eric Anderson, and tenor sax man Anthony Marro are backed up by piano man Peter Merrill, acoustic bass man Tom Bucci and drummer Don Whitney. The result is a great mix of music that will keep your feet tapping and make you want to get up and dance.

FMI: http://www.portcityjazz.com