Factory Portland

The Return Of Our Musician Database

| Stephen Quirk

When this site launched in 2010, one of the key features was a local music database.  The information had been culled from personal knowledge, user submissions, defunct sites, show listings, and many other sources.  Eventually, the original tool used to build the database no longer functioned and the information fell out of date.

Today we’re happy to announce that the database is back!  With almost 500 listings, it’s by far the most comprehensive listing of Maine-connected artists.  Does that mean the work is done?  No, not at all.  We need your help to keep the list growing!  If you see someone missing or information that needs to be updated, feel free to fill out our contact form.  Additionally, we have a queue of more artists to be added soon!

The list is meant to be a bit curated and we try to look for bands and performers who have made an impact; someone who has played shows in Maine in established or known DIY venues, released albums, played festivals, or received media attention.  Please be aware this list can never cover all musicians in the state.  There may be gaps in genres, time periods, and more, but we’ll do our best to continue building out this frequently requested resource.

Launch Database

Holly Nunan, Newz by The Nunz Join Factory Portland

| Stephen Quirk

 

holly-headshot

Thanks to a partnership with Knack Factory, Holly Nunan and the Newz by the Nunz music listing blog have now joined Factory Portland.

Holly Nunan is a musician, promotions director for radio stations WFNK, WTHT and WHXR in Portland, and an on-air personality at 107.5 Frank FM. She is also a regular contributor to WCSH 6’s Morning Report and a former host of the local music-focused Music from 207 on 98.9 WCLZ. She has written about Maine’s music scene since 2011 for Dispatch Magazine, Maine Today Media, and Knack Factory.

According to Knack Factory co-founder Alex Steed: “When Holly’s former publisher cut their funding for bloggers, we wanted to keep her voice alive so we hired her and featured her blog on our site. Local music is one of the things about Portland that makes it so special. We look forward to continuing to support Holly’s endeavors, and partnering with Factory Portland to give her a more relevant venue for her work and voice.”

Factory Portland was started by Stephen Quirk in 2010 as a service to aid musicians with photography, design, web, and social media needs. While those services are no longer offered, the site publishes interviews with local and non-local musicians and reviews of area music events.

Knack Factory, a content and strategy firm based in Portland, Maine, provides video, photography, and social media services. The company was started in Portland, Maine in 2012 by Alex Steed, Kurt Graser, and Zack Bowen.

Holly’s posts can be found at factoryportland.com/nunz

Thank you to Inc.com

| Stephen Quirk

Thank you to Inc.com for mentioning Factory Portland in the recent article “How This Tiny East Coast City of 70,000 People Is Churning Out Fast-Growing Startups.“  And we agree – Portland’s a great place for artists, musicians, and startups.

While we no longer offer “business and marketing support for local bands and musicians,” we’re still here!  Factory Portland’s current focus is to profile local musicians in our 10Qs series, interview artists “from away,” and highlight other aspects of the local music scene.  We’re fully volunteer run and have recently added several contributors to review shows and add more to the site.  We’ll have some announcements about new features in the coming months, as well as the return of our local musician database.

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a longtime reader, we hope you’ll stick around and see what we have to offer!

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

| Stephen Quirk

When I started Factory Portland in 2010, it was a way for me to package various services I was already offering – helping musicians with social media, photography, setting up websites, and CD design. At the time I was working a day job and able to pursue outside projects. I eventually moved on from that job and found myself jumping feet first into freelance work as a career. With only a small lull, I quickly amassed a number of both music and non-music-focused clients (mostly thanks to Alex Steed and Knack Factory).

Around the same time I met Sam Hotchkiss and began working on a number of video and content production projects through him, eventually becoming an official employee of Hotchkiss Consulting. In April 2013, Sam created BruteProtect, a WordPress plugin that, put simply, protects WordPress-based sites from being hacked. Fast forward to August 2014 – BruteProtect was acquired by Automattic (the company that runs WordPress.com, among other things), bringing along all of the employees. I could not be happier saying that I’m now an Automattician. It’s a dream job and one that I never could have anticipated becoming a reality.

In addition to my job change, my wife Megan and I welcomed our first child in July of last year. These recent developments have left little time for the site. But fear not! Moving forward, Factory Portland will no longer be offering the services it previously did, and will officially change its focus to a music blog. We’ll be continuing our 10Qs series with a new batch of performers. You may also see the occasional guest writer, maybe covering shows or other local happenings. My portfolio of music-related work will move to stephenquirk.com (which has been dormant even longer than this site). I’ll close out the art project/collaboration with my friend José Ayerve/A Severe Joy’s singles (8 down, 2 to go!), and all web clients have found new homes.

I’m really looking forward to what the future brings and I’d love to hear your feedback.  What’s missing from this site?  What have you loved and what have you hated?

10Qs with Nick Poulin of Tall Horse

| Stephen Quirk

Tall Horse is a project fronted by Portland’s Nick Poulin.  Poulin was already known to Portland’s music fans and musicians for [dog] and [pony], a video production team with a focus on music videos.  He’ll be recording his first full length album with band members Dominic Grosso , Dustin Saucier, Kris Rodgers, and others.  The band will be appearing at Slainte on Wednesday, September 25th for a limited edition EP release event, and again on October 18th with Caro Khan.   Tall Horse can be found on Soundcloud and Facebook.

Nick PoukinWhere were you born?
Portland, Maine

What brought you to Portland?
I had just finished school in Boston, MA and Los Angeles, CA for film. I moved back to Maine to be close to the family (and I absolutely hated LA. At the time it was a no-brainer) and moved to Portland after getting a job at Channel 13 as an editor.  Portland’s music scene, food, amazing beaches, and creative people keep me here. Portland is home.

Do you have a day job, and if so, what is it?
I have a little one man business taking pictures of cars for dealerships. I work around my own schedule, so my main focus is music.

What was your most memorable gig?
The first time I ever played in front of people, at Slainte in May. I was playing with Ashley Brewer and Ryan Havey after rehearsing for over four months. I was so nervous my hands were trembling and sweating uncontrollably for hours. The funny thing is we were only scheduled to play three songs. Just three. I don’t know what was going on with the sound that night, but I couldn’t even hear my guitar over the crowd. Luckily, I had been playing those songs for over a year, so I just went from muscle memory. We played a song that I wrote called “Mud”, and about halfway through Ashley and I looked at each other because the whole crowd had gone quiet. I honestly thought something was wrong, but I guess they liked it.

What was your worst gig?
Ha ha, this set was at Slainte too. Everyone was huddled around the bar watching the Red Sox game. I was feeling pretty good about my set that night, but most of the people interested in listening to the music had left after a few musicians sang “Fuck The Taliban”, a parody of “Rock the Casbah” (I still have the lyric sheet if you’d like to take a look). After my first song, when only two or three people clapped, I got on the mic and said “Thank you, all two of you” and played the rest of my set without stopping. I admit I was cranky, and sick, and it was pouring outside, but I ended up playing a set I was really happy with anyway.

After the set, a guy came up to me and told me I have a great voice. And that made up for all the frustration.

What album or artist has most influenced you as a musician?
“It’s a Wonderful Life” by Sparklehorse and “Huggable Dust” by Okay. Both of these albums are pop albums turned on their head. It’s what I’m working toward as a musician. I’m not there yet, but I’m having fun trying to get there.

What’s the one piece of musical equipment you can’t live without?
My guitar. If I go on a weekend trip I have to bring it with me. I can’t go a day without playing.

Any advice for a musician starting out?
I should be seeking advice, not giving it, because I’m still a rookie. But, I can definitely say that if you’re that person writing songs every single day, keep doing it. Just keep writing, and playing, and singing. I played and recorded my own material for three years before I had the guts to share it with anybody. Play, record, share. Ride the wave. It’s fun. People need to hear your perspective.

What’s the origin behind your band name?
A girl once told me to get off my high horse. It was one of those moments where you’re so frustrated and emotions are getting the best of you and you wish that you could rewind about fifteen minutes back to when everything was fine. That was a big moment for me. I had just lost my job and my girlfriend, so the shit was really hitting the fan. It’s the moment I decided to take charge of my own life and push forward as a mostly solo musician. There already is a band called High Horse, so I changed it to Tall Horse.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
It is and always will be Prince.

10Qs with Dan Capaldi of Sea Level

| Stephen Quirk

Dan Capaldi is best known in Portland’s music scene as a drummer, having worked with Dean Ford, Shashasha, Joe Gallant, and others.  In addition to his drumming, he can be seen playing a number of instruments for Spencer Albee, and working as producer for artists like Lady Zen, among others.  His solo project, Sea Level, ranges from an sound to electronic/triphop and was featured in Big Band Syndrome Vol. 2.

DC_02Where were you born?
Springfield, Massachusetts, but grew up in Falmouth, Maine.

What keeps you in Portland?
Portland is not the easiest place to find steady employment when you’re a music composer. As an artist, most of Portland’s value comes down to it’s extensive network of musicians and artists most of which are unwilling to compromise their art for money. Most everyone plays nicely together and associates with each other because they want to be a part of something they believe in. Portland artists sacrifice so much in the name of genuine passion… What more could I ask for?

Do you have a day job, and if so, what is it?
All music, baby.

What was your most memorable gig?
Unfortunately my goldfish-esque memory doesn’t allow me to dig too deeply into the past… but I’d have to say the sold out London show on the most recent tour with my UK band Soft Bullets last November was pretty awesome.

What was your worst gig?
Okay, all pickup bar gigs aside… it would have to be the first time I ever performed as Sea Level. In preparation for my actual first show at Atomic Trash’s “America the boobiful” 4th of July burlesque show, I was added to an event where performers were projected out of an apartment window into the streets of Portland. Apparently the crew didn’t get the memo that I was coming. Not only was I treated like a nuisance, no one bothered to put my guitar in the mix… Needless to say my debut was a cappella.

What album or artist has most influenced you as a musician?
So many to credit. Most obvious would be film composer Danny Elfman. Not to sound cliché, but possibly the biggest turning point in my life was when I first saw The Nightmare Before Christmas (when I was 21 or so). From that point, I developed an extreme drive to become a film composer as well as an intentionally theatrical stage persona. A beautiful sound has so much more potential to leave a lasting impression on the mind when connected to a beautiful visual (film, dance. album art…) or vice versa.

What’s the one piece of musical equipment you can’t live without?
Easily my Gretsch G6118t Anniversary Jr. guitar. I love it to a somewhat unhealthy extreme.

Any advice for a musician starting out?
Okay… first of all, understand there are an infinite number of reasons why people make music, and that is a beautiful thing. Some gain pleasure and sense of accomplishment from the sheer craft of learning an instrument. Others experience emotion when performing for a crowd they don’t get a chance to experience anywhere else in their life. Some people can only identify true happiness as it results from digging something out of them they never knew was there. Some dudes want chicks. Some chicks want dudes. Some dudes want dudes… you get the point. DO NOT fall victim to pressure. DO NOT compromise your intentions, your morals or your values. DO NOT try to be something you’re not. Only you can do what you do. Even if you’re playing a cover song… if you’re genuine, it is YOUR SONG. Not to mention it’s probably no less original than most of the statistically influenced bull*#@$ coming out these days… Oh, and always bring a sleeping bag.

What’s the origin behind your name/band name?
Sea Level has always had an aesthetic appeal. I was looking for something that was a nice mix of navy blue and lime green but could become a bit darker if necessary. I picture it existing within a fictional time of day that’s a perfect mix of noon and midnight. My original idea was “January Sunshine” which despite a similar color scheme was just a bit too bright for my liking. Sea Level spirals downward which I like, but also in a literal sense suggests a point separating two very different worlds. Most of my stories revolve around this concept.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
Dean Ford.

10Qs with Peter Squires of Farthest Forests and The Landladys

| Stephen Quirk

PeterSquires-photoThis month, Peter Squires released his sophomore solo album “Where the Bunny Meets the Bear.”  Whereas his solo debut, 2009’s “Woe is Me,” was acoustic, “Where the Bunny Meets the Bear” goes back to his electric roots.  Both are available from Bandcamp, Amazon, iTunes, and many Bull Moose locations.  When he’s not performing solo material, he can also be found as a member of The Farthest Forests and The Landladys (of Burst & Bloom Records).

Where were you born?
I was born in Manhattan, grew up on Long Island, and spent my early adulthood in Brooklyn. I moved to Maine when I was 29.

What brought you to Portland?
I actually live about 45 minutes South of Portland in Eliot (near the New Hampshire border). After spending a year on tour around the country in support of my first solo album (‘Woe is Me’, 2009), I landed for the Summer out on Star Island (off the coast of Portsmouth). When the Summer ended I didn’t want to go back to New York, but didn’t really have anywhere else to go…so I just stayed in Maine. I’m glad I did – I really like it here.

Do you have a day job, and if so, what is it?
Yes, I work in the Development Office at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH. It allows me to have a “grown-up” job while keeping close contact with the arts…and I get to see lots of great shows for free!

What was your most memorable gig?
My most memorable gig was in Jackson, Mississippi. I was on that national tour, and had a gap in my schedule between Austin, TX and Atlanta, GA. Just looking for a place to stay, I turned to the website couchsurfing.org. I got through to a couch surfing host named Lizzie Wright, who not only agreed to put me up for the night, but also booked a last minute show in her house. Lizzie herself is a great musician, who I ended up doing another short tour with a few months later. Probably 40 or 50 people ended up coming to her house for that show, and they were the most supportive, excited crowd I could have ever asked for. It wasn’t the most prestigious or best-paying show I’ve ever played, but the circumstances of the show and the way it turned out definitely made it the most memorable.

What was your worst gig?
My worst gig ever was in Philadelphia. There actually was no gig, because literally zero people came. I didn’t know that was mathematically possible, but it happened.

What album or artist has most influenced you as a musician?
In my formative years, my favorite bands were Nirvana, the Pixies, and Weezer, and later Neutral Milk Hotel definitely got added to that list. You can definitely hear those influences in my music now – but as I came to identify more as a singer-songwriter (as opposed to just a band member) I came to identify a lot with Billy Bragg. I just think he’s the coolest. I share a lot of his political beliefs, but I don’t sing about them like he does. Still, I like his style – a punk rock troubador who can play loud or soft and is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. I also really love Willie Nelson and think there are a lot of similarities between him and me, but on the surface we’re pretty different (in terms of genre and aesthetics).

What’s the one piece of musical equipment you can’t live without?
I guess it’s cliche to say my acoustic guitar, but that’s definitely it. It’s just the most versatile. You can play it by yourself or with others, and take it anywhere. That said, lately I’ve been really leaning on my ZVEX “Box of Rock” distortion pedal and my Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail reverb pedal.

Any advice for a musician starting out?
I guess it’s strange advice coming from me, because it’s not advice I’ve really heeded well myself – but my advice is to be great live. Putting on a well-rehearsed, perfectly executed, and fun to watch live show is the #1 thing that will get people to buy your CD, tell their friends about you, and feel like a fan. A great album is important, but the odds are slim that the people you want to hear it will get it in their hands. A great live show is the doorway to anyone’s heart.

What’s the origin behind your band name?
It’s my name. This project is me.   The album title is a reference to the lyrics in my song Two Bunnies, in which two bunnies carry Mama Bear’s soul away. There are lots of references to Heaven in the album, but I’m not religious. It’s more about thinking about where you’ve been and where you’re going, with the belief that there are brighter days ahead.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
“I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. It’s the ace up my sleeve at all sing-alongs, and ocassionally even at shows. When I play it, I think people assume I’m being ironic. I’m not – I truly love that song.

Ch ch ch changes

| Stephen Quirk

We’ve revamped Factory Portland a bit, the biggest of which is our new look!  We wanted the 10Qs series and information about projects to be a highlighted a bit more.  Our musician database and video directories will also be getting a bit of an overhaul and moving to their own site. We’re also looking into what other tools might be useful to area musicians. We hope to have back those items back online soon, so stay tuned.

A Severe Joy/Factory Portland Collaboration

| Stephen Quirk
Single Design (2012)
Single Design
Single Design
Single Design
Single Design
Album Design

Starting in January 2012, A Severe Joy released his first in a series of ten mono singles.  The sleeves were designed by our very own Stephen Quirk.  The format for the singles is a bit unique… each 10″ disc is made from plexi-glass and lathe cut by Various Artists Records in Kittery, Maine.  The project presented a challenge since the singles would be released once every one to two months and then compiled into two 10-track CDs with stereo versions of the songs.  As of this entry, five singles have been released,  as has the first of the two albums (Cinematesque Part I).  The process started by coming up with an initial design and then altering it slightly over time using images inspired by the images from the songs.  The result is akin to wallpaper or wrapping paper with machines, helicopters, hand grenades, summertime imagery, and UFOs.  Keep an eye out for the next five singles, which will be released over throughout 2013.

Local Music Karaoke at Portland Music Foundation Event

| Stephen Quirk

Do you like Maine music AND karaoke? Factory Portland will be offering Maine Music Karaoke as part of The Portland Music Foundation’s Strike A Chord: A Music Discovery Funhouse.  Other booths will feature an instrument petting zoo, design your own screen-printed poster, a local music listening station, and a photobooth.  The event is free event and runs 12 to 6pm on Saturday, January 26th.

Sontiago, Spouse, A Severe Joy, Foam Castles, and Sunset Hearts have graciously donated instrumental versions of some of their tracks for karaoke.  A Severe Joy has even provided a couple covers of classic karaoke songs.  Check back soon, we may have a couple more tracks to announce!

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Congrats to the Dirty Heads/Matisyahu ticket winner!

| Stephen Quirk

We’ve selected the winners of the Dirty Heads + Matisyahu at The State Theatre giveaway…

1st Prize Winner of two tickets to see Dirty Heads and Matisyahu and an autographed copy of Dirty Heads Cabin by the Sea:

“My wife runs a daycare out of our house with 12 screaming kids and both of us working 2 jobs we need to escape!”

–Seth A., Turner, ME

2nd Prize winner of an autographed copy of Dirty Heads Cabin by the Sea:

“My 17 year old son flies in from Southern California on Tuesday, please make me the coolest dad on the planet by surprising him with our first show together!”

–Paul B., Portland, ME

Tickets are still available online and in person at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Dirty Heads + Matisyahu Ticket Giveaway

| Stephen Quirk

Factory Portland is giving away tickets to see Moon Taxi, Dirty Heads + Matisyahu at the State Theatre on Wednesday, July 25th.  First prize winners will receive two tickets to the show and an autographed copy of Dirty Heads’ new album, Cabin by the Sea.  Second prize winners will receive an autographed copy of the album.

To enter:

1) “Like” Factory Portland on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

2) Email contests@factoryportland.com and tell us in one sentence why YOU should win the tickets to attend the show!  Along with your answer, please include your name, telephone number, and mailing address.* Entries must be received by Sunday, July 22nd at midnight.

The two winning answers will be published on factoryportland.com on July 23rd by 5pm, along with your first name and last initial, and the winners will be contacted directly by email.  Winners must contact Factory Portland by Tuesday, July 24th at 6pm to claim their prize, or another winner will be selected.  Must have valid ID to claim tickets.

*We will only use this contact information to contact you if you’ve won and for mailing the CD.

2011 Recap + Looking ahead

| Stephen Quirk

2011 was a year filled with projects and collaborations with several Maine artists…

Earlier this year, we added the Maine music video page to the website.  There are currently 114 videos spotlighting the amazing talent of Maine’s music scene.

We created a “Music from the State of Maine” group on Soundcloud, which is open for any Maine artist to submit their work.

We designed the packaging layout for The Cool, a cover band comprised of adults with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges from Momentum.  The cover artwork was designed by one of the band members, recorded, mixed and mastered by Shaun Curran at Napoleon Complex of  Somerville, MA and organized by Oscar Romero (Gully, Foam Castles, Endless Jags).  You can learn more on their Bandcamp page.

We have worked extensively with José Ayerve (Spouse, Bullyclub) on his latest project, A Severe Joy.  This new material moves away from his normal guitar-driven, 80s influenced rock and focuses on something closer to indie electronic pop.  Along with this new sound, he wanted a new look, which includes masks and lights in his live shows. To accentuate this idea, we tried to be a bit experimental with the packaging for the debut album.  We used vellum letter envelopes, a single folded sheet of paper and writing done in his own hand. We also collaborated with [dog]+[pony] on a video for his song ‘Catapult.’

As for 2012…

A Severe Joy plexi-disc No. 1
A Severe Joy plexi-disc No. 1

We have begun work on a series of 10 limited edition A Severe Joy plexi-disc releases.  The project presented some unique challenges, including a short turnaround time to complete the concept and design, a unique 8.5 inch size and setting the look and tone for the other nine releases.  The first one is available for pre-order from Bandcamp.

A full aseverejoy.com website is nearly complets, and will be going live soon.

Etheria Sparrow’s debut “Journey to Etheria” will be released later this year and features another Factory Portland designed album cover.

Stephen served on the nomination committee for the New England Music Awards, listening to the music of 150+ area musicians over a couple of weeks and submitting ranked choices.  The awards will be presented March 9, 2012 at Hard Rock Café Boston and feature performances from Ron Noyes Band, Jen Kearney, Frank Viele and The Manhatten Project, Mission Hill, and Twin Berlin.

Lastly, our merch shop launched at the beginning of  2012 and features items from A Severe Joy, Spouse, Bullyclub, and Factory Portland.  We’ll announce any deals or new items on Facebook and Twitter.  Send us your thoughts on additional items you’d like to see added to the store.

Thanks for following our progress as we continue to assist artists with their contributions to the Maine music scene. We’re looking forward to an exciting 2012!

NEW FEATURE: Maine Music videos on Factory Portland

| Stephen Quirk

video2Factory Portland is pleased to announce the addition of a new resource on factoryportland.com.  Last month, Portland Music Foundation held a training session entitled “Making Music Videos on a Budget” (excellent job on the new website, btw).  The panel included Krister Rollins and Nick Poulin from [dog] and [pony], Adam Flaherty and Spose.  As videos were presented on YouTube and Vimeo, I realized there was no single place to view all of the excellent videos from Maine.  I spent the days following the PMF lecture trying to find just the right tool to display the videos.

The next task was more time consuming – finding the videos.  Some were easy, some I’d seen, many I had not.  After the search, I’d gathered 102 conceptual and performance, high quality videos.  That being said, there are already more to add!  A great feature of the tool being used is that they’re still hosted on YouTube and Vimeo, meaning the musician still gets a hit for every view and all videos retain their copyright.  We’re considering this an extension of our already existing musician and business databases.

We hope that you’ll take a look and enjoy what you see and hear in the Maine Music Video gallery.  Please use our contact form if you have any additions to list or feedback.  We’ll take a look and make sure they meet our standards.

‘The Filmspotting Connection’, or ‘Two degrees of Ira Glass’

| Stephen Quirk

Recently it was posed to me: “okay, but i don’t understand… why would a film review podcast be talking about music in Maine?”

So this is how it happened… when podcasts were introduced to iTunes in 2005, I discovered Filmspotting (then called Cinecast).  What started out as a hobby by two guys in Chicago, has turned in to a show that’s landed guests like Ed Burns, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rian Johnson, Diablo Cody, Ellen Page, and Shia Labeouf (the bonus content reveals one of the strangest interview outtakes to ever be recorded).  They eventually landed the show on WBEZ/Chicago Public Radio, home of This American Life and Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!.

I had a chance to meet one of the hosts, Adam Kempenaar, at a Boston Filmspotting Meet-up.  In addition to interviews, the show also features short musical interludes to move from segment to segment.  A short time after the creation of Factory Portland, it occurred to me… “Filmspotting has music every week, Portland has great music”.  I hope to continue sending great music to the show, but for now, here’s a list of Portland bands that have made it on air…

Spouse: Episode #316: The American / Top 5 Hitman Movies

Gully: Episode #323: Hereafter / Top 5 Double Features

Brenda: Episode #328: I Love You Phillip Morris / Top 5 DVDs of 2010

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper: Episode #337: Army of Shadows / Top 5 Revolution Movies

Bonus: “Superman” by Spouse as the closing song on This American Life, Episode #178, 2/23/2001: Superpowers

Spouse on Film(spotting)

| Stephen Quirk

1864925We recently got a copy of  ‘Confidence’ by Portland’s Spouse in the hands of the hosts of Filmspotting, along with a couple of other releases by local artists.  They were kind enough to feature two tracks from the album on a recent show.  For the uninitiated, Filmpotting is a Chicago-based, film review podcast that also airs on WBEZ radio (home of  This American Life and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!).  In the past, the show has featured music by artists like Animal Collective, Neko Case, The Sea and Cake, Arcade Fire, Iron and Wine, Wilco, and many more.

Listen to Filmspotting Episode (#316) to hear ‘Vampire Love Song’ and ‘What You’re Feeling’.  You can download those tracks, and more, at Spouse’s Bandcamp Site.

Launch event recap

| Stephen Quirk
Bullyclub

Thanks to both those who attended and to the musicians who played the Factory Portland launch event.  Don’t forget to check out the photos from the evening.

If you’d like more infomation on the bands who played, you can find more below.  Many of the artists have music available for sale online, so please support them if you can…

Greyshield (website)
Jose Ayerve (of Spouse)
The No. 9
TJ Metcalfe (of Dead Man’s Clothes, Cosades)
Bullyclub
The Red F (Tim Burns of Phantom Buffalo)
Wesley Hartley and The Traveling Trees

Spouse on Bandcamp

| Stephen Quirk
Spouse // Confidence
Spouse // Confidence

Head over to Spouse’s new Bandcamp profile to download some of their previous releases as well as some newly released demos, covers and rarities.

Their new album, Confidence, is also available for purchase at their site (newly redesigned by Factory Portland).  The album has received some glowing reviews, including one from The Bollard, where you can download a track from Confidence.

Don’t forget to catch José Ayerve of Spouse at the Factory Portland Launch Event at Space Gallery on July 23rd!

Factory Portland Launch Event

| Stephen Quirk
Bullyclub

At Space Gallery, Friday 07.23.2010, Doors at 8:00 PM, Starts at 8:30 PM, $6, 18+

A new asset to our city’s virtual scene, Factory Portland assists local musicians and artists with social networking and production efforts. Additionally, Factory Portland’s site features a database of close to 400 past and present local acts, including area favorites and one-time collaborations. To celebrate the launch, Factory Portland has invited an ecclectic selection of Portland bands and musicians to play: newer acts like The No. 9 and Greyshield; side/spinoff projects The Red F (Tim Burns of Phantom Buffalo) and Wesley Hartley and The Traveling Trees; solo appearances from Jose Ayerve (Spouse, Nuclear Waste Management Club), and TJ Metcalfe (Dead Man’s Clothes, Cosades, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper); and the surprise reunion of Bullyclub!

Buy tickets here or at any Bull Moose Music location

‘Gregory’ by Gully

| Stephen Quirk
// ‘Gregory’ by Gully

‘Gregory’, an EP by Portland’s Gully, was released in May of this year.  I worked alongside Oscar Romero, leader of the band, to interpret his designs.  I stayed true to his vision, while also adding some elements to clean it up a bit.  The album has (so far) only been released at a couple of their shows, but will be available online and at local stores in the near future.  Stay tuned here for more information as it develops.

Gully is on a bit of a hiatus, but you can catch Oscar in his other band, Lapsed Axis or guitarist Stu Gurley in The No. 9.

Read a review and hear a sample over at The Bollard.

Welcome to Factory Portland

| Stephen Quirk

Welcome to Factory Portland, a new service to Portland, Maine’s music scene.  Factory Potland combines a couple of concepts that have been pet projects of its creator, Stephen Quirk.

In 1997, Stephen began photographing and assisting Bullyclub (then known as Bully Pulpit), eventually providing imagery for their albums, ‘Tenure’ and ‘likesongs’.  Over the next thirteen years, Stephen would work with New England musicians Elli Gray, Spouse/José Ayerve, Strause & Company, The No. 9, Gully and Bilvox.  Eventually, Stephen’s collaborations would grow to include help with websites, social networks and album release.

The other portion of Factory Portland is the searchable database of area musicians and music related businesses.  Though there are some finishing touches (a last name here, an address there), there are 378 bands, past and present.  These tools could be used for booking a band, finding the latest project of a favorite musician or finding the right person to work on your band’s next album.  There are bound to be bands that have been forgotten and names misspelled, so please use our additions + corrections page as you see fit.

We hope that you’ll find this site a useful addition to Portland’s creative community and welcome any feedback you may have.