Maine music

10Qs with Mel Stone

| Stephen Quirk
Photo by Eric Schnare

Portland musician Mel Stone has been in the studio working on her latest release, Fragments, which is due out in November.  She released the EP Coney for Bandcamp’s Transgender Law Center nonprofit event in August (it’s available now as a permanent fundraiser for the organization).  Learn more about Mel at melstone.co and on Twitter.

 

  • Where were you Born?
    I was born in Pomona, CA, which gives me the perfect icebreaker if I ever meet Tom Waits.
  • What brought you to Portland?
    My family moved from Southern California to Winslow when I was fifteen, and fell in love with Portland. It’s been my home off-and-on for the last decade.
  • What was your most memorable gig?
    Years ago, I had the chance to play at set at the Rainbow on Sunset Strip. Taught me a lot about expectations in professional music.
  • What was your worst gig?
    Back in 2006, I was doing a tour of the South, and my manager at the time had told me I had booked a show in Charleston, SC. I get there, and it was a full-fledged fine dining restaurant. Apparently, there was a huge mix-up, but I started to play anyway. Two songs into depressing acoustic music, the few patrons there were visibly uncomfortable, so I packed it up and left.
  • What album or artist has most influenced you as a musician?
    If I had to pick an artist, I’d say Elliott Smith. From composition to lyrics to skill, his music has been a tremendous inspiration, influence on my work and my interest in writing music. Many artists in that melancholy-pop-folk zone are big influences.
  • What’s the one piece of musical equipment you can’t live without?
    My capo! I love this thing
  • Any advice for a musician starting out?
    Practice and write every single day. Every little bit helps move you forward and refines your skills.
  • What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
    I absolutely love ABBA and Phish and I feel no guilt about it.
  • What was the first album/recording you owned?
    My mom wouldn’t let me listen to popular music as a kid, but for some reason, Weird Al was allowed, so my very first record was Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D. As a teenager, when my dad tried to get me into the classics, he gave me a copy of Revolver, Ziggy, and The Cars’ Greatest Hits.
  • What are you listening to at the moment?
    A.W.’s Runaway has been blasting in my car at least once a day. I’ve also been on this early Leonard Cohen kick for the last few weeks, and really getting into Nada Surf, particularly Let Go.
  • What was the best concert/musical performance you’ve attended?
    Phish’s IT in Limestone. I was seventeen and the experience changed my life.

 

Photo by Eric Schnare

10Qs with Sigrid Harmon of The Asthmatic

| Stephen Quirk
Photo by Knack Factory

The Asthmatic is the nom de plume of Sigrid Harmon, who has been performing around Portland since 2013.  In addition to her main project, she recently joined Thomas Shadis (aka Father Spatter) of The Doug Quaids for a short collaboration. After playing three times as 4 Star China Taste, they disbanded, but not before recording and releasing six songs on an album called What Happens in The Dark.

  • Where were you born?
    I was born in Boston, MA.
  • What brought you to Portland?
    I relocated here in 2008 with my parents, I was still in elementary school.
  • Do you have a day job and, if so, what is it?
    My day job is writing music, as I’ve just graduated from high school. If anyone’s got a music-related job they’d like to hire me for, I’m all ears.
  • What was your most memorable gig?
    The most memorable gig was when I played with my band at the time, Metal Sideburns, at Zero Station… It was wall to wall kids and teens because we’d made it under 18. Portland’s filled to the brim with 21+ venues, so we took over Zero Station for the night just for the kids.
  • What was your worst gig?
    The worst gig was at Yankee Lanes with Metal Sideburns. No one was there, we didn’t know our stuff at all, and there was a smoke machine at the far end of the place. It barely puffed out any smoke, and when it did it would evaporate when it got 10 feet in front of us.
  • What album or artist has most influenced you as a musician?
    Bjork’s Vespertine is a masterpiece… I want to reach that level.
  • What’s the one piece of musical equipment you can’t live without?
    I create my backing tracks ahead of time when it comes to performing, as I want to focus more on my voice and the acting side of it. I can go without any sort of equipment… except my albuterol. I can walk in a place and just do an a cappella set because my voice is loud… I may be The Asthmatic, but I’ve got pipes.
  • Any advice for a musician starting out?
    Advice? Check out bands you’ve never heard of before, talk to people at gigs, don’t leave before a show is over. That’s rude, and the other bands and/or the venue won’t want to book you again.
  • What was the origin behind your name?
    I’m called The Asthmatic because I AM an asthmatic. I was born with chronic lung disease.
  • What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
    I listen to “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops I Did It Again” by Britney Spears on repeat… a lot.
  • What was the first album/recording you owned?
    The first LP I ever bought was T. Rex’s The Slider. It’s stuck with me to this day.
  • What are you listening to at the moment?
    I’ve been listening to a lot of Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Plasmatics, Angel Haze, Lady Sovereign, t.A.T.u., The Wipers, The Cigarettes (UK), MC Lyte, The Lady of Rage, Lydia Lunch, Daisy Chainsaw, and Diamanda Galas.
  • What was the best concert/musical performance you’ve attended?
    On June, 24th of 2016 I saw Sleep at the State Theater… You could feel the sound vibrating your bones. I was at the front, and one of the security guys had bottles of water near him. He’d walk up and down in a line pouring water in everyone’s mouths. The show was wet, I remember a lot of sweat.

Learn More

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