10Qs with Mel Stone

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 | Stephen Quirk

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.

10Qs with Sigrid Harmon of The Asthmatic

August 8, 2017 | Stephen Quirk

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.

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10Qs with Nick Perry of Nick Perry’s Brass Tax

April 4, 2016September 28, 2017 | Stephen Quirk

Nick Perry is the leader of the eponymous Nick Perry’s Brass Tax. The band released their debut album, Revisionist History, earlier this year. Nick is also a former member of Emerson and Thoreau and All Moving Parts and an occasional contributor to this site, having reviewed several area concerts. You can learn more about the band at nickperrysbrasstax.bandcamp.com or facebook.com/nickperrysbrasstax.

Where were you born?
Rumford Hospital (I think)

What brought you to Portland?
USM. And the crippling debt is what kept me here.

Do you have a day job and, if so, what is it?
Bernstein Shur Sawyer and Nelson law firm (I’m a stage 4 lackey).

What was your most memorable gig?
Tie:
November of 2012 with The Sidescrollers, buying Hacksaw Jim Duggan a drink and talking in-depth with him about Survivor Series ‘90 (The Hulkamaniacs vs. The Natural Disasters) and ’91.

August of 2014 with Pokelogan at Amigos where some dude was getting yanked behind our bass amp.

What was your worst gig?
Playing a show with Emerson and Thoreau way back when. A craft fair at a middle school. An old woman actually said the words “turn that racket down” to us.

What album or artist has most influenced you as a musician?
All of the generic answers (Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Zeppelin), Syd Barrett’s “The Madcap Laughs”, Big Star, Ween, “Roxy & Elsewhere”, “Rust in Peace”…wait, did you only want one answer?

What’s the one piece of musical equipment you can’t live without?
My guitar strap. I ain’t playing sitting down (I’m looking at you, Robert Fripp).

Any advice for a musician starting out?
Don’t be lazy. Don’t be an asshole. Don’t waste other people’s time by writing crappy music. Make it count.

What was the origin behind your band name?
I wanted a name that would fit comfortably in a grange hall or in a bingo parlor. I’ve always held myself to a high standard.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
I’m a big fan of Marco Rubio’s first album “Crossin’ the Rubicon” featuring Miami Sound Machine. I’ve been known to rock out to Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, as gross as that is to admit.

What was the first album/recording you owned?
This is a fuzzy memory. It was either the Wayne’s World soundtrack that I got a BJ’s Wholesale in Auburn or Tom Jones Greatest Hits

What are you listening to at the moment?
“Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs” and Prokofiev’s first three piano concerti have filled my last couple of hours.

What was the best concert/musical performance you’ve attended?
I saw Joe Walsh at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom last summer. Joe Walsh is the coolest son of a bitch of all time. Do you know how hard it is to become a full-time member of The Eagles and not lose one ounce of credibility? God bless you, Joe.

Our Review: Vanessa Carlton at Asylum

December 11, 2015February 23, 2016 | Savanna Pettengill

December 5, 2015 – Entering Asylum to see Vanessa Carlton, I honestly wasn’t sure if I knew exactly what to expect. I knew the show was 21+, that my sister always brought out my inner 14 year-old belting out her music when she played “White Houses“ on road trips, and that every time I heard the opening chords for “A Thousand Miles,“ I wanted to cover my ears to prevent them from getting such a catchy riff stuck in them for weeks on end. Vanessa Carlton has always represented singer-songwriter pop for me. Sure, ear candy, but the kind that your grandma gave you in the little plastic wrappings to keep you quiet while shopping. The kind that you don’t admit that you secretly love, but always gives you that nostalgic warmth when you encounter it. Not necessarily the kind you get excited about, however. Before heading downtown that evening, my surprised roommate said to me, “Well, she certainly is talented,” which I shrugged off as I shut the door.

It has to be said that I underestimated Ms. Carlton completely. As I came in with four friends trailing behind me hoping to have this memory as a joke for later, “Carousel“ was playing. I immediately came out with, “Oh, I forgot how many songs I actually know and like by her.” Going into her next song, “Tall Tales for Spring,” I was given chills. I began to notice the room, which was the most intimate seating I’d ever seen at Asylum. Everyone was quiet, listening intently. The movement of the music was powerful and reminded me of the soundtrack to The Snowman, the late ’80s animated silent film. I surprised myself as I teared up during the breakdown.

Before “White Houses,” Carlton’s storytelling really began to shape the movement of the entire performance. Her personality was genuine and her narrative about her brother’s trauma from the song’s popularity while he was in high school made you love her even more. Hearing the violin (played by Cartlon’s longtime dreamy collaborator, Skye Steele) open this tune just set the stage for the magic to come. Carlton’s featherweight fingers began to swell into the familiar melody, willing the audience to chime in with the third instrument of the composition: the echoing whispers of the lyrics surrounding the room. What a powerful unforgettable moment.

The rest of the set surrounded the newest material by Carlton and Steele, entitled: Liberman, named for her late grandfather’s surname at birth. Before entering into this part of the performance, Carlton explained “Liberman… Lives in it’s own space… a more euphoric territory.” Carlton’s folklore of the album as she moved through it song to song were told as vivid memories that the audience could adopt as their own to set the stage for the music. Her vocals were even more rich and etherial than I remember from her recordings.

My favorite song off the album that was performed was “House of Seven Swords,” named for a tarot deck. Before the song, Carlton explained, “It really showed me how we are each a sword, with two sides to each of our blades. This song is about courage and making choices about your character.” This completely resonated with my mid-twentysomething-year-old self. It began with a cathedral music type intro with the violin bellowing it’s power as her butterfly-on-glass voice sang, “Nobody can tell us how to build our house of seven swords,” in that flutter we all know and secretly love.

This new album mixes some of the same emotionally-entrenched, painterly lyrics, with the classical sound of her piano and Steele’s violin, with a more modern twist. A touch of electronic loops, light reverb and a consistent bass drum beat at a more dimensional shape to the new material. It’s Vanessa Carlton all grown up. She’s a vivacious person, a well-rounded performer, a storyteller, and a true artist in how she thinks about every part of her work and her collaboration, not only with Steele, but with the audience as well.

I didn’t cover my ears or escaped when “A Thousand Miles” was played after the loudest cheers in the room all night ended an elaborate story about how Carlton left ballet, and wrote the song. Instead I danced and sang the whole thing, then I escaped for a moment to contemplate, while she played her “Pretend we left the stage already and came back for an encore” finale: “The Marching Horn,” dedicated to those who have lost someone close to them.

Some graffiti in the building read, “What did you do to end patriarchy today?” I left with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I saw the wonderful woman, Vanessa Carlton grace our beautiful city with her moving performance. And I am so grateful.

Setlist:

Carousel
Tall Tales for Spring
White Houses
Take It Easy
Willow
House of Seven Swords
Operator
Blue Pool
Nothing Where Something Used to Be
Sinners in the Sea
A Thousand Miles
Hear the Bells
The Marching Horn

Please note: We received free admission in exchange for this review.

Who was Johnny Fountain?

December 10, 2015September 28, 2017 | Savanna Pettengill

TowerOfSong — Photo by Stephen Quirk, May 2009

This past Monday, Portland suffered a huge loss in the peaceful passing of our bright light and good friend, Johnny Fountain. You may remember him from his stunning performance at Arootsakoostik South this past summer, or his small, equally-powerful performance during the first night The Couch returned to Empire. Maybe you were his friend and made memories with him going on outdoor adventures, playing music, and spreading kindness and love through fun and lighthearted jokes. Maybe he was your bartender at the old Empire before it reopened. Maybe he walked you safely to your car, or saved you from getting creepily hit on. Maybe he introduced you to the love of your life. Maybe you loved him. Maybe, like me, you first saw him perform with the Panda Bandits on an amazingly fun night. Maybe you used to hear him play overhead at the First Friday Artwalk in the early days. Maybe you read his brave and honest Facebook posts about his ongoing battle with cancer. Maybe you attended a fundraiser to help him on his journey. Maybe you are just a friend of a friend who is grieving. In any case, if you have any involvement with the vibrantly rich music scene in our town, you have felt Jonny’s presence. While he’s passed beyond the rainbow bridge, you will probably still feel it in all of those that knew him, who will continue on in his legacy.

For those wanting to pay their respects, there will be a Songs and Stories Memorial for loved ones at Empire on Sunday, December 13 from 4-7PM*.

*Correction: It was previously stated that the Songs and Stories Memorial would occur from 1-4PM instead of 4-7pm.

Marrow at One Longfellow Square

December 2, 2015February 23, 2016 | Savanna Pettengill

November 2, 2015 – The Chicago based four-piece Marrow graced the stage at a quiet One Longfellow Square (OLS) tonight, bringing quite a vivacious energy to the room. The group impressed everyone upon first strum, first hooking them in with harmonies and rhythms touching upon the quieter hits of The Beatles, Broken Social Scene’s self-titled album and early days of The White Stripes. The whole performance was dynamic, not just number to number, but down to every change in each song. The jazzy pop-rock energies entranced the audience for the entire set.

The fresh-faced foursome are touring to promote their newest album The Gold Standard. As always, the sound at OLS was on point. I was almost disappointed to come home to study flat Marrow recordings from my tiny earbud headphones, although happy to have just witnessed such a flawless act of musical performance in a suitable room for the sound. Despite playing for around 30 people, the group brought their best efforts, quirkily confident sense of humor, and natural chemistry.

My favorite song during the performance was probably “She Chose You.” Liam Cunningham’s lead on this piece put your feet and heart in a happy place, combined with Lane Beckstrom’s California-sunshine bass line and Matt Carroll’s peppy kick drum. Macie Stewart’s buttery back-up vocals sang while multi-tasking both keys and guitar on this piece were impressive. Although it’s the harmonies between all four members that really got me. Everyone played their part fervently, and most importantly brought the fun. As I watched people dancing in the audience to the tune I nostalgically and affectionately pictured this playing during a make-up, make-out scene between Seth and Summer in an episode of The O.C.

<a href="http://marrowmakesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/two">Two by Marrow</a>

Other influences that came to mind during Marrow’s performance were Sleeter Kinney, No Doubt, Dr. Dog, Ben Folds, The Eels and Elvis Costello. Still the arrangements and subdued yet awesome stage presence were unlike any I’ve seen. The 45-minute set flew by all too quickly. Luckily for me, and for those of you who weren’t at the show (now kicking yourselves wishing you were), Cunningham closed the night with a message to the people of Portland. “I promise, I don’t know when, but we’ll be back.” Here’s hoping.

Cam Jones and Sonia Sturino’s (of The Box Tiger) newest project, Weakened Friends, rightfully opened the night with their first performance at OLS. The show was also kicking off a Northeast tour and, sadly, their last performance in Portland for the foreseeable future.

I’d love to see a pairing of Marrow with locals Coke Weed and/or Big Blood, and maybe invite Boston up-and-comers Bent Knee for a killer night at any of the medium-sized, great-sounding rooms in Portland. Now that would be a show not to miss.

Please note: We received free admission in exchange for this review.

An Interview with Vanessa Carlton

November 25, 2015November 25, 2015 | Stephen Quirk

Vanessa Carlton recently released her fifth full-length studio album Liberman and an EP entitled Blue Pool. She’ll play The Asylum in Portland on December 5th with opener Joshua Hyslop; tickets are still available.

What’s the story behind the title of your latest album, Liberman?
Liberman is my grandfather’s (on my mother’s side) original last name. He changed it when he got back from the war because of anti-semitism. He wanted to open a showroom selling his beautiful button down shirts that he designed for women and felt he would be more successful if he changed the name to Lee. He also happened to be a gifted painter and I have one of his painting hanging on my wall in NYC (this is when I still lived there). From where you sit at the piano you basically just stare at this painting and I get lost in it and I ended up writing most of the songs in that position. The music is the sound of that painting. It’s all about the palette. The original painting is the backdrop for my website.

What are you most of proud of with this album?
We set out to create a very specific sound and concept and me and all the artists on the record were able to follow through to the end with the idea. That’s hard to do sometimes. I’m proud of that.

You’ve mentioned Liberman is more of a sonic experiment, can you tell us more?
It’s not really an experiment its an album that priorities the sonic decisions. I’ve been heading in this direction for a while actually The sounds that we created and the palette Steve and I worked on is just as important as the songs in my opinion.

What’s your songwriting process like – does a song come all at once, lyrics first, melody first?
A couple songs came all at once but that’s rare. I wrote most of the instrumentals first and usually instantly have a vocal melody in mind but take a lot of time working on lyrics these days.

You recorded a duet with your husband, John McCauley, on the Deer Tick song ‘In our Time’ on their album Negativity and I see he plays on your new album… any more collaborations on the way?
Anyone is lucky to collaborate with John. Sure. Our finest and most high maintenance collaboration at the moment is our daughter Sid.

I’ve read that you started playing music at an early age, went to school for ballet, and turned back to music. What brought you to that place and is there anything you’d do differently?
I always played the piano even when I was very seriously studying ballet. I started writing songs when I was 16 and I got a publishing deal when I was 19. The music took over. Ballet is all or nothing.

Once Be Not Nobody was released things really took off, particularly with ‘A 1000 Miles.’ What was that experience like? Can you talk about how the music business has changed since that album was released in 2002?
It was pretty crazy. I was not ready for that and I was very much packaged and sold. That’s when people were still buying records. Things are different now obviously. There are more quality artists out there that are available to anyone around the world to listen to but it sucks that artist aren’t compensated for their work properly.

Related to the previous question, you released new material in an unconventional way this year on EW.com, Esquire, Nylon Magazine, Southern Living, and USA Today. What interested you about this approach?
I have great management, you’d have to ask them. That’s not my expertise by any stretch of the imagination!

You’re very open about your sexuality, your past with eating disorders, and health in general – your honesty is refreshing. Is it important to you to be honest with your fans? Has anything ever made you regret being so open about your personal life?
Not really.

My wife and I have a 16-month-old daughter and I know firsthand how much changes as a result. You have a 10-month-old girl – how has marriage and parenthood affected you personally and professionally? Congrats!
It’s the best thing ever. Our little family is everything to us.

What prompted your move from New York to Nashville?
I knew John wanted to be back in Nashville and frankly I was ready to finally leave NYC. I’d been there since I was 13! My dog needs a yard. And of course Nashville is such a wonderful place to live. Especially if you’re a musician.

What current music excites you?
I like the new Kurt Vile a lot. I can’t wait for new Deer Tick. I love the Florence and the Machine album. And the new Alabama Shakes sounds beautiful.

Lastly, any advice for musicians starting out?
Stay true to your instincts and seek out a mentor. Someone you trust that will push you.

Visit vanessacarlton.com to learn more.

Thank you to Inc.com

November 18, 2015 | 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!

10Qs with Kate Sullivan-Jones of The English Muffins

September 4, 2015September 28, 2017 | Stephen Quirk

Kate Sullivan-Jones plays bass in the pop-punk trio The English Muffins, and used to play bass in The Outfits and High Spirits. She cohosts a podcast about fast food called Fast Food Date.

Where were you born?
I was born in Berkeley, California, but my parents moved to Cape Cod when I was a baby and I grew up there.

What brought you to Portland?
My eventual husband and I wanted to move in together, and we knew people who moved to Portland or were planning to. He lived farther north and I lived in Massachusetts, and it was the coolest place in between us.

Do you have a day job, and if so, what is it?
I have two! I work weekdays as a pharmacy tech at Apothecary By Design, and Saturdays as a cashier/camera explainer at Pinecone+Chickadee.

What was your most memorable gig?
Probably going on tour with High Spirits, since I had never gone on tour before and I thought it would be totally not my thing, but it ended up being one of the most fun weeks of my life. Maybe a tour doesn’t count as a gig, though. The Outfits played a show with Shellshag, Haru Bangs, and Mouth Washington once, which was awesome because I love all of those bands and there were donuts. I guess that’s technically the most memorable show since Noah put a donut on my mic and I can vividly remember being distracted by how good it smelled.

What was your worst gig?
Once we couldn’t play a show because a member of our band got injured while loading in, and then while loading out I accidentally took part of the other band’s drum hardware.

What album or artist has most influenced you as a musician?
This is really hard to answer, because I feel like the music that has been most influential music in my life doesn’t really affect how I play at all. Like I think The Mae Shi’s album Terrorbird changed my brain, but I don’t really make music that sounds anything like that. Probably singing along to oldies and top 40 hits on the radio has had more of a direct effect.

What’s the one piece of musical equipment you can’t live without?
I need thick picks! I like these red ones with holes in them that are like little grippy strawberries. Also, living without a practice space has been pretty rough.

Any advice for a musician starting out?
It does not matter how old you are! I was 28 when I started playing bass. Before that, my musical experience was mostly limited to church choir growing up and singing in my car. The Outfits were figuring out what we were gonna do right after we decided to be a band, and we already had a guitar player and a drummer, so I bought the cheapest bass at Buckdancer’s and played our songs until I wasn’t a total embarrassment. I also think the best way to motivate yourself to play better is to join a band that has a show coming up. When I joined High Spirits, I knew we had a show in a couple months and that I couldn’t let them down, so I worked really hard to become a better bass player.

What was the origin behind your band name?
Natalie found an old picture she drew of a cartoon band called The English Muffins, and posted it on Facebook asking if anyone wanted to make it a reality. It was a really cool drawing, so I asked if I could join.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
My musical guilty pleasure is a five-way tie between some real cheesy Blue Öyster Cult songs.

What was the first album/recording you owned?
I think the first tape I bought with my own money was TLC’s CrazySexyCool, which I still love.

What are you listening to at the moment?
I’ve been super into Jason Derulo’s newest album lately.

What was the best concert/musical performance you’ve attended?
I think seeing Mission of Burma at Space was the best. I love that band, and my husband played in both the opening bands (The RattleSnakes and Huak) and the whole night was a total blast.

10Qs with Zak Taillon of Superorder

March 10, 2015December 11, 2015 | Stephen Quirk

sacredandprofane2013 — Photo by Joel Desmond

Could you tell me about any current projects, performances, or recordings?
As far as projects go, I am working on training a new bassist for my band, Superorder. Once he is ready, we will be planning a CD/DVD release show for our visual album, Ten Cities, which is currently only available in digital format. In the meantime, I am composing our next album and practicing synthesizer for an embarrassing Clash of the Titans performance on March 18th*.

Where were you born?
Born in Methuen, Massachusetts. Raised in the Seacoast Region, New Hampshire.

How long have you lived in Maine?
Nine and a half years. I moved to Portland, Maine in 2005 for college and have lived here since, except for a year I lived in Portland, Oregon in 2010.

What was your most memorable non-musical job?
All things considered I’d say that I’m currently working at what will one day be my most memorable non-musical job: bartending and serving at Boda. Really bizarre things happen there like clockwork. Example: just last week I caught a guy eating cat treats at the bar on his birthday.

sylviasuperordercts-1843 — Photo by Ben McCanna

What was your most memorable gig?
Every opportunity I’ve have to perform music over the last seven years is memorable and special to me, though there are probably two gigs tied for first place: one was my first show playing guitar for Picnic Casket in February 2008 at Dos Amigos Burritos in Dover, New Hampshire. We opened for Transistor Transistor’s 7’’ release party during a massive snowstorm but surprisingly the turnout was so good that they had to turn people away at the door because there was like 60 people stuffed into this tiny burrito shop. The other gig was a couple years ago with my band, Superorder, at Waranimal’s Winter Beach Ball at Space Gallery. After playing a 40 minute set of all instrumental prog-rock/electronic music, Kyle Scofield and I performed a very faithful cover of Christopher Cross’s “Sailing” to a sold out crowd of thrash metal kids who were mostly wearing bathing suits.

What album or artist has most influenced you as a musician?
It’s impossible for me to chose any one above all others, since being a musician, for me at least, is being a cumulative byproduct of all the influential albums and soundtracks and weird little noises that have made their way into my life at pinnacle moments. That being said, some albums definitely worth mentioning are The Second Stage Turbine Blade by Coheed and Cambria, Before the Dawn Heals Us by M83, Focus by Cynic, Surface to Air by Zombi, Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution, Thriller by Michael Jackson, and Ride the Lightning by Metallica. The common denominator between these albums is genre-hopping and inconsistent display of moods. Each of these albums played a part in helping me discover how to transform my fears and pains of life into something sonically epic and conceptually plot driven.

What’s the one piece of musical equipment you can’t live without?
An Apple computer with Logic 9 installed. I compose 90% of the music I write with virtual synthesizers in midi draw mode with just a mouse and keyboard. But if I was more concerned with this answer not being super nerdy, I would say my 2001 Ibanez UV777.

Any advice for a musician starting out?
Listen critically. Draw as much inspiration as you can from many diverse sources. Get out of your comfort zone. Practice meditation. Adapt meditation into your music practice. Experiment. Try harder.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
R. Kelly. Especially Trapped in the Closet.

What was the first album/recording you owned?
Weird Al’s Bad Hair Day.

What are you listening to at the moment?
Currently listening to Prince’s Art Official Age as I answer these questions, but recently I’ve been listening to Falls of Rauros, Blut Aus Nord, Nothing, Oneohtrix Point Never, Majeure, An Autumn for Crippled Children, The Fucking Champs, and Steve Hauschildt.

What was the best concert/musical performance you’ve attended?
Yet again, I cannot name just one. It’s a close tie between seeing Goblin and Zombi performing together at the Sinclair in 2013 or My Bloody Valentine at House of Blues in Boston last November. I dig on all three of those acts so much and I still can’t believe I got to see them all perform within six months of each other. Also, seeing the Star Wars Symphony Orchestra is up there.

View image | gettyimages.com

*We’re not sure if he’ll be performing as Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus

Lady Lamb at Port City Music Hall on March 13

March 5, 2015December 11, 2015 | Kate Sanborn

LadyLamb_byShervinLainez2a — Photo by Shervin Lainez

Lady Lamb is the moniker of Brunswick-raised Aly Spaltro, who, despite a move to Brooklyn several years ago, remains a hero of the Portland music scene. Her deep connection with Maine is apparent from the tattoo of the state’s outline that she bears on her upper arm.

As a teenager she played her guitars and banjos after shifts at a local video store and began distributing her home-recorded and hand-packaged albums in Bull Moose stores around Maine. She also performed in the Tower of Song series on Congress Street that were held during First Friday art walks by Portland-based label Eternal Otter Records, who put out her albums Sunday Shoes and Samples for Handsome Animals (2008).

In recent years, she has garnered national and international acclaim for her albums Ripely Pine (2013) and the latest After (2015), being featured in and reviewed by several magazines, websites, and radio stations including Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NPR, and Buzzfeed. She has toured in the US, Canada, and Europe with acts like Kaki King, Neko Case, and Beirut. Last year, she performed in Ireland’s largest annual musical festival, Electric Picnic, alongside acts such as David Byrne, St. Vincent, and Hozier.

She recently signed with Mom+Pop Music, who is distributing her latest album, After. The album was reviewed by Rolling Stone who described it as “a collection of surrealist folk rock that grounds the dream-like imagery of her past work in the hard specifics of concrete events.”

Lady Lamb will play Port City Music Hall on Friday, March 13, doors open at 8pm. Learn more by visiting Lady Lamb and Port City Music Hall’s websites. Check back here for a review of the show. Read our 10Qs with Lady Lamb.