A short interview with Portland's touring and performing dynamo!

Emilia's two CDs are available at Bull Moose Records, and at CD Baby, Publik Music, and iTunes.

Emilia Dahlin has been brewing up a great career for herself over the past few years, in Maine, and across the country. Her self-titled first full-length album established her as a strong songwriter and performer, and got her out on the road, where she’s been working hard ever since.

Don Campbell and The Maine Songwriters Association
The Goat Head Soup Lounge
32 Danforth Street, Portland
Thursday, January 25th, 7:00 PM

Don Campbell's music is available at CD Baby and at local music stores.

Maine Country Music Pro Don Campbell

Don Campbell is a local country music performer and songwriter with one foot in the Maine music scene, and the other foot in Nashville, paying his dues and working hard to make a career doing what he loves. He and The Don Campbell Band have played on stage with Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith, and many others. Don was named Best Singer/Songwriter by the Maine Sunday Telegram’s Reader’s Poll in 2004 and 2005, and is a three-time Boston Music Award winner for country act of the year.

Go To This Show!
Sorcha Cribbin-Merrill and her band at The White Heart in Portland
Saturday, January 20, 9:00 PM

Sorcha’s new CD “Walk It Once” will be available at the show, or through her website.

This gig is billed as a New Year CD release party for Sorcha’s second disc, “Walk It Once”.

You must go to this show – I caught Sorcha and this band at Blue back in December when she informally released this disc to her fan base – it was a packed house, and a great show. The band she is playing with is essentially the folks who helped her on the new CD, and they have these tunes down, believe me. I have always loved Sorcha’s music, but she has really come into her own on “Walk It Once”.

Hi folks! This is the second half of a two-part entry: I suggest you read my blog entry that immediately precedes this one, before continuing!

In my last posting, I discussed some of the ways in which developing songwriters in the folk genre get paid and how those revenue streams are earned. Today, we'll hear from a bunch of performers and songwriters who are making at least part of their living from their music, and get some straight information about how it really works, and what folk music patrons can do to best support their efforts.

There is a lot of support in Portland, and in other parts of Maine, for artists and musicians. When I compare Maine to central Massachusetts, which was my home prior to moving here, there are more opportunities for singer/songwriters to perform, more venues, and bigger crowds.

However, in Massachusetts, there are more not-for-profit “coffeehouses” and house concerts, which represent fewer performing opportunities, but which pay a smaller number of more accomplished artists a fair wage for their art.

So, while the folk music scene in Maine gets a lot of support from folks who will come out to hear it in the bars, clubs, and other venues that are so numerous across the state, how well does that “moral” support translate into financial support for the songwriters and musicians who are its beneficiaries?

Gig / CD Review
Tree by Leaf
Saturday night, January 6th, 2007
The Dogfish Bar and Grille, 128 Free Street, Portland, ME

CDs by Tree by Leaf are available on their website, at CDBaby, iTunes, Rapsody, and at most digital distributors.

Tree by Leaf, on stage at the Dogfish Bar and Grille last Saturday night, looked appealingly like three computer geeks and their cool sister… but this band is definitely all about great music.

Gig / CD Review
Friday night, December 29, 2006
Acoustic Coffee, 32 Danforth Street, Portland, ME

Doug’s CDs are available at local music stores, CD Baby, and iTunes – more information on Doug's website!

Photo by Klaus Steinort
Doug Kolmar

Doug Kolmar at Acoustic Coffee – feels like having a good friend over for conversation in my own living room!

Doug’s music is best consumed in a listening room like Acoustic Coffee. He can hold his own in a bar gig, but the sophistication of his lyrics and the subtleties in his melodies and harmonic structures require some attention in order to get their full affect.

Welcome to OUR Blog!
January 3, 2006
By Bob McKillop

Hi folks – my name is Bob McKillop, and I’m thrilled about writing this blog and helping to promote and support the Maine acoustic and folk music scene! Thanks to Shannon Bryan and all the folks at MaineToday.com for the opportunity!