 Where to begin? Now that you’ve discovered Concert Cast the Podcast, it’s up to you to wind your way through the episodes. Concert Cast was produced as a linear experience, but episodes can also be listened to in any order. Perhaps by topics that resonate most. If concerts are your compass and venues are the destination, consider this your field guide to uncovering Concert Cast episode by episode; experience by experience. Now, go forth and choose your own adventure in listening…here are a few entry points into Maine’s music scene.
If you love DISCOVERING A NEW BAND, listen to: Episode 6: All Roads Music Festival Walking and talking with the festival promoter and co-creator, Meg Shorette, I learned a lot about her process of transforming historical buildings into pop-up music venues for the night. One of the venues is a historic movie theatre called, “The Colonial". When I walked in, the smell of popcorn permeated the air, and concertgoers were milling around trying to decide which band to check out. I heard a siren-like voice coming from downstairs, and I followed it. The music guided me through a series of lower-level passages, which led to a subterranean movie theatre turned concert stage. I found a spot in the back and got lost in the dizzying sounds of Portland based singer Katie Matzell, who was singing “Better Late than Never,” a new age jazz song. I had never heard of her before, but I was an instant fan. I love those kinds of moments - discovering new music live and on the spot. If you like HEARING ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS, listen to: Episode 13: Northern Maine with Ben Cosgrove Going into my interview with Ben Cosgrove, I was admittedly really confused by his music. His artist statement says that he makes “instrumental music that explores themes of landscape, geography, and environment and straddles a line between folk and classical music.” What does that even mean? And how does he get there? I felt that, in order to really get a sense of his style, it was best to go to the source of his inspo: nature - so we went for a walk through the snow in Stockholm before his show at Eureka Hall - Maine’s most remote music venue. To get to the core of his process, I had to ask a series of questions, and then, it finally clicked. Now, when listening to his music, especially the song SALT, I know exactly what he means and can use my own metaphors and stories to make it come to life. If Covid has you CRAVING A ROAD TRIP Listen to: Mini-Casts: 3,4, & 5: Travel Tales with Jon Fishman Of PHISH It brought the biggest smile to my face to hear how the legendary Jon Fishman talked about being a long haul truck driver as a fallback career to drumming. He even once considered being a taxi cab driver! And to say that Fishman is a road trip warrior is an understatement. In the early days when the band toured around the country in a van, Fishman was always the “DD” - the driver and the road DJ! As a podcast host, listening to his road trip stories from earlier days with the band was just as fun as hearing him talking about playing at Madison Square Garden. But surprisingly, it’s the silence in between venues, when there is nothing to talk about, when you need a break from sound, that was also one of our most interesting conversations. It was also fun to hear him tell the story of finding the most epic Mexican restaurant one night after a show in the midwest! Our conversation was filled with awesome moments like this - and his stories were a great reminder to why we all love road tripping - the unexpected! If you like MUSIC VENUES AND HISTORY, listen to: Episode 1: State Theater Portland, Maine To me, every venue has a voice, including a special history - and researching the State Theatre in Portland , Maine became a jaunt through years past. I mean, it was once a porn theatre! Then I got to speak with Lauren Wayne for the first episode of what would become my baby, my podcast. I met up with The musical high priestess of Portland, Maine who took me on a daytime tour of the venue to tell me more about some of the history, operational logistics and of course, stories including the one about the very firs performance she hosted after a major renovation was complete. The jam band called MOE. was playing and the fire alarm went off! Can you imagine having to evacuate the building on the first night? Luckily, the guests were allowed back in once they cleared up the commotion, and now the venue has another story to tell!
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