This past week I volunteered at One Longfellow Square two nights in a row, for two very different shows. While pretty well tiring me out, the experience was also illustrative of how much I enjoy this little venue.
Wednesday night the alt-folk singer-songwriter duo Vandaveer came to town, bringing with them a dry wit and mellow and involving sound. Pink-haired Rose Guerin wanted to look more like an Indian, and Mark Charles Heidinger managed to flout state law by the cunning use of a coffee cup.
Thursday night actually began with a "pre-show" outside the building in the square that Lucy says I can't tell you about. Never a dull moment. Following the unplanned entertainment was the opening band, Over a Cardboard Sea; this is a local act which plays music from the era of 1890-1939 with the use of ukulele, singing saw, bicycle bell, and other fascinating instruments, not to mention a show-stopping giant fake moustache. The main act for the evening, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, somewhat defies description. These boys from North Carolina have a style that blends jazz, rock, bluegrass, ragtime, and many other genres into one fascinating package. They are also possessed of an extremely energetic performance style (or maybe just possessed)... I feared that someone was going to jump backward right off the stage, or perhaps crash into another bandmate with banjo or trombone as they leaped around. Unique and entertaining.
As I thought about my two evenings at the venue, I realized that they rather encapsulated what I like so much about the place. I don't know where else I could have heard such diverse and enjoyable types of music in successive nights. Not only that, but I get to interact with the artists as they enter and set up; invariably they are friendly, interesting folks. Oftentimes the headlining artist is from elsewhere in the United States, and it is their first time playing in Maine. Thus I get to hear their reactions to our lovely little city of Portland. So, in a nutshell, these are the reasons why I love One Longfellow Square.
Check out the websites for the venue and the bands:
http://www.onelongfellowsquare.com/
http://www.myspace.com/vandaveer
http://www.myspace.com/sailingoveracardboardsea
http://www.myspace.com/hgtr
I'm intrigued by your description of Over a Cardboard Sea--both shows sound very cool though! You're lucky that you have this kind of space near you!
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