Wayside Grange & Theatre is pleased to present Mes Amis at the Center Theatre in Dover-Foxcroft. Wayside and Center Theatre work together to entertain the Penquis area with a wide variety of music. Wayside received a generous donation from McKusick Petroleum again this year to help in this endeavor.
Mes Amis means “my friends,” and they hope you will become one of their friends too! They are a Gypsy Jazz band based in Central Maine, good friends brought together by good music. And what music! It’s infectious; appealing to listeners young and old alike with insistent rhythms, bouncing bass lines, and sweetly intricate melodies. The repertoire consists of original tunes penned by lead guitarist and vocalist Steve Lynnworth, as well as a carefully curated mix of Gypsy and American jazz standards.
The band also features Harry Richter on rhythm guitar; in addition to being a fine guitarist in his own right Richter is a violin maker and has a near encyclopedic knowledge of Gypsy Jazz. On upright bass is the Portland powerhouse Duane Edwards. Edwards is a highly sought after player and educator and is also a founding member of Primo Cubano.
The trio is often joined by virtuoso woodwind artist Shane Ellis on clarinet, saxophone, and flute. Ellis is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Band, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and is a bandleader for Big Dee, Swingin’ Overtime, and the Mundus Trio. You can find out more about Mes Amis on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mesamis.gypsyjazz/.
Wayside has five more great concerts at Center Theatre on the last Saturday of each month throughout the summer and fall.
These Maine bands include:
• June 25 – Mes Amis playing acoustic Gypsy swing
• July 30 – Denny Breau is know as a master guitar player/singer
• Aug. 27 – David Dodson is a singer/songwriter featuring folk music
• Sept. 24 – The Old Blues Kats is a blues duo
• Oct. 29 – Rock Hearts is a bluegrass band
The doors open at the Center Theatre at 6:30 p.m. and the concerts begin at 7 p.m. and you can call for reservations at 207-564-8943 or check out Center Theatre website at www.CenterTheatre.org.
Wayside Grange & Theatre recently voted to use our comfortable and cozy Grange Hall in North Dexter this summer for as many small events as the COVID regulations will allow going forward. If you know of a band, theatre group, debate club, or social group that would like to practice or perform to an audience of ninety or less, or just use the hall for music jams or sound checks please contact Grange Master Dave Pearson at 207-924-5035 and we can try to work something out for them.
Also, if you would like to join Wayside Grange & Theatre and/or volunteer call Pearson or check out our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/waysidestage.
The Grange volunteers have improved access by recently putting in a ground level entrance and a chair lift and refurbished the grand old eight-burner Grange stove. Plans are also in the works to hold at least two of the old-fashioned Grange hall public suppers that folks loved.
The Saturday morning yard sales are back through the fall and we will try to keep the hall a buzzing as much as the state authorities permit during COVID times.
Keep watching our Facebook page for events – and come on down! Put down that remote and laugh along with us!
