FARMINGTON – The University of Maine at Farmington is kicking off the warm weather with an outdoor Summer Concert Series that will feature free, live music on the lawn of the Emery Community Arts Center in June, July, and August.
All concerts begin at 7 p.m. and are open to the public. Audience members are welcome to bring lawn chairs or a picnic blanket. In case of rain, the concert will be moved indoors to Emery’s performance space.
UMF Summer Concert Series events:
Saturday, June 25, Nuclear Salad and Sagittarius Rising
This first concert features two of Farmington’s favorite local bands. Nuclear Salad is a trio of local musicians who draw inspiration anywhere from Jerry Garcia and John Prine to Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Their original music is a blend of folk and rock with a satirical edge. Band members include Ryan Jones on lead guitar and vocals, Peter Hardy on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Doug Reusch on violin.
Sagittarius Rising is twin sister duo Isabelle and Phoebe Rogers from Farmington, Maine. Together, they create uplifting original music inspired by nature and the imagination with vocal harmonies, guitar and percussion.
Friday, July 15, Lauren Crosby and Darby Sabin
Hailing from an island in Maine, Lauren Crosby’s music is a pure creative expression of the North Atlantic. With hints of smoke and salt, her voice is deeply captivating, yet light with wit and life. A lobsterman’s daughter let loose in the modern world, Lauren’s old soul lends itself to the surrealism of her surroundings and everyday happenings. As a self-taught guitarist and singer, she enjoys blending classic rock, lyric-y folk, and vintage western.
Since she first stepped into the bar room at the age of fourteen to perform with the likes of the old fishermen and shipyard workers, At 16, she was invited to perform with folk singer Jonathan Edwards, and since then, has a long list of well-to do artists she has opened for or performed with, including: Drake White, Assembly of Dust, Shawn Mullins and LISSIE.
Darby Sabin is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist sharing “Folk, Soul and Bluesy Rock n’ Roll from the Foothills of Western Maine” with audiences worldwide. Darby’s songs evoke an emotional journey for all listeners. From the lows of mourning her father’s passing, young heartbreak and hopelessness, to the highs of confidence, new love and empowerment, Darby shares stories that come from a young life concentrated with experience.
Saturday, Aug. 27, Louisa Stancioff and Dead Gowns
Louisa Stancioff is an Indie folk music artist. Her Bulgarian heritage shows through in her intricate melodies, having grown up singing the ethereal, often dissonant traditional folk music with her family. Her bandmates, Dave and Dan Kelly are brothers from Bucksport, and with the addition of drums and the occasional ripping guitar solo, add some roll into the Indie folk. Louisa is originally from Chesterville but currently lives in midcoast Maine, along with the Kelly Brothers.
Dead Gowns is the songwriting project of Geneviève Beaudoin. The band began touring the northeast in support of their first release, the New Spine EP, in late 2018. Since then, Dead Gowns has released a handful of singles, including “Lyon Alt. Version,” “Castine” and “See People.”
The Emery Arts Center is located on Academy St. (between Main Street and High Street) in downtown Farmington. For more information contact Ann Bartges, director of UMF Emery Community Arts Center at [email protected] or 207-778-7461.
The Emery Community Arts Center is an innovative, experimental venue for the arts in Western Maine. It features an exciting 2,500-square-foot, 109-seat multipurpose performance space with dynamic vertical foldaway doors that open onto an outdoor performance area and a 1,600-square-foot Flex-Space gallery for traditional exhibits, new media and performance art. A dramatic interior corridor offers additional exhibition space and connects the center with the UMF Alumni Theater.
