Movies and Music in Maine

The first song by the widely admired shoegaze band Slowdive that I really loved was a remix of “Shine” on the soundtrack of Gregg Araki’s 1999 movie  Splendor . I backtracked from there to Slowdive’s early albums from a decade before, and I’ve also followed founding member Neil Halstead’s solo career since then. So I was excited to see Slowdive in concert for the first time this weekend at the State Theatre here in Portland, Maine, and the show did not disappoint. The demographics of the audience members spanned about forty years, which was also reassuring to confirm that the band’s sound has continued to appeal to listeners of diverse ages all over the country and the world. I sat right up at the top of balcony, directly in the center of the theatre’s speaker system, which was the perfect sonic position for one of the most immersive shows that I’ve ever attended. Slowdive’s sound, a...

I moved to Biddeford near the coast of Maine this past month, after 31 years of living in Boston, and my first post for my new blog about movies & music in Maine is about a local musical quartet right here in town, the wonderful singer/songwriter & guitarist John Redman’s superb band  The Biddeford Beat . Redman worked in public service for years with his wife Marianne in Washington, DC, before retiring here to Biddeford, where Marianne had spent many summers since childhood. One of John’s pursuits in retirement has been writing a fantastic set of folk & jazz-inspired songs that’s available to listen to for free on his website,  thebiddefordbeat.com , along with performing his songs live with vocalist & keyboardist Mesa Schubeck (who teaches music at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine), lead guitarist Patrick Sylvia, and percussionist Joe Beninati. The quartet’s next live show will take place ...