Author: bhb

AUBURN, Maine — When night falls on Oct. 31, so beginning the three-day observance of Allhallowtide (when Christians traditionally honor departed believers, saints and martyrs), why should kids have all the fun?

Bald Hill, southern Maine’s surprisingly hip purveyors of blues-inflected newgrass, rock and folk, finds this ridiculous at best, discriminatory at worst. Accordingly, the New Gloucester-based  six-piece will preside at a decidedly adult, Halloween hootenanny hard by the Mighty Androscoggin on Saturday night, Oct. 31, here at Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co.

Bald Hill in Hebron on Oct. 24. (photo courtesy of Dennis & Diane Grigg/Tannery Hill Studios)

Doors are open all day long at Gritty’s, home to L-A’s finest pub fare and craft brews. Come All Hallows’ Eve, the band will take the stage from 8-11 p.m.

Costume dress is duly advised,  befitting the day’s equally strong pagan roots (Oct. 31 is linked to the Celtic festival Samhain, marking “summer’s end”) but not mandatory. The members of Bald Hill  — (from left) Todd Burrowes, Kim Chasse, Ben DeTroy, Renée St. Jean, Hal Phillips and Chris Ricardi — will lead by example. The set list will be similarly “festive” and special  guest appearances are planned… some of this world, some less so.

October has been a busy one for Bald Hill, full of live shows. The band last played Gritty’s in August. Another Gritty’s engagement is already scheduled for Friday night Nov. 20.

In the meantime, tell a few friends, give that costume some thought, ward off the mummers and guisers by extinguishing your house lights at 7 p.m., and we’ll see you in Auburn.

The band knocks out a version of Son Volt’s “Windfall”, at a private party in Falmouth, Sept. 5.

NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine — Word of Bald Hill, those surprisingly hip purveyors of blues-inflected, swingin’ newgrass and folk (spiced with just the right dash of rock & roll), appears to be spreading. Three dates are now on the docket for October:

• On Sunday, Oct. 4, Bald Hill will play the Maine Makers & Shakers event at Five Maples Farm in the Upper Village of New Gloucester, across Route 100 from the world famous Hodgman’s Frozen Custard. Organized by Anne McCormack and Erik Desjarlais, Maine Makers & Shakers celebrates and promotes entrepreneurship in semi-rural areas. The New Gloucester event is scheduled for the entire weekend — Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3-4 — and will feature a dizzying array of local artisans and vendors, food and, of course, live music. Bald Hill will appear from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Don’t miss it.

• Bald Hill will headline Reunion-Homecoming Weekend at Hebron Academy with a 12:30 p.m. show on Saturday, Oct. 24. Hebron Academy was founded way back in 1804, which just happens to be lead guitarist Chris Ricardi’s preferred brand of tequila.

• There’s been a slight but inviting change to Bald Hill’s autumn dates at Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. in Auburn. The band will play a special Halloween show on Saturday night, Oct. 31, 8-11 p.m. (this replaces the Oct. 2 show; Bald Hill’s Friday night Nov. 20 date at Gritty’s is unchanged.) In addition to knocking out several ghost- and ghoul-inspired song selections, band members will be “costumed” on Oct. 31. Everyone who might attend is encouraged to do the same.

AUBURN, Maine — In wake of a raucous, rug-cutting debut on Aug. 21, Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. will bring Bald Hill back for two more Friday night gigs, Oct. 2 and Nov. 20.

Bald Hill, those surprisingly hip purveyors of blues-inflected, swingin’ newgrass, rock and folk, couldn’t be more pleased to have secured these return engagements. Gritty’s is the finest music venue in the Twin Cities of Lewiston-Auburn, and all six members of Bald Hill reside in nearby New Gloucester.

With a private party on the docket for Saturday, Sept. 5, in Falmouth, Bald Hill will conclude a busy summer of shows. Autumn awaits, at Gritty’s and elsewhere. Fans should stay tuned to this space for upcoming dates and band news.

For those unfamiliar but curious as to what exactly “blues-inflected, swingin’ newgrass, rock and folk” entails, see here the set list from the last Gritty’s show — with the understanding there will be plenty of new/different material forthcoming:

Rocky Road Blues (Bill Monroe)

Whiskey Before Breakfast (Norman Blake)

Annabelle (Gillian Welch)

Nellie Kane (Tim O’Brien)

Dear Mr. Fantasy (Traffic)

If It Hadn’t Been for Love (Steeldrivers)

Sweet Amarillo (D.T. Weiss/Old Crow Medicine Show)

California Stars (Woody Guthrie/Wilco)

Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers)

Galway Girl (Steve Earle)

Walk Away (Tom Waits)

Duncan (Paul Simon)

Bad Angel (Dierks Bentley)

Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead)

C’mon up to the House (Tom Waits)

Frolicking/Satan (Ben DeTroy/Uncle Tupelo)

Just Because (Stanley Brothers)

Folsom Prison (Johnny Cash)

In Spite of Ourselves (John Prine)

To Be Young (Ryan Adams)

Atlantic City (Bruce Springsteen)

Hold on to What You Got (Jimmy Martin)

Tear-Stained Eye (Son Volt)

New Madrid (Uncle Tupelo)

Vincent Black Lightening (Richard Thompson)

Rocket Man (Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

Nashville Cats (John Sebastian)

Rollin in my Sweet Baby’s Arms (traditional)

Does My Ring Burn Your Finger (Judy & Buddy Miller)

Wish U Were Here (Pink Floyd)

More Pretty Girls (traditional)

Wagon Wheel (Bob Dylan/Old Crow Medicine Show)

Rider (Grateful Dead)

Busy week on tap for Bald Hill, with a pair of shows scheduled for Thursday and Friday evenings.

On Friday, August 21, the band will bring its swingin’, blues-inflected newgrass and folk stylings to Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. in Auburn, Maine. Doors open early — Gritty’s serves the Twin City’s finest ale & pub fare starting at lunchtime. Bald Hill will take the stage at 8 p.m.

Some 24  hours prior, Bald Hill will perform from 6-9 p.m. at The Fisherman’s Catch in Raymond — on Route 302 (that’s Roosevelt Trail for you locals) just north of the strip in North Windham. Bring your lobster bib and toe-tapping shoes.

Both shows will feature the band’s new lead vocalist, Renée St. Jean, who joined Bald Hill this winter.

New Gloucester-based Bald Hill is thrilled to be playing Gritty’s in Auburn, and not merely because mando/fiddle player Ben DeTroy has his own mug there. It’s a spectacular venue, with a gorgeous deck looking out over the mighty Androscoggin. Gritty’s is rightly famous for pioneering the micro-brew movement here in Maine; its Portland and Freeport pubs are just fine. But the Auburn location, right on Main Street by the bridge, is the jewel in the crown.

Bald Hill is also keen to visit Raymond Thursday night, as the band was rained out here in July. The stage at Fisherman’s Catch is located outside, in a lovely beer garden — so do check the weather before heading out (though the forecast looks good). If you’re headed north on 302, look for the big, red A-frame on the left (if you come to the intersection with Route 85, you’ve gone too far).

NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine — Bald Hill will perform in collaboration with several local artists at an April 12 event to benefit the Dorothy Larrabee Youth Development Fund, one of many worthy programs administered by Lewiston-based New Beginnings (www.newbeginmaine.org), which has served at-risk, runaway and homeless youth, and their families, since 1980.

Bald Hill is just one of the several musical acts scheduled to appear at this “Concert for New Beginnings”, scheduled for Sunday, April 12, at 4 p.m., inside the vestry at New Gloucester’s First Congregational Church — located in the Village, just off Route 231. Admission can be had by donation: $10 suggested (adults), $5 suggested (students).

The Dorothy Larrabee Youth Development Fund provides financial aid in support of kids without reliable economic or family means. This support, which comes in the form of scholarships (or “Seed Money for Dreams”), enables at-risk youth to pursue their vocational and/or educational goals.

The “Concert for New Beginnings” is the brainchild of New Gloucester’s own Jesse Ricardi, a student at Gray-New Gloucester High School. Ricardi, a senior, is enrolled in GNG’s International Baccalaureate diploma program, which includes a CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) component. The Concert for New Beginnings is Ricardi’s CAS project — he will perform April 12 along with and alongside Bald Hill, several more GNG students, and other special guests including Darlin’ Corey (Erica Brown and Matt Shipman) and Kate Driver.

Y’all should come.

If you need more more information, contact Ricardi at 207-926-3721 jricardi@maine.rr.com.