Maine State Music Theater's production of "Chicago" runs through Aug. 7.

COMEDY

The Comedy Connection 16 Custom House Wharf. Portland. 774-5554. mainecomedy.com. All shows 18+.
Thurs.-Sat., July 22-25: PJ Thibodeau, at 8:30 p.m. Tix: $15 ($7.50 on Thurs.)

The Escapists Wed., July 28. The improv comedy troupe performs its monthly show. At North Star Music Cafe, 225 Congress St., Portland, at 7:30 p.m. Tix: $5 (all ages). 615-4021. theescapists.net..

The Gold Room Fridays. Three comics perform weekly at The Gold Room, 510 Warren Ave., Portland, at 8:30 p.m. Tix: $12 (21+). 221-2343. thegoldroommaine.com.


Open Mic Comedy Thursdays. A weekly comedy open mic with featured comics, hosted by Brian Brinegar. At Slainte, 24 Preble St., Portland, at 7 p.m. Free (21+). 828-0900.

DANCE

Bates Dance Festival Through Sat., Aug. 7. The world-renowned, annual festival of performances, talks and educational programs at Bates College in Lewiston. Full schedule at batesdancefestival.org.

POETRY/STORYTELLING

Port Veritas readings Tuesdays. The weekly open mic poetry night, with special guests and the famous Second Tuesday Slam. At North Star Music Café, 225 Congress St., Portland, from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Free ($2 suggested donation) 699-2994. northstarmusiccafe.net.

THEATER

“Chicago” Through Sat., Aug. 7. Maine State Music Theatre presents the classic Broadway musical. At Pickard Theater, Bowdoin College campus, Brunswick. Tix: $31-$54. For full schedule of performances, visit msmt.org. 725-8769.

“Ida: Woman Who Runs With the Moose” July 23. Humorist Susan Poulin performs her one-woman show. At the Old Port Playhouse, 19 Temple St., Portland. Call for time. Tix: $22 ($20 seniors, students and kids). 773-0333. oldportplayhouse.com.

“Ida’s Havin’ a Yard Sale” July 22. Humorist Susan Poulin performs her one-woman show. At the Old Port Playhouse, 19 Temple St., Portland. Call for time. Tix: $22 ($20 seniors, students and kids). 773-0333. oldportplayhouse.com.

“Pinocchio” Through Sun., Aug. 1. The Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine presents the classic fairy tale. At the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, 142 Free St., Portland. Thurs.-Sun. at 4 p.m. Tix: $8. 828-1234 ext. 231. kitetails.com

“Twelfth Night” Thurs., July 22 — Sat., Aug. 14. The Fenix Theatre Company presents Shakespeare’s play. At Deering Oaks, Portland. Thurs.-Sat. at 6:30 p.m. Free. fenixtheatre.org.

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The RattleSnakes play punk rock at Slainte on Friday night.

THURSDAY, JULY 22

Andy’s Old Port Pub
Peter Alexander (singer-songwriter)
7 p.m., no cover, 21+

Asylum
DJ (’80s hits)
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

Bayside Bowl
The Acadia Sessions (acts TBA)
8 p.m., no cover, all ages

Bebe’s Burritos
Kids @ Play (favorites)
6:30 p.m., no cover, all ages

The Big Easy
A Band Beyond Description (Dead covers)
10 p.m., no cover, 21+

Blue
Joel Cage
8 p.m., donation, 21+
TBA
10 p.m., donation, 21+

Brian Boru
Catcha Vibe (reggae)
10 p.m., no cover, 21+

Bull Feeney’s
Hello Newman (’90s alt-rock covers)
9:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

The Dogfish Bar and Grille
Griffin Sherry and Friends
8 p.m., no cover, 18+

Empire Dine and Dance
Lapsed Axis (rock)
9 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Flask Lounge
Meantone (graveyard blues)
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

The Frog & Turtle
Joe Farren (rock, blues)
7 p.m., no cover, all ages

Geno’s
Elf Princess Gets a Harley, Huak, Waranimal (indie rock)
9 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Gritty McDuff’s
Jerks of Grass (bluegrass)
9:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

The Landing at Pine Point
The Tony Boffa Trio
7 p.m., no cover, 21+

Monument Square Portland. 772-6828. portlandmaine.com.
Low Flying Airplanes, The Mallett Brothers (rock, roots country)
5 p.m., free, all ages

North Star Music Cafe
Matt Turk CD release show (folk)
8 p.m., $5 suggested donation, all ages

One Longfellow Square
The Portland Jazz Orchestra
8 p.m., $5-$9 ($5 students and seniors), all ages

Slainte
Helen Hummel
10 p.m., no cover, 21+

SPACE Gallery
The Daniel Glaude Quartet (jazz)
8 p.m., $10, all ages

Styxx
DJ Silverchild (house music)
9 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Venue Music Bar & Grille
Alyssa Graham (singer-songwriter)
9 p.m., $10, 21+

Soulful surfer/rocker Donavon Frankenreiter plays Port City Music Hall on Friday night.

FRIDAY, JULY 23

Andy’s Old Port Pub
Andi Fawcett (light rock and covers)
8:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

Asylum
“Plague,” featuring DJs Nemesis, 8-Bit, and Bullet Bill (Goth/industrial)
9 p.m., $5 ($2 before 9:30 p.m.), 21+

Bebe’s Burritos
Dave Packard (acoustic guitar)
6:30 p.m., no cover, all ages

The Big Easy
Zach Jones (singer-songwriter)
6:30 p.m., no cover, 21+
Grant Street Orchestra, The Release (hip hop)
9:30 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Binga’s Stadium
DJ (country)
9 p.m., no cover, all ages

Blue
Dark Hollow Bottling Co. (mountain music)
8 p.m., donation, 21+

Brian Boru
Poke Chop & The Other White Meat (blues)
9:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

Bubba’s Sulky Lounge
DJ (’80s hits)
9 p.m., $5 (free in ’80s costume), 21+

Buck’s Naked BBQ
Heavy Dime (funk)
9:30 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Bull Feeney’s
TBA
9:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

Casco Bay Lines
Broken Men (jam rock)
8 p.m., $12-$14, 21+

The Dogfish Bar and Grille
Brian Patrick
5 p.m., no cover, 18+
The Del Rossi Possy
8 p.m., no cover, 18+

Empire Dine and Dance
Frank Hopkins & Line of Force (jam rock, funk)
9 p.m., $3, 21+

Flask Lounge
The Tone King Trio (R&B)
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

Geno’s
Prima Donna, Paul and the Strings, and more
9 p.m., call for cover, 21+

The Landing at Pine Point
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (swing)
8 p.m., SOLD OUT, 21+

Mayo Street Arts
Arborea, Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, Kelly Nesbitt (folk, pop melodrama, comedy)
9 p.m., $8, all ages

North Star Music Cafe
Jim’s Big Ego (rock)
8 p.m., $10, all ages

One Longfellow Square
Sid Selvidge and Amy Speace (singer-songwriters)
8 p.m., $15-$18, all ages

Others!
Open mic
5 p.m., no cover, all ages

Port City Music Hall
Donavon Frankenreiter, MISHKA (surfer rock)
8 p.m., $20-$22 ($40 VIP seating), 21+

Post Office Park Portland. 772-6828. portlandmaine.com.
Brian Patricks
noon, free, all ages

RiRa
TBA
10 p.m., no cover, 21+

Slainte
Meagan Yates (singer-songwriter)
5 p.m., no cover, 21+
Jared Salvatore and Alice Lemke
7:30 p.m., no cover, 21+
Wood Burning Cat, The RattleSnakes, Good Kids Sprouting Horns (indie rock, punk)
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

SPACE Gallery
Factory Portland launch party, featuring Bullyclub, The No. 9, Greyshield, The Red F, Wesley Hartley and The Traveling Trees, Jose Ayerve, TJ Metcalfe (indie rock, alt-country)
8:30 p.m., $6, 18+

St. Lawrence Arts Center
Long Time Courting, The Press Gang (Irish music)
8 p.m., $15-$18, all ages

Styxx
Front Room: DJ Rob (’80s and ’90s hits), DJ Silverchild and Kevin Duran (house and trance)
9 p.m., call for cover, 21+
Back room: DJ Aphyll8 and KTF Terison (electro-house)
9 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Venue Music Bar & Bistro
Big Chief and The Continentals (blues, swing)
8:30 p.m., $8, 21+

Venue Music Bar & Grille
Eddie Kirkland (blues)
9 p.m., $20, 21+

SATURDAY, JULY 24

Andy’s Old Port Pub
Nancy Ray (singer-songwriter)
8:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

Bayside Bowl
DJ PJ, Sean Mencher & His Rhythm Kings (rockabilly and Western swing)
8 p.m., no cover, all ages

Bebe’s Burritos
Jamin on the One (jazz)
6:30 p.m., no cover, all ages

The Big Easy
Adam Waxman (singer-songwriter)
6:30 p.m., no cover, 21+
Brothers Donovan, Dreamswell (jam rock)
9:30 p.m., donation (benefits Gulf Coast relief efforts), 21+

Blue
James Keyes
8 p.m., donation, 21+
The Dana Malseptic Trio (jazz)
10 p.m., donation, 21+

Brian Boru
40N, 43W
9:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

Bubba’s Sulky Lounge
Video dance party (’80s hits)
9 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Buck’s Naked BBQ
Smoldering Bones (Americana)
9:30 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Bull Feeney’s
TBA
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

Casco Bay Lines
Mystic Vibes (reggae)
7:30 p.m., $12-$14, 21+

The Dogfish Bar and Grille
Patrick Coman
8 p.m., no cover, 18+

Empire Dine and Dance
Shane Alexander, Graham Isaacson (singer-songwriters)
9 p.m., $4, 21+

Flask Lounge
DJ Heidz
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

Geno’s
By Blood Alone, Heart-Shaped Rock (rock)
9 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Mayo Street Arts
Ancient Ones, Hobgoblin, Pine Smoke Lodge (lounge, indie trace/psych)
9 p.m., $8, all ages

One Longfellow Square
Slaid Cleaves (Americana)
8 p.m., $17-$20, all ages

Port City Music Hall
The Radiator (New Orleans funk)
8 p.m., $15-$18 ($30 VIP seating), 21+

RiRa
TBA
10 p.m., no cover, 21+

Slainte
DJs Midas, Silverchild, Elucid, and Lex Lucid
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

SPACE Gallery
Amanda Gervasi CD release show, with Pete Miller, Jesse Pilgrim (indie folk)
9 p.m., $8, 18+

St. Lawrence Arts Center
Highland Soles (traditional Scottish)
7:30 p.m., $12, all ages

SUNDAY, JULY 25

Andy’s Old Port Pub
Alison Violette (singer-songwriter)
6 p.m., no cover, 21+

Brian Boru
Irish music session
3 p.m., no cover, 21+

Empire Dine and Dance
Open mic with Dominic Lavoie
8 p.m., no cover, 21+

North Star Music Cafe
Tom Porter (jazz)
1 p.m., no cover, all ages

Slainte
Brothers Donovan, Dreamswell (jam rock)
8 p.m., no cover, 21+

Venue Music Bar & Grille
The Iguanas
9 p.m., $15, 21+

MONDAY, JULY 26

Andy’s Old Port Pub
Irish session
7 p.m., no cover, 21+

The Big Easy
Line of Force (jam rock, funk)
6 p.m., no cover, 21+

Empire Dine and Dance
The Stowaways (bluegrass)
8:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

Flask Lounge
AoK Suicide Forest, Scalpel (prog metal)
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

Gritty McDuff’s
Dave Gagne Jr. (acoustic rock)
9:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

North Star Music Cafe
Tango Mucha Labia
7 p.m., $5, all ages

TUESDAY, JULY 27

Andy’s Old Port Pub
Singer-songwriter night
7 p.m., no cover, 21+

Bayside Bowl
The Cajun Aces
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

The Big Easy
Low End Philanthropy (electronica)
9:30 p.m., call for cover, 21+

Bull Feeney’s
Open mic with Mike Hayward
9:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

Deer Run Tavern
Open mic hosted by Marcus Reins
8 p.m., no cover, all ages

The Dogfish Bar and Grille
Acousic blues and roots jam, hosted by Mike Beam
8 p.m., no cover, 18+

Empire Dine and Dance
Clash of the Titans: Rancid  vs. The Clash (cover song battle)
10 p.m., $6, 21+

Gritty McDuff’s
Travis James Humphrey (country)
9:30 p.m., no cover, 21+

Port City Music Hall
Giraffe Attack, Marion Grace (jam and roots rock)
8 p.m., $2, 21+

Slainte
Alexis Pastuhov
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

SPACE Gallery
Charles Burst, Old Man Forest, Foam Castles (indie rock and pop)
7 p.m., $5 suggested donation, all ages

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28

Andy’s Old Port Pub
David Beam and His Friends (roots, blues)
7 p.m., no cover, 21+

Asylum
Karaoke
8 p.m., no cover, 21+

The Big Easy
Hip hop open mic, hosted by Shupe and Ill By Instinct
9 p.m., $2, 21+

Binga’s Stadium
DJ (hip hop, Top 40)
9 p.m., no cover, all ages

Blue
Greg Boardman and Jessie Gagne-Hall (Irish music)
7:30 p.m., donation, 21+
Irish music session
9 p.m., donation, 21+

Casco Bay Lines
Poke Chop (blues)
5:30 p.m., $7.50, 21+

Dogfish Bar and Grille
Acoustic Open Mic, featuring Lizzy Pitch
7 p.m., no cover, 21+

Empire Dine and Dance
“Kill the Karaoke” (live-band karaoke)
9:30 p.m., $4, 21+

The Landing at Pine Point
The Jim Ciampi Quartet
7 p.m., no cover, 21+

Port City Music Hall
Rebelution (reggae-rock)
8 p.m., $15-$18 ($20 VIP seating), 21+

Slainte
Open mic hosted by Kirk Underwood
9 p.m., no cover, 21+

SPACE Gallery
La Strada, Jakob Battick (indie folk)
8 p.m., $7, 18+

Western Prom Park Portland. 756-8275. portlandmaine.gov.
Sara Cox (alt-country)
7:45 p.m., free, all ages

Let your fingers do the rockin'!

Amigo’s
9 Dana St., Portland
772-0772
amigosportland.com

The Apohadion
107 Hanover St., Portland

Asylum
121 Center St., Portland
772-8274
asylumlive.com

Bayside Bowl
58 Alder St., Portland
791-BOWL
baysidebowl.com

Bebe’s Burritos
140 Main St., Biddeford
283-4222
bebesburritos.com

The Big Easy
55 Market St., Portland
775-2266
bigeasyportland.com

Binga’s Stadium
77 Free St., Portland
347-6072
bingasstadium.com

Blue
650A Congress St., Portland
774-4111
portcityblue.com

Brian Boru
57 Center St., Portland
780-1506

Bubba’s Sulky Lounge
92 Portland St., Portland
828-0549
bubbassulkylounge.com

Buck’s Naked BBQ
568 U.S. Route 1, Freeport
865-0600
bucksnaked-bbq.com

Bull Feeney’s
375 Fore St., Portland
773-7210
bullfeeneys.com

Casco Bay Lines
56 Commercial St., Portland
cascobaylines.com

Chocolate Church Arts Center
798 Washington St., Bath
442-8455
chocolatechurcharts.org

Cumberland County Civic Center
45 Spring St., Portland
775-3458 (Civic Center Box Office), 775-3331 (Ticketmaster)
theciviccenter.com

Discovery Park
L.L. Bean, Main St., Freeport
877-755-2326
llbean.com

Dogfish Bar & Grille
128 Free St., Portland
772-5483
thedogfishbarandgrille.com

Empire Dine and Dance
575 Congress St., Portland
879-8988
portlandempire.com

51 Wharf Street
51 Wharf St., Portland
774-1151
51wharf.com

First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church
425 Congress St., Portland
775-3356

Flask Lounge
117 Spring St., Portland
772-3122
flasklounge.com

Frog and Turtle
3 Bridge St., Westbrook
591-4185
thefrogandturtle.com

Frontier Cafe, Cinema & Gallery
14 Maine St., Fort Andross, Brunswick
725- 5222
explorefrontier.com

Geno’s
625 Congress St., Portland
221-2382

The Gold Room
510 Warren Ave., Portland
221-2343
thegoldroommaine.com

Gritty McDuff’s
396 Fore St., Portland
772-BREW
grittys.com

Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton Beach, NH
603-929-4100, 775-3331 (Ticketmaster)
casinoballroom.com

Hogfarm Studios Annex
140 Main St., Biddeford
971-645-9710
hogfarmstudios.com

Jonathan’s
92 Bourne Lane, Ogunquit
646-4777
jonathansrestaurant.com

Jones Landing Peaks Island (at left of boat landing), Portland
776-5652

The Landing at Pine Point
353 Pine Point Rd., Scarborough
774-4527
thelandingatpinepoint.com

Mayo Street Arts
10 Mayo St., Portland
615-3609
mayostreetarts.org

Merrill Auditorium
20 Myrtle St., Portland
874-8200
portlandevents.com

North Star Music Cafe
225 Congress St., Portland
699-2994
northstarmusiccafe.com

Old Port Tavern
11 Moulton St., Portland
774-0444

One Longfellow Square
Longfellow Square, Portland
761-1757
onelongfellowsquare.com

Port City Music Hall
504 Congress St., Portland
899-4990
portcitymusichall.com

Portland Lobster Co.
180 Commercial St., Portland
775-2112
portlandlobstercompany.com

RiRa
72 Commercial St., Portland
761-4446
rira.com

The Run of the Mill Public House & Brewery
100 Main St. (Saco Island), Saco
571-9648

Slainte
24 Preble St., Portland
828-0900

SPACE Gallery
538 Congress St., Portland
828-5600
space538.org

St. Lawrence Arts and Community Center
76 Congress St., Portland
775-5568
stlawrencearts.org

Strange Maine
578 Congress St., Portland
771-9997
kraag.org/strange

Styxx
3 Spring St., Portland
828-0822
styxxportland.com

Thatcher’s
35 Foden Rd., South Portland
253-1808
thatcherspub.com

Venue Music Bar & Bistro
5 Depot St., Freeport
865-1780
venuemusicbar.com

Venue Music Bar & Grille
865 Forest Ave., Portland
899-4350
venuemusicbar.com

by Crash Barry

Murderer

Editor’s note: Almost 20 years ago, Crash Barry lived and worked on Matinicus, Maine’s most remote island. This is another of his true stories.

I knelt on one knee and grabbed the sheep’s head with both hands and pushed down, intent on drowning her in the rising tide. For a moment or two, nothing happened. Then the fight began. She bucked and flailed and kicked, frantically trying to free herself from my grip. I stood and tried to drag the thrashing beast to deeper water to hasten the execution, to end her suffering. But my boots were heavy with ocean and I staggered and slipped and fell.

The sheep had been attacked by a pack of Matinicus dogs that crossed the Gut at low water to invade Wheaton’s Island, uninhabited except for five sheep pursuing a mellow existence among the handful of spruce, abandoned fish houses, and scrub grass. I was living by the Gut in a room above Captain Edwin’s shop, a stone’s throw from the tiny herd. Much of my time, when not lobstering, was spent smoking herb and watching the wandering animals.

One summer afternoon, after a long day hauling traps, Edwin and I were coming ashore from the mooring and heard a bleating wail of distress from Wheaton’s. I dropped Edwin off at the ladder, then rowed across and landed on the island’s stony beach. The tide was halfway to high, the wind was whispering from the southeast, and a sheep was screaming.

I followed the cries toward the island’s southern tip, where there’s a series of rock shelves and crevices. There I found her, jammed in a crack between two ledges. Her face mauled. Her wool blackened with blood from a gaping chest wound. Her front legs dangled at an impossible angle.

I bent and wedged my hands behind the bleating sheep’s shoulders. I tugged and pulled, but the ledge wouldn’t let go. I shifted my grip lower and tugged again. Suddenly, she broke free and the two of us tumbled to the ground. I got up. She continued to squirm and weep.

She needed to be put out of her misery. What could I do?  Row back to Matinicus and find a gun to borrow? Or grab a sharp knife from my shack? Then what? Slash her throat?

I bent and picked her up and slung her over my shoulder. She was lighter than I expected. I walked to the shore and into the sea, right up to my boot tops. I dropped the animal into the water, on her back. She barely moved, other than her mouth, which was opening and closing below the waterline. Chewing, almost.

Then I tried to drown her. She struggled. I stumbled. The sheep, suddenly free of her enemy, bobbed to the surface, wheezing and gasping for air. I was soaked, chest to toe. I grabbed and dragged her closer to shore. Standing above her, in a couple feet of water, I lifted my right boot and placed it on her skull. She bared her teeth as I shifted all my weight onto her head. Then I placed my left boot on her neck.

There I stood as the tide climbed above my knees. And the poor sheep, now exhausted, barely struggled. Don’t know how long it took, but she finally died. I stepped backwards and her head surfaced.

Couldn’t leave the carcass floating in the surf to rot or be eaten by gulls. And now that the dogs knew cornered prey lived on Wheaton’s, they’d be back for more. A burial at sea was necessary.

I found a crushed and twisted lobster trap on the beach with 10 fathoms of rope attached. I half-filled the trap with rocks for extra ballast, put it in the bow of the skiff, and lashed the sheep to the trap. I launched the boat and rowed out through the Gut and into Old Cove. Rowing wasn’t easy, against the tide and with the extra load of rocks and sheep, but I pulled and pulled until I was several hundred yards off the shore.

I half-stood and, without ceremony, wrestled the corpse over the side, followed by the rock-filled trap. For a couple seconds, the dead sheep floated on the surface, a lone eye staring at me. Then the rocks took over. I cried as the trap sunk, pulling the sheep down to the deep.

The next day I was on the wharf, watching the remaining sheep graze. Three men and a young island boy who suffered from a serious respiratory illness gathered about 50 feet away from me. One guy handed the boy a rifle with a scope. He aimed and fired. A sheep dropped to the ground. Her colleagues continued to graze, oblivious to the danger. More bullets flew.

“Mutton,” one of the fellas yelled to me when the shooting was over and all the sheep were dead.

by Elizabeth Peavey

Brew ha ha

It may come as no great surprise that I’m not the kind of person who enjoys communal activities. I stopped going to the movies years ago. (Thanks, but you can keep your cootie cushions and surround-sound chewing noises.) Ditto swimming pools, with all that peeing and splashing. Please don’t ask me to clap or sing along at your hootenanny or act out “YMCA” at a Sea Dogs game. And absolutely no group hugs. In fact, would you mind backing off a bit as you read this column? I can almost feel you breathing on my prose.

So no one was more shocked than I to find myself wedged in line at the recent American Craft Beer Festival at the World Trade Center in Boston, patiently waiting for someone to pour two ounces of beer into my plastic sample cup. Not only was I happily ensconced in a crush of humanity, but I was actually initiating conversation — and not to tell some idiot he had just elbowed me and sloshed (if two ounces can slosh) my beer. I was making friendly chitchat. And I wasn’t even hammered!

From whence, then, this about-face? Had I experienced a Grinch-like transformation crossing the Piscataqua and come to embrace the human race? Hardly. It’s just that these were my people and, as far as I was concerned, they could crush away.

You see, I am the self-proclaimed Girl Who Loves Beer. I have been up to my hips in hops since the early 1990s, when I returned to Maine from San Francisco and couldn’t support the wine palate I cultivated there. Even after I became intimately associated with someone who could furnish me with all the top-flight wine I desired, I continued to cling to my taps. Granted, I wasn’t going to turn my nose up at a 1985 Stag’s Leap  Single Vineyard Reserve that a certain someone might dust off from the cellar, but I might need to prep my taste buds with a nice Frye’s Leap IPA. (Just kidding. I only said that to induce the collective cringe of wine snobs across the city.)

Despite my love of beer, I’d never been one for tastings, festivals or brewery tours, where you have act all Ooh, look at those shiny tanks or Tell me more about your barley sourcing in order to get a free pint. But when our friends Dave and Weslie  (who also happen to own the Great Lost Bear) invited Wine Guy and me to tag along with them to the beer fest, I thought, What the heck?, figuring we’d muscle our way past the irritating crowds, drink a few samples, then hit the town for some proper boozing.

Once there, I braced myself as we approached the throngs at the gate. When we were smoothly and swiftly ushered in, I felt like Veruca Salt when Willy Wonka admitted her into the chocolate factory. It was all I could do to restrain myself from plowing across the room with a wail of, “I want it now!”

Just two sips in, I found myself standing next to a girl toting a crazy handmade bag with a giraffe appliquéd on it. I told her I loved it, and lively conversation ensued. When my Wine Guy saw me talking to a stranger, he assumed she’d done something to piss me off. Instead, he practically had to peel me away so he and I could move on. “But she likes my earrings,” I cried.

I also made two bathroom buddies. (We all headed for the last — and presumably least-used — Porta Potty at the same time. Instant kindred spirits!) And I got yelled at with some guy in line behind me who had found himself a 16-ounce cup. I had two two-ouncers for comparing and contrasting — a violation of festival rules. We snickered together when the security guy walked off. But my favorite amigo was the fella who directed me to Rock Bottom Brewery for their jalapeño lager. As someone who shudders at the mere thought of any flavoring in beer, I know this brew sounds gross, but trust me: It was more fun than a three-legged Chihuahua.

Two hours melted away in a swirl of tasting, tossing (yes, I dumped as much beer as I drank) and chatting. As our 8:30 dinner reservation approached, I started to panic like a kid at a carnival with a handful of ride tickets 15 minutes before closing time. I was only partway through my IPA-tasting mission — there were 60 there, after all — so it was probably a blessing we had to go. Otherwise, I might’ve blown up into a giant hop.

As our group tumbled out into the sultry Boston evening, I thanked the security guard at the door and told him what a wonderful time I’d had. “Wow,” I said, hauling up in my tracks. “I’m still speaking English. I bet you understood every word I just said.” He nodded. I must be getting old, I thought.

Or perhaps it was just my beer goggles of love.

Elizabeth Peavey is taking her act on the road. “Finding ME,” an original, two-woman show featuring Peavey and “Maine’s Funniest Mom,” Karen Morgan, premieres at the Strand Theatre
in Rockland on August 10. FMI, go to www.finding-maine.com.

The RattleSnakes
Spread for the Wide Eagle
TRS Records

Click to hear: “The Nod”

With Spread for the Wide Eagle, The RattleSnakes have given us that most rare and precious gift: a punk rock record of genuine genius. We owe them big time.

It’s been two years since the ’Snakes released their head-turning sophomore album, Tidal Living. The original trio has since been joined by bassist Greg Bazinet (of Gully infamy), and drummer Mike Cunnane started playing with the frenetic post-punk band Huak in the interim, too. The result: The RattleSnakes’ sound is brawnier and brainier than ever.

Bazinet’s recruitment freed vocalist Tara Bincarousky from bass duties, ostensibly allowing her to concentrate on singing. She still shouts lyrics like she doesn’t give a shit (again, this is punk rock), but that’s just art. And on songs like the breezy “Lift,” she’s got indie-pop-perfect pitch.

Before launching into the opener, “The Nod,” the ’Snakes give a nod to The Minutemen with a clip of their van’s ignition starting up. Then they deliver a song that would make D. Boon proud. Guitarist Brian Cohen (Bincarousky’s fiancée) crams the track’s three minutes full of great, gnarly riffs. Bazinet keeps busy contributing cool fills on the low end, and Cunnane is all over the kit, playing with a barely controlled frenzy that’s amazing to hear.

“The Nod,” “Stank Ass Husky,” “Horse Radish” and “Rainbow Sprinkles” are sonic tornadoes. Hooks fly by like fastballs. I’ve heard this CD well over a dozen times as of this writing, and pieces of these songs are still surprising me. “Jane Candy,” “P.L.P.” and “Unfold Your Clothes” are nuanced, complex compositions I still can’t get my head around.

The summery “Stray” evokes the bounce of their earlier gem, “Baby Take a Look at Me Now.” “Parking Garage,” a song that originally appeared on their debut, 2007’s El Bursto, is filled out here with more backing vocals and some choice organ. A couple tossed-off, untitled tracks (titled with tiny illustrations) close the album, but after the mad whirlwind of the preceding 10 songs, it’s a welcome respite.

Reviewing Tidal Living in ’08, I wrote that The RattleSnakes’ next release “could be a monster.” The monster has arrived. Let it in.

— Chris Busby

text by Dan Skolnik, illustration by Zachary Barowitz

Wesley Allen Hartley and The Traveling Trees
Narrow Gauge Quad Trains
Burst & Bloom

Click to hear: “Slow Shards”

Former Dead End Armory singer/guitarist Wesley Allen Hartley is leading a new group of desperados these days. The Traveling Trees are an acoustic combo that plays old-time country with hints of indie-pop.

Hartley’s high-lazy Texan twang can’t miss. Whether you care to hear him in this unplugged, non-rockin’ group after the electric and stormy Dead End Armory is the question. The answer, for the most part, is yes. Yes you do.

Hartley’s brought ex-Armory bassist Leslie Deane back to the campfire, and she lends fine backing vocals to several tracks, joined from time to time by drummer Jon Donnell and bass player Derek Reynolds. Ron Harrity (of Honey Clouds and Peapod Recordings fame) recorded most of Narrow Gauge Quad Trains at his new studio in South Portland, but there’s no evidence anyone did any producing or mastering.

That laidback approach generally suits the proceedings, but there are times when richer backing vocals or another instrument (say, a piano, or some beat-up organ) would easily bring the material up a notch.

The looser, acoustic version of “Jet Fighters” (an early Armory tune) included here was worth the second take. Hartley sounds like a cowboy Syd Barrett on the great “Slow Shards.” “Outside” is a drunken, Dylanesque sing-along, and “Shot N Shots” is one pretty chord change away from knocking off Johnny Cash.

Tear-in-your-Geary’s numbers like “Label Peel,” “Show Me Around” and “Acreless” are perfect for post-last-call reflection, but “Throwing a Duck” just wallows. “Acreless” didn’t warrant the even less-produced take tacked on at the end.

It’s good to hear Hartley anytime. Should he decide to rock again and get weird, I suppose I wouldn’t mind that, either.

— Chris Busby

Wesley Allen Hartley and The Traveling Trees play the Factory Portland project’s launch event on Fri., July 23, at SPACE Gallery (538 Congress St., Portland) with Jose Ayerve, The Red F, The No. 9, Bullyclub, and others, at 8:30 p.m. Tix: $6 (18+). 828-5200. space538.org.

photo/Dan Zarin

Local Sprouts Café
649 Congress St., Portland
899.3529

Portland’s a great town for breakfast. Be it healthy, greasy or gourmet; down-home, deep-fried, fresh or frozen; friendly, freaky, homey or hippie; meaty, tasty or downright nasty — you name it, you can find it here. That’s a good thing, but it means it’s also impossible to break new ground.

At least that’s what I thought before I visited Local Sprouts Café. Turns out there’s at least one culinary approach to the day’s first meal that I hadn’t experienced: communist.

Now, back off, Senator McCarthy. Some of my best friends are commies. (In fact, one of them once ran for Congress against Nancy Pelosi, but that’s a story for another day.) And we’re not talking hammer-and-sickle, capital “c” Communism. This is the lowercase kind, where the workers have input into how the restaurant is run and a direct stake in its success.

The Local Sprouts Cooperative began in 2007 as a worker-owned food co-op. They started the East Coast’s first “community supported kitchen” a year later, offering members a weekly menu prepared from fresh, local ingredients. The newly opened café is the natural extension of the LSC’s mission: “to provide people in Maine with creative local and organic food and holistic learning through cooking food for our community.”

Co-op members get credits they can use at the café, but it’s open to the public, too. My wife, our six-year-old and I drank in the atmosphere as we entered on a Saturday morning. The funky décor (dominated by an enormous earthen booth in the center of the dining area) made it clear this place is not an ordinary eatery.

We read with interest the list of Maine farms where Local Sprouts gets its ingredients: Turkey Hill Farm, Sumner Valley Farm, Sonnental Dairy, and more than a dozen others. After choosing a table, we scanned the chalkboard menu and walked over to place our order (counter service keeps the vibe casual and the labor costs low, comrade).

The coffee — fair trade, of course — was a little strong for my taste,  but hot and fresh, served in our choice of large, mismatched mugs. While my wife and I sipped our morning brew, our daughter checked out the play kitchen in the kids’ area. Hunger eventually drew her back to the table just as our food was arriving.

My wife and I both chose from a decent selection of breakfast sandwiches ($3 to $4.75) served on English muffins with herb butter. The muffins, like most baked goods at Local Sprouts, come from the Bomb Diggity Bakery, which shares kitchen space with the café and doubles as a development program for adults with “intellectual disabilities.”

My sandwich, filled with egg, pesto, roasted tomatoes, and goat cheese, was exceptionally flavorful. The muffin was thick and slightly doughy, and the juicy tomatoes made the whole thing awfully messy to eat. I added a small side order of homefries for a dollar more, and found them nicely crisped but a bit too bland.

The egg, wild mushroom, Swiss and spinach sandwich on my wife’s plate was a better choice. The combination of earthy flavors melded perfectly, and her English muffin was thinner and expertly grilled. On the side, she opted for veggie homefries (large order, $4) and thoroughly enjoyed the medley of seasonal vegetables mixed in with the potatoes.

Suckers for cold soup on a hot day, we decided to share a bowl of rhubarb gazpacho from the dinner menu ($3.50/cup, $5/bowl). Tart and just a little spicy, it would have been great … if both of us didn’t detest cilantro with every fiber of our being (strong aversion to the herb is said to be a genetic disposition). We brought the leftovers to a friend with a different chromosomal sequence and she absolutely loved it. Next time, I’ll ask first.

My daughter ordered a stack of ployes ($5), Acadian-style buckwheat pancakes served just as nature intended — with real, local maple syrup, at no extra charge (take that, capitalism!). For just 75 cents more she received a healthy scoop of delicious strawberry rhubarb sauce on top. Overall, hers was the best meal of the morning (“I don’t like it, I adore it,” she said). I was lucky to get a single bite before she cleaned her plate.

There are breakfasts out there that are bigger or fancier, but for fresh, local and organic food at prices on par with fast food and greasy spoons, there’s nothing even close to Local Sprouts Café around here. Leave your politics at the door and dig right in.

— Dan Zarin

Local Sprouts Café serves breakfast Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m, Saturday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch and dinner hours and menus can be found at
localsproutscooperative.com.