HOWDY Y'ALL & HAPPY APRIL to you! Don't be foolish on the first... tickets are selling well for my debut at the UNITED PARISH CONCERT SERIES on SUNDAY, APRIL 12th in HARRISON... so grab yours now! Ticket link here. On FRIDAY, APRIL 17th I return to ELEMENTS in BIDDEFORD... limited seats, so come early! No tix needed there.
Details, Links & Musings are listed below in this order:
1. TARGET GIGS (Full Details)
2. CURRENT CEREBRAL WANDERINGS
1. TARGET GIGS (Full Details)
SUNDAY / APRIL 12th / UNITED PARISH CONCERT SERIES / HARRISON ME / 3PM / 207-583-4840... I am totally psyched for my debut at this well-known concert series in beautiful downtown Harrison ME. Not far from one of my other fave concert venues, The Deertrees Theater (where I recorded my LIVE album in 2004), this Congregational Church on Main has hosted past performers such as Erica Brown (of Darlin' Corey), Jud Caswell, Bruce Marshall, Cindy Kallet & so many more. It was Cindy Kallet, a well-loved longtime Maine performer & songwriter, who recommended me to Nancy Chapman with "high praise" as a possible future performer. BIG thanks to Cindy for connecting me to Nancy! I'll play 2 sets of music starting at 3PM, with a break for refreshments & time to mingle between sets. I hear the acoustics here are just fabulous. Tickets are selling well via this Eventbrite Link. Let's celebrate the coming of spring together with songs & camaraderie in this very special spot!
FRIDAY / APRIL 17th / ELEMENTS / BIDDEFORD ME / 6:00 to 7:30PM / 207-710-2011... LOVE this room... a very intimate concert scene. It's a laid back & comfy space... with beer, wine, coffee, yummy baked goods, small plates, LOTS of books & friendly patrons. In lieu of a cover charge, a donations jar is placed near the stage by the Elements staff & there is a VENMO option as well if you have no cash. Bring your appetites & bring your friends... they'll be impressed you know about this cool spot. Always good to get here early... seating is limited.
THURSDAY / MAY 14th / LENNY'S / WESTBROOK ME / 6:30 to 9PM / 207-591-0177... After closing for renovations & a transition to new ownership, Lenny's reopened in March! I was one of the first performers back on stage at this sweet "feels like home" spot. It was a fabulous night per usual. I hope you'll join us for the fun, the food, the music & the continued welcoming in of Jill Piker & her team. And THANKS for remembering the suggested donation for music is $10 pp in "Phil" the tip basket ("Phil" is short for "fill it up please!")
SATURDAY / JUNE13th / CADENZA / FREEPORT ME / 7PM / 207-560-5300... (doors at 6:15!) Cadenza has become one of the best listening rooms around. Being part of the LIVE audience here is an intimate & lovely experience.... Plus, they have beer, wine, coffee & other beverages & snacks... also, you can order food from Brickyard Hollow next door & they deliver it to Cadenza! Reservations are strongly encouraged. A word of caution: please don't wait until the last minute, hoping to buy tickets at the door, as the doors may not open... staff needs to be paid before performers & there have been times when low presales dictated that the owners had to cancel or reschedule shows. This hasn't happened to me yet & I hope it never does. This is one of my fave rooms to play, unlike any other... so thanks in advance for reserving your seats ahead of showtime! Here's the ticket link. They are still livestreaming these shows... the livestream link is here. Donations during the stream (or anytime!) are always greatly appreciated at:
Pay Pal: PayPal.Me/anniclarkmaine or
Venmo: @Anni-Clark
2. CURRENT CEREBRAL WANDERINGS
Winter seemed unwilling to loosen her grip on Maine this March. I was tuning in all 5 of my senses to find signs of spring coming, most days to no avail. The shovels are still within easy reach but I'm hoping hard I don't have to use them in April. I've always known that music is good medicine, no matter what the weather... so in March, I purposely ventured out often to play it, listen to it & dance to it to help ease the chill of late winter.
I was the 2nd performer to grace the stage at the newly reopened Lenny's in Westbrook on March 12th. A real good time was had by all, inclusive of the new owners & the staff. I revisited Lenny's at the end of the month to enjoy The Renovators band & to give Bill Umbel a proper send off into whatever his next dream project might be. Lenny's unique & infectious vibe can be attributed to Bill's dedication to a vision he followed & nurtured tirelessly over the last 10 years. We will miss him terribly, but we feel already that the baton has been passed to a great new team & we are in good hands.
In spite of a gray, damp & very chilly day on March 20th, I went to Freeport to hear The Mallett Brothers Band to celebrate the 1st official day of spring. Their concert at The Maine Beer Company sold out, the place was packed & per usual, the sons of the late great Dave Mallett & their band mates totally rocked the venue. Always a big fan & friend of Dave Mallett's, our governor Janet Mills came to the show that night to support the Mallett Brothers as well. I had an opportunity to chat with her toward the end of the night & noticed she was wearing the gold state of Maine necklace that was created by my cousin Elizabeth Prior, a well-known jeweler from the Portland area. Governor Mills was surprised to learn that "Liz is my cousin, her Dad was my Mom's brother & my middle name is Prior." She graciously allowed her friend to snap our picture so I could send it to Liz. She said she wears that necklace every day & my cousin Liz got a kick out of this photo, of course:
Anni with Maine's Governor Janet Mills
Maine Beer Company, Freeport ME, 3/20/26
In addition to shows in Westbrook & Freeport, I soaked up the soulfulness of 2 concerts at One Longfellow Square in Portland. My pal Amy & I caught the amazing Alisa Amador there on March 6th. 3 songs into the show I whispered to Amy that "she sings like Alysa Liu skates". Truth... that gal sings with such freedom & joy it had my eyes welling with tears more than once. Check out her 2022 Tiny Desk concert online... you can thank me later. Then, on March 26th I caught a double bill at OLS with Robbie Fulks & the Mark Erelli Trio. I had never heard Robbie... his lyrics, his voice & his fun demeanor drew me in, but his guitar playing bowled me over. Man oh man... that dude can play! I've known Mark Erelli for a very long time, but I've not crossed paths with him for decades. Back in the late 90s, Mark hired me to perform several different concerts at Bates College, where he was studying biology & writing songs & playing guitar on the side. He continued his education in Biology, earned his masters, then made the choice to put his Biology career on hold to try his hand at playing music full time to see where it would take him. Many years & 14 albums later, his name is near the top of the list of successful touring singer-songwriters. He has written with, recorded with & performed with some of the best & I finally caught up with him. Get this... I was watching for doors to open at OLS from a window seat in an eatery across the street when I saw Mark & his trio mates walk through those doors & enter the restaurant next to the one I was in. I paid my tab & went next door & found him. He knew me right away, big hugs ensued & his pal snapped this picture:
Mark Erelli & Anni Clark, 3/26/26
Pre-concert encounter, Portland ME
Mark's trio put on a fabulous show & I got to hang with Mark for a bit after the concert. 2 days after that, I was back in Portland to take part in the No Kings Rally in Monument Square. I arrived early, thinking that parking in town would be easier then vs. close to event kick off time. I befriended some folks near the monument prior to the arrival of throngs of people & they snapped this photo of me with Lady Liberty:
Anni & Lady Liberty, pre-No Kings Rally
Monument Square, Portland ME, 3/28/26
As my sign says, I DO love America, but not the way it feels right now. My sign says "I Love Democracy" on the flip side... & I, among many, think that the democracy upon which America was founded is in a very fragile place currently; therefore, I had to show up to add my voice to the masses who are angry. About 40 minutes after this photo was taken, the Square had filled in with folks of all ages, all kinds of protest signs & we made our voices heard via chants, songs, signs & a long march from the square through the Old Port area & down along Commercial Street. Thanks to ALL, in towns & cities everywhere in America & across the globe... thanks for not choosing silence. These were our best gatherings yet & our voices were heard. See you in the streets again soon, because I DO love America & I DO love & believe in democracy, equality, tolerance, compromise & we the people.
As March comes to an end, all 5 senses are still sharply tuned for signs of spring. Even though it was below freezing here yesterday morning the wee flowers that always brave their way above ground outside my living room window showed their faces to me this morning. It was a wonderful gift to spy them & I had to take my annual picture of these tiny gems to remind myself that yes, spring is beginning to show signs of its coming. It's been a long winter. I'm ready.
A Sign of Spring Outside My Living Room Window
Old Orchard Beach ME, 3/29/26
Thanks for tuning in to my ramblings... your support means more to me than you can know. Take care of yourselves & each other. I hope to see you on the trail, at the beach, on the streets &/or at the show.
Peace,
