“Mes Amis,” Surry Arts at the Barn, Surry

July 13, Thursday, 6-8pm, “Cool Sounds Summer Concert Series: Tough End String Band,” Hailing from the Tough End in Orono, the Tough End String Band plays both old-time and jazzed-up approaches to traditional American music. The band includes Anthony Viselli (mandolin), Sam Furth (guitar), Ryu Mitsuhashi (violin), and Paul Riechmann (bass), free, Pickering Square, Downtown, Bangor. FMI: www.downtownbangor.com.
July 14-16, Friday-Sunday, 9am-1pm, “Heirloom Sihouette Portraits,” we are now taking reservation for your 10-minute sitting for a portrait of your and/or your family and friends. This is a traditional form of portraiture popular between the late 18th and mid 19th century. Maine’s own Galen Jerome Brewer, a native of Brewer, ME, whose mid-19th century silhouettes are exhibited at the Maine State Museum. practiced this art throughout the state and beyond. Jean Comerford, of Hardwick, MA, whose own work has been featured in Yankee magazine will do portraits at the Curran farmhouse during Old Home Week. Done with a very sharp pair of scissors Comerford achieves a likeness out of black card that is mounted on white, $30/per portrait, $10/duplicates $29-$39/framing, 19th Century Curran Homestead Village at Fields Pond, 372 Fields Pond Road, Orrington. FMI: 207-745-4426, curranhomestead.org.
July 14-16, 6pm/Fri. and Sat, 2pm/Sat. and Sun, “Beauty and the Beast Jr,” the classic story tells of Belle, a free thinking girl from a small village, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. This story teaches us to look beyond first impressions, $7/adults, $4/students, Between Friends Art Center, 39 Center Street, Brewer. FMI: 207-989-7100, nextgenerationtheatre.com.
July 14, Friday, 7pm, “Sassafras Stomp & Sara Trunzo,” high-energy, fiddle-folk music duo Sassafras Stomp takes the stage with Maine grown county songwriter Sara Trunzo. The concert is Trunzo’s first performance in Waldo County following her recent immersion in Nashville Tennessee’s country music community and the recording of her debut CD. Songsmith Sara Trunzo writes the quirks and wisdom of rural northerners – particularly women – in a fresh and un-romantic voice. Sara’s songwriting draws on several years experience running Veggies For All food bank farm in Unity, where she helped get local produce into the hands of rural Mainers living in poverty. Her time in farm fields, fishing boats, community meetings, and food pantry warehouses adds wrinkles to her characters and adds place to their places. Drawing influence from songwriters like Darrell Scott, Mary Gauthier, and Robert Hunter, she mines the untold story from the unlikely narrator. Sara plays music in Maine with The Dog Hounds and William Joseph Jiordan and in the south with Britton Patrick Morgan and Casey Lambert. Though she currently lives in Nashville, TN, Trunzo is a Unity College graduate and longtime Waldo County resident. Sassafras Stomp is a high-energy folk-music duo based in central Maine. Weaving together diverse fiddle traditions with a strong rhythmic sensibility, fiddler Johanna Davis and guitarist Adam Nordell build a rich, dynamic roots sound marked by driving foot percussion and sweet harmony vocals. Davis and Nordell run Unity’s Songbird Farm, a diversified organic vegetable and grain operation specializing in heritage variety cornmeal and wheat flour. The duo leverages the seasonal nature of farming to support their music, making time for cross country winter performance tours that have taken them from Maine to western Washington, and from Montreal to Orlando, FL. Their most recent release, Walk These Fields, celebrates the imagery and rhythm of life on a small farm, $12, Unity College Center for the Performing Arts, 42 Depot Street, Unity. FMI: www.unity.edu.
July 15, Saturday, 4-6pm, “Mes Amis,” …is a Gypsy Jazz trio led by guitarist, vocalist and composer Steve Lynnworth. The band plays an infectious mix of traditional Gypsy, Latin, and American jazz standards along with many of Steve’s original compositions. Appealing to listeners young and old alike, the insistent rhythms, bouncing bass lines and sweetly intricate melodies are easy on the ears for those unfamiliar with jazz, and yet can stand the scrutiny of an aficionado. As it was so aptly put by Rich Tozier, host of MPBN Radio’s Jazz Tonight, “Who couldn’t like that?” The core of the band is a trio, with Steve handling the vocals and much of the lead work. Backing him up are his friends Harry Richter on guitar and Wells Gordon on the upright bass. Harry provides “La Pompe,” the steady backbeat typical of the style, while Wells delivers an authoritative thump as he holds down the bottom. Both Harry and Wells are capable soloists as well – and Wells is awful quick with his bow, $15, Surry Arts at the Barn, 8 Cross Road, Surry. FMI: satb-surry.com.
July 19, Wednesday, 6pm, “Devil’s Half Acre Walking Tour,” Even though Maine enacted a Prohibitory Law in 1851, Bangor didn’t comply. In the area known as the “Devil’s Half Acre” saloons & brothels reigned and vice & violence thrived. Led by the city’s most notorious Madam, Fan Jones, this tour shines a light on Bangor’s wicked side and tells the tales of the people who are just as much a part of the city’s history as those who lived in the majestic homes on Broadway, tours last approximately 90 minutes, $10, $5/12 and under, Bangor Historical Society, Thomas A. Hill House, 159 Union Street, Bangor. FMI: 207-942-1900, www.bangorhistoricalsociety.org.
July 19, Wednesday, 7pm, “Allison Ames Band,” summer music series, Allison Ames is well known in central Maine for her powerful country and country-rock performances! She’s backed up by a high-energy, professional band that includes Tom Morelli on guitar, Moe Schinck on drums, Jeff Budge on bass and Jay Lundstrom on keyboards, free, Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow Street, Bangor. FMI: 207-947-8336, bpl.lib.me.us.