On Friday, Sept. 27, this classic American band arrives in Maine, for one performance only, appearing at the Opera House.

Neumann fully embraces that notion on American Made, the BoDeans’ 11th album, released in 2012. Its dozen songs are laced through with strands of indigenous roots elements — Heartland hoedown folk (“American,” with guest Jake Owen spinning out the guitar solo), Celtic-rooted mountain music (“Walk Through This World,” “Flyaway”), zydeco (“Everything You Wanted”), Southern roadhouse soul (“Don’t Bring Me Down”), Chicago blues (“Shake the Fever”) and 100-proof roots rock (“All the World”). These tracks are played with heartfelt emotion as well as jaw-dropping skillfulness by the band.

As it turns out, the album title bears a thematic resonance as well as a stylistic one. With American Made, the BoDeans have created a soul-stirring song cycle that directly reflects the American experience at this critical moment in U.S. history. The album, which also includes a powerful rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire,” was inspired by Neumann’s blue-collar upbringing and his desire to express what a great country America remains, despite the challenges facing it today.

Thanks to Neumann’s renewed passion and determination, the BoDeans are still going strong a quarter century after their debut album Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams led them to win a Rolling Stone readers’ poll as “Best New American Band,” and nearly 20 years after their “Closer to Free” became a massive hit and the theme song of the sitcom Party of Five. The BoDeans continue to tour the U.S. year-round, exposing the kids of their longtime steadfast fans to heartfelt, trend-free, American-made music.

Tickets are available through the Opera House box office at 86 Townsend Avenue, by calling 633-5159 or online at www.boothbayoperahouse.com. The box office is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Advance tickets are $25 and available until 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. Tickets purchased on the day of the show, if available, will be $30. The concert is at 8 p.m., doors for seating open at 7:30 p.m., and the historic upstairs bar will open at 7 p.m. for ticket holders.


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