It’s very satisfying to see our old friends out at the Temple Stream Theater cranking up some performances for the summer and fall, and equally exciting that they’re involving their fantastic Upside Bakery next door with its beautiful wood-fired brick oven. (I’d call it by that old-fashioned term, an “ordinary” because it’s not exactly a tavern, but it is an eating-house, and while it is a bakery, it’s also a convivial gathering place.) Mike Romanyshyn, who heads up the endeavor, has already had a few acts in this summer, including the local appearance of Vermont’s famed Bread and Puppet Theater, so that beautiful performing space, which has been dormant for a while, is warming back up to its artistic thermal mass.

This very week, in fact tonight, the next event at the Theater and Bakery features the music of Turner Templeton, a popular pair of gentlemen whom you may have caught up with at local spots such as The Roost or The Homestead, or at the recent annual Fiddlehead Festival at the Emery Arts Center. I haven’t heard them perform myself (scuff toe, stare at ground) so I’ll hand you their website encomium, so you can get an idea:

“The easiest way to describe the musical style of Turner Templeton is Electric Americana. This two man band from western Maine sounds more like a four piece due to the rhythmic trickery of Tom Stevens. He stomps a wooden box with his right foot creating a bass drum sound while countering it with a tambourine on his left. He finger picks an electric baritone guitar adding bass lines and rhythm in a “Boom-Chicka” kind of “Hoe Down” fashion. Harmonica on top of that along with unique vocals make up Tom’s half of the Turner Templeton groove. Joe Hodgkins then adds a higher, enriching layer of lead and rhythm guitar.

“With a variety of analog effects, precise playing and fluid vocals Joe really rounds out the sound and style of Turner Templeton. In the end the duo brings together influences of rock n’ roll, blues, country, jazz, folk and bluegrass, creating an organic style of electrified Americana, with some reggae thrown in for good measure. What you’ll hear at a live show is catchy originals and covers ranging from John Coltrane to Nine Inch Nails all articulated with the intimate sound of a focused duo who have been playing together for years.”

The Turner Templeton Hoe Down begins at 7:30 tonight, with $8 general admission and $5 for kids/students/seniors; there is also a pay-what-you-can clause, so don’t miss it if you’re temporarily strapped, and be generous if you’re temporarily flush.

But you’ll want to get there by 6, which is when the pizzas start coming out of the oven, so you can try the creations of Ryan Wilkinson, a UMF student and pizza genius who also plays a mean banjo and bass. (The pizza extravaganza is a separate fee from the concert.)

Since the Upside Bakery is such an attractive place, and the magnificent oven a fountain of potential, I’ve been keeping half an eye on it since its installation, hoping it would be put to general use as a bread-and-pastry source for the community; Mike Romanyshyn assures me that this is what he is working toward.

“We’ve got another concert coming in August,” he said the other night over the phone, “ and in the fall we’re planning to have a performance every week, with the bakery involved. We’ve got a range of things lined up, and we want to make it a nice place for people from around here in Temple, as well as folks from Farmington and UMF students.

“I’d like for it to be a performance opportunity for local musicians. There will also be a house band involving myself and Ryan, and Gustavo Aguilar from UMF is putting an experimental New Music group together that sounds really exciting.”

Exciting is what I’d call all these recent developments, and tonight is a great opportunity for all of us to get a taste of the goings-on. If you’ve never been out to the Temple Stream Theater, it’s almost a you-can’t-miss-it deal: take Temple Road (Route 43) out until it ends in bustling downtown Temple; turn left on the Intervale Road, and drive a few miles until you see the bakery and theater on your right. If my directions scare you, call the folks at the theater at 778-2513.

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