PORTLAND — One Longfellow Square has announced its events for January, starting with LOLS: An Evening of Local Comedy featuring Yael Gavish, Matt Kona and more at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3. It will be an evening of laughs with local comics, hosted by Jim and Nikki Martin, with Yael Gavish, Matt Kona, Aly York, Mo Awale and Nick Gordon. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 the day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Blues legend James Montgomery will appear at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. Tickets are $30 in advance; $35 day of the how. Doors open at 7 p.m. When Montgomery plays the harmonica, he “brings it on home.” Whether it’s recording with Kid Rock, sitting in with Gregg Allman or fronting his hot band of 30 years, Montgomery plays with authority. While growing up in Detroit he learned first-hand from the masters, James Cotton, John Lee Hooker and Jr. Wells, at the legendary “Chessmate.” Over the years, he’s carried on in the tradition and continues to be a vital presence in blues as one of the most dynamic performers on the scene.
The Wolff Sisters/Chris Ross and the North will take the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. Gritty and raw folk-rock outfit, The Wolff Sisters first broke into the Boston music scene as an acoustic trio. With haunting harmonies and songs reminiscent of washed-up wanderers on New England’s salty coasts, Rebecca, Rachael and Kat stole Boston’s heart (yes, they’re really sisters). Born to a poet and a musician, they grew up on the heavy realism of Dylan and Springsteen blended with the loose and loud Rolling Stones. Ross spent the better part of a decade tucked away on the coast of Maine developing his voice as a writer. Inside the arsenal of tracks he’s penned, one finds dangerous, hard-hitting reflections; stories of love, life and longing, appealing because they’re so real. Tinted with an appetite for self-destruction, his writing style is smooth and eloquent while remaining sincere to genuine grit of experience. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12, day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Singer/songwriter Steve Forbert will make an appearance at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17. “Big City Cat – My Life in Folk-Rock,” Forbert’s exceptional new memoir co-written with Therese Boyd, allows him ample opportunity to candidly reflect on those specific circumstances that first brought him to the public eye. The book is accompanied by its own soundtrack as well, an A+ new album titled “The Magic Tree,” that offers a series of songs gleaned from previously recorded acoustic demos, overdubbed with new backing tracks and fleshed out as a series of songs that ring with the verve and vitality that Forbert’s fans have always come to expect. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25, day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Lucy Wainwright Roche will take the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18. Those familiar with Wainwright Roche are aware of her bell tone voice, her unshakable melodies and her knack for wise, wry lyrics that clench the heart. It’s no surprise that Wainwright Roche is the daughter of Suzzy Roche (The Roches) and Loudon Wainwright III, half sibling to Rufus and Martha Wainwright. She grew up steeped in music. Tickets are $18 in advance; $23, day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
The Portland Jazz Orchestra, with special guest The Fryeburg Academy Jazz Ensemble, will perform on Thursday, Jan. 23. Performing regularly at One Longfellow Square since 2006, the Portland Jazz Orchestra is Maine’s premier concert jazz ensemble. Under the direction of Dr. Chris Oberholtzer, the 19-piece jazz ensemble performs a variety of instrumental and vocal big band literature. PJO plays works written by members and area musicians such as Craig Skeffington, Mike Sakash, Brad Ciechomski, Jake Sturtevent and Terry White. In addition to performing original literature, PJO often performs music from the libraries of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Bill Holman, Patrick Williams, Woody Herman and Maria Schneider. They will appear at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7. Tickets are $5 in advance; $10, adults, $7, seniors, and $5, students day of the show.
Driftwood, Upstate, New York-based band, will play at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24. Anyone familiar with the Americana music scene knows the band has cut their teeth on a killer live show. With a never-ending tour schedule and a steady buzz, they have built a solid underground fan base. “The game has been live shows and nose to the ground since the beginning,” says guitarist/songwriter Dan Forsyth. Tickets are $15 in advance; $20, day of show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Danny Barnes + Twisted Pine will appear on stage at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29. Part Southern gentleman, part humble artist, Barnes is being more than a bit self-effacing with this statement. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative and genre-bending artists of his craft, Barnes’ musical interests are both varied and adventurous, and he incorporates that versatility into a progressive approach to an instrument that is musically polarizing and steeped in tradition. Praised by NPR for their “upbeat, poppy vibe; energetic, driving rhythms” and “virtuosic solos,” Twisted Pine has quickly become one of the most acclaimed young string bands in the Northeast. Steeped in traditional music, these musicians are also fearless, tuneful improvisers and passionate lovers of pop. Tickets are $14 in advance; $18, day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
OLS & North Atlantic Blues Festival Present: Lurrie Bell at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. Born in 1958, the son of famed blues harmonica player Carey Bell, Lurrie Bell picked up his father’s guitar at age 5 and taught himself to play. He was clearly gifted. In addition, he grew up with many of the Chicago blues legends around him. Eddie Taylor, Big Walter Horton, Eddie C. Campbell, Eddie Clearwater, Lovie Lee, Sunnyland Slim, Jimmy Dawkins and more were frequent visitors to his house. They all helped to shape and school him in the blues, but none as much as his father’s long-time employer, Muddy Waters. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25, day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Funkationland, a Portland-based group, will take the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31. Funkationland is a group of 12 of the best musicians in Maine. Playing music of groups such as “Tower of Power,” “Earth Wind and Fire,” “Steely Dan,” “Stevie Wonder” and more, Funkationland bring this style of music to Portland for one night only. The group boasts six horns, two trumpets, trombone, alto, tenor and bari sax, six rhythms players, two guitarists, keyboards, bass, drums and Latin percussion, as well as vocals which will literally “fill up One Longfellow Square” with horn based funk music. Tickets are $12 in advance; $15, day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit https://onelongfellowsquare.com or call 207-761-1757.
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