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Thanks for checking out our schedule... Tickets are on sale Online or at the Arts Center Box Office.

We would love to talk to you all in person, but we have a small staff, so our physical box office is open on a limited basis. If you would like to visit us or come up in person to buy a ticket please call or email us first to make sure we are open. To Contact us, email is best or call and leave a message. You might actually catch someone in person!!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     

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Scheduled Performances for 2024:  
March 22, 2024 (Friday): An Acoustic Evening with the Mallett Brothers Band
A special acoustic evening with this great country alt band.
The Mallett Brothers Luke and Will are strong songwriters with a country alt edge. Most days they are with their indie rock and roll / Americana / country band that is all Maine. Their busy tour schedule since forming in 2009 has helped them to build a dedicated fan base across the U.S. and beyond while still calling the state of Maine their home. Theirs is a musical melting pot that's influenced equally by the singer/songwriter tradition as by harder rock, classic country and psychedelic sounds. A special stage for them this night The Mallett Brothers have quickly made a name for themselves beyond their home state. Sons of the prolific songwriter Dave Mallett, the apple did not fall far from the tree. Slightly more rock than country, theirs is a musical melting pot that's influenced equally by folk and singer/songwriters as by harder rockers, punk and psychedelic sounds. Brothers Luke and Will Mallett, play song-driven music that holds up under the lens of solitary listening or some good ole foot stomping. Some really great guys doing some really great music. And for this night a special acoustic show.

March 23, 2024
(Saturday): Altan click for details
Wow, it’s been too long since we have seen these dear musical friends. With a career in Irish music for 35 years, Altan has achieved legendary status in a genre that has been equally shaped by the band's influence and genius. Audiences from Ireland to Japan to Australia to Europe have embraced their heartwarming, dynamic live performances and their exquisitely produced, award-winning recordings. Over a dozen releases to date, ranging from the most touching old Irish songs to hard-hitting reels and jigs. Chicago Weekly, said, "Thought by many to be the finest traditional Irish combo working today, Altan seamlessly blend dazzling instrumental prowess and the gorgeously delicate vocals of Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh" I would whole heartedly agree. They have not been here for many years and we have missed them. The real deal of Irish bands...don't miss their welcome return.

March 27, 2024 (Wednesday): Robert Cray Band 50th Anniversary details
Can't wait to hear the best band in the world. If you haven't seen'em you have to..if you already have, you know you miss'em! Blues guitarist and singer songwriter Robert Cray is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a Blues Hall of Famer of course, but all the accolades in the world will not do justice to his live show. You know I talk about those hand full of artists that I always say you gotta see...this is one of them. Few both play guitar and sing so smoothly and heartfelt and that band is killer. And did I say they are the nicest buncha guys you will ever meet? Come see for yerself. A rare up close and personal concert.

March 29, 2024
(Friday): Griffin William Sherry click for details
Living somewhere in-between modern catharsis and American myth, Griffin William Sherry’s roots continue to grow strong in the ever-evolving genres of Folk, Americana, and Rock & Roll. Griffin’s music is inspired by his New England rural roots. As such, he brings together an inimitable signature style, visceral and heartfelt, loud and passionate, each song taking on a voice of its own. In 2011, He co-founded the band The Ghost of Paul Revere, capturing the hearts and minds of countless fans with a series of acclaimed releases and sold-out shows everywhere. He helped establish his own music festival, performed on national television, and garnered millions of streams. In 2019, his song The Ballad of the 20th Maine became the official Maine State Ballad, securing The Ghost of Paul Revere’s place in Maine music history. After writing music for seventeen years, Griffin’s begun work on his first solo record, taking exciting steps in a new directions both creatively and sonically.

March 31, 2024
(Sunday): Easter "Blunch" click for details
Spend Easter Sunday With Us! !!! It will fill up fast!
We are Open for Sunday "BLUNCH" ..a little breakfasty a little lunch, and a lot Eastah! Cool dining spaces, and there are even tables on stage!! Vintage glasses, great food, and a warm and fun staff. From Omelettes, to the tradional ham and scalloped potatoes dinner, Super Salads, Cocktails fun desserts and more....Reserve Today!

April 5, 2024
(Friday): Juston McKinney click for details
With multiple appearances on “The Tonight Show”, one-hour specials on “Comedy Central”, and “Amazon Prime”, including “Parentally Challenged” and “On Mid-Life Support”, Juston is at the top of his game. He just released his 5th stand-up special, “On the Bright Side”, currently streaming on his YouTube channel.

Juston was born in Portsmouth, NH and grew up living on the border of New Hampshire and Maine. In the late 1990’s after spending seven years as a Deputy Sheriff in rural Maine, he traded his gun for a microphone and moved to NYC to pursue a career in comedy. He quickly became a regular at Comic Strip Live, Stand-Up New York, Dangerfield’s, Gotham, Caroline’s on Broadway and the New York Times called him, “Destined for stardom.” Juston has starred in numerous Comedy Central shows including his half-hour Comedy Central Presents and his one-hour special “Juston McKinney-A Middle-Class Hole”. He has multiple appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien as well as a Showtime Special with Rob Gronkowski. He has also appeared twice at Denis Leary’s, Comics Come Home at the TD Garden. His TV & movie credits include; The King of Queens,100 Centre Street, The Zoo Keeper and Here Comes the Boom.

April 12, 2024
(Friday): Cousin Curtiss click for details
BACK BY POPULAR DEMMAND!
This is one of those new acts that those of you who saw him begged me to bring him back…and for those of you who missed him, well dont make that mistake again!!

Cousin Curtiss is an Award winning footstomp musician.There is a lot to say about him, but if you watch him, it tells the best story. Delivering a high energy rootstomp performance driven by powerful vocals, aggressive fingerpicking, and thunderous percussion, and always with a super group of players. Cousin Curtiss brings to the stage a fiery dynamic armed and ready with years of live touring and recording experience behind him. Though maybe new to our neck of the woods, his concert performance is legendary. Truly. Within the United States and around the world Cousin Curtiss has spread his positive energy and endless smile through his Award Winning Rootstomp music. He describes it as, “playing Blues music but at Bluegrass speeds” or more simply, “like...if Blues and Bluegrass had a baby.” Rapid fire guitar. Incendiary harmonica. Thunderous kick.

Cousin Curtiss left a successful teaching career in Alaska in 2015 to pursue music full time and has never looked back. Shortly after committing himself to road life, his life and story was discovered and featured by Business Insider, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Redbull, Fox News, MSNBC, Daily Mail UK, and many more. Years later Cousin Curtiss continues to turn heads wherever he plays solo, with the band, or supporting acts like The Commonheart, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, G Love and Special Sauce, Infamous Stringdusters, Sweet Lillies, Andy Thorn (of Leftover Salmon), John Stickley, Pepper, The Bellamy Brothers, and the list goes on. The journey that started in dive bars has grown to festival appearances around the States such as Salmonfest, New West Fest, Hoxeyville, Chickenstock, Mile of Music, Tico Time Bluegrass Fest and more. Kinda new to our neck of the woods, but we woud love to change that and we are wicked excited!!.

April 13, 2024 (Saturday): The Jacob Jolliff Band click for details
“Jacob is a serious player…he is a mandolinist to watch.” — Béla Fleck. Need we say more!! As part of Béla Fleck’s Bluegrass Heart tour you may have seen this super player here at SMAC. Mandolinist Jacob Jolliff a former member of two massively popular progressive bluegrass bands, Joy Kills Sorrow and the Yonder Mountain String Band, Jolliff remains one of the country’s premier contemporary mandolinists.

A fixture of the national bluegrass community, he has collaborated and shared the stage with Darol Anger, Sam Bush, Ronnie McCoury, Michael Daves, Tony Trischka, and David Grisman to name a few. When Joy Kills Sorrow disbanded in 2014, Jolliff got the call to join Yonder Mountain String Band and toured full time with them until the end of 2019.

Now with his own band, Jacob’s main focus is The Jacob Jolliff Band. This ensemble is a group of virtuosic pickers that play Jacob’s original instrumentals, as well as showcase his singing. They tour nationally in the US and have also travelled to Scotland and Australia to perform. The group has released two albums, “Instrumentals Vol. 1” in 2018 and “The Jacob Jolliff Band” in 2022. A new act for SMAC, and like I always say they are the gems you don’t want to miss. If it’s good enough for Béla well its good enough for you! Check him out!

April 19, 2024 (Friday): Chris Smither click for details
Simply one of those shows that you walk away , blown away after the show. Honing a synthesis of folk and blues for over 50 years, Chris Smither is truly an American original. Having distilled his own signature sound of blues and folk for over 40 years, Chris Smither is one of the best to ever hit our stage. With profound songs, dazzling guitar skills and his distinct gravelly voice he casts a spell over the audience one song at a time.

Says the Chicago Sun Times - "Chris Smither has traveled countless miles with his careworn blend of folk and acoustic blues. His hallmarks include the fingers of an effortless musician, a voice as craggy and deep as the earth, the soul of a philosopher and master poet, and the foot-tapping percussion of a restless wanderer..."

Couldn't have said it better myself. I hope he never retires!!!

April 20, 2024
(Saturday): Ruthie Foster click for details
Here with her quartet, Ruthie is mostly considered a blues singer, sometimes a folkie, and sometimes known for being a songwriter. But if you have seen her, you know her as one of the most soulful singers out there today no matter what she sings. Her shows lift you up and her spirit will stay with you long after you have left our barn. A Grammy nominated artist with multiple awards to her resume, she is admired by many of her peers in the musical community. "I love Ruthie Foster. That's my little sister. A phenomenal woman, yes indeed. She's great."- Mavis Staples. A seal of approval from Miss Mavis, would be enough for me....but if you need more assurance, come see the "phenomenal" Ruthie Foster.

April 26, 2024 (Friday): Josh Ritter click for details
Works in Progress and Songs you Know
A songwriter’s songwriter, its is no wonder Josh was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine. Read about all his prestegious admireres: “There have been plenty of highlights in Ritter’s 20-year (plus) recording career.” – AP
“Harking back to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and maybe a little Mark Knopfler, Mr. Ritter has always been a slinger of serious ideas and high-flown imagery.” – The New York Times
“Josh Ritter remains at the top of his game two decades into a highlight-strewn career. He’d be forgiven for loosening his grip, but his hand has never felt surer.” – NPR Music
“If you love music and have a device on which to play it, you should listen to Josh Ritter whenever you need sound.”—Mary-Louise Parker in Esquire
“Mysterious, melancholy, melodic…and those are only the M’s.”—Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly So happy to have him back!

April 27, 2024
(Saturday): Barnstar! click for details
Barnstar! began as the brainchild of Zachariah Hickman (bassist for Josh Ritter, musical director for Ray Lamontagne) for a local bluegrass supergroup featuring some of Boston’s best musicians and songwriters. Using the familiar tools of the genre—guitar (Mark Erelli), fiddle (Jake Armerding), mandolin (Taylor Armerding) and banjo (Charlie Rose)— Barnstar! forges its own brand of traditional bluegrass played with an innovative and boundary-pushing approach.

Unapologetically shouting in your face about how awesome you are, Barnstar! delivers an aggressively joyful and passionately positive musical experience that reflects the true mission statement of these mischievous music makers – a beacon of joy in a world that could use a bit more kindness.

May 4, 2024 (Saturday): Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas click for details
This Celtic duo is a musical partnership between Alasdair, long regarded as Scotland's premier fiddle ambassador, and the sizzlingly-talented California cellist Natalie Haas. A toe tapping night of fiddle music and Scottish stories...SMAC at its best when they are here.

May 8, 2024
(Wednesday): The Wood Brothers click for details
The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, they've cemented their reputation as freethinking songwriters, road warriors, and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience who’ve grown alongside them through the years.

The band’s latests album, Heart is the Hero, is the band's eighth studio album. Recorded analog to 16-track tape, an acoustic-driven album that electrifies, Heart is the Hero is stocked with songs that target not only the heart, but the head and hips, too.

May 10, 2024 (Friday): Le Vent du Nord click for details
Simply one of the best bands that comes to SMAC and if this band doesn't make you happy well you need happy therapy!!! Simply joyous is how I would describe an evening with this band. Heavily influenced by Celtic music, these guys are better every time w see them. Le Vent du Nord is one of the premier folk bands coming out of Canada today winning multiple awards and accolades from our friends up north. They have a huge and exciting sound using traditional instruments and foot stomping rhythms.....and they even play the hurdi gurdi!! They put on a whale of a show and you will leave here smiling and wanting more, like we always do. Take a minute to watch this video.

May 11, 2024 (Saturday): The Weight Band click for details
We all miss Robbie, Rick, Levon, Richard, Garth ..."The Band".
But "The Weight Band " has been keeping that spirit and music alive.

This A list band, is composed of band leader, renowned guitarist Jim Weider (The Band, Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band, Jim Weider Band), keyboardist Brian Mitchell (Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band), bassist Albert Rogers (Jim Weider Band, Jimmy Vivino), drummer Michael Bram (Jason Mraz) and keyboardist Matt Zeiner (Dickey Betts). The veteran quintet shares a deep appreciation and knowledge for this music, which Weider describes as the “Woodstock Sound.” The Weight Band continues to serve as its torchbearer, with their moast recent album, Shines Like Gold representing a sublime example of these masterful roots musicians at work. We've been trying to get them back here for awhile.....they are worth the "Weight" (sorry couldn't resist). Check them out on the ole YouTube.

May 16, 2024
(Thursday): Comedian Bob Marley click for details
I don't know any other person who worked harder to keep us entertained during 2020 and beyond than comedian Bob Marley. His daily videos were a comic relief from the world's challenges, and there have been many. Bob has a gift and a way of finding the hilarity in the obvious and the seemingly common occurrences in our sometimes mundane lives. In fact, he would make fun of me for saying all this!!. I can just hear him mocking me now!

On a personal note, Bob kept my staff from going crazy! We appreciate him for being one of the artists that was willing to do shows in whatever way he could to make venues and people laugh..whether it was a small capacity show or a drive in…he did it all. Nothing can stop the Bob Marley train and we love him for that. And yes, I said artist!!

Bob is not just our Maine comedian, he is one of the funniest people in the current world of comedy. His viral videos have thrust him into further popularity as one of the hottest and most sought after comedians in the country. But we are lucky he will still come to us! You know'em, you love'm...more than 15 years as a stand-up comic, Maine's own Bob Marley has been featured in his own special on Comedy Central, and is one of the few comics to do the complete late night TV circuit: The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Craig Kilborn. But all those accolades aside, he is just one of us, and we can't get enough of him. And geesh don't we all need to laugh right now. Always a quick sell out!

May 17, 2024 (Friday): Session Americana click for details
Late one Sunday night in October 2003, Session Americana had its first jam around a table in the back of Toad in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Looking back, the group has had a natural, almost inevitable evolution from a loose bunch of friends sitting around swapping songs in a bar, to a hot-ticket weekly residency, to a touring collective. Along the way, the band has made nine records (so far), played clubs and festivals across the U.S. and Europe, and developed deep collaborative bonds with a wide community of musicians. Session Americana’s diligent avoidance of music business “shoulds” has led the band down a quirky and joyful path through the music world. Swapping instruments, trading off lead vocals and sharing songwriting credits, Session Americana is constantly exploring new collaborations and touring like a band out of time, always searching for a welcoming and homey venue, a long lunch with old friends, and a good glass of wine. https://concertedefforts.com/roster/session-americana/

“The group, whose members have played with a variety of acts including Patty Griffin, Josh Ritter and the J. Geils Band, expertly blends vintage American roots music styles — from country to jazz to rock — in a rowdy but deft fashion.” – Rolling Stone

May 18, 2024
(Saturday): Alana MacDonald Band click for details
Known largely as the singer and violinist of the super group Devonsquare, Alana is an artist who’s music can stand alone. When you talk of Maine talent, her name will be at the top of the list. She is a striking woman who has a force that is infectious. With a terrific back up band, Alana always brings it. We are so happy to have her here once again.

May 25, 2024 (Saturday): Louisiana Calling click for details
with The Sonny Landreth Band and The Iguanas
The deep roots tag team of Cajun slide guitar phenom Sonny Landreth and legendary New Orleans Latin-Americana rockers the Iguanas presents a mind-blowing musical trip through the scenic soundscape of the bayou. Still wet from crawling out of the swamps, this cross-pollinated confection will be both savory and sweet.

Louisiana’s calling—here’s your chance to answer.

Sonny Landreth Southwest Louisiana-based slide and blues guitarist, songwriter, and singer Sonny Landreth is an award-winning musician's musician. . GRammy nominated, Landreth's style derives from many root sounds, including Cajun music, zydeco, Delta blues, swamp pop, and R&B, as well as rockabilly.His artistry has graced numerous recordings dating back to the 1970s by artists ranging from Elliott Murphy and Zachary Richard to Kirk Whalum, Irma Thomas, and dozens more. Hen has appeared multiple times at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival and garnishes wide-ranging acclaim from fellow players and fans worldwide"Sonny Landreth is probably the most underestimated musician on the planet, and also probably one of the most advanced.” (Eric Clapton).We couldn't agree more and we LOVE Sonny!

The Iguanas: What if Americana music actually encompassed ALL of North America? You’d have the Franco Acadian inflections of Canada, as best exemplified by the accordion, blues and jazz, the only truly indigenous music the US has ever produced, and the lilting grace and fiery passion of the music of Mexico. You’d also have New Orleans’ premiere distillers of this continental musical melange, The Iguanas. Taking their cues from all of the above influences and then some, Juarez, the band’s first studio album since 2012’s Sin to Sin, redefines the notion of Americana, crossing cultures, styles, eras...and even languages. It’s as if Rue Bourbon, Muscle Shoals and Plaza Mexico were all within earshot of each other and The Iguanas were the musical conduit between them. Based out of New Orleans for the past couple of decades save for a short, Katrina imposed exile in Austin the members of the Iguanas have (collectively or individually) played or recorded with everyone from Charlie Rich, Alex Chilton, and Willie DeVille to Emmylou Harris, Allen Toussaint, and Pretty Lights. Happy to get them here finally to our stage!

May 31, 2024 (Friday): John Gorka click for details
Since his 1987 Red House release, I Know, introduced renowned artist John Gorka to the public, the Minnesota-via-New Jersey guitarist and songwriter's wit and honesty has made him one of the most respected, beloved songwriters currently carrying on the folk tradition. Many well known artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O'Connell. John has graced the stage of Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown and has appeared on CNN. His song "Where No Monuments Stand" is featured in the upcoming documentary Every War Has Two Losers, about activist Poet Laureate William Stafford (1914-1993).

On a personal note... He is just wicked funny and I am always sad when his show is over. Come see one of the most honest and endearing performers I know. Here is a song of his that I love. It's sad and beautiful. But that's John...makes you feel when you should.

June 7, 2024
(Friday): Kenny White, Carol Noonan and Kevin Barry details
Two song writers and a superstar guitar player…what could be better???
Kenny White in our neck of the woods, seems like a relative newcomer to the world of the touring singer-songwriter, Kenny began his career in the 1970s touring extensively as the keyboard player for Jonathan Edwards and Livingston Taylor. He then became a fixture in the NY studio scene throughout the 1990s, producing and arranging literally hundreds of commercials for TV and radio. Commercials enabled him to work with artists like Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Ricky Skaggs, Aaron Neville and even the London Symphony Orchestra. He produced Shawn Colvin's Grammy-nominated song, "I Don't Know Why" and performed on Marc Cohn's platinum debut record. He began traveling with and opening shows for many of his friends and colleagues including Cheryl Wheeler, Jonathan Edwards, and Richard Shindell. Kenny often travels with Judy Collins as her opening act throughout North America and Europe and is signed to her label. Kenny is a classic piano man, and if you have not heard him, you have to!!

Carol Noonan and Kevin Barry
Carol began her career as the lead singer and songwriter for the band Knots and Crosses. "Crosses" was formed in the late 1980s connected by all being students at the New England Conservatory of Music at one time. After a major-label bidding war led to a failed deal with Island Records, the group disbanded and Noonan went on to do three solo albums for the Philo/Rounder label through 1997. The "Carol Noonan Band" featured Kevin Barry among other great players. Over the years these two good friends sharing the stage and her recordings have been a constant. Backing up national acts like Bonnie , Jackson Browne, Peter Wolf, Rosanne Cash, J. Geils and Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kevin is a much sought after side man ..and for good reason! Since Noonan’s time with Rounder she has released a number of albums on her own label carolnoonanmusic.com. An NPR darling for her music, she has also been a guest essayist on Weekend Edition, and been included on one of their Driveway Moments compilations. So began Carol's twisting journey towards the Stone Mountain Arts Center.

It will be fun to see these three friends on their own and hopefully together too!

June 8, 2024
(Saturday): Alison Brown click for details
Her show was the most talked about show of 2023!
Alison Brown“Like James Taylor’s voice or B.B. King’s guitar, Alison Brown’s banjo is an instrument possessed of a unique sonic signature and an inescapable beauty….an artist who never ceases to delight.” —Billboard Magazine

One of the most multi-faceted minds in roots music, Alison Brown is a GRAMMY-winning musician, GRAMMY-nominated producer, former investment banker (with an AB from Harvard and an MBA from UCLA), and co-founder of The Compass Records Group which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023. Although Alison began her musical career as a teenager in the Southern California bluegrass scene, she has built a reputation as one of today’s most forward thinking and innovative banjo players. She is known for taking the instrument far beyond its Appalachian roots by blending bluegrass and jazz influences into a sonic tapestry that has earned praise and recognition from a variety of national tastemakers including The Wall Street Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and USA Today. On her new release, aptly titled On Banjo, Alison continues her musical explorations on a set of original compositions that explore the range of the banjo. The album features an eclectic cast of collaborators including Steve Martin, Kronos Quartet, Sharon Isbin, Anat Cohen, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan and members of the Alison Brown Quintet. Alison is the recipient of the USA Artists Fellowship in Music and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association. In 2019, she was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame. Alison serves on the Board of Governors of the Recording Academy and as co-chair of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize.

“Banjo music is seldom thought of as ‘mellow’ or, dare we say ‘pretty,’ but Alison Brown makes it so in the jazz-classical-pop-folk-Latin mix of the Alison Brown Quartet. As a true ground-breaker, [she’s] opening up whole new vistas for an instrument once solely associated with pickin’ ‘n’ grinnin’.” —USA Today

So many accolades ... I hope we are deserved of her... for the second time on our stage. Check her out. Always with a great group of players.

June 13, 2024
(Thursday): Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder click for details
A life full of music. That's the story of Ricky Skaggs.
By age 21, he was already considered a "recognized master" of one of America's most demanding art forms, but his career took him in other directions, catapulting him to popularity and success in the mainstream of country music. 2012 marks the 53rd year since Ricky struck his first chords on a mandolin, and this fourteen-time Grammy Award winner continues to do his part to lead the recent roots revival in music. With 12 consecutive Grammy-nominated classics behind him, all from his own Skaggs Family Records label, the diverse and masterful tones made by the gifted Skaggs come from a life dedicated to playing music that is both fed by the soul and felt by the heart. "This group of guys meets my approval every night," Ricky says. "Each and every one of the pickers in Kentucky Thunder totally amazes me in every show." The all-star lineup of Kentucky Thunder makes this show a bluegrass concert not to miss.

On a personal note, we really love Rikcy and are so happy to have him grace our stage once again. One show only.

June 14, 2024
(Friday): Judy Collins click for details
We are honored once again to present this beautiful icon of folk music to our humble hall on the hill. Judy's songs are historic and her rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" on her classic 1967 album, Wildflowers. "Both Sides Now" has since been entered into the Grammy's Hall of Fame. Winning "Song of the Year" at the 1975 Grammy's Awards show was Judy's version of "Send in the Clowns," a song that no one has been able to touch since. An Evening with Judy Collins...how special. Oh, and p. s... she tells the best stories!!!!

June 15, 2024
(Saturday): Gaelic Storm click for details
And a storm they are!! I always say they are the hardest workin' Irish band I know...just great! Remember the music that was playing during the steerage party in Titanic? That was Gaelic Storm, and how they started their climb to fame….who on their self-titled debut album way back when, presented an engaging mix of traditional music, dance music, and songs, all performed with energy and enthusiasm. Well, that was many albums ago, and these days they are now one of the most popular Celtic acts around. Their stage show is high energy and at time even rockin'- Irish style with charismatic story teller and front man Patrick Murphy, whipping up the crowd more with every tune. They are a terrific bunch of folks who we are happy to have back. Don't miss it…come celebrate one great band!

June 20, 2024
(Thursday): Jake Shimabukuro click for details
"The Jimmy Hendrix of the ukelele", Jake Shimabukuro has done for the uke what Bela Fleck has done for the banjo. Whether you need your spirits picked up or you are wanting to celebrate, nothing like a happy ukelele to fit that bill. And Jake has got to be seen to be believed. His show with us last year was completely joyous!

A ukulele virtuoso and composer known for his fast and complex finger work. Made famous by his millions of hits video of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" , his music combines elements of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, folk, and flamenco. Jake comes from that same process of mixing both island and outside influences, both modern and historical. He's combined the qualities of a long line of virtuoso ukulele players with modern rock musicians to create a sound that's uniquely his own but still firmly grounded in Hawaiian tradition. Growing up in Hawaii, Jake's influences include legendary ukulele players like Eddie Kamae, Ohta-San and Peter Moon. He has topped Billboard's World Music Chart numerous times, been declared a musical "hero" by Rolling Stone Magazine, which also stated: "one of the hottest axemen of the past few years doesn't actually play guitar." He has also won accolades from the disparate likes of Eddie Vedder who states: "Jake is taking the instrument to a place that I can't see anybody else catching up with;" My favorite Jake moment? He does a uke version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. So if that doesn't get you to think outta the box, nothin will!! Come see this amazing young ukelele legend. The ukelele is considered the happiest instrument in the world...so don't worry, be happy!! And yeah I think he does that tune too.

June 21, 2024
(Friday): Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets click for details
Nick Lowe has made his mark as a producer (Elvis Costello-Graham Parker-Pretenders-The Damned), songwriter of at least three songs you know by heart, short-lived career as a pop star, and a lengthy term as a musicians’ musician. But in his current ‘second act’ as a silver-haired, tender-hearted but sharp-tongued singer-songwriter, he has no equal.

Nick has turned out a fantastic string of albums, each one devised in his West London home, and recorded with a core of musicians who possess the same veteran savvy. Lowe brings wit and understated excellence to every performance, leading Ben Ratliff of the New York Times to describe his live show as “elegant and nearly devastating.”

These days touring often with the amazing and unique Los Straitjackets who are the leading practitioners of the lost art of the guitar instrumental. Using the music of the Ventures, The Shadows, and with Link Wray and Dick Dale as a jumping off point, the band has taken their unique, high energy brand of original rock & roll around the world. Clad in their trademark Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling masks, the “Jackets” have delivered their trademark guitar licks to 16 albums, thousands of concerts and dozens of films and TV shows including with Nick Lowe

Together Nick & The Straitjackets have toured extensively around and recorded as well. A unexpected but absolutely perfect pairing.

Jeff and I are beyond happy to have them both back…first time together.

June 22, 2024 (Saturday): Paula Cole click for details
Simply one of the best female singers I have ever heard. Songs like "Where have all the Cowboys Gone" and "I Don't Want to Wait" put her on the list of chart busters. But the first time I heard her she was singing back up for Peter Gabriel. When he featured her, it was clear by the hush and then roar of the crowd that she was headed for bigger and better things. Of course her star rose quickly and now we are lucky to be able to present her in our humble hall. Her emotionally charged voice singing her own songs of life, love and a philosophy and intense artistic presence is not to be missed.As creative and powerful as ever…that is Paula Cole.

Need to be reminded?
Paul Cole and Peter G : A Throwback Video

June 28, 2024
(Friday): Iris DeMent click for details
Oh Iris...she is just one of my top ten. Born the youngest of 14 children in Arkansas and raised in southern California that early life is what makes Iris, Iris, but that stark pairing of piano and voice forms the heart and soul of Iris' music. Not really folk, not really country, but somewhere in between that is completely unique. Her voice is unlike any other, and she is a rare and moving performer. Beginning with her 1992 debut, 'Infamous Angel,' which was hailed as "an essential album of the 1990's" by Rolling Stone, DeMent released a series of stellar records that established her as "one of the finest singer-songwriters in America" according to The Guardian. The music earned her multiple Grammy nominations, as well as the respect of peers like John Prine, Steve Earle, and Emmylou Harris, who all invited her to collaborate. Merle Haggard dubbed her "the best singer I've ever heard" and asked her to join his touring band, and David Byrne and Natalie Merchant famously covered her "Let The Mystery Be" as a duet on MTV Unplugged. DeMent returned in 2012 with her most recent album, 'Sing The Delta,' which prompted NPR to call her "one of the great voices in contemporary popular music" and The Boston Globe to hail the collection as "a work of rare, unvarnished grace and power." Her song Let the Mystery Be was the opening song HBO"s "Leftovers" and she's creating some of the most poignant music of her career on recordings and film.

On her 2023 release Workin' On A World, Iris DeMent faces the modern world — as it is right now — with its climate catastrophe, pandemic illness, and epidemic of violence and social injustice — and not only asks us how we can keep working towards a better world, but implores us to love each other, despite our very different ways of seeing. Her songs are her way of healing our broken inner and outer spaces.

Iris DeMent demonstrates that songs are the healing and the healing arises through song. Well we just love her.

July 13, 2024
(Saturday): Freddy and Francine click for details
The joyful, raucous, and tender sounds of Freddy & Francine routinely raise rafters from Hollywood to New York City, all the way from Nashville to their adopted home of Tucson, Arizona. Whether appearing as an acoustic power duo or with a full four-piece band in tow, F&F reveals visceral virtuosity, immediate charm, and a soulful, folksy heart of gold to adoring audiences large and small, seemingly wherever they go.

The origin story of Freddy & Francine, Lee Ferris and Bianca Caruso, begins in 2008 on a stage in Los Angeles, where they met performing a revival of Hair, the quintessential manifesto of the American ‘60s. Ferris and Caruso began writing and performing together, developing a reputation for an intense onstage chemistry and the undeniable earworms they were creating together. Seven albums and fifteen years of touring later, Freddy & Francine are an institution, having shared stages with Idina Menzel, Jeff Chimenti (Dead & Co.), Katherine McPhee, Mary Gauthier, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Steve Poltz, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Spin Doctors, Amy Helm, JJ Grey and many others, winning hearts and minds across the country and earning the heartfelt sentiment of instant fans everywhere. Take a minute to watch their video. We effin' love F&F. You will too!! Its been too long!!!

July 20, 2024
(Saturday): The Rough and Tumble click for details
with special guest Alice Wallace
We just love this band. I always say, I don't know why they are not famous…yet! The Rough & Tumble are a folk/Americana duo, consisting of Mallory Graham & Scott Tyler. Forming in 2011, they spent 8 years full time in a 16ft camper with two big dogs and one hamster. playing roughly 150 shows a year. At home at festivals listening rooms and house concerts across the country, their commanding stage presence, engaging performances and affecting songwriting won them official showcases at Folk Alliance International, NERFA, SERFA and the Independent Music Awards Americana Song of the Year for their song “The Hardest Part. In 2023 they received recognition for their work in New England as recipients of Club Passim's Iguana Music Fund. 2021’s We're Only Family If You Say So, an album about what it means to be family and then to lose it, had singles debuting on American Songwriter and The Bluegrass Situation and has been embraced by fans for its stark honesty, unique storytelling and well-crafted melodies. The band now resides in New Hampshire and their new album, Only This Far, was released in May 2023 that has been described as "quality songs, well written, well played, well sung and arranged, and a pleasure from start to end. Love this video and love them!!

July 27, 2024
(Saturday): Bill Kirchen Band click for details
Upon tallying how many decades he’s worked as a professional guitar slinger, Telecaster master Bill Kirchen quips, “Well, they don't make 50 years like they used to.” They don’t often make careers like his, either. You hard core Commander Cody fans will know him as the the guy who made Hot Rod Lincoln famous. Kirchen is reported to be one of the musicians that pioneered the Americana radio format and is a founding father of the "twangcore movement" which includes Dave Alvin, Wilco and Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys. Kirchen's signature sound has been dubbed "dieselbilly" and incorporates elements of country music, blues, rockabilly, Western swing and boogie-woogie, laced with themes of American truck driving music. These days his songwriting could not be more vital. And I should put a YouTube here with one of his more recent songs from his so latest and greatest. But geez, I gotta remind you of who this amazing tall drink of water is. So here he is, earnin' his paycheck above and beyond.

Flying alongside some of the planet’s coolest cats — including the Jesus of Cool, Nick Lowe, and Elvis Costello, Bill has been everywhere. We are honored to be one of those “wheres” and be able to call him a dear friend.

August 2, 2024
(Friday): Stone Mountain Annual Anniversary Show details
Featuring Carol Noonan and the Stone Mountain Boys
with special guests Irish Band Téada

Hey all…wow this summer we will celebrate out 18th Anniversary.
This show helps us weather the unexpected. Cancels, snow storms, rising utility costs and more.We hope this year will be smooth sailing, but this show helps us prepare for the unexpected. If you love SMAC, buy a ticket!!! Please support us!
*We ask that No Memberships are applicable for this SMAC fund raising effort.

August 7, 2024
(Wednesday): Ladysmith Black Mambazo click for details
We are so excited to have this amazing group here and their message is more than welcome right now. South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo carries a message of Peace, Love and Harmony as they travel the world year after year. They bring this message, in song and dance, to every theater they perform in. We hope you will join them as they sing their message. Watch this video and be reminded of how voices can move you.

August 8, 2024
(Thursday): Comedian Bob Marley click for details
I don't know any other person who worked harder to keep us entertained during 2020 and beyond than comedian Bob Marley. His daily videos were a comic relief from the world's challenges, and there have been many. Bob has a gift and a way of finding the hilarity in the obvious and the seemingly common occurrences in our sometimes mundane lives. In fact, he would make fun of me for saying all this!!. I can just hear him mocking me now!

On a personal note, Bob kept my staff from going crazy! We appreciate him for being one of the artists that was willing to do shows in whatever way he could to make venues and people laugh..whether it was a small capacity show or a drive in…he did it all. Nothing can stop the Bob Marley train and we love him for that. And yes, I said artist!!

Bob is not just our Maine comedian, he is one of the funniest people in the current world of comedy. His viral videos have thrust him into further popularity as one of the hottest and most sought after comedians in the country. But we are lucky he will still come to us! You know'em, you love'm...more than 15 years as a stand-up comic, Maine's own Bob Marley has been featured in his own special on Comedy Central, and is one of the few comics to do the complete late night TV circuit: The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Craig Kilborn. But all those accolades aside, he is just one of us, and we can't get enough of him. And geesh don't we all need to laugh right now. Always a quick sell out!

August 16, 2024 (Friday): Tom Rush click for details
Since Tom Rush's 1962 debut as an unknown folk-blues musician on the Boston/Cambridge music scene, he has established himself as a consummate performer and singer-songwriter. A few years back, a sold out celebration of his five-decade career anniversary at Boston Symphony Hall proves his fan loyalty and endurance. When you think of the importance of the folk scene in the 60's you should think of Tom. These days he is just as vital and entertaining. We welcome him back with a big hug!

August 23, 2024
(Friday): Enter the Haggis click for details
For over two decades, Toronto’s Enter The Haggis has combined bagpipes and fiddles with a rock rhythm section to create a distinctively eclectic sound, praised by The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and Canada’s Globe and Mail. Their songs offer singalong melodies and deep, meaningful lyrics which tell the stories of everyday hard working people, often faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Signature songs like “One Last Drink”, “Gasoline”, “Down With The Ship” and “Lancaster Gate” have been streamed millions of times, have appeared in Hollywood movies, and have been performed and recorded by artists around the world.

Enter The Haggis' commitment to putting on a great show every single night has made them a favorite at festivals and performing arts centers across the US and Canada. As a result, ETH shows have become an annual tradition on some of the most prestigious stages on the continent. The band has also brought hundreds of fans on eight tours of Ireland and two of Scotland, forging deeper friendships with their supporters while exploring ancient landmarks and natural wonders across each country. Glad to have them back!

September 7, 2024 (Saturday): Tuba Skinny click for details
Back by popular demand! One of our fav sell out shows of last year.
Right off the streets of New Orleans, Tuba Skinny is dedicated to bringing the best in traditional early jazz swing to audiences around the world. For over a decade Tuba Skinny has grown steadily in popularity, releasing twelve albums and touring all over the world. They’ve attracted a wide variety of fans- young and old, neophytes and niche-enthusiasts- with the strength of their musicianship and the scope of their jazz and American roots music catalog. While they’ve become known as world-class interpreters of traditional jazz, over the years they’ve branched out into jug band music, spirituals, country blues, string band music, ragtime, and New Orleans R&B. Their approach is a true reflection of Americana, encompassing the full genealogy of popular American music from an early 20th century perspective.

"Musically, Tuba Skinny mines a rich seam of traditional jazz and blues from the '20s and '30s. And, while it's evident the band treasures the sense of history evoked by these vintage tunes, the players' natural exuberance makes the music feel irresistibly alive.” - Melbourne Music Festival

“If jazz is the bread, then the blues is the butter for Tuba Skinny.” - Offbeat Magazine

October 11, 2024
(Friday): Maia Sharp & Willy Porter click for details
What a GREAT DOUBLE BILL ... TWO GREAT SONGWRITERS
Maia Sharp
Maia has had her songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, Trisha Yearwood, Keb’ Mo’, Cher, Edwin McCain, David Wilcox, Art Garfunkel, Lizz Wright, Paul Carrack, Lisa Loeb, Terri Clark, and many more. And through it all, Maia has continued to record her own albums including: nine solo releases, one collaborative project with Art Garfunkel and Buddy Mondlock, and her duo project- Roscoe & Etta (with writing/production partner Anna Schulze). Each release has been embraced by press and radio and has led to extensive touring and appearances on Mountain Stage, Acoustic Cafe, World Cafe, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” CBS Early Morning, and the Today Show to name a few.

Bonnie Raitt says, "Maia is making some of the most innovative and soulful music around with songs that are head and shoulders above the rest. She has become one of my favorite artists….a brilliant album, start to finish.”

Willy Porter
Some folks are lucky to find what they love to do at an early age and quietly settle in for the long haul expanding and developing their work over the arc of a lifetime. Willy Porter is one of those artists. He has followed his own path to explore the sacred language that music truly is. 30 years after his solo recording debut, he continues to reach further into his guitar & pen while stretching the form of what his own music can be. His thrust to critical acclaim began in 1994 with Dog Eared Dream and continues with his latest The Ravine. Don’t miss this night of great songwriting

October 17, 2024
(Thursday): Comedian Bob Marley click for details
I don't know any other person who worked harder to keep us entertained during 2020 and beyond than comedian Bob Marley. His daily videos were a comic relief from the world's challenges, and there have been many. Bob has a gift and a way of finding the hilarity in the obvious and the seemingly common occurrences in our sometimes mundane lives. In fact, he would make fun of me for saying all this!!. I can just hear him mocking me now!

On a personal note, Bob kept my staff from going crazy! We appreciate him for being one of the artists that was willing to do shows in whatever way he could to make venues and people laugh..whether it was a small capacity show or a drive in…he did it all. Nothing can stop the Bob Marley train and we love him for that. And yes, I said artist!!

Bob is not just our Maine comedian, he is one of the funniest people in the current world of comedy. His viral videos have thrust him into further popularity as one of the hottest and most sought after comedians in the country. But we are lucky he will still come to us! You know'em, you love'm...more than 15 years as a stand-up comic, Maine's own Bob Marley has been featured in his own special on Comedy Central, and is one of the few comics to do the complete late night TV circuit: The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Craig Kilborn. But all those accolades aside, he is just one of us, and we can't get enough of him. And geesh don't we all need to laugh right now. Always a quick sell out!

November 9, 2024
(Saturday): Ellis Paul click for details
Ellis is a true Renaissance man. An astute storyteller, poetic and literate, with a stellar stage presence…Ellis Paul is one of those gifted singer/songwriters. Though some may refer to him as a folk singer, he is more, for lack of a better word, a singular storyteller, a musician whose words reach out from inside and yet also express the feelings, thoughts and sensibilities that most people can relate to in one way or another, regardless of age or upbringing. Besides being a fierce troubadour, he can add movie soundtracks, children’s books, artwork and more to his resume. Don’t miss’em :>)

December 11, 2024
(Wednesday): Comedian Bob Marley click for details
I don't know any other person who worked harder to keep us entertained during 2020 and beyond than comedian Bob Marley. His daily videos were a comic relief from the world's challenges, and there have been many. Bob has a gift and a way of finding the hilarity in the obvious and the seemingly common occurrences in our sometimes mundane lives. In fact, he would make fun of me for saying all this!!. I can just hear him mocking me now!

On a personal note, Bob kept my staff from going crazy! We appreciate him for being one of the artists that was willing to do shows in whatever way he could to make venues and people laugh..whether it was a small capacity show or a drive in…he did it all. Nothing can stop the Bob Marley train and we love him for that. And yes, I said artist!!

Bob is not just our Maine comedian, he is one of the funniest people in the current world of comedy. His viral videos have thrust him into further popularity as one of the hottest and most sought after comedians in the country. But we are lucky he will still come to us! You know'em, you love'm...more than 15 years as a stand-up comic, Maine's own Bob Marley has been featured in his own special on Comedy Central, and is one of the few comics to do the complete late night TV circuit: The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Craig Kilborn. But all those accolades aside, he is just one of us, and we can't get enough of him. And geesh don't we all need to laugh right now. Always a quick sell out!

December 13, 2024 (Friday): Stone Mountain LIVE for Christmas details
Hosted by Carol Noonan and the Stone Mountain Boys featuring Duke Levine, Kevin Barry and very special guest Guitar God Bill Kirchen
There is simply no better place to celebrate the holidays than at Stone Mountain Arts Center! With the lights all strung and garlands galore, Stone Mountain LIVE at Christmas is the whole "Experience"... it takes all the best aspects of this special place on the hill and packs it into one fun festive night! Stone Mountain's owner, Carol Noonan, who hosts this unique revue style show with her house band the Stone Mountain Boys ... featuring guitarists Duke Levine and Kevin Barry. Featuring special guest, the one and only Bill Kirchen...famed of his Commander Cody days and his version of Hot Rod Lincoln, well if we could have a a favorite Uncle for SMAC, it would be him!!

December 14, 2024 (Saturday): Stone Mountain LIVE for Christmas details
Hosted by Carol Noonan and the Stone Mountain Boys featuring Duke Levine, Kevin Barry and very special guest Guitar God Bill Kirchen
There is simply no better place to celebrate the holidays than at Stone Mountain Arts Center! With the lights all strung and garlands galore, Stone Mountain LIVE at Christmas is the whole "Experience"... it takes all the best aspects of this special place on the hill and packs it into one fun festive night! Stone Mountain's owner, Carol Noonan, who hosts this unique revue style show with her house band the Stone Mountain Boys ... featuring guitarists Duke Levine and Kevin Barry. Featuring special guest, the one and only Bill Kirchen...famed of his Commander Cody days and his version of Hot Rod Lincoln, well if we could have a a favorite Uncle for SMAC, it would be him!!
   
Scheduled Performances for 2025:  
March 13, 2024 (Thursday): Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy click for details
The entertainment world is filled with extraordinary stories. But few match the beguiling true-life tale of Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, Canada’s reigning couple of Celtic music, whose dazzling career achievements underpin an incomparable off-stage life. Indeed, when two of the planet’s very best fiddle players married in 2002, the proverbial mantelpiece was instantly crammed with JUNO and East Coast Music Awards. Though MacMaster and Leahy followed different trajectories – she a Cape Breton native who could step-dance before she could walk; he the oldest brother of acclaimed family group Leahy – both had assuredly crested the traditional music peak. Their first recorded collaboration, 2015’s Bob Ezrin-produced album One, which was followed by 2016’s A Celtic Family Christmas (and which cemented the couple’s status as powerhouses on the seasonal circuit) confirmed MacMaster and Leahy are as dynamic working together as they were working apart. Performing thousands of shows and collaborating with a multitude of world renowned artists Natalie’s and Donnell’s family and work-life have been intertwined. Their values are equally as important in their life as music. They believe incorporating family into the performances and their music is the perfect way to maintain a healthy work-life balance. MacMaster and Leahy now have five beautiful children, and Natalie and Donnell devotion to them is job number one. On a personal note, I cannot describe the elation and emotion when this family performs together...love is not a big enough word. We LOVE them ... comes highly SMAC recommended.

April 12, 2025 (Saturday): Lonesome Ace Stringband click for details
Ya know we get more than our share of string band pitched to us these days. But with all the rebooting and reinventions of bluegrass and old timey music, every once in while something more pure comes through and I was so glad we hosted this band. EVERYONE loved them!

Case in point from from Canada , the Lonesome Ace Stringband is an old-time band with bluegrass chops that play some righteous folk and country music. There's a depth of groove and sense of space not often heard in bluegrass today, a level of instrumental interplay and vocal blend uncommon in old-time, and an on-stage rapport that transcends all of this. Click to listen to a sweet ballad on YouTube. But no worries they can S&@t kick it with the rest of them.
   
 
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