The “Sibilance” staff was thoroughly impressed with the turnout at the PORTLAND MUSIC FOUNDATION kick-off event on October 18. Roughly 200 people wandered up to the second floor of One City Center and nearly 100 signed up for $20 yearly memberships, drawn equally by the great performances by EMILIA DAHLIN, CAMBIATA, DOMINIC AND THE LUCID, and AS FAST AS. The pressure’s on now for the PMF to produce some educational content worth those hard-earned ducats.
CHARLIE GAYLORD and WCLZ are through. With the sale of WCLZ to the PORTLAND RADIO GROUP, Gaylord is sticking with CITADEL and will continue his GREETINGS FROM AREA CODE 207 show on WBLM (102.9 FM). There’s no ill will with WCLZ, though, and Gaylord is supportive of Portland Radio Group’s efforts to develop an all-local show of its own. To that end, the PRG folks are looking to develop their LOCAL MUSIC LIBRARY and are asking people to send in discs to 420 Western Ave., in South Portland (04106). As they’re largely ignorant of what’s gotten play in the past and how long ago, this may be a good chance for local “hits” to get a second life at 98.9 on your FM dial. More details can be found by inquiring at wclz@portlandradiogroup.com.
Be on the lookout for a new disc from NIGEL HALL, whose Music dropped in 2005. The Essence of Rage will be out shortly, featuring a number of guest artists from Portland and elsewhere.
MANNA RECORDS has been founded by owner KEITH MCBRIDE as a new effort to feature local music. First up is MARIE MORESHEAD, who’ll be releasing an EP on Manna in November or December, called The Distraction EP. Moreshead made her first public appearance last month at the Maine Cultural Music Festival in Livermore Falls. Most Maine artists, McBride postulates on his MySpace page, “have the talent, the drive, and the desire to grow their music, whether it be their hobby or career,” but the cost of recording and duplicating an album that does them justice is too steep. McBride is looking to invest in these artists and get them over the hump.
Bluegrass outfit HIGH RANGE have a new disc, Shoulder to the Wheel, which is their first studio effort since 2003’s Beyond the Foothills, which garnered them a top five of the year nod from Bluegrass Now’s Tim Walsh. They had a release show September 28 at One Longfellow Square, but certain “Sibilance” staffers were apparently asleep at the switch and we missed it. Too bad. That band rips.
