Flye Point festival beats the rain

BROOKLIN – Fickle Maine weather couldn’t stop the first Flye Point Music and Arts Festival from happening this past weekend. The all-day extravaganza got rained out Saturday, but was graced Sunday with blue skies, mild temperatures and a strong breeze that kept the black flies and mosquitoes at bay.

Of course, the inaugural Flye Point festival’s seaside setting didn’t hurt attendance either. Held on the Lookout Inn’s rustic, well-kept grounds, the event drew 2,200 to 2,400 people. The mostly older crowd (late middle age and up) enjoyed the diverse, folk-centered music, as well as fine art and food, all set against a backdrop of grassy shores and rolling ocean.

The day’s lineup of internationally known and local artists, performing continuously from 10:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., didn’t disappoint.

Unfazed by a bit of rescheduling, songstress Judy Collins, an eclectic string group called The Mammals, and Maine singer-songwriter Dave Mallett all gave lively performances early in the day.

The Maine Celtic-folk quartet Ballykelty took the stage midafternoon, playing a mix of melancholic, traditional Irish and Scottish tunes before closing its set with some upbeat, stomping polkas, prompting a handful of folks to get Irish jiggy with it.

Backed by a bassist and a drummer, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion put on a great set of roots-rocky, socially conscious tunes, ranging from achy-breaky ballads to full-on rockers led by Irion’s twangy, distorted electric guitar.

Unfortunately, some insect-repelling gusts did create some acoustic problems at points during the performances, distorting or dampening the sounds coming from the stage. Like the rain, alas, it couldn’t be helped.

Blues legend Odetta performed a long, soulful set with nothing more than a piano accompanying her powerful, richly textured voice. She encouraged the lawn-chair bound audience members to sing along and offered up witty, rambling banter on social issues between her songs.

As the sun slipped low on the horizon, and the breeze grew colder, Maine singer and bagpiper Jennifer Armstrong closed out the festival. It was a day of mellow, socially minded fun in a quiet spot on the coast, which, as the saying goes, is the way life should be.

George Bragdon can be reached at gbragdon@bangordailynews.net.