Once upon a time, in a city called Bangoria in the enchanted kingdom of Maine, there lived a strong, intelligent, charming, beautiful princess named Emily (just go with it, OK?).

When she wasn’t busy going to balls, defeating evil wizards and fending off hordes of potential suitors (hey, if you don’t like it, get your own delusional fantasy), Princess Emily spent her time going to hear the traveling musicians that came through her kingdom.

There were metal bands, some so loud they could be heard as far away as the kingdom of New Hampshire. Rappers stopped in to show off their lyrical skills. Jam bands were plentiful, arriving barefoot and dreadlocked, with dancing hippies in tow. There were even emo bands, and though sometimes Princess Emily wished to feed them to the dragons, she let them pass, because she was a kind princess and cared about the children.

Such was her delight at the wealth of musical talent that came through that she decided to let all the citizens of her fair land know about them, in hopes that they too could share in her joy. And they all lived happily ever after. The end.

Now, for real: Here’s what’s coming up in Maine in the next two months. But I really mean it about the whole “sharing in my joy” thing. Go see live music!

For starters, now that we’ve finally got plenty of snow, that means that there are plenty of bands at our fine ski resorts. Strangefolk and the Samples take the stage at Sugarloaf on Saturday, Jan. 27; ’90s jam band stars Rusted Root play at Thumpers in Bethel on Saturday, Feb. 10; and troubadour Keller Williams is scheduled to perform Saturday, March 3, at the White Cop Lodge at Sunday River.

The Space Gallery in Portland as usual has a number of great shows coming up. Indie rockers Oxford Collapse are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 26, and songwriter Brett Dennen takes the stage Wednesday, Feb. 7. Soulful jazz-rockers the Slip make another Maine appearance on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Also in Portland, the dearly departed music venue the Skinny will finally reopen at a new location Sunday, Feb. 11, in a newly renovated space on Congress Street that will also house a restaurant. Expect a full lineup of music to be announced in the coming weeks; visit www.theskinnyspace.com for more info.

Yes, it’s true: there’s actually a band called Cute Is What We Aim For, and yes, it’s playing Thursday, Feb. 15, at the Station in Portland. Also at the Station, pop-punk originators the Ataris are set to perform Tuesday, Feb. 27. A few blocks away at the Cumberland County Civic Center, the Taste of Chaos tour rolls through town again Sunday, March 25, bringing with it 30 Seconds to Mars, Senses Fail and the Used.

For those looking for a harder edge, the Kave in Bucksport (www.myspace.com/thekave) offers hard-core legends Madball on Thursday, Feb. 22. Again at the Station, rap-metal band Bobaflex is set for Saturday, Feb. 24; ’90s grunge hangers-on Days of the New will play Friday, March 9; and Rob Zombie’s little brother’s band Powerman 5000 is scheduled for Monday, March 26.

Farther north, James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards will play another set of sold-out shows at The Grand Theatre in Ellsworth on Jan. 30 and 31; my apologies to all those who don’t have tickets. But the next day you can check out another fantastically talented songwriter at The Grand: Alejandro Escovedo will play Thursday, Feb. 1.

Critically acclaimed songwriter John Hiatt makes his only New England appearance this winter at Sugarloaf on Feb. 24, while blues musician John Hammond and the always entertaining Roomful of Blues are set for the Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath on the same day. Finally, Grammy-nominated folk singer Eliza Gilkyson and Louisiana-based Mary Gauthier will perform Saturday, March 31, at The Strand Theatre in Rockland.

Tickets for shows at the Station and at the Space Gallery can be purchased at Bull Moose Music stores; the Cumberland County Civic Center sells tickets through Ticketmaster outlets; the Strand Theatre, the Grand Theatre and Chocolate Church Arts all sell tickets through their respective box offices. Contact Sugarloaf and Sunday River for event information. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.