Lest you think I’m some kind of Bangor snob, writing only about the stuff that happens round these parts and along the coast, why don’t we check in with what’s going on up in The County? Specifically, the St. John Valley, a place I’ve never had the opportunity to write about. Until now, that is.

Rock the Valley, which started yesterday and continues through Saturday, is an annual music festival put on by the city of Madawaska and an energetic fella by the name of Jesse Waltman. Waltman is a longtime Valley musician who has had his hands full for the past few weeks putting the finishing touches on the show.

“You learn things all the time when you put on a big show like this,” said Waltman. “We’ve made some changes to accommodate people this time around. We’ve learned a lot from last year.”

Last year, Waltman snagged Blue Oyster Cult as headliner for the fest, held in Madawaska’s Multipurpose Building. It was a success, but the $50 ticket price was a bit hard to swallow for concert-goers.

“It’s kind of hard for this area. People are strapped for cash, what with Fraser closing,” he said, referring to the Madawaska paper mill which recently cut 135 jobs. “So we dropped the price to $25 for all three nights, and we went with tribute bands instead of a big headliner. We’re hoping that will revive the whole thing.”

Waltman scouted out the best tribute bands he could find. The final lineup consists of Dookie, a Green Day tribute; Draw the Line, an Aerosmith tribute, Spread Eagle, who pay homage to the Eagles; and Yellow Brick Road, a Maine tribute band that pulls out all the stops to impersonate Elton John.

There’s also a lineup of Maine bands, including Blind Revenge, Rock Candy, Stunt Machine, Undecyded, Madawaska Battle of the Bands winner Cafeen, and Bangor via Presque Isle band Overdrive, made up of brothers Scott and Kevin Hamel and Heath Bartley.

The brothers Hamel, who may be recognizable to Bangor-area bar-goers as the acoustic cover duo the Irish Crickets, said they look forward to the opportunity to play up north.

“The music scene up there is so tucked away that people don’t really know about it, but it’s there,” said Kevin Hamel, who plays bass and sings lead vocals in the hard-rock band. “People that are into music will travel anywhere.”

Last year’s Rock the Valley attracted more than 500 people, and also helped out the community, as concert-goers are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to donate to food pantries in the area.

“It’s definitely not an ego thing for us. It’s about helping the community,” said Waltman. “And it’s a lot of fun. People have started looking forward to it each year.”

Rock the Valley continues today through Saturday. Doors open at 5 p.m.; tonight features Yellow Brick Road and Dookie, and Saturday features Draw the Line and Spread Eagle. Tickets are $25 for both nights, or $15 for Friday and $20 for Saturday. For information, visit www.rockthevalley.org. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.

Supporting Acts

. This month’s First Friday Art and Music Social is set for tonight, Friday, from 7-11 p.m. at Ofelia’s Arte Fino Gallery on Central Street in Bangor. This month, check out art from Kenneth Schiano and Dina Petrillo, and music from the Smooth Fruities, Southpaw, Blue Gene and Friends, Myke Billings, Scarecrow and Werewolf, and Damien Zygote. As always, it’s free and all ages. This month’s theme is “Oscuridad”, and Ofelia’s proprietors Sergio and Blake encourage attendees to wear black. Spooky!

. The Grand Theatre in Ellsworth plays host to the Wiyos and the Hunger Mountain Boys, in an evening of old-timey music starting at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 8. The Wiyos play a blend of gospel, country and blues, and round it out with elements of vaudevillian comedy, while the Hunger Mountain Boys are among the finest of today’s “newgrass” bands, merging bluegrass with modern and world influences. Tickets are $15 at The Grand box office and at grandonline.org.

. Hey, did I mention I have a blog on the Bangor Daily News Web site? I did already? Well, here’s a reminder! Check out Rock Blogster at http://communityv1.bangornews.com/blog/30, and get the scoop on the happenings every weekend, cool new music and movies, entertaining cyber-nuggets I’ve unearthed from the internet, and my generalized ramblings on living in Maine. Sign up for the BDN Community site while you’re at it!