Behind the music: an overview of Downtown Countdown Bands

Following is background information about some of the bands that will perform at various venues as part of Downtown Countdown:

. Big Time, Union Street Brick Church. This band features progressive funk rock with a blended style including influences from Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder and Maroon 5. Band members include Myke Billings, Joshua Mooers, Anthony Drouin and Zach Redmann. The band plans to “mix it up a bit on New Year’s Eve,” giving people cool versions of popular covers as well as its own tunes.

. Generations, Bangor Opera House. Members of this group span four decades and have an affection for folk music and its roots. Leslie Latour, Larry Latour, Joel Gold and Kathy Sikkema show care and enthusiasm for each song.

. Ragged Moon, Bagel Central. This is a local, high-energy blues-rock band of seasoned professionals: Gail Weatherbee, vocals; Mike Curtis, guitar; Don Barry, drums; and Paul Riechmann, bass. “We’re looking forward to a return engagement at Bagel ‘Blues’ Central. Like last year, we plan to shake some windows and get people dancing on Central Street.”

. Ladies of the Lake, Unitarian Universalist Church. The Maine-based Maggie Ericson, Allen Gawler, Julia Lane and Sharon Pyne specialize in traditional Celtic instrumental music and ballad singing. The band’s name is inspired by a Maine contradance that has been enjoyed by dancers and musicians since Colonial times.

. Retro Rockerz, Bangor Public Library. A lead-guitar-strumming judge, a bass-playing bone cutter, a “begging for dollars” man on rhythm guitar, a drilling keyboard player, an extraterrestrial drummer and a pedagogue lead singer perform classic rock ‘n’ roll. Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Andrew Mead, Dr. John Bradford, MPBN CEO James Dowe, dentist Dr. Lee Souweine, counselor Eric “E.T.” Taylor and teacher Joe Bennett make up the group that rocked Pickering Square in a concert this summer.