Whaddaya know – a weekend in Maine with too much to do

I had a media colleague say to me the other day, “Man, I wish I got to write about rock stars for work!” While I cover more than straight-up rock ‘n’ roll in my position as a reporter here at the good ship BDN, I have to say, I do feel pretty lucky. ShopGirl gets to shop, Kitchen Vixen gets to eat, Chris Smith gets to watch movies, and I get to listen to and go see bands. For someone who eats, breathes and sleeps music, well, life ain’t bad.

That said, sometimes it isn’t easy. Hey, we’re all from Maine. We all know that some weekends there just isn’t anything to do. No shows, no people, everything’s closed, and it’s snowing, or raining, or there’s a plague of locusts or something. You always hear the complaint, “There’s nothing to do in Maine!” I’m here to prove that wrong, but yeah, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. It happens.

But then there are those weekends when there’s so much going on that you simply cannot make up your mind what to do. For instance, this weekend in Orono. Maybe it’s the excitement in the air because graduation is coming up, or maybe it’s just the ever-increasing number of leaves on the trees, but there are a ton of things to do tonight and tomorrow night in the 866.

If you’re resourceful, you might be able to make it to all of them. Or you could just pick one or two and go with it. Either way, it might serve you well to take a jaunt down exit 183, grab a martini at Woodman’s or a slice at Pat’s, and check out one of the four excellent shows scheduled for this weekend. Because when the gettin’s good, you better go get.

Friday: We’ve all got guilty pleasures, and for me, cheesy, bombastic emo is the big one. I love My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, and I don’t feel all that guilty about it, because there is nothing wrong with pop music. Panic at the Disco is right up there, too, mainly because I love the way the band members dress, and I find myself singing “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” in the shower, the car and pretty much anywhere singing isn’t totally inappropriate. Panic will play with Motion City Soundtrack, The Hush Sound and Phantom Planet at 9 p.m. at the Alfond Arena – all emo, all the time! Tickets are $30 and are available by calling 581-BEAR or at the Alfond box office.

Or you could go for something on a slightly smaller and sweatier scale and go see local groovemasters Funk Thrust at Soma 36, the club within the Bear Brew. Funk Thrust is one of those ridiculously fun bands that come out of UMaine – the bandmates hone their chops playing house parties and open mic nights, and before you know it, they’re a tight, awesome, well-oiled machine. And then everyone graduates, and you remember the days when Funk Thrust used to rock the Bear Brew. They’re playing Friday from 9 til 1 a.m.

Saturday: Here’s where it gets a little hairy, and you’ll have to plan carefully in order to hit everything up. For starters, there’s a sweet indie pop show at the Keith Anderson Community Center starting at 8 p.m., featuring Wood Burning Cat, Rotundo Sealeg, the 500s and Feel It Robot. I can personally attest to the excellence of all four of these bands – funny, entertaining, catchy and cool, the whole lot. For five whole dollars you can support your local scene in a big way.

Then, WMEB 91.9 FM, UMaine’s student-run radio station, brings up Baltimore-based electro-performance artist Dan Deacon to Soma 36. Deacon plays wild and crazy, neon-colored dance party music that’s kind of psychedelic, kind of techno, and all fun. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. and is just five bucks. He plays with the band Future Islands and local DJ and mashup artist extraordinaire Alien Journalism.

And then, finally, if you aren’t totally exhausted, you can walk up Mill Street and see local rockers Jack’s Wild play their last show of the season at Woodman’s, starting at 10 p.m. and going until close.

Phew. Don’t you ever say that there’s nothing to do in Maine.

eburnham@bangordailynews.net

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