The Shag Gallery in Eastport is quite possibly the only place in Washington County that displays the works of a dadaist – the mysterious Bang Bangs, according to theshag

gallery.com. If there’s another dadaist Down East, please, visit the Web site and get in touch. You are not alone. There are other weirdos out there.

Anyway, the Shag is run by Crash and Shana Barry, two artists who made the big move eastward from Portland a few years back. They opened the Shag this summer, with work in a variety of mediums from eight Maine artists.

“The reception has been great, from kids and visitors, and some true locals and native Eastporters,” said Crash, a writer and conceptual artist. “It’s challenging. It’s surprising people. And so far, it’s been a success. We had 75 people on a Tuesday night for a lecture just this week.”

The Shag has also started featuring live music nearly every weekend. The first band to play at the Shag is Fire on Fire, a southern Maine five-piece who will perform at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday, July 20-21.

Fire on Fire rose out of the ashes (pun only slightly intended) of Cerberus Shoal, a longtime Portland-based experimental indie band. Here’s where the Shag connection comes in – Shoal used to play at the Free Street Taverna in Portland, which Crash Barry managed for a number of years. Caleb Mulkerin, Colleen Kinsella, Tom Kovacevic and Chriss Sutherland were ready to take a break from the prolific, musically adventurous Shoal, who over the course of 12 years released 15 titles, the last in 2005.

But a break from the band did not mean a break from music. Especially considering that the four live together in a big blue house in South Portland, along with the fifth member of the band, Micah Blue Smaldone, a folk musician and another fixture on the Portland scene. The music is inescapable.

“That idea of sitting in the kitchen with acoustic guitars, just playing, was really the basis for the band,” said Sutherland. “It came out of the easiness of hearing each other’s music. It’s much more light. Lots of singing, no amps or cables or electricity. Just a really wonderful easiness. We all bring our own thing to it and let it develop.”

Combining group vocals with interesting instrumentation – everything from banjo to the oud, a traditional Arabic instrument – Fire on Fire’s quietly intense, organic music has attracted the attention of Michael Gira of Young God Records, an indie label based in New York that has put out albums from such artists as Devendra Banhart, Akron/Family and Angels of Light. Which, if you don’t know much about indie rock, is sort of a big deal.

“I had sent him some Cerberus Shoal stuff a long time ago, and he responded positively, so we formed a relationship through that,” said Sutherland. “We finished recording our album in our house, and it was pretty much done, so we sent it to him on a whim. He wrote back that he loved it and wants to put it out. He’s been ferociously on it ever since.”

An online-only EP will be released in the fall, followed by the full-length in early 2008. Meanwhile, Fire on Fire has a number of Maine shows lined up. After their performance in Eastport, they will play at the Waterfall Arts Festival in Montville (www.waterfallarts.org) on Sunday, July 22, followed by some Portland shows and a brief east coast mini-tour.

Sutherland, who along with Kovacevic grew up in Hermon, said that this show is the farthest east he has ever played with any band. Which kind of makes sense, seeing as the only thing farther east than Eastport is Canada. Or Europe.

“Sure, it’s difficult to put art out like this in a place like [Eastport],” said Crash. “But the payoff is that people are really looking at it. People are ready for it.”

Fire on Fire will play at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 20 and 21. Tom Kovacevic will open with a set of Arabic oud music on Friday, while Micah Blue Smaldone will play his solo music on Saturday. Admission is $7, $5 for under 18. For information, visit www.myspace.com/threadsofmaine. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.

Looking for more on the haps in the Greater Bangor area? Mosey on over to www.bangordailynews.com and check out RockBlogster, where Emily clues you into what’s good ’round these parts.