Friday Roundup: Outdoor shows, new Belfast festival, Poopin’ Louie and more

Kate Beever (right) and Poopin’ Louie in Kitty Critic’s last video of its first season.

Apologies, y’all. I took the day off last week because of an unplanned vacation to BEING SICK IN MY BED, so we have some catching up to do in the Hilly Town Cinematic Universe.

Kitty Critic, Maine’s most adorable video series about local music, aired its season one finale this week with a performance by Kate Beever at the Homeless Animal Rescue Team in Cumberland, and it literally stars a cat named Poopin’ Louie. The video helpfully notes that Poopin’ Louie is known for pooping unexpectedly, just as he crawls onto Kate’s keyboard and lingers there for the rest of her song.

Disclosurebrag: I adopted my two cats through HART. It was the best decision of my life.

One of the most significant music developments in the past couple weeks was the State Theatre’s first two outdoor concert announcements for its new venue at Thompson’s Point in Portland. Ingrid Michaelson plays the first show June 28 with Jukebox the Ghost as the opener. Then. THEN. Primus plays the second show with Dinosaur Jr. on July 27. That sounds like a fairly decent and fairly HillyTown kind of lineup to me.

But wait! Thompson’s Point isn’t the only place we’ll get outdoor concerts in Portland this year. As the noted in the Portland Press Herald last week, Bangor-based promoter Waterfront Concerts has its own slate of more than 12 shows lined up for the Maine State Pier, including performances by Weezer, the Barenaked Ladies and The Beach Boys. Combined with the State Theatre’s four to six shows planned for Thompson’s Point, Portland will be home to an unprecedented number of outdoor concerts this year.

The other significant development: Belfast has a music festival again! After the Free Range Music Festival fizzled out last year, the All Roads Music Festival has stepped in its place with an all-day, multi-venue festival planned for May 16. Lady Lamb headlines. She’ll be supported by a number of familiar faces, including Lisa/Liza, Tall Horse, Spose and Coke Weed.

Random observation: Maine Magazine has not written a music profile since August 2013.

For you heavy music lovin’ types, Post Mortem has a hella sweet photo recap of a SPACE Gallery show headlined by Sewer Goddess and supported by Mugwort, Say John Earl and Nycterent, the latter of which was called “a tough act to follow.” Here’s a teaser:

As the blinding light subsided, Morse emerged from his electronics wearing padded work gloves. He crouched by the mirror, shrieked into his microphone, then abruptly and repeatedly pounded both fists into the mirror — snuffing out the four flames in an instant of brute violence.

Speaking of Mugwort, the Portland Phoenix has a review of the doom metal band’s two-song, 20-minute album right here. The city’s last standing alt-weekly also takes a look at Haru Bangs and 1UP, a “a series of performances spotlighting the best of the best in local electronic producers” that was started by local hip-hop artists Brzowski and God.Damn.Chan.

Now for an important announcement: Brown Bird, a band that has long been a favorite of the Portland music scene, has set up a pre-order for its latest album, the first to come out after the wonderful David Lamb died a year ago this Sunday.

Hilly Town posts from the past two weeks:

Arootsakoostik/Eurekakoostik/A-Roots Ramble Preview
Metal Feathers come out of hiding tonight at SPACE
AFRAID drops new album — playing Poland Street show on Friday

That’s it? C’mon, Kevin. Gotta get on that content game.

Song of the week:

In honor of David Lamb, this is “Bannermen” by Brown Bird.