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I’m Pretty Sure, They Might Be Giants. Photos!

By Hilly Town, on June 16th, 2009%

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On Friday night, They Might Be Giants made it up to Portland, Maine for their (supposedly) only show in Maine this decade. Though they often double it up and do a children’s show early in the day followed by a later club show for the grownups, this time around they just brought the full-on-adult rock to Port City Music Hall. Audrey Ryan opened with a set full of acoustic guitar, accordion, and a bit of an overly aggressive smoke machine. One of the quirks of PCMH is that when though the stage is large, it’s pretty low to the ground, so when someone like Audrey Ryan performs sitting down, it’s hard to tell if it’s a recording or the opening act you’re hearing! I suppose it’s a testament to PCMH’s top-notch sound system, but it can lead to some confusion when the house is packed and you can’t quite tell if something is happening on the stage or not.

It was great to see They Might Be Giants here in Portland, and of course they played all the hits that you’d expect to hear at this point in their long career. Their set last over an hour and a half, so fans certainly got their money’s worth!

Check out the full exclusive photo gallery from this show here.

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Portland Is A Coastal City. [June 6-12]

By Hilly Town, on June 12th, 2009%

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Before we get into it, might I share with you this late-notice bit of HillyTown housekeeping from the department of live music, or HillyTown Presents. On Saturday, June 20, we’re bringing you Strand Of Oaks, Matt Bauer, and Tin Ceilings with an evening of music at Zero Station. Details here.

  • Our partner-in-pinmaking, Kris, has photos up documenting the Portland Pins manufacturing process and ensuing parties from last weekend. Stop by Eli-Phant to get your own piece of Portland local art history. Check back to learn more about the next phase of the Portland Pins Project soon.
  • This weekend’s musical lineup is looking good – TMBG are the big ticket tonight, but music fans looking for something different, or just in a mellower mood, should definitely hit the Tryst Haunt at SPACE – get all the cozy details at the l’animaux blog. The local label will be unveiling a couple of new releases, some of which I’ve had the pleasure of seeing/hearing, and I assure they are not to be missed. White Light’s “Five Horses” is topping my list for drone jam of the year.
  • Tomorrow night might leave metal fans looking for something to do, since the Ocean show at PCMH got postponed (until the 18th), if they aren’t up for Jucifer they could always join the indie rockers over at SPACE to help Bird In The Rafters celebrate their long-awaited record release.
  • On Sunday, Frontier Ruckus is in town from Michigan for a special show at The White Heart. Check out the promo video.
  • Coast City Comics will have their grand opening tomorrow, Saturday the 13th, from 10am to 10pm.
  • Covered In Bees + Zombies + kickball = awesome. Sunday, June 28. Start decomposing now.
  • Did you get a taste of the 61 ft lobster roll at the Old Port Fest or were you too busy stuffing your face with fried dough like us?

On a personal note, I launched my new photography portfolio site this week. Portland, its people, and its music scene are pretty well-represented.

See you out there, in the sun, hopefully. It is supposed to be summer now, right?

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Tonight, TMBG/PCMH News

By Hilly Town, on April 16th, 2009%

We had a great time tonight, both at the Phoenix awards show and at our own party at Slainte. The big news of the day, however, is that They Might Be Giants are scheduled to appear at the Port City Music Hall on Friday, June 12! This is great news!

More (including photos from tonight) in the morning. I also have a show review and photos from the Ray LaMontagne show this weekend at Merrill Auditorium to post soon.

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