Tonight! Building of Song Festival Fundraiser

We are hosting a Building of Song Festival Fundraiser tonight (10 pm) at Slainte. Come down for performances by Meghan Yates, D Gross, Jakob Battick, Jesse Pilgrim, Don Dumont, Town Founder, and more! Many of the performers will also be covering songs by Leonard Cohen, the spiritual godfather of the Tower of Song/Building of Song Project. Admission is by donation and goes to supporting the performers at the Building of Song Festival.

News Update: Building of Song

Check out this great article about Saturday's Building of Song Festival in the Portland Daily Sun.

Also take a listen to this podcast recorded on last week's Liberation by Sound. DJ Roy interviewed Alicia and me (Will) about the Festival, and our effort to raise money to pay the performers.

After you are done listening, please send us a donation through Kickstarter! We have 3 days left to raise $265.

Meet the Vendors: We Are X

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. We now present We Are X:



We are thrilled to welcome We Are X to the Building of Song Festival. The fashion and design collaborative recently opened a store front in the Eastland Hotel, and we hope the Festival helps bring attention to their incredible space. They offer tintypes, unique reconstructed clothing, and hand pounded copper jewelry. But you really need to see their creations to grasp how awesome they are - so come down to the Festival and discover some truly innovative art.

We Are X

Meet the Vendors: Robyn Wiley

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. We now present Robyn Wiley:



Robin is both an artist and a practitioner of Usui Reiki, a healing discipline. Her collage work, which will be on display at the Building of Song Festival, reflects a sense of unity and spirituality. Her pieces mix photography and text to present inspirational messages.

Meet the Vendors: Janz Jewels

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. We now present Janz Jewels:



Janet of Janz Jewels first started bending wire and soldering over 30 years ago, but other commitments forced her to put the hobby on hold. Luckily for us, she rediscovered her passion for making jewelry and has created an impressive collection of one-of-a-kind pieces. Janet primarily uses sterling silver in her designs, but also likes to use bronze and copper. Whatever the materials, her pieces are all elegant creations. As a Maine artist, she also sells only the pieces of seaglass she finds on the beautiful, sandy beaches of Maine. Come down to the Building of Song Festival and see what you find.

Janz Jewels

Meet the Vendors: CherryBelleDesigns

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. We now present CherryBelleDesigns:



Twin sisters from Portland, Maine create fabulous retro-inspired cardigans. These upcycled second hand sweaters are lovingly decorated in designs from ranging from sweet and feminine to Goth! Be sure to pick one up for the Festival - perfect for breezy summer night spent listening to the Lucid!


CherryBelleDesigns

Support Local Music

The Building of Song Festival is Saturday, July 3rd. On that day you'll be able to hear performances by some of Portland's finest musical talents, and all for Free! But we also want to help get these bands paid, so please consider donating to the Building of Song Kickstarter fund. We need to raise $700 by noon on July 3rd or we receive nothing! Even $5 helps, but $25 will get you a t-shirt! Donate now!

Meet the Vendors: DAM Fine Art

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. We now present DAM Fine Art:



DAM stands for David A. Marshall, one of the most passionate champions of art in our community. Whether portraiture, still life, figure, or landscape, David's paintings are all strong in composition, color, form, and perspective. Portland is a frequent subject of his paintings, and he always brings a unique vibrancy to even the most familiar sights. Dave is also the first professional artist elected as a Portland City Councilor, and he works tirelessly to promote our City's creative energy. We are honored to host DAM Fine Art at the Building of Song Festival.


DAM Fine Art

Meet the Vendors: Aura Ever

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. We now present Aura Ever:



Aura Ever is an eclectic artist who creates and designs everything from to jewelry, to pillows, to purses, to paintings. All of these various wonderful expressions will be on sale at the Building of Song Festival. Aura Ever also demonstrates great diversity within mediums, creating paintings and illustrations that also incorporate textile design and collage work. To make her deco throw pillows and fantasy purses unique and one of a kind, Aura applies one of her illustrations onto each side and sews it into the pattern. Be sure to check out her fantastical work at this year's Building of Song Festival.

Aura Ever

Meet the Vendors: The Last Domino

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. We now present The Last Domino:



Jocelyn Kahn, a jewelry maker with a fresh perspective, is the creative force behind The Last Domino. Jocelyn makes handmade jewelry and pendants from recycled game pieces like dominoes, rummy-o’s, bingo markers, and scrabble tiles. At the Festival, Jocelyn will be joined by her friend and fellow jewelry maker, Monica, who makes handcrafted sterling silver and gold-filled findings. Check out her work below.



The Last Domino

Eternal Otter Records nominated for Entreverge Award

Eternal Otter Records is proud to be nominated for an entreverge award by Propel Portland. Propel is affiliated with the Portland Regional Chamber and is made up of young professional living and working in our City. Entreverge is a business recognition and support program that leverages the leadership of greater Portland’s economic community to build supportive relationships. Entreverge acknowledges local business which exhibit a scalable vision for the future and a long-term commitment to the people, place and prosperity of Maine.

We are honored to be among the nominees, which include such great businesses as Greener Postures, Local Sprouts, MADGirl, North Star Music Cafe, Ponoma, and the Acadia Sessions.

We'll be at tonight's Award Ceremony being held at Port City Music Hall. See you there!

Meet the Vendors: Art By Abbeth

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. We now present Art by Abbeth:



Abbeth will be selling cards, posters, small framed originals, and coloring books of her work. The work is surreal, subconscious, and strange. It is edgy yet playful. Abbeth uses a variety of mediums to create these pieces. She believes that art should be for everyone, and that philosophy fits perfectly with the Building of Song's free celebration of music and creative expression. So, come down to Congress Square on July 3rd and check out Abbeth's collection of surreal (and affordable) creations.

Art by Abbeth

Meet the Vendors: Lofted Designs

The Building of Song Festival is taking place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. Besides an absolutely incredible Line-up of musicians, the Festival will also feature an Arts Fair in Congress Square Park. We'll be profiling each of the Art Vendors every weekday between now and the Festival. Up first, Lofted Designs:



Lori Dennis is the smiling face behind Lofted Designs, home to her inspired handcrafted jewelry and pet accessories. Lori Dennis was one of our vendors at last year's Tower of Song Festival, and we are thrilled to have her back. Most of her jewelry is crafted from natural materials, including seaglass and wood, but she also enjoys recycling vintage items (especially buttons). As the proud owner of two adorable dogs, Lori also makes an assortment of cute and humorous dog tags. Check out Lofted Designs here, and be sure to come meet Lori on Saturday, July 3rd at the Building of Song Festival - bring your dog.

Train Show Tickets Now On Sale!

Eternal Otter Records will be releasing their 2nd vinyl single series, Mystic Chords of Memory, on Saturday July 10th. We will be hosting a release show at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum to celebrate!

The event begins at 5 pm and will end around 6:30 pm. The show starts with Jesse Pilgrim & the Bonfire playing inside the museum. The audience will then board a fully operational train and roll down the tracks to the Eastern Promenade, while Sam James and D Gross perform on board. When the train rolls back into the station, the audience will be greeted by Portland's premiere nostalgia act, Over A Cardboard Sea.

Tickets are on sale now at Portland's Bull Moose Records and online right here (tickets ordered online will be held at will call). Space is extremely limited to this show - so order your tickets now! It's only $10 for the ride of a lifetime!

Also, be sure to save some extra cash for one (or all) of the 3 vinyl singles being released that day:

-Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure b/w What Comes Ashore / Lead Me Down by Jesse Pilgrim and the Bonfire
-First Train by D Gross b/w George, the One Man Carnival by Samuel James
-Down In the Subway b/w Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? by Over A Cardboard Sea

Congratulations to Samuel James and Dead Man's Clothes

Last night at the Portland Phoenix Music Awards, Samuel James took home an award for Best R&B/Soul/Blues Act and Dead Man's Clothes won for Best New Act.

Both these artists will be playing at the Building of Song Festival on Saturday, July 3rd in Congress Square. You can donate to them (and the rest of the spectacular line-up) at Kickstarter - show your appreciation for Portland's awesome talent!

Samuel James will also be releasing a split 7" vinyl singles with D Gross (a runner-up for Best Roots Act) through Eternal Otter Records on July 10th. The single is part of the new "Mystic Chords of Memory" vinyl collection and also includes singles by Jesse Pilgrim & the Bonfire and Over A Cardboard Sea. More details about that release show very, very soon!

In the meantime, both Samuel James and Dead Man's Clothes have great shows coming up this Saturday. Samuel James will be playing at One Longfellow Square's summer solstice show, and will be accompanied by belly dancers. Dead Man's Clothes will be playing the inaugural show at Portland's new bowling alley, Bayside Bowls, as part of the Marie Stella CD release show.

Phoenix Music Awards Tonight

The Portland Phoenix is hosting their annual Music Awards tonight at Asylum. A number of acts associated with Eternal Otter Records are up for awards, including Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (Best Local Act, Best Indie Act, Best Vocalist, Best Live Act), Samuel James (Best Local Act, Best Blues Act), D Gross (Best Roots Act), Jesse Pilgrim (Best Folk Act), and Dead Man's Clothes (Best New Act). Wish them luck. Lady Lamb the Beekeeper will also be performing at the show, along with Brenda, and Holy Boys Danger Club.

If you are out on the town, you might also see our new posters for the Building of Song Festival (July 3rd). You might also see them at Baxter State Park's Chimney Pond and at the peak of Katahdin.

Donate to the Building of Song Festival Performers through Kickstarter!

Want to donate to the Building of Song Festival, but would rather see your money go to the musicians than pay for the park permit and promotion costs? Well, now you can donate directly to the performers through Kickstarter. And you still get a cool Building of Song T-Shirt for donations of $25 or more. All money raised through Kickstarter will go to the musicians (and to paying off the costs of the T-shirts and other donation rewards).

Kickstarter works a little differently than regular donation sites. If we raise our goal of $700 by July 3rd, everything is good and we keep the money we raised. But if we don't reach our goal by our deadline, than none of our donors are charged and our performers don't get paid. But let's not have that happen!

Donate at Kickstarter now! And if you really want to help, donate to us at Eternal Otter Records here, so we don't go broke paying for all our permits, posters, and publicity. The event is free, so we got to make money somehow!

The Building of Song Festival is Saturday, July 3rd in Portland's Congress Square and features this amazing line-up of musicians:

The Lucid
Town Founder
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
Over A Cardboard Sea
Samuel James
Jesse Pilgrim
Dead Man's Clothes
Uke of Spaces Corners
Meghan Yates & the Reverie Machine

There will also be an awesome Arts Fair in Congress Square during the Festival. Be there!

Building of Song T-Shirts Now Available!

The Building of Song T-Shirts are now available from Eternal Otter Records. The shirts were designed by Kris Johnsen of Emblem Studios and printed by the Tristan Gallagher at the Fun Box Monster Emporium. These guys are great, so check out their businesses and Buy Local!

You can get a T-shirt mailed to you now by donating $25 to the Building of Song Festival here.

Mens Tees are white with Red collars. Womens tees are Sun color.

The Building of Song Festival is Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm.

Building of Song Festival - Line-Up Announcement

The Building of Song of Song Festival will take place Saturday, July 3rd from noon to 8 pm. The event will pick up from where last year's Tower of Song Festival left off, with an Arts Fair in Congress Square and live music throughout the day. Performances will take place both in Congress Square and 5-stories above the street from the State Theatre Building. The Festival is free and open to the public. Check out the Festival's incredible line-up:

Noon - 12:30: Meghan Yates & the Reverie Machine
12:35 - 1:05: Uke of Spaces Corners
1:10 - 1:55: Dead Man's Clothes

1:55 - 2:40: Break

2:40 - 3:10: Jesse Pilgrim
3:15 - 3:45: Samuel James
3:50 - 4:35: Over A Cardboard Sea

4:35- 5:20: Break

5:20 - 6:05: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
6:10 - 6:55: Town Founder
7:00 - 8:00: The Lucid

More information about the Festival can be found here, including donation links, and information on how to apply to be an arts vendor (we still have just a handful of spots left).

Check out this video of Samuel James and Chriss Sutherland playing live from last year's Tower of Song Festival. Video by [dog] and [pony], Portand's best filmmakers.