15 March 2019

David Mallett

Marina Evans opens

On Friday March 15, the me&thee welcomes David Mallett, one of the “most memorable Mainers” of all time, to its stage. According to folk music critic Scott Alarik, Mallett is “always compelling, always musical . . . there is something about his phrasing that lends an urgency and boldness to his song. His deep, clear voice has a storyteller’s naturalness to it, a poet’s intelligence.” ¶ Local favorites Marina Evans and Bernardo Baglioni open the show at 8:00 p.m.

Concert starts at 8:00 pm

David Mallett

The cool breezes of Maine’s northlands have flowed through the songs of David Mallett for over four decades. In addition to being featured on his fourteen albums, Mallett’s pen has provided material for an eclectic list of artists that includes Pete Seeger, Alison Kraus, Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea, John Denver, and the Muppets. His tune “The Garden Song,” is one of America’s most popular folk songs, having been recorded more than 150 times and sung around the world. He has toured consistently in folk clubs, concert halls and festivals for thirty years.

A turning point in David Mallett’s career came in 1975, after he discovered that Noel Paul Stookey, of Peter, Paul and Mary, had moved to Blue Hill, Maine and was opening a recording studio. Within six months of their initial meeting, Mallett found a true mentor in Stookey. In addition to producing Mallett’s first three albums, Stookey helped to bring his songs to a national audience. Moving to Nashville in the early 1990s, Mallett continued to record and write new songs. “I did a little bit of everything,” he said, “wrote a lot of tunes, made some good records, got to know a lot of singers and played with some wonderful musicians like Roy Huskey, probably the most respected acoustic bass player in America, and drummer Kenny Malone. All in all, I think I learned how to make records better.”

Since returning to Maine in 1997, Mallett has continued to tour nationally and has written and recorded many CDs. He also successfully explored the spoken word realm with his 2007 release, The Fable True, a collection of Henry David Thoreau’s stories about his visits to Maine in the mid-1800s, with an instrumental soundtrack. Mallett’s latest, Horse I Rode In On, is a collection of classic country and folk songs that he gives a fresh treatment.

. . .

Marina Evans

Marina Evans combines strong, sultry vocals, unusual melodies, and raw, honest lyrics into a sound entirely her own. Since her start in her hometown of Rockport, Massachusetts, Marina has independently written and released three original EPs and two full-length CDs, Unbound and Tide & Stars. Marina will be joined by her husband, Bernardo Baglioni for this show. They perform a blend of folk, Americana, and gritty blues that they’ve refined over many years on the road, the stage, from Italy to California and just about everywhere.

Photo by Roberts Orlando

  • David Mallett is the best folk singer alive in America today. Dan McCullough, Cape Cod Times
  • Mallett is a first rate folk singer and writer. His portraits and townscapes are camera sharp, and his knowledge of his subjects is profound. Ed Morris, Billboard
  • When I returned to my appreciation of folk music some ten years ago, it was an intense performance by Dave Mallett at the New Harmony series that convinced me what a single human with an acoustic guitar could do. I haven’t been the same since. Ed McKeon, New Britain Herald
  • Folk poet Dave Mallett continues to write thoughtful, potent songs about changing America — small town Main Street, relationships disintegrated or strengthened by distance and fast-moving times, the vast chasm between this nation’s poverty and wealth. Allana Nash, Stereo Review
  • . . .
  • I love that artists like Marina Evans use their talents to share a message that will help to promote, shape and inspire listeners to create social change. This message about the dark days of our past helps us to prepare for the future. Libro Musica
  • She creates as much dramatic feeling as two gunslingers approaching each other with hands over holsters. Bill Copeland Music News

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