HOULTON, Maine — Along with thousands of eclipse aficionados, Electric Bonfire, a midcoast rock ‘n’ roll band, is making the trip north to play in the Unitarian Universalist Eclipse Concert Series slated for the total solar eclipse weekend in Houlton.
“This is our first time playing in Houlton. This will be the furthest north we’ve ever played,” said guitar player and vocalist John Luft, band co-founder. “We’re really looking forward to it. We’re super duper excited to do it.”
Electric Bonfire, the Saturday night, April 6, concert series headliner band, likes to mix it up with mostly original tunes spanning rock n roll, jazz, funk, reggae and spontaneous go for it exploration. And just for fun, they throw in some Pink Floyd, Phish, Grateful Dead and even Roy Orbison covers.
“We like to mix it up and try to make it danceable,” Luft said.
The UU Eclipse Concert Series is one of many large-scale events the church has planned for the Unitarian church’s Eclipse Fair April 5-8.
“Five Concerts in Four Days is our effort to feature music and art during Eclipse ’24 weekend as thousands of people come to Houlton to celebrate the event,” Dave Hutchinson, UU Houlton minister and concert stage manager, said. “The slate of concerts offer a range of musical styles from fingerstyle guitar, roots and blues to psychedelic funk jazz. We hope locals and visitors alike will enjoy music in a live venue.”
Hosting concerts in the historic Unitarian sanctuary is a great opportunity for people to see the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and experience music in an amazing space, he said.
Cutting their musical teeth on the midcoast and beyond, Electric Bonfire’s live shows are something of an underground legend, Loft said.
Based in Lincolnville, their shows are fun, lively and sprinkled with a lot of humor,he said. But their original lyrics touch on some pretty deep stuff, like spiritual connections, exploring our place on the planet and they’ve even got a ballad about Sir Ernest Shakelton’s Antarctic survival expedition.
One original, “The Space Above my Head,” on their first album, “Greetings from the Rubbah Room,” delves into some eclipse metaphysical themes like akashic records.
“If you listen closely, our jams and tunes are vehicles to take you there. The songs can dance you into the free space of joy and out of the mirage, cast reflections of these modern times we are living in,” Luft said.
Other bands and musicians on the weekend bill include New Brunswick instrumental guitarist Ewan Dobson. Dobson won the 2009 Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Competition that got him his first record album with Candyrat Records. Since then he has released 18 albums.
He was a featured guest on two solo records by Marty Friedman of Megadeth fame. A Candyrats video of Dobson’s playing attracted more than 32 million hits.
Dobson, scheduled for noon Sunday, April 7, on the Sanctuary Stage, has toured Europe, Canada, United States and China multiple times.
Rockin’ deep soul blues, country and gospel man Travis James Humphrey, who has played with blues legend B.B. King will play with Boston musician Bertrand Laurance, also at 7 p.m. Sunday on the Sanctuary Stage.
Laurance is new to Houlton and Humphrey who is now in the Portland area, hails from Hodgdon. His father, Tim Humphrey is a member of the local Rock Renaissance band.
Travis Humphrey has released four studio albums, “Yellow Cat Blues” (2002), “Cowgirl Romance” (2006), “Dirty Beautiful World” (2010) and “The Roadhouse Gospel Hour” (2014).
Laurence, who has several performance gigs slated for the four-day eclipse weekend, hopes everyone can put differences aside and come together as one for the three minutes of the eclipse.
On Friday, April 5, Justin Case and Simon Bails will be performing at 7 p.m. on the Coffee House Stage. Monday, April 8, after the eclipse, the concert series will close out with an All Eclipse Musician Jam Session at 7 p.m. in the Coffee House Cafe.
Tickets are $20 for each show.
