Portland, Maine is a popular seafood cove. It's known for it's fantastic lobster, scallops and other sea delicacies, but the seafood isn't the only attractive feature Portland has to offer. Portland, Maine has a budding folk music scene that has nurtured several artists.
In a time when folk has been deemed dead, the city has held onto its Maine roots and preserved their folk ancestry, and become a haven for talent. "Portland is a great place to nurture, it's a womb to grow as an artist," said Billy Libby, an indie folk Portland artist who recently moved to Brooklyn. Libby just released his debut LP, entitled Pitter Patter which features his indie lullaby sounds.
Folk rock stars dress in Goodwill suits and wear sweaters that their moms got them for Christmas. The focus isn't on the glitz or the glamour, but the music, instead. "We're all about trying to reach people, not necessarily the top 40 charts," said the lead singer of The Milkman's Union. The Milkman's Union is also part of Portland, Maine's budding sphere of talented singer and songwriters. "A lot of artists have a desire to be popular, and unintentionally water down their music," he said. "We do it for the love of the music."
Compared to larger more metropolitan areas, smaller towns across the nation have musicians with passion and desire, equivalent to NYC and LA. "In Maine, we do it because we love it. It's a small town, and it's harder to get people out," said Sam Pfeifle, secretary and co-founder of the Portland Music Foundation. "You can't make someone like your music."