5 Things To Do This Weekend, Jan. 13-15: Old man winter takes a nap

old man luedecke

1. It’s been a lovely spring week in Maine, hasn’t it? My goodness. But climate change isn’t real, right? On Friday night in beautiful, balmy Bangor, take your pick from either your biweekly edition of vinyl night with DJ Thom at Nocturnem Drafthaus, songbird Stesha Cano at the Sea Dog, the Scolded Dogs at Paddy Murphy’s, or songwriter Everett Dumas at the Bacon Tree in Winterport. On Saturday night, Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Old Man Luedecke (pictured above) plays a show at 8 p.m. at 58 Main, while later that evening, the Mallett Brothers Band play with the Ian Black Band at the Downunder Club at Seasons; Trisha Mason is at Paddy’s, Dave Mello is at Nocturnem, and the Nikki Hunt Band is at the Sea Dog. On Sunday, legendary jazz guitarist Pat Metheny performs at the Collins Center for the Arts.

lebowskirug

2. In Portland Friday night there’s a screening of “The Big Lebowski” accompanying by a trivia and costume contest, starting at 7 p.m. at Port City Music Hall. There’s also a big local band lineup of Crystal Canyon, Tall Horse, North Atlantic, the Great Depression and Rita Fishbone at Urban Farm Fermentory, jam band SKOSH at Portland House of Music, Phutureprimitive, Digital Connection, Dark City Agent and Moses at Empire, and punk rock form the Forz, the Flipsides, Gwynne and the Tonics and DJ Matt Little at Bayside Bowl. Also that evening, the Theater Ensemble of Color presents “The Others,” in a three day run from Friday through Sunday at the Space Gallery. On Saturday, funk band Color Blind is at Portland House of Music, Strange Machines, Harsh Armadillo and Quad are at Empire, and the Solars, Tiger Bomb and Cushing are at Bayside Bowl.

3. Friday night on the Midcoast, rock duo Synesthesia plays at Threshers Brewing in Searsmont, while roots ensemble Willy Off the Pickle Boat plays at Rock City Coffee in Rockland. On Saturday, bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs plays with his band Kentucky Thunder at the Strand Theatre in Rockland, while Hurry Down Sunshine is at Rock City Coffee and songwriter Blake Pattengale is at Rock Harbor Brewing, both in Rockland.

snowcon

4. This weekend brings the ninth year of SnowCon, which each January brings together lovers of tabletop games, role-playing games and more to Bangor’s Cross Insurance Center. The fun kicks off on Friday at Mason’s Brewing Company in Brewer, with the “So You Walk Into a Tavern” trivia and costume party starting at 8 p.m.; and then two full days of games, games, games at the Cross Center; single day tickets are available at the door. For more info, visit SnowCon’s website. 

5. The second annual Bar Harbor Winter Beer Fest is set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Atlantic Brewing Company, featuring craft beer, local food and winter fun like a keg stacking relay, cornhole, live music from local bands and an author talk by Josh Christie, a Maine beer expert. All of the attending craft brewers are from Maine, with most from the Downeast region. Admission is just $20 for unlimited tastings and commemorative glass. Now that’s a deal.

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.