The Weekender, Sept. 14-16: Get it while the getting’s good

In Bangor on Friday, there’s the annual Broadway Rocks showcase, featuring Penobscot Theatre performers doing musical theatre classics, 7 p.m. at the Bangor Arts Exchange; there’s also vinyl night at Nocturnem Drafthaus, Sygnal to Noise at the Sea Dog, and the Tune Squad at Paddy Murphy’s. Up in Orono, the Fremont Street String Band is at Black Bear Brewing, Crystal Radio is at Woodman’s, and the Collins Center for the Arts hosts southern rock band Blackberry Smoke with guests Quaker City Night Hawks. On Saturday, there’s a fundraiser dance party for WERU-FM at the Bangor Arts Exchange, featuring The Right Track, while later in the night, folk band Piedmont is at Nocturnem, the Brad Hutchinson Project is at Paddy’s, the Skyliners Big Band is at the Next Generation Theatre in Brewer, and up in Orono, the Kingston Trio is at the Collins Center.

Photo of Dawes by Jordan Strauss/AP Images

In Portland, on Friday night, acclaimed folk-rock band Dawes is at the State Theatre, sound artist Nat Evans performs his installation piece “Flyover Country” at the Space Gallery, the Blues Prophets and the Blues Kats are at the Portland House of Music, there’s a drag show at Empire, the Maine Middle Eastern Orchestra at One Longfellow Square, and local metal bands Obsidian Tongue, Boghaunter, Hatred Alive and Husere Grav are at Geno’s.

On Saturday, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds close out the season at outdoor venue Thompson’s Point. Elsewhere, the War on the Catwalk tour from RuPaul’s Drag Race queens is at the State Theatre, Jahriffe and the Jah-n-I Roots Band and El Grande are at Empire, the Gary Wittner Quartet plays a record release show at One Longfellow, and No Hugs, the Bumbling Woohas and They Called Me Legion are at Geno’s. On Sunday, Trampled by Turtles are at the State Theatre, and there’s a showcase of Maine bands including Angusisdead, Humbird, Kenduskeag and Yard Dog at the Apohadion Theatre.

An image from a previous CIFF

Heading down to the Midcoast, this weekend brings the 14th annual Camden International Film Festival, featuring a huge, diverse array of feature length and short documentaries, screening Thursday through Sunday at locations throughout Camden, Rockport and Rockland. For info, visit pointsnorth.org/ciff. Elsewhere, on Friday night, singer-songwriter Joe Holt is at the Crosby Center in Belfast, and Cindy Millar and the By the Bay Jazz Trio are at Rock City Coffee in Rockland, while on Saturday, jam band Merther is at Thresher’s Brewing in Searsmont, Celtic-French songwriter Claire Boucher is at Rock City, and 90s cover band Hello Newman is at the Myrtle Street Tavern, also in Rockland.

Artist Marsha Donahue of Millinocket creates a painting of Mt. Katahdin as she waits for U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in June 2017. Photo by John Holyoke.

There are two cool festivals happening this weekend on both ends of the state. Down in Biddeford, the annual River Jam Festival kicks off Friday, with tons of music, food, dance and art, and continues on Saturday, with more of the aforementioned plus performances by Nick Perry’s Brass Tax and Spencer Albee and Zach Jones. Up in Millinocket, the annual Trails End Festival is set for Friday through Sunday, with all kinds of fun stuff happening like a pub crawl, a chili cookoff, a parade, lots of vendors, a Saturday night pub crawl, and lots of music from the likes of Rustic Overtones, the Mallett Brothers Band, the Yellow Sun Wreckers and many more. For a full schedule, visit www.trailsendfestival.org.

In theaters this weekend, the remake of 80s sci-fi classic “The Predator” hits screens, as does semi-true story “White Boy Rick” and the well-received, acidic comedy “A Simple Favor.” On TV, season five of “Bojack Horseman” (one of the best shows on TV that you’re probably not watching) premieres on Friday on Netflix, and just after the weekend, the Primetime Emmy Awards are on Monday.

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.