{"id":12488,"date":"2017-02-09T14:24:45","date_gmt":"2017-02-09T19:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=12488"},"modified":"2017-02-10T11:33:22","modified_gmt":"2017-02-10T16:33:22","slug":"cover-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/cover-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Cover Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

February\/March 2017 | view this story as a .pdf
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

\"FM17-After-Dark\"

Photo by Tom Couture<\/p><\/div>\n

They say imitation is the sincerest<\/strong> form of flattery<\/strong>. <\/span>These Maine musicians<\/strong> channel icons for their day jobs. <\/span><\/h3>\n

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell hit us where we live when they sang \u201cAin\u2019t Nothing Like the Real Thing\u201d back in 1968. From butter to Coca-Cola, we get it. But here in Portland, there\u2019s no denying the tribute and cover band scene can draw a crowd. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Artist Formerly Known As\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On April 21, 2016, Dean Ford<\/strong> awoke to condolences. \u201cI was asleep, but my phone kept ringing and ringing. I finally answered, and it was a TV reporter asking me to come in to talk about Prince<\/strong>. I asked her why, and that\u2019s when I found out.\u201d Prince, the artist Ford has echoed on Portland\u2019s stages for many years, had died. In just a few days, Ford and his Prince tribute band, The Beautiful Ones<\/strong>, were expected to perform in Bangor and Portsmouth. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to ride the coattails of someone who\u2019d just died,\u201d Ford says. \u201cBut everyone kept saying, \u2018People are going to need something.\u2019\u201d Ford took the gigs, even scheduling a last-minute show at Port City Music Hall<\/strong>, an emotional performance for local Prince fans. \u201cI\u2019d never looked out into a crowd before to see one person crying while another was laughing and dancing.\u201d It was a performance larger than himself, larger than a tribute. \u201cIt felt like a wake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So what draws fans year after year to see The Beautiful Ones\u2019 Halloween show, \u201cPurple Brainz<\/strong>?\u201d For starters, Ford doesn\u2019t consider himself a Prince \u201cimpersonator.\u201d When Ford performs, he gives it everything\u2013unlike, he says, many of the Prince tributes he\u2019s seen come to the stage in the past year. \u201cThey pop up everywhere. And it\u2019s lit a fire under me, because they\u2019re all awful. They throw on a wig, throw on the jacket, and half-ass their way through the music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible that the striking physical similarities between Ford and \u201cthe Purple One,\u201d on top of performances with Prince\u2019s own keyboard player, Dr. Fink, have boosted Ford\u2019s confidence along the way. But this isn\u2019t just a hobby\u2013this is his livelihood. The art of imitation doesn\u2019t come without its concerns, however. \u201cI\u2019ve asked myself, do I want to have a career as another person? When I perform, I don\u2019t perform as myself at all, and I\u2019ve wondered if I\u2019m going to lose myself.\u201d Because just rendering a song doesn\u2019t lift a crowd. It takes something more, and Ford has it. \u201cThen again, I get to go on stage, I see people having the time of their life, and it fills me with happiness. I could play \u2018Brown Eyed Girl\u2019 for the rest of my life and be happy. But I\u2019ll never, ever play \u2018Wagon Wheel.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual events like Purple Brainz<\/strong>, Beatles Night<\/strong> at State Theater<\/strong>, Tribute to Stevie Wonder with Kenya Hall & Friends<\/strong>, and the regularly scheduled Tribute 2<\/strong> shows at Empire<\/strong> have become driving highlights of the city\u2019s event calendar. Lucas Salisbury<\/strong>, Empire\u2019s events manager, says the hype is all down to familiarity. \u201cPeople like to sing along.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Comeback<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Following a long absence, The Clash of the Titans, a live series in which musicians compete while channeling their favorite bands, returns to Empire on February 15. \u201cThe community really missed it,\u201d says Lucas. \u201cA lot of local bands developed out of the Clash shows. They bring musicians together and ignite original projects.\u201d Through June this year, music-lovers can hear some of their favorite Portland musicians, along with new performers, for just $6. \u201cIt was common to hear The Clash was cliquey,\u201d says Salisbury. \u201cSo going forward, we\u2019re going to reach new talent and revitalize it.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Spencer Albee<\/strong>, creator of The Clash and Beatles Night, knows the reason behind The Clash\u2019s success. \u201cTop-notch musicians\u201d have a blast playing on a night \u201cthey\u2019d otherwise be at Ruski\u2019s or on tour.\u201d According to Albee, The Clash is unlike other cover nights \u201cthat use karaoke tracks\u201d and \u201cschedule their cover bands on the weekend when original bands are trying to draw a crowd.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This season, among the new faces, look for appearances from your favorite former-Empire musicians. Rene\u00e9 Coolbrith<\/strong> will take to the stage as Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine<\/strong> in April, and Colleen Clark<\/strong> will perform as Fiona Apple<\/strong> in May and as Miley Cyrus <\/strong>in June. <\/span><\/p>\n

Phit for a Tribute<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

While Clash of the Titans embraces everything from hip-hop to pop, there are some bands that just seem to speak to New England. Pardon Me, Doug<\/strong> formed in 2012 after Benjamin St. Clair, Kevin Roper, Chris Chasse, and Cameron Gray found themselves intrigued by the music of the Vermont jam band Phish<\/strong>. \u201cEvery city has a [Grateful] Dead cover band,\u201d says St. Clair. (And Portland is no exception\u2013The Maine Dead Project <\/strong>plays regular shows in the city). So St. Clair and Roper decided to test their talents with the complex songs of Phish. Phish has been a Maine favorite since the days playing at the Tree House Caf\u00e9 <\/strong>[now Zen Chinese Bistro<\/strong>], so Pardon Me, Doug didn\u2019t just stumble on any old fan base. Phish fans are \u201cfamily with a \u2018ph,\u2019\u201d Roper says. <\/span><\/p>\n

Matt Kennedy, who first saw Pardon Me, Doug at Clash of the Titans, has been listening to Phish since high school. He\u2019s even been to 33 of their live shows. Now, Kennedy is trying to see every Pardon Me, Doug performance he can. \u201cEvery time Pardon Me, Doug plays a show, it\u2019s like a mini-reunion for all the local \u2018phans,\u2019\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

St. Clair and Roper admit they never set out to be the<\/em> Phish tribute band, but when you\u2019re featured in an Oregon State University online course entitled, \u201cThe Philosophy School of Phish,\u201d you must be tributing the right way. On May 5 at Portland House of Music and Events<\/strong>, Pardon Me, Doug will celebrate its 100th public show, and they\u2019re promising a big one. Maybe, just maybe, the show will attract a special guest? Remember, there ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 like the real thing, baby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jon Fishman<\/strong>, Phish\u2019s drummer and Lincolnville resident, says that Pardon Me, Doug is the ultimate compliment. Asked if he\u2019d ever consider sitting in with the band, Jon says \u201che might\u201d but that the chances of \u201crunning into them at a gig are slim.\u201d I guess being in a band, running the Lincolnville General Store with your wife, and raising five kids can keep you busy. When he\u2019s not on the road, Jon doesn\u2019t get out much, preferring to hang out at home. \u201cMaine is where my instruments live, but I like the woods, the space, the silence, and lack of traffic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February\/March 2017
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