SEPTEMBER 2025 & BEYOND!
HOWDY Y'ALL! Summah ain't ovah til it's ovah (officially, Sept 22nd.) 2 cool shows to round out summah are at LENNY'S in WESTBROOK on THURS, SEPT 11th & at ELEMENTS in BIDDEFORD on FRI, SEPT 19th... & to celebrate the coming of autumn, I'm at the one & only CADENZA in FREEPORT on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18th... all venues fabulous & fitting for a pleasant & interactive musical experience. Lucky ME!
Details, Links & Musings are listed below in this order:
1. TARGET GIGS (Full Details)
2. CURRENT CEREBRAL WANDERINGS
1. TARGET GIGS (Full Details)
THURSDAY / SEPTEMBER 11th / LENNY'S / WESTBROOK ME / 6:30 to 9PM / 207-591-0177... We always have a blast here... The food is awesome & affordable, the staff is wicked fun & really good at what they do... & the list of artists performing here is topnotch. I am honored to be on that list, playing every other month. I hope you'll join us for the fun, the food, the music & the camaraderie! And THANKS for remembering the suggested donation for music is $10 pp in "Phil" the tip basket ("Phil" is short for "fill it up please!") Future dates @ Lenny's: Nov 13 & Dec 4.
FRIDAY / SEPTEMBER 19th / ELEMENTS / BIDDEFORD ME / 6:30 to 8PM / 207-710-2011... LOVE this room... a very intimate concert scene. It's a laid back & comfy space... with beer, wine, coffee, yummy baked goods, small plates, LOTS of books & friendly patrons. In lieu of a cover charge, a donations jar is placed near the stage for your $5 pp suggested donation. Bring your appetites & bring your friends... they'll be impressed you know about this cool spot. Always good to get here early... seating is limited.
SATURDAY / OCTOBER 18th / CADENZA / FREEPORT ME / 7PM / 207-560-5300... (doors at 6:15!) Cadenza has become one of the best listening rooms around. Being part of the LIVE audience here is an intimate & lovely experience.... Plus, they have beer, wine, coffee & other beverages & snacks... also, you can order food from Brickyard Hollow next door & they deliver it to Cadenza! Reservations are strongly encouraged. A word of caution: please don't wait until the last minute, hoping to buy tickets at the door, as the doors may not open... staff needs to be paid before performers & there have been times when low presales dictated that the owners had to cancel or reschedule shows. This hasn't happened to me yet & I hope it never does. This is one of my fave rooms to play, unlike any other... so thanks in advance for reserving your seats ahead of showtime! The ticket link is right here. The livestream Link is here. Donations during the stream (or anytime!) are always greatly appreciated at:
Pay Pal: PayPal.Me/anniclarkmaine or
Venmo: @Anni-Clark
2. CURRENT CEREBRAL WANDERING
"Nobody can accuse me of slacking when it comes to milking every possible moment of summah to full advantage. From start to finish, I have not missed an opportunity to enjoy this short but amazing season in Maine." I said that at the end of July & I'm stickin' to it as I write now, contemplating the coming of fall.
First half of August I was on the road doing many gigs at the senior facilities where I play... lots of shows before I took my annual Moosehead Lake vacation. I was blessed with fabulous weather for almost all of the 10 days I was in the North Woods... so I took advantage of the late great summer days. I lived by the LL Bean mantra "Be an Outsider" for sure. We need rain big time here, but when the sun shines ya gotta get out there!
I've been rereading my 50 year old Appalachian Trail journals daily... smiling at what I did & I where I was exactly 50 years ago each day. With these thoughts in mind, I hit the trail early one fine morning (just outside Monson ME) & climbed a mile on a side link to get back up to a fave spot on the AT in the 100 mile wilderness. The only other times I had enjoyed this view were in 1975 as a ME to GA thru hiker & again in 2013 when I re-hiked the 100 miles south to north with my pal Mark Dissell. When I reached the white blazes, I felt immediately at home, almost giddy... & the gorgeous view from the Barren Ledges was just icing on the cake.
View from The Barren Ledges on the AT, 8/18/25
Looking at Borestone Mtn across Lake Onawa
About 5 minutes after I reached the ledges, a guy popped out from the trail saying "well, good morning!" I told him he was just in time to snap my picture, which he did. His trail name was "Axe" & he was in the final days of his thru hike on the AT. Katahdin was close & he could taste it. Soon, his hiking buddy, trail name "Good Will", popped onto the ledge & the 3 of us shared numerous stories about life on the AT. We compared notes, me, 50 years later, remembering... & these 2 young dudes (from VA & OH) so close to their finish & wound up with excitement, but also that nagging feeling of "how can this be almost over?" It was, for those moments, like I was back on the trail again... I mean, really back out there like my young self. I brought that feeling home with me & I can still feel it. Priceless.
The day after I hiked up to the Barren Ledges, I was blessed with smooth waters on the lake, so I jumped in the kayak for the first time this year. (YIKES!) I paddled lazily for a couple hours... & also, just kinda drifted along letting Moosehead Lake rock my tiny vessel while I watched the breezes ripple the water, making mesmerizing patterns along the surface. I was thinking "how lucky am I? THIS is what vacation is for!"
Paddlin' on Moosehead, lookin' at Mt Kineo, 8/19/25
When I'm upta the lake, I always try to get to the water before sunset. Sometimes I am gifted with a myriad of moody colors... soft pinks, gritty salmon, muted reds, yellow & peach. On this one night, I wasn't the only one watching the beauty of the setting sun...
Sunset Over Moosehead Lake, 8/20/25
(That's a Cormorant on the dock)
The day after that fabulous sunset I was up before sunrise, soon heading to my "Happy Place" on the summit of Big Moose Mountain in Greenville. I never get tired of being the first one up to the top & enjoying this view all by myself for a good long time.
View from Big Moose Mtn, Greenville ME, 8/21/25
And now here comes September... & believe me, the outdoor adventures will continue, along with some pretty tasty gigs as noted above. I have 3 anniversaries to celebrate in the coming weeks... but I'm getting ahead of myself, so I'll save all that for the October letter.
Wherever you are this September, I hope you remember that music & the outdoors are good medicine! I hope to see many of you... at a show, on a trail through the woods, on top of a mountain, on the beach, out dancin' to good tunes or maybe at the grocery store. Thanks for tuning in to my ramblings... your support means more to me than you can know.
Peace,
