The All Roads Music Festival has been an annual event every May in Belfast for a decade. This time around, it’s happening in Portland on a much bigger scale with national and local acts performing at nine venues on May 15-16.
The Belfast version of the festival has been moved to October, and will continue focusing on mostly local acts.
Some of the bigger names performing in Portland are Mon Rovîa, The Beaches, Momma and Bahamas. The list features others from Maine and around the country, including Oshima Brothers, Angelikah Fahray, Genevieve Stokes, Thelma and the Sleaze, Sister Ray and Savoir Faire.
Festival co-founder Meg Shorette said she and her team have been thinking about bringing the festival to Portland for a couple of years. All Roads in Belfast has never been a moneymaker, though they are committed to producing a festival featuring a wide range of Maine acts.
Shorette shared booking duties with Lauren Wayne from the State Theatre, who handled the bigger acts.
Here’s a festival breakdown:
FRIDAY
Day One of the All Roads Music Festival kicks off at 7 p.m.
Portland’s Oshima Brothers take the stage at 7 p.m. at the State Theatre .At the same time, so does what’s being described as a “mystery guest” at Geno’s Rock Club a few doors down. If you stay at Geno’s, you’ll hear Boston rock band Fai Laci at 8 p.m.
Back at the State, the Oshima Brothers are followed by a performance by Palaver Strings featuring Vuyo Sotashe and Chris Pattishall, followed by headliner Mon Rovîa at 9:15 p.m.
Meanwhile at Oxbow Live (49 Washington Ave.), Portland-based alternative rock band Small Pond plays at 8:30 p.m., followed by New York Woods , a folk rock band from Brooklyn, at 10 p.m.
SATURDAY
There are two panel talks at Mechanics’ Hall (519 Congress St.).
Musicians Roundtable starts at 1:30 p.m., where panelists Sarah Fard (Savoir Faire), Becca Biggs, Louisa Stancioff and Sean Oshima will discuss what it’s like to work in the modern music industry, including navigating streaming platforms, using social media, touring, branding, mental health and more. The conversation will be moderated by Ryan Peters (Spose).
At 3 p.m. the State of the Maine Music Scene features panelists Dan Kruglak (Oxbow Live), Scott Mohler (Maine Music Alliance), Peter McLaughlin (Space), Meg Shorette (Live at Madrid’s) and Katie Smith (Mechanics’ Hall) with moderator Hayley-Smith Rose.
The rest of the day is packed with shows spread across One Longfellow Square (181 State St.), Space (538 Congress St.), State Theatre (609 Congress St.), Portland House of Music (25 Temple St.), Oxbow Live (49 Washington Ave.), Blue (650 Congress St.), Geno’s Rock Club (625 Congress St.) and Flask (117 Spring St).
Performances start at 2 p.m. with Jaylen White at One Longfellow Square.
It’s a choose-your-own-adventure with a total of 36 shows to choose from. With a festival pass, you can move freely in and out of all of the shows, provided they’re not at capacity.
We suggest a mix of bands you already know and love, interspersed with some new musical discoveries. You can’t catch every performance (unless you run really fast and are willing to only see a few minutes of each one) so do yourself a favor: Let go of FOMO and be present for everything you do see. Plus, you might discover some new favorite bands to obsess over. It’s a win-win.
Here are five acts that we’re especially excited about.
Mon Rovîa
9:15 p.m. Friday at the State Theatre
Mon Rovîa is Afro Appalachian singer-songwriter Janjay Lowe who was born in Monrovia, Liberia. As a child, he was adopted as a refugee by American missionaries and grew up in the U.S. His upbeat music traces some of his experiences, and notable tracks include “Crooked the Road” and “Heavy Foot.”
4:30 p.m. Saturday at One Longfellow Square
Midcoast-based singer-songwriter Becca Biggs released “The Comfort of Chaos” last fall. Full of twangy bangers like “Anger,” “Burden” and“Painting the Roses Red,” the album is a no-skips treasure trove that was recorded on analog tape at Prism Analog in Portland.
Biggs has something to say, and does so with fiery country and Americana-tinged songs that likely will slay live.
4:15 p.m. at Space
Savoir Faire is the musical project of Boston-based jazz singer-songwriter and guitarist Sarah Fard. With a retro sound reflected in a blend of covers like Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” and plenty of originals, Savoir-Faire is not to be missed.
Last year’s album “Hopeless Nostalgic” features hypnotic tunes like “Curtains Up,” “Spectre” and “Machine With a Dream.”
8 p.m. Saturday at the State Theatre
Indie rock band Momma was formed more than a decade ago by childhood friends Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Momma has released four albums, most recently “Welcome to My Blue Sky.” With a dreamy, ethereal sound that’s also at times fuzzy and rocking, the album’s got ’90s era indie rock trappings that translate into a satisfying modern offering with songs like “Sincerely,” “Rodeo” and “I Want You (Fever).” Also, don’t sleep on the band Momma is opening for. Canada’s all-female rock band The Beaches are going to blow the roof off the building with tunes like “Blame Brett,” “Last Girls at The Party” and hopefully their phenomenal cover of the Flock of Seagulls ’80s hit “I Ran (So Far Away)”.
11:30 p.m. Saturday. Geno’s Rock Club
You’ve got to love the sassy, clever band name. Thelma and the Sleaze is a Nashville-based queer southern rock band led by lead singer and guitarist Lauren “LG” Gilbert. Five albums and a bunch of singles have been released since 2012. With spicy, fiery songs about sex, love and rebellion, this will likely be one of the most memorable sets of the festival.
$60 Friday night pass, $90 Saturday pass, with discount codes available for those experiencing financial limitations (Email [email protected] for details). Several other options available including Discovery passes for Saturday (access to all venues expect State Theatre) and Venue passes (good for one specific venue only). Go to allroadsmusicfest.com for complete details.
Passes can be purchased without fees in person at the State Theatre box office on Fridays from 10 a.m. -5 p.m. and one hour before any State Theatre show. Pass pickup is at the State Theatre box office at 609 Congress St. in Portland.