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Tiger Bomb, Muck & The Mires, Crunchtime Grace Bayside Bowl, Portland, ME April 14, 2018
Blowfish takes his Bermuda shorts collection, heads south-east, and hits the namesake British Overseas Territory. I grab a black watch cap, head north and hit the even colder than Boston, Portland. I need to have my compass examined.
At Bayside Bowl, local heroes Tiger Bomb do the girls in the garage thing proud. Chris Horne is looking Joey Ramone. She alternates catchy earworms with Linda Mandolyn. Horne and Mandolyn have each other’s backs on the guitar riffage and Horne’s one time through the changes leads. Ditto for the backup ooh's and ahhs. I’m a sucker for Portland any time of year. Buena vistas. It has tons of options for food and drink. Classy, funky and tacky all tangled in fishing nets. It’s a tourist trap with plenty of soul. It's a quick trip with just enough time for dinner and hot rock.
Muck and the Mires - like the song says: "King of the Beat". I’m preaching to the choir, but if these guys only played in town once or twice a year, it would be redlined on all calendars. You never know who will light the Muck fire on a given night. Tonight it’s Pedro. He's wholly unhinged for the full set. Everyone jumps on for the ride. The crowd is twitching. Some crazy bastards even dance. A bunch of Boston regulars made the trip - Mitch, The Q, Donna, Michele, Larry, Susan. Rock and Roll breakfast the next day with the above plus Geets and Chris and some of the Crunchtime boys.
Crunchtime keeps the crowd. They benefit most from the clean, crackling sound. Chris Burke has plenty of room for his short, propulsive solos. Tonight the mix makes his call and response riff-offs with Peter Parcellin jump out onto the floor. "Hipper Than Me" fits this bill. It adds in a sweet bass line and Brett Borgeson's snappy drum, and starts with the smart first line, “I know this girl, she’s a libertine.” Bassist Billy Wig takes a vocal turn on the Modern Lover’s "She’s Cracked". Crunchtime pays their respects to "Sister Serena". They get strangers to dance during the last set. Nice.
We had dinner at Grace. Its location in a repurposed Catholic church just off the main drag is its strongest suit. I look for holy water as I walk through the red door. Space and lighting highlight the ecclesiastic tone. The pew-less floor is taken up with a circular bar under a hanging ceiling that plays with the trefoil stained glass window shapes - in the name of the father, the son and the holy ghost. The altar houses the sacrilegious open kitchen. The mischievous floating line between heaven and earth creates a space that is both vibrant and romantic. The cocktails and food at Grace carry the theme lightly. The English Pea Salad and tequila Old Fashioned, heavenly. The crusted halibut and seared duck breast entree are a bit earthbound for the price.
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