Bryan Bruchman

When The Milkman’s Union were in town to record with and do a short tour alongside Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, I stopped by the studio to make this quick single shot video with frontman Henry Jamison. The track, “Bright and Future,” was recorded during a break on the Lady Lamb project at Let ‘Em In Music with engineer Nadim Issa. Enjoy!

You have two chances to catch The Milkman’s Union in Southern Maine in the coming months: January 7 at Frontier in Brunswick, and Feburary 24 at SPACE in Portland. Look for a new record from the band later this Spring.

Noticing a theme here? On Wednesday, December 15, Lady Lamb and The Milkman’s Union (who have been recording together in Brooklyn) kicked off a brief tour at Union Hall in Park Slope along with their local pals Cuddle Magic. All just a couple days before Brenda hit the borough to play a diy show. The show at Union Hall actually wasn’t our doing at all, despite the fact that there are THREE HillyTown Presents shows coming up at that venue, bringing Maine acts to Brooklyn: Jan. 12 w/ Butcher Boy, Jan. 31 w/ A Severe Joy, and Feb. 22 w/ Great Western Plain. Spread the word and look for more down the road! For now, read on for photos from Aly and the boys.

Photos by Bryan Bruchman.

As promised, we made it out to Littlefield in Brooklyn, NY to catch the last night of a short run of dates shared by Coke Weed (from Bar Harbor), Trummors (new project from a former member of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists), and A>G>E (a project from members of the French Kicks and the Walkmen). All three acts were great and “groove” was definitely a common thread, but we were particularly taken with Coke Weed’s headlining set, full of crafty guitar showmanship, VU-inspired drones, and a fresh take on that world between pop and psych rock. Read on for photos from the night.
Photos by Bryan Bruchman.

Last week, thousands of musicians headed to New York City for the CMJ Music Marathon. For the second year in a row, Portland, Maine got its very own showcase. This year, the Portland Music Foundation brought 7 bands (Spose w/Sly Chi, Sunset Hearts, The Milkman’s Union, Billy Libby, Kurt Baker, the Mallett Brothers Band, and the Toughcats) to play at Sullivan Hall on Thursday, October 20. Read on below for a full gallery featuring all of these acts. It was an incredible night and we were glad to be a part of it.
All photos by Bryan Bruchman.
In addition to this showcase, I was also shooting some shows for BrooklynVegan and throwing a free party

It’s that time again! Last year we threw a day party and coordinated the official Portland, ME showcase during the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC. It was all so much fun that we couldn’t resist getting in on the action again.

We’ll start with the free party (what better way, right?). Wednesday night, October 19, in the upstairs lounge at Pianos, we’re teaming up with our friends Battering Room and I Rock I Roll for a new effort called WHAT BLOG?! This show is going to be so good, it got its own website (check there for details and updates). Portland band Mango Floss make their third appearance on one of our shows, as they join 6 other acts (including Weird Children, who recently played the HillyTown-curated Picnic Music & Arts Festival) for a night of excellent music with no cover charge or festival badge necessary. You can RSVP on Facebook if you want, but it’s not required for this free, open-to-the-public, first-come-first-serve party!

As you (hopefully) have heard by now, the Portland Music Foundation is taking up the reigns on the official showcase action, landing a stacked bill for Thursday, October 20 at Sullivan Hall to showcase some of Portland’s best acts, including the likes of Sunset Hearts, The Milkman’s Union, Billy Libby, and more – get the full details here, and we’ll see you in NYC in a couple of weeks!

For those who won’t be in town for these two shows (and, you know, the tons and tons of others we’re going to attempt to make it to), you can watch the Thursday night showcase live from the comfort of Bayside Bowl!

One of the first acts to really land on our radar at HillyTown and make a big impact was Lady Lamb The Beekeeper. It’s been a couple years now since that first show we caught at Slainte, and Aly Spaltro has since toured extensively, gotten amazing press, and moved to Brooklyn. This week, I also happened to move to Brooklyn, and just a couple days later got word that more Portland friends – The Milkman’s Union – would be heading this way to do a special recording session with Lady Lamb. As it turns out, the studio happened to be around the corner from my new apartment and run by my friend Nadim Issa, so of course I had to stop by. Check out the photos below and keep an eye on the blog Brooklyn Based for when they release the very cool track that came from that session. Aly and the TMU boys were joined by Andrew Futral (Field Mouse/The Age of Rockets) for the session.

For those of you in Portland, don’t miss Lady Lamb The Beekeeper’s big show tomorrow, Saturday 9/24, at SPACE Gallery with Astronautalis (who we are big fans of as well). It’s her first show back after almost a year and sure to be huge.
Photos by Bryan Bruchman.

There isn’t much I can say to express the overwhelming fun of this show. I may have downplayed the significance of it being my last night in town leading up to the show, but the all-out-party that the evening brought was a perfectly fitting end to 3 years of living in Portland and working at SPACE Gallery. Thanks to o’death, Butcher Boy, and Splendora Cölt and everybody who came out on a Sunday night to go a little crazy together. It was great to spend the night among so many friends. Read on for photos.
Photos by Andrew Foster and Bryan Bruchman.

o’death just wrapped up a tour, but they’ll play again in Brooklyn, NY with former Portlander Lady Lamb The Beekeeper opening on Saturday, October 8th at The Bell House. Get tickets here.

This is a big weekend for parties with “o” bands at SPACE Gallery. Tomorrow there’s SPACE co-founder Jon Courtney’s birthday celebration with Oneida and Company, and then on Sunday it’s a HillyTown shindig (which the Free Press recommends) featuring o’death, with Butcher Boy and Splendora Colt (read a PPH article on the band here) opening. We couldn’t be more excited to be presenting this show, and as you may know, it’ll also be my going away party as I leave Portland next week (to answer your question, yes, HillyTown will continue, details to come)! Check out these videos and get psyched, and I hope to see you this weekend. Get tickets for the HillyTown Presents show here.

Last night was one of the more fun shows I’ve shot in Portland. From the fun disco funk dance party of openers Midnight Magic, to the blissed-out synth-and-sample-heavy chillwave of Washed Out, to the face-melting dance jams (with a refreshingly hefty amount of noise guitar work) of Cut/Copy, this was an incredible show at the State Theatre. Read on for the massive photo gallery featuring all three bands.

Photos by Bryan Bruchman.