There’s so much exciting live music happening this week, it was hard to narrow down to just four, but we think you’ll be excited about our choices. Coming up this week is a headliner that blew up from the literal underbelly of the streets, a chance to dance your way towards giving back, an exciting return from some of Portland’s favorite alt-rockers, and more holiday cheer to partake in!
Don’t forget, you can always check out our Live Music Tonight calendar for the full list of live music in Portland.
THE HEADLINER
If you’re looking to experience a true musical success story, get to Portland House of Music & Events this Wednesday, December 7th. New York-based Moon Hooch will be there putting on a horn section display you have to see to believe.
Getting their start in the literal underbelly of America – New York City subway stations – it didn’t take long for them to make waves on YouTube, and for the NYPD to take notice, and begin restricting which stations they were actually allowed to perform at, due to the crowds they would attract. In a few short years, they were opening for bands like They Must Be Giants, Lotus and more, while selling out their own international headlining shows at various venues.
Moon Hooch is a trio made up of two saxophonists and a touring drummer, that got their roots in jazz, before moving on to a wild, high-energy dance-centric genre of their own.
Get your tickets for this 8:00PM show, and experience what will be an incredibly energetic brass section. Can’t make it Wednesday? They’ll be back at PHOME to play another 8:00PM show on Thursday, December 8th!
LIVE & LOCAL
Get your funk on and support local winter sports at the same time this Saturday, December 10th at Oxbow Blending & Bottling! Central Maine-based, funktastic four-piece Skosh will be performing a benefit show, with all ticket proceeds going to Granite Backcountry Alliance, a New Hampshire and Western Maine-based group aimed at providing backcountry skiing and riding through the creation and maintenance of off-piste trails.
If you’ve ever seen Skosh, you know that these Mainers know how to have a good time, and will put on a show worth every penny of the $10 ticket. It’s only an added bonus that every one of those pennies goes towards providing accessible backcountry skiing and snowboarding to the local community.
The show starts at 8:00PM.
MID-WEEK MUSIC
It wouldn’t be December without a little bit of holiday cheer on the live music front, and this Thursday, December 8th, beginning at 8:00PM, break up your work week with One Longfellow Square‘s Winter Solstice Mini-Fest featuring Grammy-nominated bluegrass mandolinist Mat Flinner playing alongside award-winning American roots band Low Lily.
These masters of voice and strings will be celebrating the time of year with energetic instrumentals and songs for the season. Get ready for a festive evening of good vibes and fun songs to enjoy and sing along with. Advance tickets are $20, or $30 at the door.
STAFF PICK
Boston-based duo The Ballroom Thieves are no strangers to Portland, and they’ll be returning to the State Theatre this Friday, December 9th for an 8:00PM show.
Like everyone, the indie/alt-rockers went through some changes in the last couple of years since COVID. Adjusting to a duo as opposed to a three-piece, and writing songs that reflect both their longing to return to the road, as well as the mental draining sustained from being on the road. Their newest album Clouds is a collection of these thoughts and adjustments to the new world around them.
You may recognize The Ballroom Thieves from countless opening acts for local hotshots The Ghost of Paul Revere. If you’ve been missing The Boys of Maine, you can look forward to an opening act by Griffin William Sherry, lead vocalist and guitarist of the now-disbanded Ghost, who has been working on his first solo album since the band stepped away from the stage.
Get your tickets now for two of Portland’s favorite alt-rock acts.
There’s so much live music happening around the city at any given time that we’d never have the time to list them all here.
Check out our Live Music Tonight page for a full calendar of live events happening in Portland, Maine.