When:
December 8, 2023 @ 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
America/New York Timezone
2023-12-08T20:00:00-05:00
2023-12-08T23:00:00-05:00
Where:
Sun Tiki Studios
375 Forest Ave
Portland, ME 04101
USA
375 Forest Ave
Portland, ME 04101
USA
Cost:
$10.00 - $13.00
Contact:
Sun Tiki Studios
Toby McAllister & the Sierra Sounds with Becca Biggs & The World Famous Grassholes
TOBY MCALLISTER
The state of Maine is known for it’s cold winters, and picture perfect summers. It’s hard not to be inspired by the beauty of the changing seasons, and that’s what you’ll find in Toby’s music. Known primarily as the founding member of Sparks The Rescue, Toby has been playing music since he was old enough hold a guitar. He spent his 20’s touring the world in a 15 passenger van with his best friends. When Sparks started to slow down, he settled back in Maine with his family. The pandemic brought on an unexpected source of inspiration, which led to the first solo EP for McAllister titled, Daydreamin. A few short months after it’s release, he was sharing the stage with acts such as Drake White, Kasey Tyndall, Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters, Eddie Montgomery, and supported Rhett Miller & The Old 97’s on a tour in Spring of ’22.
March of ’23 finds Toby releasing the follow up to Daydreamin with a brand new CD titled Autumn Skies. While Daydreamin is a fun CD written during the pandemic, Autumn Skies is a more serious combination of life, love, and rock & roll. Backing him up on this recording is the rhythm section of Sparks which includes drummer Nathan Spencer and Ben Briggs on bass. This trio has been playing together for over 20 years, and have never stopped sharing their love for music, and a good song. Other talent on the CD includes Andrew Martelle from The Mallett Brothers Band, Hamilton Belk, a talented local steel guitarist and a featured guitar solo from Ken Bethea of Old 97’s.
March of ’23 finds Toby releasing the follow up to Daydreamin with a brand new CD titled Autumn Skies. While Daydreamin is a fun CD written during the pandemic, Autumn Skies is a more serious combination of life, love, and rock & roll. Backing him up on this recording is the rhythm section of Sparks which includes drummer Nathan Spencer and Ben Briggs on bass. This trio has been playing together for over 20 years, and have never stopped sharing their love for music, and a good song. Other talent on the CD includes Andrew Martelle from The Mallett Brothers Band, Hamilton Belk, a talented local steel guitarist and a featured guitar solo from Ken Bethea of Old 97’s.
2023 has some new and exciting opportunities in store for Toby and while on a career path that can sometimes be unpredictable, Toby appreciates still being able to create music for the pure joy of it.
BECCA BIGGS
Becca Biggs has been making a name for herself in Maine for over eight years, but her country influences and twangy vocals (with a vibrato reminiscent of Dolly Parton) betray her Tennessee roots. Playing banjo with two other homesteader-moms on cello and guitar, she co-founded the Americana trio Sugarbush in 2015, releasing two albums of acclaimed material. Last year, Biggs broke out with her debut solo album Genie, assembling a team of crack musicians. That effort saw her named WERU’s artist of the week and the track “I Can’t Take It” named a Portland Press Herald song of the week. Mainer magazine recognized her “beautiful and dextrous voice.” Combined with folk, rock, and alternative influences, Biggs and her band have created a sound that is both muscular and enveloping.
THE WORLD FAMOUS GRASSHOLES
The World Famous Grassholes play high-energy bluegrass (yes, a little bit like that Billy Strings guy, but also like Greensky and Leftover Salmon and Mighty Poplar, etc.), a mix of originals, classics, and cool covers. Well, we think they’re cool, anyway. It’s good for dancing and nodding your head and tapping your feet, and meant to be enjoyed with friends and family. Now in their third decade as a band, the Grassholes feature Heather Kahill on fiddle, Merrill Marsh and Sam Pfeifle on guitars, Flann O’Brien on the stand-up bass, and Field Rider on Banjo and harmonica. Everybody sings a bit here and there, whether you like it or not (we checked, it’s legal here for banjo players to sing, so don’t get too concerned).